Almost Kiss

Mood killer in 3... 2... 1...!

Leela: A black hole!
Fry: Talk about a mood killer.

—Futurama

It just may be the cruelest, most frustrating thing a writer could ever pull. Two characters are finally about to bring all their shippers' dreams to fruition. They're about to resolve all the Unresolved Sexual Tension and cross the Just Friends line, at last. They're staring mesmerized into each others' eyes, inching forward ever so slowly, less than a millimeter away from lip-to-lip contact. This is it, the fans scream in their minds. They're finally going to kiss! And then...

They don't.

Were they interrupted by a knock on the door or falling meteor? Did one of them remember the dead Temporary Love Interest they promised never to forget? Was the thought of a Relationship Upgrade suddenly just too scary? Well, for some reason, no doubt connected to Status Quo Is God, they can't or won't go through with it. They may be giggling afterwards, or they may be crying a river.

The sad thing is, the Almost Kiss says as much as a kiss, anyway, since we can see they both want it. But this way, the tension and dreams of shippers remain for the writers to continue to take advantage of.

Sometimes referred to as a "near-miss kiss."

Study the Moment Killer for a larger concept.

In shows aimed at a younger audience where a kiss is a big deal, there is usually a big relationship-sealing kiss saved for the finale, preceded by several "almost" moments during the earlier episodes.

No real life examples, please; if anyone tries to add a Real Life example of this Trope, we're gonna start crying.

Examples of Almost Kiss include:

Anime and Manga

Asuka: I know you tried to kiss me while I was sleeping!
Shinji: You cheat! You were awake?!
Asuka: Oh, my gosh! I was just kidding, did you really kiss me?!
Shinji: I didn't! I stopped!
Asuka: Pervert! Fiend! Idiot! I can't believe this!

