So Proud of You



""You are nearly there," said James. "Very close. We are ... so proud of you.""

- Harry Potter

"''"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

''Come to my arms, my beamish boy.

''Oh frabjous day! Calooh, callay!"

He chortled in his joy."

- Lewis Carroll, "Jabberwocky"

Our young hero has accomplished! Perhaps he has triumphed, perhaps he has decided to undertake a Heroic Sacrifice, perhaps he has proven worthy to respond to the Call.

How can this be fittingly celebrated? Why, have him be told how proud people are of him!

Normally this is said only by people who have reason to be proud: his parents, a Parental Substitute, his mentor, the Team Dad, A Father to His Men, etc. This is usually done for a young hero, whose skills might have been in doubt, and had unquestionably been formed by the person saying it. It may happen very early in the story, as proof that he is ready for the call, but is more common at the end to validate his Character Development.

May also be a form of encouragement after The Hero has progressed a certain amount but is feeling discouraged.

There is the form "I'm so proud of you." Or "We are so proud of you," if one can speak for more than one (a mother or father for both parents).

Then there is the form "Your father would have been so proud of you." Normally addressed to fatherless heroes, though any Disappeared Dad may qualify them. May be spoken by the mother, or by any other mentor. They may not want, even in this moment, to have a Not So Stoic moment, and so distance themselves from the praise. They may be aware that the child craves his father's approval, and would value this. They may also not want to claim too much credit, since saying "I am so proud of you," implies that they have a reason to be proud.

While "father" is the commonest, "Your mother (or other figure) would be so proud of you," is also possible, in similar situations. "You should be proud of yourself" is another alternative, which ascribes even more of the credit to The Hero himself.

This is, in fact, what the "Well Done, Son" Guy craves, but the hero has not usually been striving with his eye on it, and the speaker is willing to tell him, freely.

This trope can also be Played for Laughs when the child does something despicable or even outright criminal, and the parent approves of their deviant behavior. Alternatively, the trope Don't Tell Mama exists because a crooks wants to hear this and doesn't want their parents to be disappointed in them for taking up a life of crime.

Contrast It Has Been an Honor, where the character is usually addressing someone he has not formed, though he may have led him. Powerful potential for a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming right here. Also contrast Disappointed in You.

See Your Approval Fills Me With Shame for when they don't want this praise.

Also see Like a Son to Me.

Anime & Manga

 * A rather terrifying (though oddly fluffy) example appears at the very end of the infamous original ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion: . Pretty chilling due to its vagueness.
 * One popular way of reconciling the movie and series is to see the movie as the physical world and the series as Shinji's personal mental world. Combining that with the various "the you which is in her" shenanigans, the series ends with Shinji congratulating himself, through the guises of various people he knows, on rejecting instrumentality. Which basically inverts this trope. Unverified research ho!
 * Evangelion has a few more subversions. After his first battle, Misato tells Shinji that he did a noble thing and he should be proud, but he doesn't take it to heart due to the pain it caused him, the fact that he still thinks of her as a stranger, and getting punched by another kid in school. Later in the series, after another battle, his father tells him (unenthusiastically, by speakerphone) he did a good job. He actually really takes it to heart and feels good about it, but a few episodes later he criticizes himself for letting himself make a big deal out of a very small compliment.
 * Inverted in Fruits Basket. When Yuki rejects his mother's attempts at a parent-teacher conference to lay out his life for him, he says that he wants to become something he can be proud of.
 * In Naruto, there's a moment somewhat like this when, is shown telling Naruto that he believes in him, that Konoha  , and he's counting on him.
 * Iruka Umino invokes this trope numerous times throughout the series, constantly praising and encouraging Naruto when everyone else ignored or mistreated him. During Naruto's battle with Pain, Iruka can be seen smiling with immense pride at everything Naruto has accomplished.
 * It's even better when Naruto returns from a deadly battle with Pain and the ENTIRE VILLAGE--the vast majority of whom have hated him his entire life for something he didn't do--cheers his return. He also earns a hug from his crush, who's always considered him an annoying friend.
 * In Gintama, Okita's older sister and foster mother Mitsuba tells him how proud she is of him Truly a Tear Jerker.
 * Toward the end of Wandaba Style, Teen Genius Susumu's father tells his wife that she should say this to their son, since he surpassed them both. We don't find out whether she does or not, though.
 * "You became a taller man than I was.".
 * An interesting double subversion happens in Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple:
 * In Dragonball Z,, Vegeta embraces his son, Trunks, and says "I want you to know that...you have made me proud."
 * And later, Goku says this to Gohan after the latter's full potential is unlocked.
 * Rather horribly subverted in Death Note, as Soichiro Yagami finally confirms that his son Light isn't the mass-murderer Kira.
 * Played straight when Ryuk says this to Light at his graduation ceremony...
 * In High School DXD, after

