Pokémon/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • In the first episode of the Diamond and Pearl Battle Dimension, Chimchar's Tears/Tears for Fears. In a practice battle between Ash's newly acquired Chimchar and Dawn's Piplup, Chimchar loses and, after getting knocked to the ground, remembers how Paul abandoned it for being too weak (in his opinion anyway) and assumes Ash may do the same (or at least, think that he's weak as well). When Ash picks Chimchar up, Chimchar looks ready to hear Ash tell it how weak it is, but to its surprise, Ash praises it and commends Chimchar on how hard it tried. Brock and Dawn do as well and the other Pokémon all cheer for Chimchar. Chimchar tears up and cries on Ash's shoulder and Ash hugs him. Even Meowth, who'd gotten separated from Jessie and James and happened to be nearby, was crying and felt sorry for Chimchar.

Ash in English version: Chimchar. It's okay. You're gonna be fine.
Ash in Japanese version: Hikozaru. Cry all you want. It's okay to cry.

  • "Bound for Trouble": Pikachu and Meowth spent a good chunk arguing (the former usually winning via Thundershock), but then they come upon an apple tree. Pikachu gets there first and takes the fruit, once again smacking Meowth around to get it...and then shares it. That, coupled with Pikachu falling asleep in Meowth's lap, is without a doubt the most "awwww"-inducing scene of the entire Orange Islands arc.
  • In one episode, Chimchar gets poisoned by Saturn's Toxicroak. Ash is very upset, beating himself up over letting Chimchar get hurt like that. Then this happens. It's so incredibly touching, especially in the context of Chimchar's past. It's like he's telling Ash he doesn't have to worry, because he's already done more for it than he could ever imagine.
  • "Pikachu's Goodbye": Upon discovering a Pikachu colony in the woods Ash tried to abandon Pikachu, thinking it'd be happier living among its own species. But Pikachu decided to stay with Ash in the end.

Ash: Pikachu was my very first Pokémon...

  • Chimchar being so emotionally moved by its new teammates cheering for it that the floodgates that were forced closed while under control of Paul are opened and it starts crying out of happiness. Though Ash is a little confused, he still hugs it and calms Chimchar down.
    • Crossed with a Moment of Awesome, this trust came to a head in the finale of Ash's full battle with Paul at Lake Acuity. As the last of Ash's Pokémon able to battle, it's given some encouragement after it defeats Paul's Ursaring...which Chimchar replies to by evolving into Monferno.
  • The end of the Mirage Kingdom two-parter. Misty saying goodbye to Togepi after it evolved into Togetic and chose to stay with the rest of its kind.
  • May choosing not to capture a Swablu she and her friends nursed back to health, instead helping it catch up with its flock. May is seen trying so hard not to lose it.
  • The ending of the Sinnoh Grand Festival arc. After a real nail-biting battle between Dawn and Zoey, the outcome shows that Zoey has won by one point. And this time, even though Dawn had a brief look of disappointment on her face, she didn't break down and cry, and congratulates Zoey. After changing back into her regular clothes, Dawn meets up with her mom, Ash, and Brock. Dawn's mom was really proud, and is given back her first ribbon by her daughter.
  • James, Meowth, and the Team Rocket trio's other Pokémon dressing up as the dolls Jessie was trying to win in the episode's tournament, to cheer her up.
  • The end of "Holy Matrimony" is also a sweet moment for Jessie and James, as well as one of the first major Rocketshipping hints fans discovered. The fact that they accidentally leave poor Meowth behind isn't as heartwarming, although his reaction is cute.

James: Double trouble time, right?
Jessie: Sounds great to me, James.