  • Love Hina: Naru and Keitaro have several of these, always interrupted by their friends.
  • There's at least three of these between Sachie and Rakuto in every volume of Wild Ones. It gets frustrating after a bit.
  • Similarly, any chance for Ranma and Akane in Ranma ½ to explore their feelings for each other with a kiss is interrupted by someone (or several someones) -- very often their over-eager fathers who want them to marry right now, or bystanders and/or rivals who go out of their way to interrupt and completely ruin the mood. It. Happens. All. The. Time.
  • Pretty Cure
  • Tenchi Muyo!
    • From the main OVA’s show-within-a-show, Popoko-ko and her chief: "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but we have news to report..." "Aw!"
    • In the spinoff Pretty Sammy, Tenchi and Ryoko nearly kiss, only to be interrupted by Ayeka.
  • In Bleach, Orihime attempts to kiss Ichigo while he's asleep. She finds she just can't go through with it.
  • My-HiME
    • Mai and Reito, until Yuuichi comes along with his date and calls Mai's name out loud. Whoopsie.
    • She has another near-miss kiss with Yuuichi in a later episode, except she stops because she knows it's all part of Yukariko's Lotus Eater Machine, and thus just wishful thinking.
    • In the last episode, Mai and Yuuichi are about to kiss when Mai stops, having noticed that Shiho and several of Mai's friends are watching them.
    • In Mai-Otome Zwei, Akane and Kazuya are about to kiss when Mahya pops up and tells them they are not to be within three meters of each other
  • In Rosario + Vampire, this is a Running Gag. Usually "interrupted" due to Moka suddenly biting Tsukune in the neck, or by Kurumu pushing Moka before she gets a chance to bite him.
  • Chobits: After Hideki finally finds Chii, she walks over to him, glad that he's back with her again and attempts to kis him. She is instantly interrupted by becoming unconcious.
  • Detective Conan: Takagi and Sato, so many times. Finally resolved when Takagi is in the hospital.
  • Konoka and Setsuna in Mahou Sensei Negima has one of these when Setsuna found her resolve to kiss the girl through a (admittedly questionable) Confessional. Maybe a subversion since it was a pactio, of which the (somewhat) unromantic nature of was partially the cause of Setsuna's resolve and the fact that there was no actual build-up since we're shown this from Asuna's (the interrupter) perspective; Akamatsu is going to need several volumes to facilitate a proper pactio for the two in order to satisfy the legions of KonoSetsu shippers. Until chapter 252.
  • In Full Metal Panic!, Kaname almost kisses Sôsuke while he is asleep (after she finishes cutting his hair), and she has a hard time resisting planting one on him. However, she restrains herself knowing it would be wrong to take advantage of him in his sleep, and instead dunks his head in water.
  • Running Gag in Eureka Seven. The only times Renton gets to actually kiss Eureka are in the final episode. Not that he isn't often tempted or doesn't try...
  • Both episodes 41 and 42 of Cardcaptor Sakura, Sakura and Syaoran being interrupted both times by the highly inopportune appearance of a Clow Card.
  • Planetes pulls off probably the most insane way of stopping a kiss in recent memory. Hachimaki is about to kiss Tanabe on the beach at sunset, when his brother launches a pretty large rocket. It starts to break, and zooms all over the place, until it nearly kills Hachimaki and Tanabe, who dive out of the way at the last second after the rocket interrupts them.
  • A late chapter of Hana Kimi actually subverts this. Sano and Mizuki have finally admitted their feelings for each other and they're this close to kissing... when Noe knocks on the door. Mizuki turns away to answer it, but Sano basically refuses to let the moment be ruined and spins her around and kisses her anyway, initiating the most intense make out in the entire manga. It was amazingly satisfying after twenty-two volumes of Unresolved Sexual Tension between the two.
  • Hamel and Flute in a late chapter of Violinist of Hameln. They're finally about to kiss when Chestra, Moment Killer extraordinaire, sets off an extremely untimely earthquake.
  • Happens several times in SHUFFLE!
    • The first is with Rin and Sia: When they get separated from their friends during the Beach Episode, they act like they've crossed into another world where they're alone and go for the kiss. Hilarious in that Primula walks behind them looking for seashells; both parties ignore each other's presence.
    • The second instance is when Rin walks Asa home after the latter twisted her ankle. Both are sitting on her bed, and Rin is getting teased. When the poor girl stands up, she trips and falls on Rin, pinning him to the bed. She leans in for the kiss, but her mother comes home and goes up to the room; when she opens the door, we see the two separated, with Rin sitting at the desk (as is, of course, proper for a gentleman).
  • In the manga Cherry Juice, this happens quite often between the Not Blood Related Brother/Sister pair of Minami and Otome.
  • Happens a few times in Ai Kora. In chapter 77, for example, Yukari (in disguise, and under her gaming alias Fantazma) orders Maeda to give her a kiss as penalty for losing her gaming challenge, but the two are stopped by a horde of jealous fanboys.
  • Kaichou wa Maid Sama: So many times...
  • Gunslinger Girl (manga). Before the assault on the bell tower in Chapter 61 it looks like Triela is standing up on her toes to give Hilshire a peck on the cheek before a couple of GIS troopers barge in on them.
  • Hanaukyo Maid Tai
    • Episode 10. When Mariel is washing Taro's back after a long day he turns to her and their faces move together...then Ikuyo Suzuki runs in yelling to break it up.
    • La Vérité
      • Episode 2. Taro almost kisses Mariel, but it turns out to be a dream.
      • Episode 7. After Taro accidentally falls on Mariel, she cups his face in her hands and pulls him toward her. They almost kiss, but Taro pulls away from her.
  • Many in Strawberry Panic between Shizuma and Nagisa, until the Underwater Kiss in Episode 12.
  • Happens in one of the earlier Naruto episodes between Naruto and Sakura (while Naruto is disguised as Sasuke). Sakura is leaning in for the kiss, when suddenly Naruto's stomach acts up due to drinking expired milk that very morning.
  • D.N.Angel
    • Occurs between Daisuke and Riku at the end of the "Second Hand of Time" arc, as Daisuke confesses that he's practicing painting so that he can do her portrait one day. We realize that this has happened as Riku opens her eyes, confused at what's taking Daisuke so long... to find that he has fled the room after his nervousness led to his turning into Dark.
    • In chapter 9 this occurs between Dark and Satoshi when he was Disguised in Drag.
  • Saint Seiya
    • Seiya and Miho, but they're interrupted by the kiss.
    • Shun and Hyoga in the House of Libra scene look a lot like it, but it's more of Intimate Healing by sharinb body heat (Not that us yaoi fangirls can be blamed, though).
  • Hajime no Ippo: Ippo and Kumi in chapter 850.
  • Inu Yasha: Very early on in the story, Inu-Yasha almost kisses Kagome because he's thinking of Kikyô. Kagome pushes him away, though, and due to the circumstances, it doesn't represent a mutual acknowledgement of their feelings. Much later in their relationship, they have a more traditional Almost Kiss, but Souta walks in on them before anything can happen.
  • Played for Laughs in One Piece regarding Sanji and Zoro in the filler episodes. The first time was when both of them were sleeping side by side and a dreaming Sanji, thinking he saw Nami, puckered his lips for a kiss. Zoro's reaction was unforgettable. The second time was Zoro and Sanji were hit by Foxy's Noro Noro beam while Sanji was jumping towards Zoro (for knocking Nami out of the way) and hilarity ensues.
  • Lawrence and Holo in season one episode four of Spice and Wolf. It was interrupted by Holo herself because that wasn't her reason for getting into his bed.
  • Yayori and Minoru at the end of chapter four of Neko De Gomen.
  • In the finale of Special A, Megumi and former Big Bad Yahiro's kiss is interrupted by Tadashi zipping by on his bike. Yahiro lampshades this, shouting at Tadashi for ruining the atmosphere.
  • After the time skip in Fairy Tail, Jellal and Erza. The tension lasts three whole pages, coupled with a sunrise and symbolic plants. They even get a Big Damn Kiss action shot... but Jellal mentions his fiancée. He was trying to ruin the moment... but c'mon!
  • Pet Shop of Horrors: Count D loves getting a bit too close to Leon's face.
  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann only showed us the two kisses Yoko gave out before their respective recipients died shortly afterwards but Lagann-hen gave us one instance of this trope: when Nia accepts Simon's proposal of marriage, the two of them almost kiss but are interrupted by Nia switching to Anti-Spiral mode.
  • In Okusama wa Mahou Shoujo, considering what will happen if a Magical Girl ever kisses someone, this happens on several occasions.
  • In the five-part miniseries Wasted Minds, Tamuro asks Yura which country's trash she wants to teleport to (He has the power of teleportation, but can only teleport from trash pile to trash pile). She tells him "France" and they lean in to kiss each other, only to be interrupted by Mr. Sekoi calling out:

I brought some bread and milk!