Fanfiction

 * This is subverted hard in 'Nexus' in that after discovering that, Vergil thinks he should feel proud of him, but can’t really bring himself to since he’s
 * Played with in the Harry Potter story 'Old Soldiers'. Harry tells the wizarding world that he'll only fight (and kill) Death Eaters if they pay him. When Vernon hears he tells Harry, "I just might be proud of you b-Harry."

Film
"Sinbad: Rumina would be proud."
 * The Adventures of Sinbad:

"Shmi: [to Anakin] I'm so very proud of you."
 * Which probably counts as an inversion, Rumina being the series's Vain Sorceress and arguably main recurring villain that Sinbad has to deal with...
 * Star Wars: Episode I

"Obi-Wan: You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be."
 * Also Episode III

"Pike: Congratulations, Captain. Your father would be proud."
 * In The Sixth Sense, Lynn Sear is not happy her son is crazy and claims to see dead people. He then.
 * A reversal with Lulu saying this to her crazy father, Romulus, in The Caveman's Valentine.
 * When James T. Kirk is promoted to Captain of the Enterprise, he takes over from Captain Chris Pike, who convinced him to join Starfleet in the first place. After the formal dialogue, Pike shakes Kirk's hand and says simply,

"Fa Zhou: The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter."
 * And likely was in the prime timeline.
 * Disney was going to have a song called "Proud of Your Boy" in Aladdin, but it got scrapped along with the character of Aladdin's mother.
 * Disney gets another chance with So Proud of You with Mulan. The movie ends with Mulan coming home from the army. She presents her father with the sword of the Mongolian general and a medal from the emperor. He tosses these trinkets aside, embraces his daughter and tells her how proud he is of her.

"Howard Stark: What is, and always will be, my greatest creation... is you."
 * In Iron Man 2, it comes in a slightly different form. It's more accurately confidence that the hero will eventually make him proud, but it's really the same thing. Tony Stark recalls that his father was "cold and calculating," and that he "never told me he loved me, [and] never told me he liked me"). Thus, when Nick Fury tells him that his dad always believed he would carry on his legacy and take the arc reactor to the next level, Tony scoffed at the notion. Later, while going through his old man's stuff, he stumbles upon a recording his father left that was meant only for him. In it, he reveals that all of his life's work had always been for Tony. He also states that he is confident his son would change the future where he could not, and leaves him with this final message,

"Rachel Dawes: Your father would be very proud of you. And so am I."
 * At the end of A Knights Tale, the goofy sidekick says: "Sir William Thatcher. Your father heard that."
 * From Batman Begins:

"Thor: One day, I shall make you proud.
 * This is a callback after an earlier What the Hell, Hero? moment when she says he would be ashamed of him
 * In Thor, this conversation at the end of the movie between Thor and Odin.

Odin: You've already made me proud."


 * Papa Smurf shows this to Clumsy near the end of The Smurfs.
 * Inverted and unspoken with Real Steel..

