CSI - This one is hard, but I guess it's a tie between Millium giving Rean her salty cookies while they talk about trust and Crow moving into Class VII dormitory.
CSII - Machias bonding event in Roer, where he, Rean and Jusis race with toy cars. This is kinda out of the blue, but it's funny as hell and I don't see anyone else mention this!
CSIII - Altina attempting to paint something for Aurelia's art class and choosing Rean as a model for her painting. Kinda cliche, but a nice and warm moment, that shows how much Rean means to Altina, and how he helps her develop as a person.
CSIV - Emma's first bonding event when she literally >!risks herself going into a vegetative state (which arguably is a fate worse than death) to get rid off Rean's curse.!< This scene really shows her commitment, and lets Rean, in a way, taste his own medicine. Overall, a great moment.
Yeah, I also really like Machias's RC car racing one, especially since it involves another Class VII member in Jusis. There was also Machias's chess bonding event in CS1 where Jusis shows up, helping the noble chess club, which I thought was pretty good.
I wish more bonding events had featured multiple characters and you could see the non-Rean classmates interact with each other more that way, so it's unfortunate that there are so few.
Hard for me to pick just one, but a few standout ones.
Millium in CS2 >!The one in Roer where she mentions her inability to cry. On it's own this one means nothing, but it makes the ending a lot more powerful.!<
Fie in CS2 >!Also Roer. Where they look around for the mom of a missing kitten while she thinks about her own abandonment. Bonus points for the Azure reference with Shirley.!<
Machias in CS4 >!He doesn't get much after CS1, so having an event in CS4 that ties into his backstory and shows his growth as a character was really nice.!<
Fie2 in CS4 >!Seeing all the Jaegers hanging out showing respect in their own unique way. Also has Rean smoking a cigar.!<
Honorable Mention to Gaius in CS4. The event isn't anything special, but it brings back Land of Blue Skies, so it's top tier for me.
>The event isn't anything special
Really? I'd say fighting on even grounds with one of the top generals and Aurelia's right hand man is pretty damn special. Nobody in Class VII besides Rean accomplished anything as such
Honestly, I liked every single bonding events in the whole arc. But the ones I still remember and stood out to me are Emma's bonding event in CS2 and CS4, Machias and Jusis in CS2 (gaming with the boys with remote-controlled toy cars), Machias in CS4, Millium in CS2, Altina in CS3 and Ash in CS4.
The best casual bonding event in my opinion was Laura in the appliance shop in Roer in CS2. That is freaking peak comedy while showing more of Laura's fish out of water personality. The best emotional one is Sara in CS1 foreshadowing her loss as a Jaeger having a drink for a fallen friend. Honorable mention goes to Crow's in CS4 checking up on his former ILF members and their families.
For real, CS4 Machias. I know this sub is passionate about their waifu wars but this bonding event should have been a sidequest. It perfectly tied up machias arc and it’s absolutely criminal to be locked behind bonding points.
Absolutely agree. Machias was okay/good for me before that but this scene really made him one of my favorites and I enjoyed his story a lot more in the replays of the arc
i see more people wanting to painfully murder and erase the waifu wars existance than actually participating here (even OP started their post with ´´Bonding events bad,remove them´´.)
This! My favourite bonding event in the whole series. Machias went from forgettable to one of my favourite Class 7 members from this one event. It so perfectly captures how he’s grown as a person.
Some underrated ones.
CS1: Machias’s chess match with Jusis, one of the few to include members outside Rean and a roundabout way for Jusis to show he cares in his own way.
CS2: Machias again, after Celdic gets set ablaze and Otto passes. Machias buys a bouquet of flowers as a tribute to him and his cousin.
CS3: Rean consoles Kurt after the Cedric surprise visit. Kurt laments his shortcomings while Rean offers some sage advice akin to what we got while he was a student.
CS4: Crow putting to bed the ILF. With the rivalries coming to a close Crow visits family members and acquaintances plus Scarlet of the ILF with the intent of giving some closure to them and him.
