History Main / SignatureScent

* The title character in ''Manga/InuYasha'' identifies people by scent because he is half dog demon. Early on he mistakes Kagome for Kikyo because their scents are so similar, though he quickly learns to distinguish them.
* Downplayed in episode 98 of the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' anime. Early on, Usagi and Haruka are hiding together, and Usagi notices the scent of Haruka's cologne. Later, as Sailor Moon and Sailor Uranus, they're [[ChainedHeat handcuffed together]] by the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monster of the Day]], and when they once again hide, Moon notices the same scent on Uranus. This is Moon's first clue to Uranus's identity, since at this point Uranus and Neptune have been working their own agenda separate from the other Sailor Senshi.
* Bacterian from ''Franchise/DragonBall'' has a recognizably foul stench.
* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', [[spoiler: the cat's true form]] smells like "something dead and rotting" and is generally vomit-inducing.
* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', Shinji reports smelling "the scent of Ayanami" during a synchronization test ([[TsunDere Asuka]] calls him a pervert for this). Later, Rei says that Shinji's plug unit has his scent.

* Recurring ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain Demogoblin is noted to leave a stench like sulfur thanks to the brimstone and hellfire he carries about. (He is an actual demon, after all)

** The Yellow Bastard reeks rather nasty, Hartigan pointing out the horrible smell multiple times when the Bastard is near.
* In the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics, ComicBook/{{Nightcrawler}}'s teleportation ability produces a sulfuric cloud that characters routinely complain about. It is apparently a somewhat unique smell, because he's rarely if ever confused for anyone else.
* Comicbook/{{Sabretooth}} describes the scent of Comicbook/{{Cable}} as that of gunpowder and Old Spice.

[[folder:FanWorks]]
* In ''Fanfic/IllMetByMoonlight'', vampires are referred to as smelling like ice and iron on more than one occasion.
* VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition's ''FanFic/WalkingInCircles'': Solas always smell of herbs and old books to the point that even without looking and being surrounded by blood, Evelyn can still know that he’s there with her.
* In ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'', when the [[spoiler: Dark Phoenix]] is on the verge of appearing, there will often be a pervasive scent of woodsmoke. This inspires an OhCrap reaction for everyone in the know, and Harry winds up exploiting it when fighting [[spoiler: Dracula]], who has a Past with the entity in question.
* In ''Fanfic/TheLandOfWhatMightHaveBeen,'' enormous industrialist [[AdiposeRex Rostov Branderstove]] is said to smell very strongly of tarnished metal and old paper - in other words, the smell of ''money.'' He also likes to wear ambergris perfume, another nod to his wealth. [[spoiler: In the present-day segments, Branderstove has been transformed into a monstrous octopus hybrid known as the Leviathan, and now smells of salt water and "busy fishmarkets"... but Elphaba soon recognizes that he still has that distinctive whiff of ambergris.]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/{{Tremors}}'', Graboids stink, smelling like sewage or rotten meat according to characters. This is a plot point in the first two films which occasionally clues characters in to the presence of a Graboid.

* In ''Film/{{The Parent Trap|1961}}'' Susan (posing as Sharon) smells her grandfather:

'''Charles:''' Tobacco and peppermint. Well, I'll tell you what. I take the peppermint for my indigestion and as for the tobacco...to make your grandmother mad.

* All angels and demons in ''Literature/BooksOfPandemonium'' have their own, powerful signature scent, and if the [=PCs=] know what that scent is, they can use it to identify their opponents, even without superhuman ability to distinct scents.

** Captain Carrot constantly smells of armor polish and soap, to highlight his [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pureness.]]
** Corporal Nobbs on the other hand, has a very strange bouquet described as a mix of cigarettes, skin cream, and old cabbage, that is instantly unforgettable to anyone who encounters it.