  • In "Mirai Nikki" Nishijima and Uryu share an almost kiss but are interrupted by a Walkie-Talkie. Kinda sad once you realize that Uryu and the 2nd world's Nishijima never get another chance.
  • A running gag of sorts in Ah! My Goddess, given that the relationship between Keichii and Belldandy always teeters on the brink of romantic action but never crosses the threshold, making these inevitable.

Comic Books

  • Several scenes in Whiteout, playing with the tendency of Unresolved Sexual Tension to crop up in buddy cop stories, according to the writer.
  • Subverted in the Blue Monday Valentine's special, Lovecats. The Unresolved Sexual Tension between Clover and Victor finally climaxes in their first kiss, but their attraction goes straight back into the closet when their friends show up.
  • Peter and MJ share an Almost Kiss early in Ultimate Spider-Man after Peter tells her he's Spider-Man, before they get interrupted by Aunt May. It's effectively a kiss anyway since they officially start going out from there and proceed to kiss a lot.
  • In the first issue of Avengers: The Children's Crusade, Wiccan and Hulkling are about to make out when Speed interrupts them. The two have been dating since day one, so it's probably safe to assume that they've kissed before, but never on-panel.
  • At one point in Day of Vengeance, Ragman and Enchantress are talking away from the others. They discover they have some things in common and then they fall silent. Then Ragman moves in, and Enchantess pulls away and asks him what he thinks he's doing. She than completes his embarassment by announcing this to the others.

Enchantress: Rory tried to kiss me! He thought we were having a "moment"!

Fan Works

Films -- Animation

  • The Little Mermaid'
    • Ariel has to achieve a True Love's Kiss with the prince in order to win her bet with Ursula and not get turned into Ursula's prisoner. Ariel and the prince have a very romantic ride on a boat, and are about to kiss... when the two eels who are working for Ursula overturn the boat, so as to keep Ariel from winning the bet.
    • And when Ariel is reunited with him on the third day, she and Eric are just about to kiss when the sun sets — which was the time limit Ursula had decreed, so the smooch is interrupted by her changing back into a mermaid...
  • Chicken Run has this as a running gag, largely because the animators couldn't figure out how to make two chickens kiss. For the big kiss at the end, their heads were strategically placed so the beak-action was hidden and therefore didn't have to be animated.
  • In the last two minutes in Surf's Up, Cody and Lani were about to kiss when Arnold (one of the little kids that the crew interviews) interrupts them. Turns out, in "Arnold's Zurfinary" (a four-minutes video on the DVD that teaches you surfer slang), that he has a crush on Lani.
  • Another Disney example can be found in The Princess and the Frog, where Naveen and Tiana almost kiss... then Tiana pulls away when she remembers Naveen is supposed to marry her best friend.
  • Hercules
    • Hercule and Megara are about to kiss, when Phil on Pegasus, impersonating a police helicopter, drag him away to punish him for sneaking off to hang out with Meg.
    • They get interrupted by Zeus near the end as well.
  • Final Fantasy the Spirits Within has it after Grey and Aki discuss her mission... being interrupted by Grey's superiors him reminding of his.
  • In Anastasia, Dmitri almost kisses Anya, but he pulls away for some unfathomable reason.
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: "Flint, you have a call, Flint, you have a call!"
  • Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon in Batman and Mister Freeze Sub Zero, though in this case it wouldn't have been their first kiss.
  • Aladdin: Aladdin and Jasmine almost kiss in his hideaway before they're interrupted by the palace guards. This happens a lot for these two; in the first movie alone their lips almost connect more times than they actually do!
  • The first time Flynn and Rapunzel nearly kiss in Tangled, Flynn gets distracted by seeing his former partners-in-crime out of the corner of his eye and pulls away. The second time was when Flynn was dying and in order to save Rapunzel from Mother Gothel, he pulled her close enough for him to cut her magical hair.
  • In The Animatrix, duing a training battle between Jue and Thaddeus, they lean forward to kiss, only for an alarm to sound, alerting them that Sentinels are arriving.
  • Cinderella has the title character and the Prince leaning forward for a kiss after their Dance of Romance, only for the bell to ring for midnight, signalling to Cinderella that she had to leave before the spell breaks.
  • In Rio, following a Dance of Romance, Blu and Jewel almost kiss, until they are interrupted by invading marmosets.