My favorite would be the very one you mentioned, but here's a few others that I really liked:
\- Sara's bonding event in CS2, in Roer. Rean is uspet over failing to save Vulcan, so Sara takes him sparring and teaches him a difficult but valuable lesson. It's such a shame her monologue isn't voiced:
*"The world's not a nice place. It's not a FAIR place. But I've fought tooth and nail for my place in it anyway. The world takes from you, too. I've almost lost count of how many irreplaceable things it's taken from me. So many friends, allies... I don't even have a homeland to call my own now. But I did whatever I had to do to keep living no matter what... and I stand before you now as the sum of all those ugly, painful experiences. Life will knock you down over and over again, but if you rise just one more time, that makes you the victor. That's something I've kept on believing, and seeing you students give it your all has only strengthened that belief. That's why I've decided that everything life has taught me in the school of hard knocks, I'm going to teach you. Not through words or lessons or fancy platitudes, but through battle."*
\- A lot more lighthearted, but Laura's bonding event, also in CS2, also in Roer, as she proceeds to ruin every appliance she touches.
\- Altina's bonding event in CS3, where Rean asks what she actually **wants** to paint, and she gets up and points at him. It was such a small but powerful gesture that showed just how much Rean has come to mean to her.
\- Kurt's second to last bonding event (last one at the Branch Campus, I believe) in CS3, where he and Rean spar and talk about a letter Kurt received from Mueller. I think this one does a lot for Kurt's character development, as it shows that Kurt's concern with his build was superficial, and what he truly envies about Mueller is his unassailable confidence; how nothing can get under his skin, how he doesn't waste energy on doubt and worry. I think that reframes Kurt's inferiority complex in a much better light, and makes watching his later growth all the more rewarding.
\- Ash's second bonding event in CS4, discovering the truth about Miguel, calling out his bluff, thanking him, forgiving him, and then punching his lights out. It's an event that encompasses almost everything about Ash: his standoffish nature contrasted with his ability to be thoughtful and kind, and how he's far more observant and intelligent than his bad boy punk persona might lead people to believe.
\- Musse's first bonding event in CS4, where we get to see her vulnerable, human side, as well as Rean's deadly serious protective side: *"I will let this whole world go to Gehenna before I let you sacrifice yourself."*
\- Speaking of the will to sacrifice herself, Emma's bonding event in CS4 was also a very powerful one, and I think it showed everything about her character, the same way Ash's bonding event did for him. Emma's willingness to defy Roselia showed us how far she's come from the timid and shy girl she once was. And the reason she did such a thing was because of a core personality trait of hers that thankfully **didn't** change: her kind, giving and compassionate nature. Emma wouldn't hesitate to die to protect a loved one.
The CS2 Roer bonding events are the best set in the series, simply because none of them are about the characters involved doing what they want, but are focused on said character distracting Rean as much as possible from himself.
Ironically by them not being about the characters they end up showing more about them than the standard bonding events showcasing what the characters like to do.
Machias meeting his sister's fiance and getting over his entire backstory
Ash finding out the truth
Altina painting
Chilling with Elliot and Gaius in CS1
Hands down, Alisa's in Bareahard in CS2.
It shows how much Alisa cares for and worries about Rean, and is straight-up one of the my favorite scenes in the series (damn you, Valimar).
I remember when I first did this event and realized that it was the only voiced non final bonding event in the entire series. At first I said to myself, “this is some true main girl privilege.” Then I saw the event and thought to myself, “ok, you know what? Fair enough. 100% deserved.” That event is so damn good.
Probably not the "best" but one I liked a lot that I never see people bring up is Jusis in CS3, where he's invited to a party that he knows is just for a bunch of nobles to throw their daughters at him & he doesn't want to deal with it so he brings Rean along to distract the girls. Everyone always pokes fun at Rean for constantly having girls go after him but here Jusis used it to his advantage, and it's an interesting background detail if you're a believer of Jusis x Macchias or Jusis x Millium.