    • It's heartwarming if you're a Rocketshipper. They were so busy staring into each other's eyes that they completely lost focus on what they were doing... and then Meowth yells, "You forgot Meowth again!", implying that this has happened before. (For the record: non-shippy hearts are also nicely heated by this. Friends or lovers, those two are closer than anyone.)
  • More Team Rocket Heartwarming: in one episode, Meowth runs into a Cargo Cult who begin worshiping him because Meowth can use Pay Day. However, those who remember the Scratch Cat's backstory know that Meowth hasn't learned Pay Day yet, nor will he ever (he utilized his intelligence to learn human speech, so he's unable to learn Pay Day). When Meowth is led into an arena, he tries to use Pay Day, but fails. Then, a few seconds later, money starts flying into the arena. It turns out that Jessie and James were throwing the money.
    • The previous instance gets even more heartwarming when James, having run out of money, throws his favorite bottle caps instead.
      • It's one of the few instances of the "friendship is more important than money" Aesop that actually works.
  • Some extra Team Rocket Heartwarming (they sure do it a lot): In one episode, James nearly gets himself killed by trying to capture a rare and powerful Pokémon on his own, and while Jessie comes to rescue him, they both end up getting trapped by the raging Pokémon. Resigned to the fact that they're going to die, Jessie tells James that, if there's an afterlife, she wants to meet him again there. This actually makes the terrified James smile, knowing that he and his best friend won't separate even in death. Luckily, they end up getting saved by Meowth, but still.
    • Even sweeter because Meowth and Jessie, discouraged by their bad luck, had just abandoned James to go pursue careers. He was extremely upset, but as soon as they found out he was in trouble they ran to rescue him. Then they teamed up again. Status Quo Is God, but still, awww.
  • "Ignorance Is Blissey". Seeing Jessie trying to do so much for her friend from Pokemon nurse school. The flashback crosses over into Tear Jerker territory, too.
    • And James and Meowth instantly stand by her to help protect Blissey. Team Rocket set themselves up as the villains and put on an even hammier performance than usual while not putting up a fight at all.

James: (through a megaphone) Oh look, Jessie, we dropped all the food we stole from the Pokémon Centre.

  • During the credits of the eighth movie (at least the Japanese version), when we see the supposedly dead Aaron and Lucario (the latter having just revived his faith in the former after spending the entire film thinking he had betrayed him and then proceeded to save the day) reunited in what is presumably some sort of an afterlife, and Lucario gets Aaron to try some chocolate.
  • The episode "Do I Hear A Ralts". In that episode, Max saves a sick Ralts from the brink of death. Once it is better, they have to part, but they promise that they'll be together when Max becomes a trainer. Surprisingly, the music-edit happy 4Kids even managed to write a moving ballad specifically for the dub of the episode (and managed to keep a rarely heard track as well).
  • Or "Crossing Paths". Jessie crushing the Poké Ball to tell Dustox that it was okay to leave, to go off and find happiness.
    • Also, "Bye Bye Butterfree", which is a very similar episode. That one always made me cry.
  • Pokéshipping time; fair warning. Melody has been ragging Misty for the entire second movie about Ash being Misty's boyfriend. Finally Misty decides it's time to go out into the apocalyptic storm to rescue her man. "Ash is never really alone, because he has me." Gets me all misty-eyed (pun intended) every single time.
    • Misty and Melody become "official" friends at that point too, which is doubly heartwarming.
    • Nonshippy example: Ash and his mother near the end of the movie. Delia scolds him for taking such a risk with his life, then explains that while he was saving the world, she came so close to losing her whole world. The whole exchange is just a big ball of heartwarming.

Delia: And just remember. Every day...you're my hero.

  • In The Rise of Darkrai, Darkrai itself has many of these, mostly in the third act. Yes, a Pokémon of the same species that hordes the Nightmare Fuel page, has a slightly creepy/sinister soundtrack accompanying it in the movie often, and creates nightmares has multiple Heartwarming Moments. There's a good chance you'll want to hug it and even cry for it by the end.
  • In the episode in which Ash's Turtwig evolves into Grotle, Paul's Torterra proves that Pokémon don't necessarily take after their masters by acting as a Mentor to Grotle, who has become disheartened as all of its battling techniques from its Turtwig stage no longer work with its new, heavier body.
  • The farewell scene between May and Manaphy in the ninth movie.
    • More like the entire movie especially May and Manaphy's bonding and "I love you scenes".
  • The plot twist of Destiny Deoxys. We're talking about Deoxys, a tentacled, transforming, regenerating, self-duplicating alien Pokémon here. In the movie, it spends four years regenerating under the ice of the north pole after getting blasted by Rayquaza, short-ciruits all the technology in the city and surrounds it in an inescapable forcefield, and holds pretty much the entire city's population hostage with an army of clones. And it turns out it's doing all this all because it just wants its friend back.
  • In Snow Way Out, Ash gets trapped in a cave during the blizzard and tries to convince his Pokémon to stay warm in their Poké Balls. But they refuse, instead snuggling up to him to keep him warm.

Ash: (getting all teary-eyed) You win. I guess we will be cold... all together. that's right... all together.

