History Main / NotADate

* ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': An outraged Kana finds her brother Kyōtarō and Yamada taking an order from ''her'' in the Takoyaki restaurant she's working at, and immediately calls "after-school date". Kyōtarō says they're ''just'' grabbing some food before to a movie, which does nothing to convince his sister (or himself) at all.

* ''Series/{{Iron Fist|2017}}''. In "Under Leaf Pluck Lotus", Danny Rand orders takeout for Colleen Wing; unfortunately being a billionaire with NoSocialSkills this involves caterers setting up a formal dinner in her dojo. Given the romantic tension between them, Colleen immediately gets flustered and wants to know if this is a date, which Danny denies...unless she wants it to be. Claire Temple is [[EveryoneCanSeeIt watching this with amusement]] and insists on joining in to take the pressure off Colleen, though she makes a discreet exit on realising Danny really is just there to talk business.

** Something similar happens earlier in the series when [[GenerationXerox Kakashi accuses Asuma and Kurenai of being on a date]]. In ''Anime/NarutoShippuden'', Kurenai ends up pregnant with Asuma's child, so they ''have been'' dating secretly for some time.

-->'''Wednesday:''' But I have to go to the wedding. I have a pass. ...Do you want to come?
-->'''Joel:''' You mean, like...on a date?
-->'''Wednesday:''' ''[[BlatantLies No]].''
-->'''Joel:''' I'd love to.

-->'''Miguel Diaz:''' Holy shit, Sam, that was amazing! Where do you- ''[Samantha puts her foot on his chest as he tries to sit up]''
-->'''Samantha [=LaRusso=]:''' ''Sensei'' Sam. ''[she straddles him]'' You know this may be the best date I've ever been on.
-->'''Miguel Diaz:''' Really? 'Cause technically, this isn't a date.
-->'''Samantha [=LaRusso=]:''' Right. Not a date. ''[she leans in and kisses him]'' And that was...not a kiss.

* ''Series/IronFist2017''. In "Under Leaf Pluck Lotus", Danny Rand orders takeout for Colleen Wing; unfortunately being a billionaire with NoSocialSkills this involves caterers setting up a formal dinner in her dojo. Given the romantic tension between them, Colleen immediately gets flustered and wants to know if this is a date, which Danny denies...unless she wants it to be. Claire Temple is [[EveryoneCanSeeIt watching this with amusement]] and insists on joining in to take the pressure off Colleen, though she makes a discreet exit on realising Danny really is just there to talk business.

-->'''Vala''': Well I don't mind telling you, I've been looking forward to this little date all week.\\

* Casey and April go on one of these in the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' cartoon, to much teasing from the turtles. It rapidly [[AlmostKiss goes in a date-like direction]], but mayhem breaks out before anything really happens.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012,'' the first time that April, Casey and Irma are shown hanging out together he tells Irma that she shouldn't be chaperoning his and April's date. April replies that they're not on a date. This probably counts as the first time he's explicitly shown romantic interest in her.

* In ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'', Eli and [[Characters/HawkeyeKateBishop Kate]] go on a not-date in the park, where they are assaulted by a mugger (kind of). Kate continues to deny that they are on an actual date, much to Eli's annoyance.

* Inverted in the ''WesternAnimation/HamsterAndGretel'' episode "An Arthouse Divided". In which Kevin and Hiromi plan on going to an advanced screening of a movie and he assumes it could be a date when everyone tells him it isn't. [[note]]It really isn't[[/note]]

** Naruto believes Shikamaru and Temari are going out on a date when he sees them walking together. Shikamaru claims he is just escorting Temari; he doesn't explain why he would need to.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': One-shot character Todd Gack is so sure that Creator/DustinHoffman was in ''Film/StarWars'' that he bets Elaine on it -- if he loses, he has to buy her dinner. And sure enough, he loses. Elaine is curious whether this is a back-door to a date, but Todd insists that it's not a date -- and indeed laments the prevailing assumption that any time a man and a woman have dinner together, it ''is'' a date. Jerry is not convinced, believing Todd has found a "dating loophole" -- rather than ask her out directly and risk being turned down, he makes a bet he knows he will lose and disguises the whole thing as a slightly HumiliatingWager. Elaine gives Todd the benefit of the doubt, until he does it a second time -- and this time he brings his parents.

* In a ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' {{filler}} episode, Momoshiro and the first year kids assume that Sakuno and Ryoma are on a date. (And so does Ryoma's father). They aren't, he's just taking her to a shop handled by a CoolOldGuy he knows so he can fix her racket. (Though the owner ''does'' tease Ryoma about her a little.)