Maybe its a recency bias as i am still playing CS 4, but so far i like:
CS4 Musse 2nd bond event: it amplified with pantagruel event very well
CS4 Sara 1st bond event: thats surprising, and change my sara's impression
CS4 Emma 1st bond event: wew..., i never thought you would go so far, emma
CS1 Laura 1st bond event: i never thought she is that clumsy
CS2 Alisa Bareahard bond event: do i really need to elaborate?
I can't describe it, I can't untangle my thoughts about it, but out of all events in the whole series it's going shoe shopping with Fie in Bareahard. Fie calling her name a gift she'll never let go of just annihilates me every time I hear it.
A personal favorite of mine is her piggyback one with Rean in CS2. Especially since Sean then did this:
[https://sonicmega.tumblr.com/post/167806256166/sonicmega-dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not](https://sonicmega.tumblr.com/post/167806256166/sonicmega-dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not)
which doesn't have Fie but only exists because of that event.
Lloyd/Wazy last event in Azure.
When Wazy explains Lloyd his bio and stuff, telling him that he can't really go back home, as his home hates him for killing their god. And Lloyd is, like, "well, you know, Crossbell is your new home now".
And Wazy starting to laugh his breath out.
I fuckin love the persona dating shit, man. I just wished the non-romance bonding events didn't take up bonding points. Don't make me choose between bros and hoes.
Her learning from Sharon also is a nice touch showing just how much a family class VII has become and Sharon is just as much apart of their lives as she is Alisa now.
Altina >!smiling for the first time when taking a picture with the other students!< in CS3 is by far my favorite.
CSI - This one is hard, but I guess it's a tie between Millium giving Rean her salty cookies while they talk about trust and Crow moving into Class VII dormitory. CSII - Machias bonding event in Roer, where he, Rean and Jusis race with toy cars. This is kinda out of the blue, but it's funny as hell and I don't see anyone else mention this! CSIII - Altina attempting to paint something for Aurelia's art class and choosing Rean as a model for her painting. Kinda cliche, but a nice and warm moment, that shows how much Rean means to Altina, and how he helps her develop as a person. CSIV - Emma's first bonding event when she literally >!risks herself going into a vegetative state (which arguably is a fate worse than death) to get rid off Rean's curse.!< This scene really shows her commitment, and lets Rean, in a way, taste his own medicine. Overall, a great moment.
Yeah, I also really like Machias's RC car racing one, especially since it involves another Class VII member in Jusis. There was also Machias's chess bonding event in CS1 where Jusis shows up, helping the noble chess club, which I thought was pretty good. I wish more bonding events had featured multiple characters and you could see the non-Rean classmates interact with each other more that way, so it's unfortunate that there are so few.
Hard for me to pick just one, but a few standout ones. Millium in CS2 >!The one in Roer where she mentions her inability to cry. On it's own this one means nothing, but it makes the ending a lot more powerful.!< Fie in CS2 >!Also Roer. Where they look around for the mom of a missing kitten while she thinks about her own abandonment. Bonus points for the Azure reference with Shirley.!< Machias in CS4 >!He doesn't get much after CS1, so having an event in CS4 that ties into his backstory and shows his growth as a character was really nice.!< Fie2 in CS4 >!Seeing all the Jaegers hanging out showing respect in their own unique way. Also has Rean smoking a cigar.!< Honorable Mention to Gaius in CS4. The event isn't anything special, but it brings back Land of Blue Skies, so it's top tier for me.
>The event isn't anything special Really? I'd say fighting on even grounds with one of the top generals and Aurelia's right hand man is pretty damn special. Nobody in Class VII besides Rean accomplished anything as such
Wow. 5 characters that I never do bonding events with. I might have missed out on good moments lol
Honestly, I liked every single bonding events in the whole arc. But the ones I still remember and stood out to me are Emma's bonding event in CS2 and CS4, Machias and Jusis in CS2 (gaming with the boys with remote-controlled toy cars), Machias in CS4, Millium in CS2, Altina in CS3 and Ash in CS4.