Literature

 * in the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * Also in the end of the final book, when.
 * Another, unspoken, one from Deathly Hallows, when Harry enters Dumbledore's office after the Final Battle:

"Rand: "I've done so much that is terrible."
 * Matthew 25:23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
 * In the flashback at the end of Dan Abnett's Gaunts Ghosts novel, First & Only, Gaunt's mentor Oktar tells him, "Your father would be proud of you," after his first military victory. Gaunt tells him that he is sure his (dead) father is.
 * In The Wheel of Time series, the tearful reunion between Rand al'Thor and his adoptive father in Towers of Midnight certainly invokes this trope. Especially since the aloof, all-powerful Dragon Reborn ends up weeping in his father's arms. Quite unashamedly too. And in front of a crowd.

Tam: "Nobody walks a difficult path without stumbling now and again. It didn't break you when you fell. That's the important part.""

"Aral Vorkosigan: Clay, boy. Only clay. Not fit to receive so golden a sacrifice."
 * In Lois McMaster Bujold's The Warrior's Apprentice, Miles says he wants to make his life "an offering fit to lay at my father's feet":

"Despite what I just said, I wanted to tell you that I was proud of you. You were the best batch of aspirants I ever trained at Russvik. Maybe the best I ever saw. See to it that you live up to that."
 * Invoked in Sandy Mitchell's Ciaphas Cain novel The Traitor's Hand. Cain engaged in a conflict with Chaos forces that were chasing a praetor; the praetor filled him on the danger and was injured. Later, he met a PDF general, his father, and praised his son's courage to him, manifestly inspiring paternal pride. He heard afterwards that the general had objected to his son's going into the praetors, and the incident brought about a reconciliation.
 * In William King's Warhammer 40000 Space Wolf novel Grey Hunters, after Ragnar's Field Promotion, the gravely wounded Hakon gives him some warnings about tendencies which might undermine him, and then