    • Think about this for a second. Ash Ketchum is wearing nothing but a T-shirt and jeans (He took off his jacket to keep his Pokémon warm in their Poké Balls), blocks an opening in the snow wall they made with his body, and still tells Pikachu to go into his Poké Ball, knowing that Pikachu would be warmer in there then out in the cold with him? If you didn't cry, you have no soul.
  • All of Lapras of Luxury. Just imagine if Ash's other released Pokémon returned to him like that.
  • While the Ono Manga The Electric Tale of Pikachu has a lot of fanservice, it also has a great epilogue, that shows...well, a picture is worth a thousand words.
  • Volume Five of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure has Cyrus manipulating Hareta to the extent that one of Hareta's friends (a pawn in the plan) tries to kill herself. When Cyrus gives his evil tirade, he explains that the only true emotions of humanity are "hatred, jealousy, and burning anger", and gloats when Hareta unleashes fury against Saturn's Rhyperior. He caps off his speech with "You must hate me even more now." Hareta's reaction? SOBBING. He tells Cyrus "You do bad things, but I don't hate you," and talks about how he still wants them to battle someday. Cyrus is in disbelief and is nearly overcome, starting to save Hareta from the explosions (the building is blowing up around them them the whole time). Saturn stops him from going back in, but Cyrus leaves a Master Ball for Hareta just the same. Later, it's revealed that even though he got to the Spear Pillar first, Cyrus waited several hours for Hareta to show up. That reawakened human side is key in Cyrus's redemption in later volumes.
  • From the Johto episode Hour of the Houndour. After Ash rescues a pack of wild Houndour from Team Rocket, he cheers "We did it!" happily. The four Houndour that were caught then run over, tackle Ash to the ground, and start to lick his face happily. Ash giggles, yelling "Cut it out! That tickles!" It's a little thing, but it shows how wild Pokémon aren't really wild, and will show gratitude to anyone that's willing to help them no matter what.
  • Another Johto episode, Great Bowls of Fire. The scene before the theme song showed that Ash's Charizard had come along with Liza to Blackthorn City. After Charizard greets its trainer with a Flamethrower to the face, it flies into him, knocking him over. The next shot is of Charizard licking Ash's face while Ash laughs and says "It's good to see you too, Charizard! You haven't changed a bit!" showing that despite all the ignoring, all the disrespect, that Charizard is now appreciative of and extremely happy to see Ash, in a way almost identical to its attitude while it was still a Charmander.
    • The ending of Great Bowls Of Fire. After the Dragonite in the episode calms down, it sees all the destruction it's caused and starts crying. A short time later, all the forest's Pokémon come out to cheer it up.
  • The conclusion of Byron's episode in the Diamond & Pearl arc - Bastiodon, Steelix, fossils, defense, and holes aren't all he loves.
  • The episode Time Warp Heals All Wounds!, when May sees Jonathan and Edna together again. Especially with that 'song'.
  • In "The Tower of Terror" after Ash and Pikachu had been knocked out by a chandelier, separated from their bodies by Haunter and spent a little time getting to know the three Ghost Pokémon a little better, Ash tells the Ghost Pokémon that he can't stay with them because he needs to continue his journey. Ash, Pikachu and the three Ghost Pokémon return to where Ash and Pikachu's bodies are, and discover that Misty and Brock have pulled them out from underneath the chandelier and are trying to wake them up. Seeing how worried they are, Ash and Pikachu quickly return to their bodies and wake up. Brock and (especially) Misty are relieved to see that Ash and Pikachu are alive. It's a pretty sweet moment.
  • From the games, any Pokémon that evolves by friendship. After taking care of it for so long, it likes you enough to evolve from pure happiness.
    • Take a max-happiness Pokémon to Dr. Footstep and he'll tell you your 'mon's innermost feelings about you. They're usually quite touching and cute, especially if it's a "scary" Pokémon (like a Haunter or a Darkrai), or a "slow" Pokémon (like a Bibarel) that's grown sufficiently fond of you.

Most Pokémon: <Name> is...a remarkable human and Trainer. That I can always perform the best any <Pokémon species> possibly can...I attribute that entirely to my partner <name>. When we travel, I can see wild Pokémon eying us enviously...
Scary Pokémon: There are no Pokémon that dislike humans... Only humans that dislike Pokémon... We <Pokémon species> are especially shunned... But <name> always treats me as a friend and partner...
Slow Pokémon: Hnurrr... Me? Uhm... Other Pokémon, they say to me... "You're not thinking, are you?" How insulting they should say so. It isn't true what they say. Think, think, think, I do that. All the time, I think hard how to help <name>. I concentrate! Hnurrr...
Other Pokémon: If I said there can be friendship between Pokémon and people, will <Pokémon species>'s friends understand? But if you see <Name> and <Pokémon species>, you will understand. Because <name> and <Pokémon species> are friends!