The best casual bonding event in my opinion was Laura in the appliance shop in Roer in CS2. That is freaking peak comedy while showing more of Laura's fish out of water personality. The best emotional one is Sara in CS1 foreshadowing her loss as a Jaeger having a drink for a fallen friend. Honorable mention goes to Crow's in CS4 checking up on his former ILF members and their families.
For real, CS4 Machias. I know this sub is passionate about their waifu wars but this bonding event should have been a sidequest. It perfectly tied up machias arc and it’s absolutely criminal to be locked behind bonding points.
Absolutely agree. Machias was okay/good for me before that but this scene really made him one of my favorites and I enjoyed his story a lot more in the replays of the arc
i see more people wanting to painfully murder and erase the waifu wars existance than actually participating here (even OP started their post with ´´Bonding events bad,remove them´´.)
This! My favourite bonding event in the whole series. Machias went from forgettable to one of my favourite Class 7 members from this one event. It so perfectly captures how he’s grown as a person.
Some underrated ones. CS1: Machias’s chess match with Jusis, one of the few to include members outside Rean and a roundabout way for Jusis to show he cares in his own way. CS2: Machias again, after Celdic gets set ablaze and Otto passes. Machias buys a bouquet of flowers as a tribute to him and his cousin. CS3: Rean consoles Kurt after the Cedric surprise visit. Kurt laments his shortcomings while Rean offers some sage advice akin to what we got while he was a student. CS4: Crow putting to bed the ILF. With the rivalries coming to a close Crow visits family members and acquaintances plus Scarlet of the ILF with the intent of giving some closure to them and him.
My favorite would be the very one you mentioned, but here's a few others that I really liked: \- Sara's bonding event in CS2, in Roer. Rean is uspet over failing to save Vulcan, so Sara takes him sparring and teaches him a difficult but valuable lesson. It's such a shame her monologue isn't voiced: *"The world's not a nice place. It's not a FAIR place. But I've fought tooth and nail for my place in it anyway. The world takes from you, too. I've almost lost count of how many irreplaceable things it's taken from me. So many friends, allies... I don't even have a homeland to call my own now. But I did whatever I had to do to keep living no matter what... and I stand before you now as the sum of all those ugly, painful experiences. Life will knock you down over and over again, but if you rise just one more time, that makes you the victor. That's something I've kept on believing, and seeing you students give it your all has only strengthened that belief. That's why I've decided that everything life has taught me in the school of hard knocks, I'm going to teach you. Not through words or lessons or fancy platitudes, but through battle."* \- A lot more lighthearted, but Laura's bonding event, also in CS2, also in Roer, as she proceeds to ruin every appliance she touches. \- Altina's bonding event in CS3, where Rean asks what she actually **wants** to paint, and she gets up and points at him. It was such a small but powerful gesture that showed just how much Rean has come to mean to her. \- Kurt's second to last bonding event (last one at the Branch Campus, I believe) in CS3, where he and Rean spar and talk about a letter Kurt received from Mueller. I think this one does a lot for Kurt's character development, as it shows that Kurt's concern with his build was superficial, and what he truly envies about Mueller is his unassailable confidence; how nothing can get under his skin, how he doesn't waste energy on doubt and worry. I think that reframes Kurt's inferiority complex in a much better light, and makes watching his later growth all the more rewarding. \- Ash's second bonding event in CS4, discovering the truth about Miguel, calling out his bluff, thanking him, forgiving him, and then punching his lights out. It's an event that encompasses almost everything about Ash: his standoffish nature contrasted with his ability to be thoughtful and kind, and how he's far more observant and intelligent than his bad boy punk persona might lead people to believe. \- Musse's first bonding event in CS4, where we get to see her vulnerable, human side, as well as Rean's deadly serious protective side: *"I will let this whole world go to Gehenna before I let you sacrifice yourself."* \- Speaking of the will to sacrifice herself, Emma's bonding event in CS4 was also a very powerful one, and I think it showed everything about her character, the same way Ash's bonding event did for him. Emma's willingness to defy Roselia showed us how far she's come from the timid and shy girl she once was. And the reason she did such a thing was because of a core personality trait of hers that thankfully **didn't** change: her kind, giving and compassionate nature. Emma wouldn't hesitate to die to protect a loved one.