-->'''[[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Barbara Gordon]]:''' You're awfully curious for someone I'm having a "simple meal" with.\\

* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', Beast Boy took ComicBook/{{Raven}} out; when she asked if it was a date, he denied it. If that was the case, why was the issue advertised as "date night", BB? And yes, they're madly in love with each other, but going through too much {{Angst}} to admit it.

* In ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'', Eli and ComicBook/{{Kate|Bishop}} go on a not-date in the park, where they are assaulted by a mugger (kind of). Kate continues to deny that they are on an actual date, much to Eli's annoyance.

* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', the sidestory Yancy Interlude has her waiting at the Nimbasa amusement park for someone to give her back her lost Xtransceiver, trying to convince herself that it's not a date. However, [[ValentinesDayEpisodes since it's Valentine's Day]], the romantic atmosphere and [[AloneAmongTheCouples being self-conscious of her loneliness among so many dating couples]] prompts her to ask Nate to have a date with her.

* In ''Series/GossipGirl'', Dan Humphrey is accused of having a sexual relationship with his new teacher Rachel Carr. For some reason, they decide the only solution to this problem is to go on Not a Date at a quiet romantic restaurant. Even though it isn't a date, Dan's girlfriend accidentally sees them and gets the wrong idea, and when she decides to take a picture and send it to everybody, [[HilarityEnsues hilarity/drama ensues]].

* In ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'', Ash (the [[GenderBender gender-bent]] main character) is asked to go to the movies with Arthur, one of the other Old Road racers helping her make repairs to the Road. She's insisting that [[http://www.misfile.com/?date=2010-09-13 "it's not a date"]], and is doing it to try to prove that guys and girls can be JustFriends. Arthur thinks it is anyway, and gets upset when Ash shoots down his attempts at '''making''' it a date.

* In ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', Ruby gets bounced into buying a thank-you dinner for Andy by Dillon, who thinks she needs a romantic life. She [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/pretty_for_your_date tries to insist that it's not a date,]] although she admits soon afterwards that [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/it_is_complex she isn't really sure how she feels about the whole idea,]] and a relationship of sorts does develop. However, on their second meeting, which the largely {{friendless|Background}} Ruby accepts when she needs someone with whom to celebrate, [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/celebrating_with_a_friend she's still insistent that "this isn't quite a 'date' date".]]

* In Creator/KevinSmith's ''Evening With 2: Evening Harder'': His friend, ''Film/DrawingFlies'' director Creator/MalcolmIngram came out of the closet to him by telling him about how he had dinner with a guy, then found out halfway through it was date. This led to the following question:

* ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'' has Natsuru going out with Shizuku. He thought that it was a ploy to draw out the White Kampfers despite her insistence throughout that it really was just a date. Up until the end of it where Mikoto goes apeshit when she finds them, [[IdiotHero he's still in denial.]]

* Done in ''Series/SonnyWithAChance'' where Sonny and Chad go out on a not-date, so she can make a friend of his who dumped her jealous, he's going on it because he doesn't want her dating his friend, and Nico and Grady who missed the entire subplot think that they've admitted the {{U|nresolvedSexualTension}}ST and are on an actual date. Later, in season two, when [[TheyDo they actually are on a date]], they insist that they aren't. [[BadLiar For some reason]], her friends believe them.

* As in everything else, used in the ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' franchise:

* In ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma'', Kazuma and Ayano aren't going on dates. They're missions. Ayano's father is trying to set them up by paying Kazuma to spend time with her, so it feels all awkward and embarrassing and date-like to Ayano. Kazuma is exploiting the situation like a mad bastard though, and therefore it really ''isn't'' a date.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': In "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," Natalie's date to her brother's wedding cancels at the last minute due to appendicitis. Out of desperation, she needs a new date to step in so that she can cope with being around her parents, who she dislikes. Monk declines, but Randy happily steps up, and is perfectly understanding of the fact that he's merely there to act as Natalie's emotional support. When Randy is subsequently injured by a would-be assailant, Monk is forced to step in and take Randy's place.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''
** Garak, who has visions of Ziyal presenting his head to her father (Dukat, Garak's {{archenemy}}) as a birthday gift, insists that his appointment to visit a Cardassian sauna with Ziyal in the holosuite isn't a date. Quark isn't buying it. Their sauna appointment starts out with him bringing a phaser along for self-defence and her giving him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech but, in the end, Quark is right and Garak is wrong.
-->'''Quark:''' So, are you cancelling your date with Ziyal?\\

** In "Rejoined", Jadzia Dax wants an excuse to have dinner with her ex-partner (in a previous host) Lenara Kahn, but as this is against the norms of Trill society she ropes in Julian Bashir to maintain the pretext that she was actually having dinner with him and invited Lenara to join them. Cut to Bashir looking bored as the two happily chat away, ignoring him the whole time until he's called away for a medical emergency.

