Heartwarming / Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL

• Bronk going to search for the missing piece of Yuma's key. He rags on him but when he sees how upset Yuma is he does something about it. Even going as far as to try to convince Yuma not to risk the duel to get Bronk's deck back.
• Yuma finds out Shark's been hanging out with a gang and to top it all off he's quit dueling. Yuma is so bothered by this it keeps him up at night. And then then chases him across town just to convince Shark to duel him. And then calls Shark his friend. This kid broke the key his missing father gave him and promised to throw his dad's deck in the trash if he won, but Yuma just cares so much anyway. Because they dueled. And that makes them friends. He even risks his key to convince Shark to dump the gang.
• Yuma trying so hard to convince the school bully not to throw his life away by breaking into the museum is so wholesome. Even better because it actually works. And manages to convince Shark that they really are friends.
• Shark's reaction when Yuma calls him by his given name implies that no one actually calls him that. He seems surprised that Yuma actually took the time to learn a little about him.
• Yuma sticking up for Shark when Kaio & Rikuo start mocking him for getting kicked out of nationals for cheating.
• Shark "returning the favor" to Yuma by refusing to hand over the Ou's Key to Kaito and dueling him to keep it away from him.
• Kaito, although an antagonist at the start of the series, shows he really does care about his younger brother when they interact.
• Yuma and Astral's friendship and concern for each other is really sweet, especially as it grows into true friendship over the series.
• Episodes 37 and 38 on both sides of the duel.
  • Whilst Yuma is duelling, Astral is unable to come and aid him due to being attacked by Number 96. Without Utopia to defend him, he will be helpless, but he sends Utopia to Yuma anyway.
  • And when Astral does finally escape from the key? Yuma starts off about how he doesn't need Astral to fight for him and he was totally fine on his own - Astral just smiles and tells Yuma that he's set everything up well.
  • Gauche takes the final hit of the duel for Droite by redirecting the attack using a trap card. They would have lost either way, so doing this doesn't affect the outcome of the duel in any way, but he does it anyway.
  • Gauche asks Droite to keep the duel with Yuma a secret from Heartland - Droite agrees immediately.
• In episode 50, Droite finds out Kaito's photon change is killing him and she asks him to drop out of the tournament for his own safety. The genuine concern she shows for him is quite touching when you remember Droite's usual disposition.
  • Droite smiling when Gauche manages to defeat Fuya in episode 45.
• At the beginning of episode 67, when eating the rice balls Kotori had given him while in Zexal mode, Yuma is basically able to share them with Astral. Since Astral doesn't normally eat, this is a new experience for him and he really enjoys it, commenting that it must be how it feels to truly be alive and that it's really fun being with Yuma.
• In the subbed version of Episode 68, when Shark tells Kaito that he won't leave until Yuma is saved, Kaito thinks back on all the times Yuma has helped him, even when he considered him a rival at the time or a nuisance. He's then convinced to let Kotori and Shark come with him to search for Yuma.
• Episode 80. When Alito confesses to Girag his love for Kotori, rather than making fun of him, he actually supported and tells him to impress her. Considering how many past Yu-Gi-Oh! villains were perfectly willing to betray and/or harm others around them, that is saying something.
• Episode 85 has something that's rather heartwarming in hindsight; Yuma and Rei, on their way to school, run into a group of Barian-brainwashed students, who are obviously after Yuma. Yuma could have stayed to fight them - especially since a group that large would have attracted his other friends to help soon enough - but instead, he chooses to protect Rei and they both flee.
• Episode 87. Alito is injured and Girag is more than willing to avenge his friend.
  • Part of what's great about 87 is that we have the heartwarming moments on both sides; the protagonists and antagonists. We have Girag's rage over the attack on Alito and his determination to take revenge, utterly trusting in Alito's judgment on who did it. In addition, we have Yuma's absolute faith that Rei wasn't responsible, and his refusal to stop protecting him in the duel, even though Rei's play style is practically suicidal and Astral urges him to stop.
• Episode 88. Girag is fighting so hard for Alito's sake. Also doubles as a tearjerker.
• Episode 98. Yuma managing to bring Astral back to his senses by hugging him, undoing the Dark Zexal form Astral had initiated while under the influence of the darkness, and then when Yuma and Astral reconcile, touching the palms of their hands together before initiating their new Zexal II form.
• Episode 114 has Quattro arrive as backup against Chironex, and he makes it clear it isn't for his and Shark's rivalry, it's because Rio's been through enough as is, and he won't let more happen on his watch.
• Episode 121. When Astral is saved after Yuma defeats Eliphas.
• The sixth ending theme, CHALLENGE THE GAME, it shows all of Yuma's allies supporting him, and even better, shows some of the show's villains looking content and happy in a benign way, and the song ends with everyone cheering on a friendly duel between Yuma and Astral.
• Episode 126. Despite her own feelings for Yuma, Cathy literally pushes Kotori to go with Yuma to Barian World as he challenges Don Thousand. She confides in Takashi that she wanted to go too, but she didn't feel like she could support Yuma like Kotori can.
• In Episode 138, Vector is being dragged towards Don Thousand, who intends to absorb him. Yuma immediately runs forward and catches his hand, trying to save Vector despite everything. He insists that the true Vector is Rei Shingetsu, and despite Nasch and Astral both urging him to just abandon Vector, he refuses to. Vector declares that he's taking Yuma with him, only for Yuma to reply that that's fine and that Vector isn't alone. He cries a single tear and it hits Vector's face, shocking him. Stunned, Vector decides that he can't drag Yuma down with him, and lets go of Yuma's hand, letting himself be absorbed.
• CXyz Barian Hope. When Nasch said the card was the embodiment of all 7 Barian Emperors, he meant it. Barian Hope can use each of their Number C10X's effects per turn, and while he could detach Overlay Units to do so, Nasch refuses as that'd be discarding them from his perspective, instead paying Life Points. Further, every time he does activate an effect, the respective Emperor manifests to do so with him. Even Vector, turncoat he may be, is given the same respect as the other six.
• The fact that Yuma actually wins his duel against Nasch accidentally because he refused to attack his friend!
• In the final episode, when Yuma realizes what Astral's real intentions with the duel between them was: Astral wanted to help Yuma remember why he loved to duel, and give him the courage to face the future even when the two of them would be going their separate ways after this final duel.
• Tori emerges victorious in her crush. In freaking Yu-Gi-Oh!
  • The idea that Yuma, one of the biggest fools in the franchise, accepts Tori's affections is a milestone in itself.
• At least one fan was so inspired by the show that she chose one of Yuma's lines for the senior quote in her yearbook.

---