Films -- Live-Action

  • This is a genre standard in Bollywood films. Up until very recently, kissing in movies was censored in India (it is still seen as racy), so filmmakers perfected the art of showing the leads caressing with lips oh-so-close to each other. (This is especially common in dance numbers.) Note that, unlike in other instances of this trope, an actual kiss (or more) is usually implied to have taken place.
  • Done in Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham during the number "Yeh Ladka Hai Allah".
  • Averted in 2012: Dr. Heimsley and Laura are about to kiss when they are interrupted by a broadcast. They ignore it and continue their business.
  • Happens in Dragnet (the 1987 movie) twice with Joe Friday and Connie Swail.
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit?: Happens twice between Dolores and Eddie, while in the movie theater and toward the end of the movie after reading the will, when Roger intervenes.
  • The first X-Files movie: Mulder and Scully almost, almost kiss in a hallway, but Scully gets stung by a bee just before it happens.
    • In the DVD commentary, Chris Carter tries to peddle the idea that the emotions from the almost kiss in the hallway plus the CPR scene later in the movie equals a kiss. Not surprisingly, nobody buys that.
  • A Running Gag between Troy and Gabriella in High School Musical 2, to the frustration of preteens everywhere. They made sure to make up for it later, though.
  • In Back to The Future, there are three instances where Marty and Jennifer are about to kiss—but it gets interrupted. Marty is about to kiss Jennifer, when someone interrupts them for donations for the clock tower—and again when her father honks the horn of his car. At the end of that movie, Marty is about to kiss Jennifer again—but is interrupted by the sonic booms that precede entry of the time machine. Towards the end of Part III, Marty and Jennifer finally kiss on the veranda of her family's house.
  • In Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, Zenon and Greg are sitting side-by-side, facing the same direction, with awkward silence. Zenon tells Greg if he wants to kiss her he should get over it and just kiss her. After a pause, they both turn towards each other at the same time - and accidentally smash their faces into each other.
  • In Iron Man, Tony and Pepper share a nervously awkward dance, leading to getting some air on the roof, leading to... this. And then it led to Pepper's stammering request for a drink right after that freeze of realization. (Of course, the early trailer suggested the scene went differently...)
  • Constantine: Occurs three times between the title character and Angela Dodson. (1) When he's putting the protective amulet around her neck, (2) When he pulls the knife out of the ground after rescuing her, and (3) during the rooftop meeting, while handing her the Spear of Destiny. Notably enraging, because even after the tension has become thick enough to cut with a chainsaw, they never actually kiss.
    • This one may not completely count but it comes very close: When Angela is about to take her first plunge into hell, she asks Constantine if she must take off any more close and he just stares, which leads to this exchange.

Angela: [In her shirt and pants] So should I take off the rest of my clothes or can I keep this on.
[Constantine stares]
Angela: John?
Constantine: I'm thinking.
[Beat]
Angela: [blushing] John?
Constantine: On is fine.

  • The Mummy has a number of these, most notably when Evie, inebriated, leans forwards to kiss Rick, and just as they're about to kiss, she faints.
  • Dantes Peak contains a rather silly example: Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton are about to kiss, when suddenly some random extra drives by and shouts "Hey, you two!" One scene later, another kiss is prevented by Linda Hamilton's daughter complaining that she's thirsty, although that turns out to be a plot point, because that's when they find out that all the tapwater is discolored.
  • Spoofed in Spaceballs, when Vespa and Lone Starr are interrupted by Dot's Virgin-alarm.

Dot Matrix: It's programmed to go off before you do!

  • The Avengers 1998. While Steed is helping Emma Peel on with her boots, they are close to kissing when Father breaks in and arrests Mrs. Peel.
  • The Brothers Grimm has an interesting variation. Jacob uses True Love's Kiss to wake Angelika and break the spell. When he sees that his brother Will hasn't woken up, he assumes that he needs to do the same to him. He gets very close and apparently would have actually kissed him if Will hadn't said, "Not. You."
  • Harry and Ginny have an almost-kiss in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, interrupted by a Death Eater attack.
  • After Indiana Jones and Marion survive a Death Trap in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, they lean on each other for a reunion kiss (all the danger and "They weren't you" compensating the "abandoning her at the altar")... and Mutt comes out of the water putting armor on Indy's arms.
  • Tina and Stanley twice in The Mask. The police were the spoilsports each time.
    • Tina almost kisses Stanley while visiting him on jail, then the guards say "Your time is up, lady!"
    • Right after Stanley frees Tina they're about to kiss when the police arrive.
  • The film adaptation of Autopsy Room Four by Stephen King. Two doctors about to do an autopsy lean in to kiss, only for their plastic face shields to bang into each other.
  • Seen in the gag reel of Hot Fuzz. Spoofing their buddy cop Ho Yay, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost almost kiss repeatedly before eventually pretending to snog passionately in the graveyard scene.
  • In Zombieland, Wichita and Columbus are slow-dancing and about to kiss... and then the otherwise-awesome Tallahassee barges into the room to ask for their help in building a furniture fort.
  • Parodied in Bam-Bam & Celeste. Jane Lynch's Butch Lesbian character has been flirting with Celeste (Margaret Cho) non-stop. Finally, Celeste looks as if she's wet her panties and is trembling as she leans in to say goodbye to her. Lynch just says goodbye, and turns around to leave.
  • In Dragonball Evolution, Bulma and Yamcha almost kiss in a bar, as they talk about how the world is about to end. The moment is ruined by a loud guy nearby and both nervously laugh it off.
  • In Speed Racer, Speed and Trixie nearly kiss while relaxing in Speed's car. They're interrupted when they hear Sprittle making gagging noises in the trunk.
  • Happens in Interview with the Vampire, between Louis and Armand [dead link] .
  • Happens in the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie near the end. Oh, that wacky, mood-killing Jimmy Olsen!
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After Ron walks out on them, Harry tries to cheer Hermione up with a dance that ends with a moment of sexual tension... then Hermione guiltily turns away. Harry's Like Brother and Sister comment from the book is noticeably missing from the scene after Ron destroys the Horcrux (which had been taunting him with illusions of Hermione loving Harry).
  • In The Lovely Bones: Ray and Susie are about to kiss when they are interrupted by the principal. They get to finally kiss in Susie's afterlife, though.
  • Starship Troopers. There's one between Between Carmen and Zander on the bridge of the Roger Young just before the asteroid is detected.
  • Batman and Robin