** Negi's outing with Nodoka. Beforehand, he tries claiming it's not a date. Everyone just ignores him. Afterwards Negi again tries to claim it was just a student/teacher outing, but Yue stops him cold with "No. It was a date."
** Setsuna's worried denial that her outing with Konoka is Not a Date, despite everyone, including Konoka, treating it like one.
** Negi and Asuna going on a date (Type 2) to help Asuna with her [[CanNotSpitItOut shyness]] issues.
** Then there was chapters 251-252, again with Konoka and Setsuna, which sort of inverts this. Setsuna treats it as a a Not a Date, then by the end [[spoiler: Konoka turns it into a genuine date by doing a Pactio with Setsuna. One gets the idea that she wasn't really going for the pactio and was simply using as an excuse to make out with Setsuna, who [[BodyguardCrush most definitely didn't mind]]]].
** Very early in the series, Negi and Konoka have a Type 3, complete with {{Date Peepers}}. They were shopping for birthday gifts for Asuna.

* In the 90s ''Manga/SailorMoon'' anime: Rei (Sailor Mars) going out to meet another girl at a restaurant, a situation enough like a date that the other Senshi sneak after to spy on her.

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Naruto believes Shikamaru and Temari are going out on a date when he sees them walking together. Shikamaru claims he is just escorting Temari; he doesn't explain why he would need to.
** Something similar happens earlier in the series when [[GenerationXerox Kakashi accuses Asuma and Kurenai of being on a date]]. In ''Anime/NarutoShippuden'', Kurenai ends up pregnant with Asuma's child, so they ''have been'' dating secretly for some time.
** When someone asks Naruto if ''he's'' on a date with Sakura. Despite the fact that she admitted it was, he said it wasn't. [[ShipTease In the anime, it was pretext to speak with Naruto]], and in the manga, the two are just sitting on a bench and talking. Naruto only denied that it was a date in fear of offending Sakura.
* ''Manga/LoveHina'': Several times when Naru and Keitaro are involved, including when both independently went to Kyoto, it was assumed or theorized, by their roommates that it was romantic in nature. Later, when they went out to dinner together, they spent significant time arguing about whether or not it was a date; probably because calling it such results in both of them acting awkwardly.

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'':
** Erio is helpfully and secretly given what is [[ShipperOnDeck obviously a date-oriented itinerary]] after mentioning he'd like to show Caro around. While everyone assumes they had a fun ''date'', they discover Erio (being a wholesome kid with possibly [[ImprobablyFemaleCast no frame of reference]]) showed it to Caro and both followed it innocently like any other mission statement without ever realizing it was supposed to be for a date.
** Subaru's and Teana's "vacation" at the same time.