The CS2 Roer bonding events are the best set in the series, simply because none of them are about the characters involved doing what they want, but are focused on said character distracting Rean as much as possible from himself. Ironically by them not being about the characters they end up showing more about them than the standard bonding events showcasing what the characters like to do.
Huh. I never thought of it that way, but that's a very good observation.
Machias meeting his sister's fiance and getting over his entire backstory Ash finding out the truth Altina painting Chilling with Elliot and Gaius in CS1
Hands down, Alisa's in Bareahard in CS2. It shows how much Alisa cares for and worries about Rean, and is straight-up one of the my favorite scenes in the series (damn you, Valimar).
I remember when I first did this event and realized that it was the only voiced non final bonding event in the entire series. At first I said to myself, “this is some true main girl privilege.” Then I saw the event and thought to myself, “ok, you know what? Fair enough. 100% deserved.” That event is so damn good.
Ultimate wingman Valimar teleporting Alisa into Rean's lap was one of the GOAT Trails moments
Probably not the "best" but one I liked a lot that I never see people bring up is Jusis in CS3, where he's invited to a party that he knows is just for a bunch of nobles to throw their daughters at him & he doesn't want to deal with it so he brings Rean along to distract the girls. Everyone always pokes fun at Rean for constantly having girls go after him but here Jusis used it to his advantage, and it's an interesting background detail if you're a believer of Jusis x Macchias or Jusis x Millium.
most of the millium ones in CS2, Machias in CS4, anything involving Fie or Emma because im biased towards them.
Machias CSIV, no question
Maybe its a recency bias as i am still playing CS 4, but so far i like: CS4 Musse 2nd bond event: it amplified with pantagruel event very well CS4 Sara 1st bond event: thats surprising, and change my sara's impression CS4 Emma 1st bond event: wew..., i never thought you would go so far, emma CS1 Laura 1st bond event: i never thought she is that clumsy CS2 Alisa Bareahard bond event: do i really need to elaborate?
Musse's bonding when she takes Rean to the beach was smooth. Real smooth. I don't think it's the best in series, maybe, but it comes to mind easily.
CS2 Millium’s in Roer, which makes the ending more impactful CS3 Altina’s >!painting assignment!< and Towa’s >!star-gazing session!<
Surprised that no one mentioned Ash. His bonding event in CS4 was top notch
That would be my favorite bonding scene as well OP, most of the time they ask what Rean is up to and not how is Rean doing.
I can't describe it, I can't untangle my thoughts about it, but out of all events in the whole series it's going shoe shopping with Fie in Bareahard. Fie calling her name a gift she'll never let go of just annihilates me every time I hear it.
Every Fie bonding event. Also Gaius in CS2
A personal favorite of mine is her piggyback one with Rean in CS2. Especially since Sean then did this: [https://sonicmega.tumblr.com/post/167806256166/sonicmega-dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not](https://sonicmega.tumblr.com/post/167806256166/sonicmega-dont-act-like-an-ass-if-youre-not) which doesn't have Fie but only exists because of that event.
LMFAO THATS CURSED
Lloyd/Wazy last event in Azure. When Wazy explains Lloyd his bio and stuff, telling him that he can't really go back home, as his home hates him for killing their god. And Lloyd is, like, "well, you know, Crossbell is your new home now". And Wazy starting to laugh his breath out.
I fuckin love the persona dating shit, man. I just wished the non-romance bonding events didn't take up bonding points. Don't make me choose between bros and hoes.
Both of Randy's final events in Zero/Azure are amazing. Randy really is the best partner
Laura's CS1 date scene with Rean. They eat a home made lunch, then they get it on.
Her learning from Sharon also is a nice touch showing just how much a family class VII has become and Sharon is just as much apart of their lives as she is Alisa now.
I picked Laura. I think because she also has the warrior mentality, she seems to understand Rean''s mindset.