Batman: "STOP! Don't kiss her!"

  • In X-Men: The First Class: Beast and Mystique are about to kiss when Charles Xavier tells them there's work to do.
  • In the film adaption of Hitman, After Agent 47 has killed the man he's going to impersonate later and taken Nika back to their hotel, Nika, who is pretty drunk begins to seduce 47, going as far as undoing his pants and straddling him on the bed. Just when they get close enough to kiss, Agent 47 jabs her in the neck with a sedative.
  • Played hilariously straight in My Name Is Bruce between Bruce and love interest Kelly.

Bruce: For the love of god man, I can smell her chapstick.

Live-Action TV

  • Bones did this many times before the Big Damn Kiss.
  • Chuck does run on this trope, as far as romantic tension is concerned.
  • Arguably, happens in The Mighty Boosh at least once, in the episode "Jungle", Vince teases Howard about being in love with his mentor, then he leans in, Howard storms off and naturally, it's never mentioned again.
  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King: This entire series hung on the Almost Kiss. The number of times they were given husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend cover identities only increased the tension.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • In the first episode of the second season, Willow and Xander share a sweet and believable exchange, before a sexually tense Almost Kiss. It's interrupted when they are attacked by a vampire.
    • Averted later in the same season when Mr. Giles and Ms. Calendar have a sweet romantic talk right before class. They're about to kiss, only to be interrupted by the school bell—but they don't let that stop them.
    • At the beginning of "Hush" Buffy and Riley are about to kiss when a nervous Buffy does a Moment Killer by babbling about something inconsequential. Fortunately the Monster of the Week steals the voices of everyone in Sunnydale, so the two communicate the only way they can.
  • Subverted in Sports Night: The fans almost start pulling their collective hair out after an Almost Kiss between Casey and Dana, and then Casey does a one-eighty, grabs Dana, kisses her seductively, and walks away with fists raised in triumph.
  • In Farscape Aeryn and John spend a lot of scenes face-to-face, body pressed to panting body...and they don't kiss. Also notable in that, when they do kiss it could sort of still count as an Almost Kiss because they are always either interrupted or Aeryn freaks out.
  • Also used in The Tenth Kingdom when they get to the appropriately named Kissingtown, where love is literally in the air in the form of CGI butterflies. The first time at Snow White's coffin, then later on the balcony, but thanks to the Rule of Three Wolf finally gets one the third time.
  • Sam Tyler and Annie Cartwright have at least one of these in just about every other episode of Life On Mars—if someone doesn't barge in or start yelling, one of them (usually Annie) will think better of it at the very last minute. No lip contact is made until the last five minutes of the series finale.
  • Also seen in Ashes to Ashes many many times between Gene Hunt and Alex Drake, with the same resolution. Arguably, one party was unconscious for three of these.
  • Scrubs
    • J.D. and Elliot closing in for a kiss as he was about to have a child and she was about to get married was a season finale cliffhanger. First minute of the next season? It's an Almost Kiss.
    • Another unique variation had Dr. Cox and his Ex-wife's brother Ben Sullivan almost kiss, with Cox breaking away with less than an inch to spare, Ben delaring "I am the king of gay chicken!"
  • Variation in Psych, where Shawn and Jules instead end up... talking, very close. Almost lip to lip. And then discuss the fact that their lips are not quite touching.
  • The first episode of Pushing Daisies has an unusual one, where Ned decides to kiss Chuck one last time, as the touch that will re-kill her... but can't bring himself to actually do it, and ends up keeping her alive.
  • How has the Frasier episode "Daphne Hates Sherry" been omitted from this? A brilliant almost have sex scenario with Niles and Daphne, three years before their actual hookup. Filled with Tennessee Williams references in the title cards and elsewhere. The Moment Killer is particularly cruel, as Frasier points out to Niles at the end of the episode that if his brain had been in gear (for obvious reasons, it wasn't), it could have been completely avoided. In similar episodes such as "Moon Dance", "Mixed Doubles" and "First Date", Daphne is as oblivious as ever, but in this one, she seems completely ready to jump in. The whole thing is forgotten completely by the next episode.
  • In one of the last episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary and Lou attempt to kiss, but both dissolve into hopeless giggling.
  • In Babylon 5, Captain Sheridan and Delenn have an almost kiss moment—before being interrupted by a message from Ivanova, showing her usual bad timing.
  • Obnoxiously overused in the CBS Beauty and The Beast television show from the late '80s. In practically every episode Vincent and Catherine start to engage in a kiss, but at the last moment they always wince and just hug each other instead. After a while, it didn't feel like "the characters always come to the realization that their love is not possible," so much as "the producers were afraid of outcries of bestiality." When he finally did kiss her, it was after she was dead. Arrgghhh!
  • In the British comedy Spaced, Tim and Daisy have one of these during a conversation about how things "happen when you least expect it" after getting locked out of their flat. They are interrupted by their dog who has just happened to have found Tim's keys lying on the curb and drops them at his feet.
  • Sadie and Ben in the Canadian show, Naturally, Sadie, had a total of eleven almost kisses, and when they finally did kiss, it is one of two possible scenarios and it is never made clear which one happened.
  • Torchwood
    • This happens in the episode "Captain Jack Harkness". Jack and the real Jack Harkness almost kiss, but stop when the rift suddenly opens. However, subverted when Jack runs back and kisses the real Jack anyway.
    • Jack gets another almost-kiss in "Fragments". He falls on Ianto, they laugh, roll around, and share an intense moment where their faces get really close... and then Ianto stands up and starts walking away.
    • Jack and Gwen have an Almost Kiss in "Something Borrowed", but the moment is killed when Jack sprouts fangs and claws; it's not really Jack, it's the shape-shifting nostrovite.
  • There is a romantic moment in an episode of Smallville where Clark and Lois almost kiss while dancing at Chloe's wedding, but they are interrupted by the reappearance of Clark's ex-girlfriend, Lana.
  • Tony and Carol from Wire in The Blood come thisclose to kissing not once but twice in the episode "Justice Painted Blind". The first comes when Carol abandons dinner with her boyfriend in favour of discussing possible motives for the murders with Tony, the second when the pair are lying on their stomachs in Tony's living room discussing dominance and submission. Both moments are broken when neither of the two can seem to gather the courage to take their relationship that extra step.
  • Star Trek: Voyager. While possessed by a male Body Surf alien, Kes is about to kiss a female follower ("his" wife) when they're interrupted by a messenger, leaving it to Seven of Nine to carry whatever Les Yay exists in Voyager.
  • Parodied in the "Diwali" episode of The Office , when Michael tries to bond with Pam over them both being "victims of broken engagements" and then moves in to kiss her, only for her to move back and reject his kiss. Rather than showing them as mutual love interests, it shows humorous shows Michael's belief that life is like a television show and that his coworkers are much closer to him than they actually are.
  • A Running Gag in SM:TV Live's Friends parody Chums: Dec and Cat are always interrupted when they are about to kiss by the doorbell.
  • Watch the gag reel for How I Met Your Mother, if anyone forgets their line and ends up just staring they will start moving in.
  • Firefly in the episode "Objects in Space": It's taken Simon and Kaylee the whole series to reach that moment. They're having a heart-to-heart. They're staring into each other's eyes. They're inching closer. His hand starts to reach out to caress her cheek. They lean in for the kiss. And then Book walks into them.