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': {{Invoked|Trope}} but {{averted|Trope}} when Yolei/Miyako teasingly suggests to Davis/Daisuke that Kari/Hikari and TK/Takeru are out on a date when both were not present in a group meeting. It turns out that both weren't even at the same place, with the former hanging out with her Digimon and the latter napping.
* As in everything else, used in the ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' franchise:
** In the novels, Mikuru invites Kyon to a date, only so he can find out that it was just because of the orders of her superiors, for reasons she (at that point) didn't know but hey, doesn't mean they haven't had fun!
** When Haruhi divides TheTeam up to search the city, Kyon gets paired first with Mikuru and later with Yuki. Haruhi declares, "Kyon, this is not a date!"
** ''Inverted'' in the 8th novel, when Kyon writes a romantic story about a cute girl he dated for real. [[spoiler: Except that it was his little sister's 10 year old friend, who needed him to watch a movie with an age restriction. He wrote about it using misleading technical truths, and selective descriptions to make it sound like a romantic story.]]
* In ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma'' Kazuma and Ayano aren't going on dates. They're missions. Ayano's father is trying to set them up by paying Kazuma to spend time with her, so it feels all awkward and embarrassing and date-like to Ayano. Kazuma is exploiting the situation like a mad bastard though, and therefore it really ''isn't'' a date.
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'':
** Hayate has gone on several not-a-dates with several of the characters. Most of the time both characters realize they've been set up on a date by the end of it.
** One humorous occasion was when Nagi set up Hayate and Maria on a fake date to lure out a {{Yandere}} stalker. She even wrote scripts for them.
** There was Hayate and Hinagiku's date to the movies. Once they finally made it into the theater and their hands touched on the arm rests, to two of them finally realized that what they were on could be considered a date. When things fall to pieces (since they were set-up for failure in the first place), Hayate takes her to totally-not-Disneyland-Tokyo where the matter of it being a date is brought up again. This time neither denies it and instead Hinagiku changes the subject to continue the technically-acknowledged date.
** Nagi has gone on a date with one of her admirers, all the time denying it was a date. However, she still wound up feeling guilty about it because she really did have a good time. In her own personal reality she kept seeing Hayate's normal behavior as him being hurt and/or jealous.
** Wataru also sparked conflicted feelings in his older maid Saki when he took her out to a diner. Turns out he just wanted to talk since, due to a series of misunderstandings, he assumed that she was having an affair with a married man.
* ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'' has Natsuru going out with Shizuku. He thought that it was a ploy to draw out the White Kampfers despite her insistence throughout that it really was just a date. Up until the end of it where Mikoto goes apeshit when she finds them, [[IdiotHero he's still in denial.]]
* During the "Hammer Man" sequence in ''Manga/CaseClosed'', it ''looks'' like Takagi and Satou are on a date, and Satou even asks Takagi to kiss her. Conan sees that they're actually on stakeout, and, with [[MomentKiller typically lousy timing]], interrupts [[AlmostKiss before the kiss can go through]]. (And gets [[ButtMonkey him]] caught in a noogie by [[ShipperOnDeck a very angry Sonoko]]). Takagi and Satou ''are'' [[CannotspititOut sort-of dating]], but in that moment were adopting the guise of a young couple to avoid drawing the Hammer Man's suspicions, and Satou even realizes that this interruption will lessen the culprit's apprehension of them even further; would police bother chattering with schoolchildren? Interestingly, taking the disguise of a couple is a common stratagem of Satou's when she's partnered with a male, but she never takes it beyond hand-holding. The kiss offer was her idea of mixing business with pleasure, since she was partnered with Takagi this time. Takagi is ''very'' eager to take the next stake-out with Satou. [[spoiler: He forgets how common a family name "Satou" is...]]
* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Anzu and the Pharaoh go on one of these. Yugi, who set them up on it, sees it as a date, but the Pharaoh doesn't. Anzu might, but she denies it being a date to Mai, when she teases them about it.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': As the page quote shows, discussed by Rua and Ruka (Leo and Luna in the dub) as Yusei teaches Aki to rollerblade.
* ''Manga/SatouKashiNoDanganWaUchinukenai'': When Nagisa's friend Kanajima gets the nerve to ask Umino if she would like to go to the movies with them, she accepts but only because she thinks of it as another opportunity to [[PseudoRomanticFriendship spend time with Nagisa]].
* ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' provides us with several type 2s. One of them is notable because it involves 3 [[TwoBeingsOneBody (or 4)]] people.
* ''Manga/SeitokaiYakuindomo'':
** Chapter 80 has Shino and Takatoshi buying supplies, while Aria and Hagimura are "conveniently" busy with something else. It later becomes an excuse for them to go out and eat, and it ends with Shino looping her arm around Takatoshi's while the latter doesn't at all seem to mind.
** Inverted in chapter 126, Uomi is trying to weasel out the awkward situation with Tsuda (They're buying White Day present) and she told the Student Council members they're on a date.
* ''Anime/TheIdolMaster'': The Producer trying to defuse the bomb Makoto throws in the office as soon as they get back from the amusement park.
* In ''Manga/{{Ratman}}'', Shuto and Mirea go see a movie together, and when they meet up with friends afterwards, Shuto tells them it's not a date. It's not so much denial as [[ObliviousToLove obliviousness]] in this case, as Shuto thinks he and Mirea are just friends.
* In episode 8 of the ''Manga/KotouraSan'' anime, Yuriko forces Manabe to have a date with Haruka as a punishment for his perverted thoughts towards [[{{telepathy}} Haruka]] earlier that episode. Haruka insisted that's ''not'' a date, just Manabe's "assigned punishment." The people on the streets disagrees. [[LampshadeHanging It's even the title of that episode]].
* In ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'':
** Seo has been mentioned to frequently go to family restaurants with Waka, and has invited him to the movies and an amusement park. Many of their classmates have also begun to suspect that there's something between them. Due to the ... [[LovesMyAlterEgo strange]] [[InnocentlyInsensitive dynamic]] of their relationship, though, neither of them consider these dates.
** Nozaki and Miyako sometimes help each other brainstorm manga ideas in cafes, leading to Miyako's classmates assuming that they're dating each other.
* In a ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis'' {{filler}} episode, Momoshiro and the first year kids assume that Sakuno and Ryoma are on a date. (And so does Ryoma's father). They aren't, he's just taking her to a shop handled by a CoolOldGuy he knows so he can fix her racket. (Though the owner ''does'' tease Ryoma about her a little.)
** Another {{filler}} episode has An claiming she's on a date with Momoshiro. Momo insists that it's not a date and even forces Ryoma to tag along. And several of Momo and Ryoma's teammates ''and three guys from another team'' follow them to see if it ''is'' a date or not. [[spoiler: It's... '''not''': An tells Fuji that she noticed Momo was depressed for losing his regular spot, so she decided to help him calm his mind in a friendly outing. [[GenreSavvy She]] only said it was a date so Momo wouldn't refuse her.]]
* In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'', during preparations for a festival, Bonnie and Clemont have to stay in the Pokémon Center with the group's entire combined teams, so Serena and Ash have to go shopping for gifts by themselves. The possibility of this being mistaken as a date actually ''did'' cross Serena's mind, and she gets mildly annoyed that Ash would later go off on his own.
* In the ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' anime (though not the manga), [[CasanovaWannabe Shima]] wants to pick out a birthday gift for [[{{Tsundere}} Izumo]], and asks her friend Paku to help. Izumo thinks that it's a date, and since she thinks dating Shima is a ''terrible'' idea, she follows along to spy on them. She freaks out when they bump heads, which from her viewpoint, looks like they were about to kiss.
* In the Japanese version of the ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'' episode, "Speedy's Double Time Trick", Pururun (Polly Esther) insists that her shopping trip with Yattaro (Speedy Cerviche) is not a date.
* ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Suzu invites Soga, Ponosuke, Matsuri, and Shirogane to her family's cafe, but only the first two come. Suzu's parents [[InvisibleToNormals can't see Ponosuke]], so they assess Soga as a potential boyfriend for their daughter. [[DatePeepers Shirogane and Matsuri spy from outside]]; Shirogane warns it could turn into a date even if it didn't start as one, which Matsuri [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend pretends he's not worried about]].