"''"Well, Mr. Mc Lean said We'd probably find his son here"
 * In Graham McNeill's Warhammer 40000 Ultramarines novel Warriors of Ultramar, after their first battle, Learchus praises the soldiers he had put through Training From Hell: "I am so proud of you." When one says it was his training, he sloughs off the credit, declaring the greatness had been in them, he had merely brought it out. "You are warriors of Ultramar, and I am proud to call you brothers." (He had, in fact, planned on doing this, for morale: when a captain had complaining that the men thought he was showing off in training, he explained that he had been, so they would know what a great warrior he was, and when it came time for him to praise them, it would mean much to them.)
 * In Dead Sky Black Sun, after the climactic battle, the Lord of the Unfleshed solicits praise from Uriel: "Emperor happy?" Uriel looks at the damage and assures them that they made the Emperor very happy with their work.
 * Earlier, Uriel had seen a once-possible future that involved a fine son whom he would have been proud of; he regrets it, but does not let that stop him.
 * In Graham McNeill's Warhammer 40000 novel Storm of Iron, speaks to praise the troops and encourage them. One assures him they won't let him down, and  says that he knows it, and he's damned proud of them.
 * In Graham McNeill's Warhammer 40000 (again) Horus Heresy novel False Gods, when Horus sees how Maggard fought against the walking corpses, he admires his Kirlian blade but his skill as well, telling him that he should feel proud of himself. Overwhelmed, Maggard sinks to his knees before him, and when Horus tells him that that is inappropriate for so great a warrior, he has Maggard's complete loyalty. (Somewhat assisted by how House Carpinus treated him -- taking out his vocal cords so he can not speak inappropriately in his mistress's presence.)
 * In Matt Farrer's "After Desh'ea" (in Tales of Heresy), Kharne tells Angron of how the Emperor named them the War Hounds and that they were proud of it and hoped that he would be proud of that, too.
 * At the end of The Graveyard Book, Bod thinks he hears his mother's voice telling him she's proud of him.
 * In Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind, Kvothe's mother gets him to study formal etiquette by asking him if he wants her to be proud of him.
 * In Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and The Olympians books, Poseidon tells Percy that he is his favorite son.
 * Early on in Percy Jackson, Percy's mother tells him that his father would be proud of him. Understandably, Percy is angry because at this point he doesn't know who his father was and he's furious that his father never came to see him or his mom. But after finally meeting him face to face at the end of the first book, while not exactly saying the words, Posideon tells Percy that he did well on his quest with his eyes gleaming with pride.
 * In Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novel Proven Guilty, at the end.
 * In Edgar Rice Burroughs's The Gods of Mars, John Carter, prisoner, meets another prisoner, a young man who recounts how he fought valiantly with his father's sword before his capture, and has the consolation that his Disappeared Dad would have been proud of him, if he had known.
 * Later, speaking of his fights within the Gladiator Games he says his mother would be proud to see "how well I have maintained the traditions of my father's prowess"
 * The reader, who is hopefully not quite as thick as Captain Carter, probably figures out well before it's stated that
 * There are a few times in the X Wing Series where Mirax Terrick, who grew up like a sister to Wedge Antilles, tells him that his parents would be proud of him. Her father basically helped raise him after Jagged and Zena Antilles were killed.
 * In Patricia C Wrede's Thirteenth Child, after Lan deduced that there was something about the Rationalist settlement, his father spent the next weeks oscilliating between bursting with pride over Lan and frustration with Obstructive Bureaucrats preventing them from doing anything about it.
 * In James Swallow's Deus Sanguinius, a woman is mortally wounded striving to be one of Arkio's chosen soldiers. Sachiel assures her that her children are proud of her, mercy-kills her with a weapon meant for Space Marines, and closes her eyes when she dies.
 * In Chris Roberson's Imperial Fists novel Sons of Dorn, Captain Taelos tells the Scouts and sergeant that he is proud to have served as their commander when facing a Last Stand. Afterward, he tells the newly minted Imperial Fists that he summoned them to commend them -- and expresses it in concrete form, restoring to them the swords that had been taken from them when they were chosen as aspirants, after having them adapted to be suited for a Space Marine to fight with.
 * In John C Wright's The Orphans of Chaos, after Quentin stands off the, Boggins tells him how proud he is and what a pity it is that Quentin will not remember.
 * In Jasper Fforde's Lost In A Good Book, when Landen is eradicated, Thursday assures his parents that they would have been proud of him.
 * In War Craft Lord of the Clans, after Thrall mortally wounds him Blackmoore tells Thrall that he is everything he wanted Thrall to become and that he is proud of him. Thrall is understandably upset since Blackmoore made his youth a living hell and had just murdered his beloved foster sister Taretha. Hearing the bastard approve of Thrall denied him any satisfaction from killing him.
 * In Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet book Dreadnaught, Captain Desjani smiles as she watches Geary watch the fleet go into formation, and explains that he's obviously so proud of them.
 * In Gene Stratton Porter's Freckles, Freckles gets it second-hand from his Parental Substitute; Angel tells him of it.

"His son!" cried Freckles.

"That's what he said. And that you would do anything you could for us; and that we could trust you with our lives. But I would have trusted you anyway, if I hadn't known a thing about you. Say, your father is rampaging proud of you, isn't he?"

"I don't know," answered the dazed Freckles.

"Well, call on me if you want reliable information. He's so proud of you he is all swelled up like the toad in Aesop's Fables. If you have ever had an arm hurt like this, and can do anything, why, for pity sake, do it!" ''"


 * In Animorphs, Marco's mother has said this to Marco about his heroic activities in fighting the Yeerk presence on Earth. It means a lot coming from her: She forms a lot of his motivation for fighting, for she has been abducted away from Earth and seldom has an opportunity to say anything to anyone.