Joss Whedon: Oh, thank you very much, Book. Way to ruin the kiss!

  • Played darkly and subtlely in Robin Hood. Guy of Gisborne has just proposed to Marian and been accepted. He moves in for a kiss, but she looks tearful and uncertain, and both turn their heads away fractionally. (Reasons being that he's just threatened her with execution after accusing her of being in cahoots with Robin over a missing necklace. She proves him wrong by producing it - Robin has just passed it to her through the window, and is privy to everything that goes on inside the room).
  • Coupling's walking relationship-dictionary Jeff Murdoch gives us the self-explanatory phrase "Nose Avoidance Tilting".
  • General Hospital's Sonny and Carly's first non-hate kiss after the incredibly awkward sex talk with Emily and Juan. They get thisclose and Sonny's phone rings.
  • Power Rangers Time Force, Wes and Jen. "Damn phone", indeed.
  • Played for laughs in SM:TV Live, a UK Saturday morning show for kids which used to have a regular sketch called 'C.H.U.Ms', a parody on Friends, whereby two characters would come extremely close to kissing, and then be interrupted at the critical moment.
  • Get Smart: The first few episodes use this with 86 and 99.
  • Apart from The Movie example (see above), one episode of The X-Files has Scully being seduced by a shapeshifting guy who has turned into Mulder. They're in her apartment, just about to kiss, when the real Mulder bursts in, spoiling the mood. Probably the only example where the kiss is technically interrupted by one of the participants.
  • In Kyle XY, Kyle is FINALLY about to kiss Amanda at the dance when Jessie blows a fuse...literally!! The ensuing light show throws them off their first kiss at the very last nanosecond. Audience's head's assplode.
  • In Downton Abbey, Sybil and Branson many times through season 2, possibly in the last episode of season 1, too.
    • Mr. Bates and Anna quite a few times towards the end of the first season, as well.