* In ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers'', Eli and ComicBook/{{Kate|Bishop}} go on a not-date in the park, where they are assaulted by a mugger (kind of). Kate continues to deny that they are on an actual date, much to Eli's annoyance.
* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', Beast Boy took ComicBook/{{Raven}} out; when she asked if it was a date, he denied it. If that was the case, why was the issue advertised as "date night", BB? And yes, they're madly in love with each other, but going through too much {{Angst}} to admit it.
* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': Back when Tim Drake was still dating Ariana, he would occasionally team-up with Stephanie Brown to fight criminals. Stephanie jokingly referred to their team-ups as "dates," but Tim insisted that they weren't dating, even as he flirted back and wouldn't disclose that he had a girlfriend.

* In ''ComicBook/XMen Legacy'' #233, after a grueling battle against Proteus, the first time the two had been fighting on the same team in a long, long time:
-->'''Magneto:''' As I predicted Rogue, it was a great pleasure to fight beside you again.\\
'''Rogue:''' It's not like it was a ''date'', Magnus.\\
'''Magneto:''' No? As close as our kind come, perhaps.

* Amelia from ''ComicBook/AmeliaRules'' and her friends spent a lot of time wondering whether Kyle asking her to escort him to the banquet at St. Johns Elementary School was a date or not.
-->'''Hannigan:''' There's boys and dancing, right?\\
'''Joan:''' Yeah, but there's also, like, a jillion nuns.\\
'''Amelia:''' That's just what he said!\\
'''Rhonda:''' So what? It can't be a date if nuns are there?\\
'''Joan:''' Well, it can ... but you need special permission from the bishop.

* In ''Fanfic/UndocumentedFeatures'', Corwin Ravenhair and Utena Tenjou spend several years Not Dating; when they are told to go have a date, they can't figure out how to start.
* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' Mikuru tried to deny to Haruhi that going to see a movie with Kyon and Yuki was a date, despite asking Haruhi for permission about this appointment ''as a date''. In truth [[spoiler:Haruhi and the rest of the girls explained to Mikuru their plan to achieve a [[MarryThemAll polyamorous]] relationship, making the attempt to hide it was a date a moot point]].

* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6731465/3/ Nanoha As Divergence]]'', [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext long short story]], Vita drags Yuuno out of scene but Hayate said that it was a Date. Talking about {{Irony}}, that riddance really turn into a full blown date (Making it Type 2 for both of them), with Vita going straight to Type-A {{Tsundere}} mode.
* During chapter 06 of ''Fanfic/ANewRoadOfMisfortune'', Aiho Yomikawa, Touma's busty teacher, asked him out on a date, though she didn't necessarily said it straight, her intentions where crystal clear. In the end, Touma didn't realize it was an actual date despite that Aiho dressed herself with a stunning dress, not even wearing a ponytail as she unusually did in order to look more feminine. While one would assume Touma's denseness as definitive by the end of the chapter, it also could be a self-defense measure on his part to avoid misfortune screwing with his life.
* Fluttershy and Twilight in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fic "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", acting on mutual awkwardness, ''both'' insist that their first "date" should be a "not-date" so they can scope out whether the other party is interested. [[DatePeepers Things go hilariously awry when their support teams don't speak to each other]].

* Chapter 2 of ''[[Fanfic/HotspringSouls Slice of Souls!]]'' has Solaire and Lady Maria go on a "friendly hangout", which Maria initially doesn't want to go to because she has troubling socializing. As the day progresses, though, Maria starts to warm up to Solaire (especially after some DuetBonding at the music store) and the rest of their activities are very date-like. [[spoiler: When Solaire drops Maria off at her apartment and says goodnight, [[ShutUpKiss Maria suddenly kisses him.]]]] From that point on [[ShipTease the two grow extremely close]] and frequently go on "friendly hangouts" together, all while insisting they're JustFriends.
* In ''WebVideo/DeathNoteTheAbridgedSeriesKpts4tv'', L agrees to go out on a "date" with Light in order to get close to his liitle sister Sayu ([[NotHisSled his REAL Kira suspect]]).

* ''Fanfic/TheFlowerPrincessAndTheAlchemist'': [[UnresolvedSexualTension Orihime and Edward]] have theirs when they go to a [[DanceOfRomance dance]] together, thinking they are going as [[JustFriends friends]] (since Orihime was the one who was invited and she had only [[JustOneExtraTicket one +one ticket]]). After a series of...mishaps and annoyances, they have a really good time together. It eventually leads to their [[spoiler: FirstKiss by the end of it]].

* In ''Film/PulpFiction'', Vincent Vega has been asked by his boss Marsellus Wallace to take his wife, Mia, out for dinner one night when he is out of town to make sure she does not get bored or lonely. To everybody who knows of this plan, this is obviously a date and they mock Vincent about it mercilessly, particularly since there are rumors that Marsellus has had people beaten in the past for inappropriate activities with his wife. The evening itself is absolutely filled with romantic and sexual overtones, to the point where Vincent needs to speak to himself in the mirror to talk himself out of trying anything with Mia. [[spoiler:Ultimately, their ability to resist temptation is taken out of both of their hands, as Mia overdoses on Vincent's heroin at the end of the night.]]

* In ''Film/GregorysGirl'', Carol shows up in her school clothes to tell Gregory that Dorothy had been delayed. He offers to buy her some chips, but is less than thrilled when she changes into a sexy outfit. Passers-by think they're on a date.
* In ''Film/AddamsFamilyValues,'' between [[CreepyChild Wednesday]] and her {{Love Interest|s}} Joel.
-->'''Wednesday:''' But I have to go to the wedding. I have a pass. ...Do you want to come?
-->'''Joel:''' You mean, like...on a date?
-->'''Wednesday:''' ''[[BlatantLies No]].''
-->'''Joel:''' I'd love to.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': One-shot character Todd Gack is so sure that Creator/DustinHoffman was in ''Film/StarWars'' that he bets Elaine on it -- if he loses, he has to buy her dinner. And sure enough, he loses. Elaine is curious whether this is a back-door to a date, but Todd insists that it's not a date -- and indeed laments the prevailing assumption that any time a man and a woman have dinner together, it ''is'' a date. Jerry is not convinced, believing Todd has found a "dating loophole" -- rather than ask her out directly and risk being turned down, he makes a bet he knows he will lose and disguises the whole thing as a slightly HumiliatingWager. Elaine gives Todd the benefit of the doubt, until he does it a second time -- and this time he brings his parents.
-->'''Elaine:''' Saturday night, with your ''parents''? Unless I'm your sister, this is a date!