    • Also in HeartGold and SoulSilver, when you interact with your walking Pokémon and it shows it wants to play or cuddle with you or is even happy just walking beside you.
  • Anytime any of your Pokémon do something great, like beating a powerful Pokémon on their own, or winning a Pokéathelon or Contest, or winning a Gym battle, or beating a member of the Elite Four...there's all kinds of stuff they can do that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
  • Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald managed to get in one good moment, namely the sequence at the very end. After you defeat the Champion and talk for a moment, Brendan/May suddenly runs into the room, saying that they want to give the player some advice, unaware that they've already won. He/she then tries to follow you into the next room, and when told that they can't, he/she responds with a very long pause before saying something like, "...If it's the rule, it can't be helped. Congratulations, [name]!".
    • The surprisingly poignant credits sequence enhances the effect (particularly the music).
  • Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Solaceon Ruins. "FRIENDSHIP: ALL LIVES TOUCH OTHER LIVES TO CREATE SOMETHING ANEW AND ALIVE."
  • In Platinum, your rival is dejected after a crushing loss to Jupiter. However, he exacts his revenge when he arrives at Spear Pillar to accompany you in a double battle against Mars and Jupiter. After the battle, he heals your Pokémon.
  • The "Return" move is basically your mons saying "This is how happy I am to be with you!" in the form of an attack. When you think about it, it's kind of touching when it comes out at maximum power and KOs your opponent in one hit.
  • Another one from the third generation - or at least Emerald: after you beat the Elite Four, you can rematch Gym Leaders. After you defeat your father in Petalburg Gym for the second time, the general theme of his lines is that he's So Proud of You.

Norman: <Name>...what is your dream? My dream...hah. It has already come true, actually.
(Then, if you call him on the Pokénav): You astound me, <name>...how much higher will you soar?