Video Games

  • Devil May Cry
    • In Devil May Cry 3, immediately after battling Lady, Dante leans in, Lady stares into his eyes... and turns her head away at the last second. See the comments section here for viewers frustration! Given Dante and Lady only knew each other for a grand total of 10–15 minutes in that game (and this is being generous), them not kissing was probably for the best.
    • Even more frustrating in Devil May Cry 4 with Nero and Kyrie. The Big Bad has been defeated, the world is at at peace, Nero saves the girl he loves... what better mood to lean in and go for it? Unfortunately just a few millimeters away, Nero pulls a gun at a swarm of demon baddies determined to interrupt, and ends up telling Kyrie that kiss is going to have to wait. You never see it. If one protects her competently during the credits, it's strongly implied that they go through with it.
  • Mass Effect
    • In the first Mass Effect, this happens toward the end of the game between Shepard and his/her love interest when Udina locks out the Normandy. The interrupter in this case, is Joker, who lampshades the whole thing.
    • The second game has the attempted romance with Samara. You actually get pretty far along in the romance, but when the time comes, she turns away. She makes it clear that though she feels attraction to Shepard as well, she's too dedicated to being a Justicar to get involved. Another character mentions how upset she gets after the incident.
    • During the paragon dialogue path with Miranda, she requests more time to think before Shepard gets around to kissing her. The Renegade path is funnier.
    • A lot of femShep/Archangel shippers were not happy that just when you think they're about to kiss... and they don't.
      • Then averted in the third game, where they have at least two big damn kisses.
  • Uncharted Drakes Fortune
    • At the end, Nate and Elena lean in suggestively towards one another, and are suddenly interrupted by Sully who disrupts the romantic moment. Nice going, Sully. He seems to do it on purpose here.
    • It finally happens for real in the sequel though.
  • Jak and Daxter
    • Daxter does this to Jak in both Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy and Jak II Renegade. One was on purpose, the other, not so much.
    • Jak gets back at Daxter by interrupting his kiss with Tess at the end of Jak 3.
    • Subverted at the end of Jak X when Daxter interrupts Jak and Keira yet again, only to continue, "Will ya kiss her already! Sheesh!"
  • The remake of Metal Gear Solid, The Twin Snakes, has Meryl and Snake almost kiss after the fight with Liquid; unfortunately they were interrupted by a codec call from Otacon. This isn't present in the original PlayStation game.
  • A "deleted scenes" example here: at the end of Star FOX Adventures, Krystal, the love interest of Fox McCloud comes aboard the team's ship. Originally, Fox would have offered her a place on the team, with her replying she would only do so if he would kiss her. The rumored reason for this scene not happening is that Rare's animators couldn't convincingly portray the kiss (this is somewhat similar to the Chicken Run example). Unused audio of this scene can be found here; [dead link]
  • A version sort of happens in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordas although they were never going to kiss, to the player it looks like they will. Near the start of the game after Link has won the Annual Bird Flight Ceremomy and has been given the sailcloth, Zelda says that, in what seems like an embarrased way, that there is "something else that they are supposed to do at the end of the ceremony...". Link's expression at this, and the opinions the player is given on how to reply ("Uh...", "Oh Oh!", "Hell Yeah!") it's extremely heavily implied they are going to kiss. Just before it looks like Zelda is going to kiss Link, she instead turns him around and pushes him of the each of the statue they are standing on as part of the final test of the ceremony

Web Comics

Web Original

  • Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog. Penny and Billy are in the laundromat, looking deep into each others eyes. It looks as though she and Billy are drawing closer, and closerrrr....and then she brings up Captain Hammer. Ouch.
  • Speaking of Felicia Day, it's lampshaded in the "The Guild" music video, "Game On"—lyrics: "Level up/Feel the bliss/Forward-slash/Almost kiss..." For those not familiar with MMORPG terminology, forward slashes are used for emotes (especially in World of Warcraft, which is The Guild's main source of parody). So /kiss would cause your character to blow a kiss to his or her target. Naturally, in the music video, they perform an Almost Kiss immediately after the line.
  • Lampshaded by Thalia in Thalia's Musings as it happens to her and Apollo.

"The Almost Kiss. Such a classic trope in romantic comedy. The concept I am about to reveal to you may be beyond your mortal comprehension, so listen carefully: Romantic Comedy is what happens when my domain and Aphrodite’s intersect. The fact that she and I have never gotten along terribly well is the reason works in this genre so often fail at being either romantic or comical."