* This happens to Zack twice on ''The Suite Life''.
** On ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', Zack asks Bob to help him sabotage Cody's date with a French girl and keeps trying to convince him that they are not a date.
** In ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'', Zack wins a coupon to a dinner for two for his girlfriend Maya (who is out of town at the moment) only to find out that it expires tonight and ends up taking Woody instead.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'', Ash (the [[GenderBender gender-bent]] main character) is asked to go to the movies with Arthur, one of the other Old Road racers helping her make repairs to the Road. She's insisting that [[http://www.misfile.com/?date=2010-09-13 "it's not a date"]], and is doing it to try to prove that guys and girls can be JustFriends. Arthur thinks it is anyway, and gets upset when Ash shoots down his attempts at '''making''' it a date.
* Sherry and John "didn't date" for awhile in ''Webcomic/OutThere'', awakening Miriam's curiosity [[http://outthere.keenspot.com/d/20080205.html]] and penchant for [[{{Shipping}} shipping]] [[http://outthere.keenspot.com/d/20080605.html]]. [[spoiler: It ended, painlessly, when Sherry decided she was interested in someone else.]] [[http://outthere.keenspot.com/d/20080915.html]]
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'':
** Hannelore goes out with Sven just to see what dates are like. Nothing romantic or sexual is expected to happen, and it doesn't.
** Marigold doesn't realise Tai's flirting with her and asks her back to her place for an innocent reason which Tai takes as a euphemism.
** Brun and Millefeuille do this twice, as a Type 2 on both occasions.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
** Vriska and John have one of these in [[spoiler: the afterlife]].
** Rose insists to Dave that her appointment with Kanaya isn't a date...[[spoiler:right up until she realises she was so plastered she lost track of time, prompting a scream of "''I FORGOD ABOUT OUR DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!''"]]
* This is played with in ''Webcomic/ThinkBeforeYouThink''. Jason asks Julia out, and she refuses because she's dating Brian. Then Jason suggests going out anyway as JustFriends, and Julia asks if Brian and Becky can come (who Jason doesn't know yet). During the outing, Julia keeps insisting that it's not a date. Later that night, [[spoiler:Julia walks in on Jason and Becky in bed together]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Avialae}}'': Gannet starts out insistent that he doesn't do relationships which means no dating. So naturally, he agrees to Bailey's offer to take him out somewhere special on his birthday. Where Bailey gives him one of his sweatshirts that he modified to fit him as a present. And where Gannet "accidentally" asks him if he wants to make out in his car ''after'' having a panic attack about it being a date after all.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' has [[https://dougfunniesjournal.tumblr.com/post/14159998183/episode-41-part-2-doug-patti-sittin-in-a-tree an episode]] with the title character fiercely denying that going to the movies alone with Patty Mayonnaise was a date. (It totally was.)
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Kim and Ron's lifelong friendship causes confusion in others as to the nature of their relationship. It finally starts to confuse ''them'' in season 3, and at the end they hook up for real.
* Casey and April go on one of these in the 2003 ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon, to much teasing from the turtles. It rapidly [[AlmostKiss goes in a date-like direction]], but mayhem breaks out before anything really happens.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012,'' the first time that April, Casey and Irma are shown hanging out together he tells Irma that she shouldn't be chaperoning his and April's date. April replies that they're not on a date. This probably counts as the first time he's explicitly shown romantic interest in her.
* Shows up in an episode of the 90s version of ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'', in which Kat goes on what "is so ''not''" a date, and becomes paranoid that Casper is constantly telling her it is (he wasn't there).
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' sets this up with a double date, with Kif and Amy alongside Zap Brannigan and a ''very'' begrudging Leela. She refers to the encounter as a "half-date" and only agrees to the thing to shut Zap up.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' episode "Have You Seen the Remote?", [[VillainousCrush Tobey and WordGirl]] had to work together to find Tobey's Master remote. They searched for it the most ''efficient'' way possible: by reading together in the library, going to the museum, and eating ice-cream in the park. However, this all mainly happened because Tobey hid the actual tracking device to easily find said remote in his pocket so he could spend time with her. [[ShipTease He got her to admit to enjoying herself, though]].
* This was a running gag in ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', whenever Kuzco and Malina would end up doing something together, Kuzco would call it a date, and Malina would tell him "it's not a date". Notable in the episode "Working Girl". In the series finale they went on a date.

* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'': Lance and Ilana hang out in the downtown area of Sherman on a school night. They run into a classmate of theirs, who think it is a date. Ilana reminds them that they're (masquerading as) siblings.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'': One can only imagine what logic Egon uses to justify saying this about his night out with Janine in "Rollerghoster".
-->'''Peter:''' ''[after he gets back]'' Have a good time on your ''daaaate''?\\
'''Egon:''' It wasn't a ''daaaate'', and, no, I had a terrible time...[[NotWhatItLooksLike we got thrown out of a carnival]].