    • In Emerald, if you play as May, Brendan will call you once and Ship Tease you when he's talking about Rayquaza.
  • The story in Charon's journal about him and Rotom in Pokémon Platinum definitely counts. Shows that even bad men can love their Pokémon.
  • Gen V has already resulted in this.
  • Another Gen V related work involving a Japanese Ditto that had been traded on the GTS [dead link].
  • "Ash and Trip's Third Battle" shows Trip as a Cheerful Child in a flashback watching in awe as Champion Alder defeats a challenger with his Bouffalant. Afterward, Alder allows Trip to pet and feed Bouffalant, and encourages him to pursue his dream of becoming a Champion. D'awww.
  • And two episodes later, Iris and Excadrill reconciling.
    • Made even more heartwarming because we find out that the real reason Excadrill chose to disobey Iris was because he actually cared for her, and because he didn't want to let her down in a battle again. This makes their battle at the end even more of a CMOH than before.
  • How James gets Yamask in BW 25. No battle, no tricks, nothing villainous at all—it's hungry, so he feeds it.
    • The majority of James' Pokémon were acquired through heartwarming, non-villainous means:
      • Cacnea: James gives Cacnea a bag of cookies. Confused as to what the bag is, Cacnea tracks down James so it can give the bag back to James. James feeds a cookie to Cacnea, Cacnea enthusiastically (and painfully) hugs James.
      • Chimecho: Chimecho heals Team Rocket with Heal Bell. James, who has wanted a Chimecho since he was a little boy, politely asks if Chimecho wants to be his Pokémon. Chimecho accepts right there and then, hugging James' face for good measure.
      • Mime Jr.: Purposely activates an empty Pokéball that James accidentally dropped on the floor. Mime Jr.'s former caretakers specifically point out that it did so because it liked James and thought he was a kind person.
  • In "Oshawott's Lost Scalchop!", Ash's oshawott gets upset because he's lost his scalchop in an earlier battle, and he has no way of defending itself in their rematch. Ash(and his friends) going to a huge effort to find a substitution to cheer oshawott up seems like a really heartwarming scene to this troper.
    • Later, Cilan's dwebble makes a large stone "scalchop" for oshawott to use, but it's too heavy for him to use properly. Because of that, he spends his time training to use the stone scalchop, not even eating his dinner(Considering that he's the group's glutton, that's something). Ash and Pikachu, on finding out, immediately chip in to help oshawott train using the scalchop for the entire night, so that he can prepare for the rematch. Finally, at the end, he puts up a successful fight against a pokemon he has a type disadvantage to, and he collapses in an adorable position, asleep in Ash's arms.
  • BW 79 has Tepig becoming depressed because he feels useless and hated by his old trainer, whom he still likes despite being abandoned. Cue Snivy, of all people, coming forward and vine-whipping him in the cheek to remind him that he is better than he thinks he is, and that he shouldn't be moping about like that. She even goes on to join him in a tag battle that she has an obvious type disadvantage in(Fire and Fire). Though she ends up fainting after defending him from a combined flare-blitz-flamethrower attack, it's pretty obvious she was fighting hard to cheer him up and bring him out from his slump. Considering Snivy's regular personality towards her teammates, this is really, really touching coming from her.
    • She even requests not to go back into her ball so she can watch the end of the match, and when Pignite wins, she happily hugs him along with Ash.
  • During Dawn's time as a guest star on BW, her Piplup and Ash's Oshawott had constantly been rivals for the affections of Meloetta. When Dawn had to leave, Piplup and Oshawott had one final stare-off with each other before bursting into sad tears over having to leave each other. Through all their bickering, they actually did grow very fond of one another.
  • A small but noticeable one in the climax of the Operation Tempest episodes. Upon seeing their boss get Brainwashed and Crazy by the backfiring power of the Reveal Glass, Jessie, James, and Meowth spring into action to save Giovanni from destroying himself - by knocking him off the pedestal. When he comes to, he asks a concerned Dr. Zager what happened, but Zager only tells him that Meloetta broke free and that they can't control the Kami Trio anymore. When asked for orders, Giovanni just looks up at where Ash, Iris, Cilan, Cynthia, and Ridley are standing. He hangs his head in resignation and smiles, saying "we retreat." As Team Rocket departs from Unova in their plane, we see Giovanni looking out the window and saying "To think that I almost caused my own downfall..." This is a great moment for both the trio for showing their dedication to their boss, and for Giovanni for showing the maturity to actually acknowledge his own mistakes and know when to cut his losses.
  • The never-aired-in-the-US episode "The Legend of Dratini" from Season 1 has one, when the cold, bitter, trigger-happy Warden reunites with the Dratini he left hidden in the Safari Zone 30 years ago. Seeing that it's evolved and has a child of its own invokes the feeling of reuniting with a friend (or perhaps even your own child) who you haven't seen in so many years and knowing that they've lived a contentful and happy life; it's enough to bring the tears running, as both Kaiser (the Warden) and the (now-)Dragonair cry as they embrace for the first time in decades.
  • A precious one from Gen V. When the player reaches Route 7, their mother calls. Not for any plot relevance or to deliver an item, but solely to reaffirm that the player character's mother loves them and is so proud of them. It feels just like a real life mother conveyed in simple pixels and polygons. D'awwww.
  • From the first season, Princess vs Princess. Jessie loses the contest and thus, the only chance to finally win a Princess Pokemon Doll Set (it was the first year she would be able to actually enjoy the Princess Festival). To make up for it, James, Meowth and the other Pokemon dress up as the dolls and make their own doll set to cheer her up. Not to mention how the episode is one of the few where Team Rocket doesn't try to steal Pikachu or any pokemon, showing that they're more than just criminals.
  • Meta example from Bulbapedia: "Today is Monday February 27, 2012 - Anniversary edition: Welcome to the World of Pokémon - In celebration of the anniversary, all Generation I Pokémon species articles will feature their artwork from Red and Green Versions." To all of those of us tropers who grew up in The Nineties, the sheer amount of Nostalgia Filter cranks the "heartwarming" part up several notches.
  • From the Scarlet & Violet expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game the Ralts Evolution Series has art that tells a very touching story about two trainers and their pokemon. The Ralts card shows a young couple moving into a new home with their Ralts helping them. The background shows their wedding photo, with the Ralts with them. The Kirlia card shows the couple is now older with Ralts now evolved into Kirlia, the wife holding a newborn daughter wearing pajamas with a hood with Ralts-style horns. There is a lot of sewing supplies on the floor, suggesting the wife made it herself, along with a homemade stuffed toy Ralts. The Gardevoir card shows the couple as elderly with the Pokemon now a fully evolved Gardevoir (helping with her knitting), with pictures on the wall behind them showing that their daughter was very close to the Pokemon, a photograph showing crayon drawings of the Kirlia and a photo of her hugging Kirlia. All of the cards have the wife wearing clothing with green stripes, her hairstyle resembling that of Gardevoir.
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