Live-Action TV
"Zach: If you understood, you would be proud of me.
 * Scrubs: After spending endless hours tormenting JD, Dr Cox tells him he's proud of him when JD's father dies (as they watch sports on the TV together with JD's brother, no less).
 * In an interesting reversal, JD tells Cox that he is proud of him because of his severe reaction to losing three patients in quick succession (which is actually the catalyst for Cox to recover, and hence heavily implies that JD's opinion is the only one that really matters to him).
 * An example occurs in the last episode.
 * A truly heartwrenching episode in Bones, when Zach reveals his connection with the.

Brennan: I have always been proud of you, Zach."

"Bancroft: Any father would be proud of you."
 * The A-Team  While talking to   in one scene, Bancroft just can't work up the courage to tell him, but he manages this:

"Borusa: Oh, Doctor? Nine out of ten."
 * In Doctor Who, after the Doctor saves his home planet from a Deadly Assassin, his former teacher (who just barely passed him out of school) has a word for the departing hero:

""And I was so....proud.""
 * Years later, when Wilfred Mott was mistaken for Ten's father, he says that he isn't, but would be proud if he was.
 * And before that, virtually every time Peter Tyler, of either universe, has with his daughter and acknowledges her as such.
 * Also, the scene from The Sarah Jane Adventures episode Death of the Doctor, when the Doctor tells Jo that just before his previous regeneration, he went back and visited every single companion. He rounds it off with this heartwarming line.

"Bartlet: The only thing you had to do to make me happy was to come home at the end of the day."
 * The West Wing had the episode Ellie, where the president's middle daughter crossed horns with her father, telling him that she felt that she didn't know how to please him.

"John Jones: Your father would be proud. He did everything he could to prepare you, but bravery... is not something you can learn."
 * Smallville: "Bizarro"

"Wesley, you remember...I was always proud of you."
 * Aunt Nell tells Lana that she's proud of her on her wedding day to Lex Luthor, though doesn't specify what for. Surely not for the fact that her niece is knocked up on her wedding day, right?
 * Blair says this to Chuck a lot in season three of Gossip Girl. Until he, that is.
 * John Winchester says this to Dean in Supernatural's "In My Time Of Dying" . Of course, he fucks up this very nice, well-deserved sentiment by also telling him that he'll.
 * Dean also says this to Sam in "Scarecrow," and implies it often even if he doesn't outright say it.
 * Star Trek the Next Generation: Throughout the episode "Final Mission," Wesley has been struggling to get water and save the life of his mentor/father-figure Jean-Luc Picard. Near the end, when it looks as if he has failed Picard tells him:

"Zordon: "I am very pleased to hear you say those things. The world is very lucky to have you, and so am I. May the Power protect you, always.""
 * In Flashpoint, Parker says this to the team
 * Guinevere tells Arthur "I'm so proud of you," in the season three finale of Merlin.
 * Al and Peg Bundy sometimes felt this way whenever their kids did something despicable on Married With Children. Whether it was Al being proud of Bud beating up larger men in a bar fight,especially by playing dirty or Peg being proud of Bud and Kelly when they blackmailed her into sharing the money she would have made on selling the engine of Al's Dodge, what would be a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming on any other show is instead a Crowning Moment of Funny here.
 * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: In the Series Fauxnale "Doomsday Part 2", with Rita apparently out of tricks, Zordon offers the Rangers a chance to hang up their morphers. When they very firmly reject it, he has this to say:

"Nathan: I knew there was something wrong with her.
 * Misfits brought out a rather unexpected example from Nathan, of all people. Over the course of this episode, Simon has ended up in a relationship with Jesica, who's believed to be a serial killer; naturally, the other Misfits do their best to try and keep him safe- even Nathan, who spent most of the first season bullying Simon. However, it turns out that the murders were all committed by the woman's overprotective father, and at the end of the episode, Simon actually explains that Jessica was never a psychopath- she was a virgin.