* Occurs, unsurprisingly enough, in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots'' episode "Not a Date". Puss and Dulcinea want to spend some time at the lake, but are very clear it isn't a date, just two friends going to relax together. Unfortunately, first Toby, and then ''the entire town'' decide that in that case, it can just as easily be ''more'' than two friends going to relax together.
* On the ''Corner Gas Animated'' episode "Spy Me to the Moon", Brent and Lacey agree to watch a blue moon together. They constantly insist to others (unconvincingly) that it's not a date, and repeatedly question each other's intentions throughout the night. This being a show that strongly runs on StatusQuoIsGod, nothing happens and they apologize for the awkwardness the next day.

** Invoked in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E6Extremis Extremis]]" when Bill (the Doctor's companion and an out lesbian) coaxes Penny, a closet lesbian, up to her flat. Penny is nervous about the whole thing, but Bill points out they have no reason to be guilty about them drinking tea in her flat together.

* Back when [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] was still dating Ariana, he would occasionally team-up with Stephanie Brown to fight criminals. Stephanie jokingly referred to their team-ups as "dates," but Tim insisted that they weren't dating, even as he flirted back and wouldn't disclose that he had a girlfriend.
* From ''Comicbook/Batgirl2009:''
-->'''Barbara:''' You're awfully curious for someone I'm having a "simple meal" with.\\

* This was a running gag in ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewSchool'', whenever Kuzco and Malina would end up doing something together, Kuzco would call it a date, and Malina would tell him "it's not a date". In the series finale they went on a date.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MikeTysonMysteries'', a “mystery” involves two members of the team to go to a frozen yogurt shop, which ends up being Yung and Pigeon. While eating ice cream with her, Pigeon begins to suggest that it might be their “first date” which disgusts Yung, due to not only Pigeon being, well, a pigeon, but a creepy one at that who constantly sexually harasses, and belittles her as well as taking pictures of her naked without her consent. Made even more Squickier when [[spoiler: a later episode reveals him to be her biological father]].

* In the very first episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Monica insists that her going out with the "wine guy" is not a date, just two people having dinner and not having sex, to which Chandler responds: "Sounds like a date to me."

* ''Fanfic/TheSwordOfJusticeAndTheShieldOfTime'' has Homura agree to go on an outing "not date" with Sayaka in Chapter 11, for once not related to the whole MagicalGirl business they're in and as a way for Sayaka to get Homura to try to loosen up even just a little bit from trying to avert the horrible fates that await them and their friends in [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica the canonical series]]. Alas, a Witch attacks anyway, though by the end Homura admits to Sayaka that she does see themselves as friends now, a fairly stark departure from how things normally go between them in most of the [GroundhogDayLoop|s] she's been through. [[spoiler:Which leads Sayaka to realize after they head home for the night that the pang in her heart upon hearing that from Homura means that she actually wants to be more than friends with Homura.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheSwordOfJusticeAndTheShieldOfTime'' has Homura agree to go on an outing "not date" with Sayaka in Chapter 11, for once not related to the whole MagicalGirl business they're in and as a way for Sayaka to get Homura to try to loosen up even just a little bit from trying to avert the horrible fates that await them and their friends in [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica the canonical series]]. Alas, a Witch attacks anyway, though by the end Homura admits to Sayaka that she does see themselves as friends now, a fairly stark departure from how things normally go between them in most of the [[GroundhogDayLoop|s]] she's been through. [[spoiler:Which leads Sayaka to realize after they head home for the night that the pang in her heart upon hearing that from Homura means that she actually wants to be more than friends with Homura.]]

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E2SomeAssemblyRequired Some Assembly Required]]" the Scoobies amuse themselves PlayingCyrano over [[StuffyBrit Giles']] attempt to ask out Jenny Calender. Buffy advises him to ask if she likes Mexican food. Giles rejects their suggestions with irritation, only to revert to GibberishOfLove when talking to Jenny, who says he can finish telling her what's so important after the game she's taking him to. Oh, and they can have Mexican afterwards.

* ''Manga/SatouKashiNoDanganWaUchinukenai'': When Nagisa's friend Kanajima gets the nerve to ask Umino if she would like to go to the movies with them, she accepts but only because she thinks of it as another opportunity to [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship spend time with Nagisa]].

** Then there was chapters 251-252, again with Konoka and Setsuna, which sort of inverts this. Setsuna treats it as a a Not a Date, then by the end [[spoiler: Konoka turns it into a genuine date by doing a Pactio with Setsuna. One gets the idea that she wasn't really going for the pactio and was simply using as an excuse to [[SchoolgirlLesbians make out with Setsuna]], who [[BodyguardCrush most definitely didn't mind]]]].