Western Animation

  • Ben 10 Alien Force
    • Gwen and Kevin have an Almost Kiss in the episode "Darkstar Rising", interruped by the Highbreed Commander busting through the wall.
    • Well,that happened a lot of times already... Two of the many Almost Kiss moments happened in "The Transmogrification of Eunice" (Ben and Eunice, of course) and "Revenge of the Swarm" (Ben and Elena).
  • Code Lyoko: In episode "Routine", Yumi's and Ulrich's First Kiss after Ulrich saves her from falling into the Digital Sea is interrupted when Aelita resets time.
  • Teen Titans has several:
    • Beast Boy and Terra are interrupted on a date by Slade.
    • Cyborg has two with Sarasim in one episode: first, they're interrupted by a monster-army attack, and then, he pulls away saying, "I'm really sorry," because he just feels they're too different for it to work out.
    • Starfire and Robin pass up numerous perfect moments, but most noticeably before Robin leaves in "The End" to help Slade find Raven, and a few times in Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.
  • Blackarachnia and Optimus Prime do this several times in Transformers Animated. Sadly, it's usually a feint by BA to distract him.
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender
    • Possibly Aang and Katara in "The Cave of Two Lovers". However, the lights go out as they're moving in, and to this day, it's a mystery if there was an Almost Kiss or a First Kiss. The producers say that is was a First Kiss.
    • And another, far less ambiguous one when they dance together in the second episode of the third series, ending with both of them panting and sweating heavily.
    • Sokka and Suki also share an Almost Kiss-moment on a moonlit night, which is exactly why Sokka can't go through with it (his last girlfriend died and became the Moon Spirit). He makes up for by the end of the episode with two Shut Up Kisses.
  • American Dragon: Jake Long: Despite the fact that it was his plan, Jake panics every time he and Rose are about to kiss while practicing for the School Play, and if his neurosis doesn't stop them, the sudden appearance of the magic beetle they're both searching for does.
  • Futurama does this between Fry and Leela in two different episodes. DVD commentaries of the episodes in question make it clear the creators are fully aware of just how frustrating some people find this.
  • The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron
    • During the TV movie Win, Lose, Kaboom! where Jimmy and Cindy are just about to kiss, this gigantic meteor-warp-mail rock hits the parking lot of the building they're in. But, to make things fair, it wasn't a kiss, it was the "Gorlockon Seal of Trust".
    • Also in the episode "Out, Darn Spotlight", Jimmy and Betty are finally about to do a stage kiss for "Macbeth In Space", when a weather machine built by Jimmy malfunctions and sends a dark cloud their way, which rains on them just before the kiss happens.
  • Kim Possible: Way too many times in Season 4 when Kim and Ron are about to kiss. Wade, Monique, and Bonnie are just a few of the people who interrupt would-be kisses between Kim and Ron. The Word of God admitted it is an intriguing gag. It wasn't as frustrating as most Almost Kiss scenes are, because it isn't used to delay or step back from a Relationship Upgrade.
  • Occurs in the second season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles during April and Casey's un-date, before they're interrupted by a rampaging Nano.
  • ReBoot
    • Dot and Bob suffer from this on several occasions. Once by the appearance of Rocky the Rabid Racoon, and once by the appearance of a second Bob!
    • Another occurrence is in the first season episode "Talent Night", where Dot nearly kisses a very shocked Bob in front of the entire city. Of course, she ends that one herself by putting a hand on his face and pushing him to the ground.
    • In the "Daemon Rising" arc the brainwashed AndrAIa explains how important love is to the innocent-looking virus Daemon... who leans in very close, as if she was trying to get a kiss from the game sprite.
  • In The Fairly OddParents "Wishology" trilogy, a running gag in Part III is Timmy and Trixie trying to follow up their first kiss with a second one, but a different Moment Killer interrupts them each time.
  • An entire episode of Nickelodeon's Doug revolved around this. Not only did Doug not even know if he and Patty were on a date, near the end of the episode this trope finally happens—and she stops and this is never referenced again (during the Nickelodeon incarnation anyway...)
  • In an episode of Hercules the animated series, Icarus almost kisses his beloved Cassandra while both are brainwashed... until she realizes there's a huge saliva drop and snaps out of it.
  • In the '90s WildC.A.T.s cartoon, Zealot and Grifter spend most of the thirteen episodes doing the Unresolved Sexual Tension dance; when they finally admit their feelings, they lean in... and then an emergency warning starts blaring.

Grifter: Couldn't have waited thirty seconds?

  • The Legend of Zelda. The main running gag of the show is Link trying to get a kiss from Zelda, and they frequently come pretty dang close, but are always interrupted.
  • In The Penguins of Madagascar episode "The Falcon and the Snow Job", Skipper, after defeating the other falcon who wanted to eat King Julien, has an Almost Kiss with Kitka. Julien ruins the moment by mocking the fact that they're both birds and would have to "love peck" instead of kiss, due to their lack of lips. Instant Moment Killer.
  • The Simpsons: In the episode "The Devil Wears Nada", this happens twice between Marge and Ned Flanders when spending dinner with each other without the kids and Homer(who is with Carl in Paris).
  • Jimmy Two-Shoes
    • Happens once to both frustrate the fans and for pure comedy. When everyone in Miseryville falls asleep Jimmy's the only one awake, so when he gets to Heloise's house and finds her asleep like Cinderella, he finds a book next to her that says that tells of the wake-up kiss. He appars to consider it, but dismisses it and chucks the book away.

Jimmy: Well, well, well... according to this book, if you kiss the sleeping princess she wakes up. (looks at Heloise only to chuck the book away) Can't believe everything you read.

    • Nearly happens again when Heloise has Jimmy under the influence of a love sweater, only to be interrupted by Beezy who, under the influence of a fear sweater, "rescues" Jimmy from her.
  • Generator Rex: One between Rex and Circe, another between Agent Six and Doc Holiday, which starts off their status as an Official Couple.
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