Simon: (grinning) Fixed that.

( Beat )

Nathan: I'm proud of you, man!

(He hugs Simon)"

Comicbooks
"Jesse: "Hey. I want to thank you."
 * In Astro City, Steeljack tells one of the heroes of the Honor Guard that her (late) father would be proud of her. This produces a rather vehement reaction in her, since her father was a well-known supervillain who fought the Honor Guard on a number of occasions. Steeljack probably meant that he would be proud to see she didn't follow in his footsteps and became a member of the world's premier superhero team-up, but coming from a supervillain...
 * During Dark Reign, Phobos used his powers to briefly cause Norman Osborn to have a breakdown by telling him that even though he thinks he's in control of his Green Goblin persona, he's not & he will fail. His father Ares (Who it should be noted was aligned with Osborn at the time) is stood off to the side watching, with a proud look on his face that all but says "That's my boy".
 * Just before the Clone Saga, Aunt May tells Peter she knows that he's Spider Man, and that his uncle would be proud of them. Both of them are. Aww...
 * In Amazing Spider-Man 600 theres a short story about Uncle Ben and Peter's relationship. Ben keeps telling Peter "your father would be so proud of you" but what Peter wants Ben to say "I'm proud of you". When he does its Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
 * In Preacher (Comic Book), after Jesse cripples Jodie during their brutal death match, the latter smiles at the former and tells him "prouda ya, boy", apparently pleased that his Tough Love over the years has worked wonders with the boy. This just serves to piss Jesse off even further, and he chokes the villain to his death.
 * Also, near the end, when Jesse is getting ready for his final fight, the Cowboy, who has appeared several times to him over the course of the comic to inspire him, appears and tells him this.

Cowboy: "Thank me fer what...?"

Jesse: "For bein' a goddamn hero."

Cowboy: "Hell, pilgrim, I'm just a ...broke-down, wore-out ol' cowboy. But this broke-down, wore-out cowboy wanted ya to know, He's prouda ya.""

""Article 125, that's homosexual conduct."
 * When Kate Kane comes home to her father and explains that she's been separated from the army, he naturally wants to know why.

"Yes, sir."

"Why couldn't you tell him what he needed to hear?"

"I'd have been lying."

"Then you kept your honour and your integrity. I'm proud of you. Your mother would have been, too.""


 * Flashpoint: Thanks to some time-travel shenanigans,
 * In All Fall Down, this is played for laughs when visits  in prison.

Videogames
"Norman: ...what is your dream? My dream...hah. It has already come true, actually."
 * The first Baldurs Gate game does this really well; if Khalid is in your party, and your character is Good, then he will compliment you, saying, "Gorion would be so proud of you" (where Gorion is your foster father). Since this usually only occurs when you do some signifcant Good act, it does make your character feel like a hero.
 * In the first Ratchet and Clank game,
 * "But intelligence and logic would have been wasted gifts without honor and loyalty. I am proud to see that you came into those on your own."
 * In Fallout 3, basically gives you one of these at the Jefferson Memorial, if you've been playing the good side of the Karma Meter.
 * Damn you for being so awesome, !
 * Titania says this to Ike in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. In the Best Ending of Radiant Dawn, too,
 * The ending theme of R Type Final is actually called "Proud Of You", and includes the words as Gratuitous English lyrics. (Unfortunately, Fresh Games butchered the game's finale and replaced the song with a generic techno piece Blue Man Group's "Piano Smasher," giving a more Downer Ending feel.)
 * Star Fox 64, after "You've become so strong, Fox..."
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy gives us Tidus' storyline, where after Tidus defeats his father in battle Jecht tells him 'You've grown up strong.' Coming from Jecht, well, those who played Final Fantasy X may well be moved to sniffles.
 * In World in Conflict, just before stays behind to hold back the Soviets until they are both hit by an incoming nuke, Colonel Sawyer, who has previously (entirely justifiably) treated him like total dog crap, utters "I am humbled to have served with you..." and we know that at that moment, he really means it.
 * Final Fantasy VII. Seto, father of Nanaki. Manly Tears.
 * In the second Jak and Daxter game, Jak leaves the group in a huff right before the critical Class Two race, leaving Daxter to take his place. After, Jak comes back and tells Daxter that he's proud of him. Daxter's excited "Really?" is guaranteed to make fans of their friendship Squee in delight.
 * In the first Klonoa game, Klonoa's grandfather gives a So Proud of You speech to Klonoa.
 * In the third generation Pokémon games, you can rematch Gym Leaders after you beat the Elite Four. One of them is Norman, your character's father. After you beat him in the rematch:


 * In Mass Effect, if you bring Liara to Noveria,
 * Mass Effect 3 also uses this trope
 * In Dragon Age Origins, if you are playing the Human Noble origin, you will eventually go through the gauntlet to retrieve Andraste's sacred ashes. While going through the challanges, you will run into the spirit of, who tells you how proud he is of you and to be strong and
 * Dragon Age 2 gives us a note in the Hawke Estate that reads "I'm very proud of you. Love, Mother." Easily missable, but hardly forgettable  Additionally, your sister Bethany or brother Carver will give you one
 * Leandra actually tells you this twice, once through written text, again
 * In the end of Eternal Darkness, the ghost of Alex's grandfather appears to tell her how proud of her he is, for holding her own against Pious and the forces of the ancients themselves.
 * After defeating the final boss of Solatorobo, admits that he is proud of Red for standing up for his friends (and the world), even though he initially considered him a failure. His mother  also says that she is quite proud of him as well, though she never considered him a the spectacular failure that his father did. Perhaps notably, they are only his biological parents and did not raise him, nor was he actively seeking their approval or even incredibly interested in where he came from.

Web Original

 * He doesn't say it to her face, but The Nostalgia Critic's pride and respect for the The Nostalgia Chick is obvious when he believes The Smurfette Principle is her creation.
 * Despite her usual Lack of Empathy, she got in first when she affectionately pinched his cheek in the Fern Gully review for understanding the Big Lipped Alligator Moment.

Webcomics
"Dr. Sun: I do hope [being forcibly dragged, while recovering from horrible injuries, from a hospital bed to a window and back again to see Gilgamesh's feat] was worth it.
 * Order of the Stick: Haley doesn't ask the dirt farmers for a reward; when Elan comments, she dismisses it, but Elan says he's still proud of her. Cue blush.
 * Elan gets to be on the receiving end of this after meeting.
 * Girl Genius:
 * He doesn't say it directly to his son, but after Gilgamesh Wulfenbach defeated an entire army of war machines singlehandedly, his father Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, normally a "Well Done, Son" Guy while grooming his son to take his position some day, expresses perhaps the highest praise of Gilgamesh he is capable of to Dr. Sun.

Klaus: Anything - being paralyzed for life - would be an acceptable price for seeing what I have seen my son do this day. Oh, yes."

"Vanamonde: As your seneschal, I should be the first to try this.
 * Carson von Mekkhan gives one to his grandson Vanamonde, when he offers to be the first to test Agatha's Mad Science brewed coffee.

Vanamonde (aside): Besides, if the regular coffee set her off, who knows what this will do.

Carson: I'm proud of you, m'boy."


 * Homestuck: John's Dad is constantly telling him this, probably in response to the self-abusive graffiti John wrote on his wall in his sleep. John isn't aware that the graffiti is there at all, so he finds it overbearing and stifling and constantly complains about it to his friends. One of Dad's favourite ways of spreading the encouragement is through leaving John little printed notes (one of which is the page image).
 * Later, Diamonds Droog seems to have an attitude like this toward Aradia, the troll he advises as an exile. His directions to her largely consist of praising her actions and encouraging her that her decisions and feelings are the right way to go.
 * Post-Scratch, Dad has the same approach to his daughter Jane, congratulating her on being strong enough to lift the fridge he uses to stop her from going outside. (Although he still wants her to stay inside where it's nice and assassin-free.)
 * Evil Diva Because your father and I couldn't be prouder
 * In Endstone, Kyri assures Cole she's proud of her for getting so far in so little time, before explaining her errors.
 * In a Flash Back, after Cole explains the price she promised to save Kyri, Kyri tells her that she is brave and honest, and she is proud of her.
 * In Sinfest, a father-son moment
 * Also Pooch toward Bally
 * In Blue Yonder, Jared's father tells him, "Good work, son." in a Flashback Dream.
 * In The Specialists, the Old Retainer assures Henry that both he and Henry's father are so proud of you. It may even be true about the Old Retainer.
 * In No Rest for The Wicked, Colette tells November that her mother is no doubt proud of her -- obviously humoring her "delusions."

Western Animation
"Alfred Pennyworth: That's rubbish. I know your father would be proud of you because... I'm so proud of you."
 * "Batman the Animated Series"

"Batman: They'd love it here, don't you think?
 * Used as a What the Hell, Hero? statement in Justice League when Batman is talking to his Knight Templar alternate universe counterpart.

Lord!Batman: Who?

Batman: Mom and Dad. They'd be so proud of you."

"Darkseid: You make an old man proud."
 * Lord!Batman folded on the spot.
 * Darkseid says this to Orion in "Twilight", while Orion is trying to kill him. Darkseid then breaks his back.

"You just have to be a little less... (gestures at Hiccup) this.
 * Avatar: The Last Airbender: When Zuko returns to the Fire Nation his father tells him he's proud of him and why. It's a creepy scene, since Ozai is praising Zuko for
 * And of course there's the finale, when  It overlaps Heartwarming into Tearjerking. Someone come up with a better writeup than that!
 * Of course, at the end of the series, Hakoda exclaims he's the "Proudest father in the world".
 * Not to mention Katara taking Aang aside to tell him how proud she is of his progress, just before the Black Sun invasion. That one got a little sidetracked, though.
 * The Mansons in Danny Phantom said this to their daughter Sam (and her friends) after they foiled the Big Bad of the episode. Considering how Sam and her parents don't get along, it's a brief, but heartwarming moment.
 * In How to Train Your Dragon, after Stoick realizes his son, Hiccup, whom he earlier rejected, is incredibly wise and brave and about to fight a giant dragon in an apparent Heroic Sacrifice, he tells him how proud he is to be his father.
 * This also includes an aversion of the earlier repeated line.
 * This also includes an aversion of the earlier repeated line.

Hiccup: You just pointed at all of me."

"Stoick: We just needed a little more (gestures at Hiccup) this
 * Later on:

Hiccup: You just pointed at all of me."

"Nelson: You've raised the bar for all of us, Simpson; and I thank you. *bows*
 * On Jimmy Two-Shoes, Lucius sometimes does this to Beezy after Beezy has done something evil.
 * I am so proud of you, part of the Everything Will Be OK film cycle by Don Hertzfeldt, plays around with this.
 * Played with on The Simpsons, when Bart, whacked out on way too Ritalin Focusyn, hijacks a tank a runs a muck around town.

Bart: Wow! Praise from Caesar!

Nelson: Huh?!"


 * Goliath has a moment of this when he finally acknowledges Angela as his daughter. Note that the lack of acknowledgment wasn't because he ever disapproved of her personally, but because Gargoyles traditionally didn't keep track of who laid which eggs.
 * The end of Recess: School's Out
 * My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Princess Celestia to Twilight Sparkle and her friends at the end of "Return of Harmony part 2".
 * In Thundercats 2011, Claudus telling Lion-O that he is proud of him is particularly poignant because Lion-O has spent his entire life trying to make his father proud of him