* [[MageSpecies Kymerans]] in Creator/NancyACollins's UrbanFantasy series ''Golgotham'' each have a very distinct individual scent. Good or neutral Kymerans tend to have herbal or floral scents (although SupremeChef Lafo instead smells like Bananas Foster and corn dogs); [[EvilSmellsBad evil Kymerans tend more towards sulfur, fish oil, scorched metal]], and other similarly [[SarcasmMode delightful]] things. Additionally, a change in scent can be a warning flag: [[spoiler:Erys]]—who later turns out to be [[spoiler:Nina's [[GrandTheftMe comatose body hijacked]] by an astral-projecting [[BigBad Esau]]]]—has an "unnatural" mix of molasses and dill; [[spoiler:Dori]]'s scent goes from bergamot and orchids (when she's a [[StealthPun garden-variety]] [[FantasticRacism bigoted]] {{yandere}} ''[[JerkAss annoyance]]'') to ashes and black pepper (when she starts [[spoiler:committing assault and being an accessory to worse crimes]]); and even [[spoiler:Hexe]]'s usual chypre/citrus/leather sours and picks up a hint of mold [[spoiler:when he's being corrupted against his will by an ArtifactOfDoom]] and is [[spoiler:on the verge of irreparably alienating his pregnant consort]].
* In ''Literature/{{Gor}}'', each Priest-King -- the {{Physical God}}s of the world who look like giant locusts -- has an individual scent, which is used as their name (they communicate via scent).
* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the love potion Amortentia smells differently to each person based on what they're attracted to, including a scent they associate with a specific person. Harry smells a flowery scent that he recalls smelling at the Weasleys', which turns out to be associated with Ginny.
* In Heinlein's book ''Literature/HaveSpacesuitWillTravel'', the protagonist makes a point of mentioning the distinctive smell of the "worm-face" alien. The alien is so terrifying that the smell becomes indelibly implanted in the young man's memory, in spite of the smell not being particularly "bad".
* Torchie from ''Literature/HiddenTalents'' always smells like smoke due to his constant fire-starting.
* [[BigBad President Snow]] of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' keeps a rose on him at all times in order to mask his peculiar breath, [[spoiler: caused by his terminal illness.]] The main character thinks that he smells like "blood and roses" on every occasion she meets him.
* In the novels ''Iron Dawn'' and ''Jericho Moon'', the Egyptian sorcerer Kheperu smells uniquely-horrible: a blend of body odor, alchemical residues, and rancid unguents. [[spoiler: It's actually intentional, as there's a price on his head in his native Egypt and he doesn't want people getting close enough to recognize him.]]

* In Lisi Harrison's ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' books, most of the Ghouls have a favourite perfume or body spray they're known by: Draculaura smells like lily-of-the-valley, Clawdeen like berries, Cleo like amber, Lagoona like coconut (and saltwater), and Spectra like lilac. Frankie is associated with vanilla from her scented candles, but she switches fragrances too often to have a signature.
* ''Literature/OctoberDaye'' makes a point of mentioning the distinctive scent of the user's magic at ''least'' every other time a spell is cast.
* [[Literature/PercyJacksonandTheOlympians Percy Jackson]], half-blood son of Poseidon, is described at one point as always smelling of the sea.
* ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'': ''Triss'' has a sickeningly-sweet smell that originates from [[spoiler:the never-healing wound on the adder triplets that are bound together by a chain that rubs them raw]] heralding its arrival. Multiple characters are driven almost to insanity from it before the reader is even told what causes it.

* In ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'', people from the titular town have a fishy smell. [[spoiler:This is because they're gradually turning into [[FishPeople Deep Ones]]. The smell intensifies as the transformation progresses, to the point that the protagonist nearly passes out due to the smell of a group of full-fledged Deep Ones]].
* The Others in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' are said to smell like cold. Often enough, somebody points out that cold is not a smell--but only until they have encountered an Other themselves.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Perrin literally has a wolf's sense of smell, so scents would a bigger impression on him than on most people. He often dwells on his wife's scent, particularly the herbal soap she uses.

* During Julia's segments in ''[[Literature/TheMagicians The Magician King]]'', she can recognize magicians by the smell of ozone: when Quentin returns to New York while on vacation, she knows that he's secretly been studying at Brakebills because his hands smell of lightning, and later, when Julia finally begins to work her own magic, she clearly recognizes the electric smell around her first spell - "Quentin's smell," as she calls it.
* PlayedForDrama in ''{{Literature/Wulfrik}}'': Wulfrik returns half-dead from a voyage only to find his betrothed in bed with Sveinbjorn, the man who tried to have him killed. He beats the crap out of Sveinbjorn and throws him out, Hjordis tells him he'd been reported dead half a year, but Wulfrik's supernaturally-good nose means he can still smell Sveinbjorn on her.

* In ''Literature/WhatToSayNext'', Kit notes that her LoveInterest David has a sweet lemony smell.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', when Oz comes back to town he realizes that his former girlfriend Willow has been with [[spoiler:Tara]] because "I can smell her on you." In "Chosen" Angel realises Buffy is now involved with Spike the same way.
* In ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'', "I smell fudge" means something weird, usually bad, is about to happen. If it's weird and good, you may smell apples.
* In the "The Adventure Of The Nutmeg Concoction" episode of ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' a faint smell of nutmeg is detected at a number of crime scenes, leading an FBI profiler to insist it's the "olfactory signature" of a SerialKiller. [[spoiler: Sherlock takes one look at the file, says the crimes have too little in common to be a serial killer and the agent in question is letting his desperation to be a hero cloud his judgement. There is a connection between the crime scenes, but the scent is left by the criminal who makes a living cleaning up crime scenes using a strong chemical that smells faintly of nutmeg, rather than by the perpetrators of the original crime]].
* The episode "Weak" from ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a serial rapist described by all his victims as smelling like an ashtray. It's not admissible in court, of course, but when the investigation leads them to the prime suspect's mother, a heavy smoker, they know they're on the right track.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': In the episode "Obsession", the monster has a distinct "sickly sweet" odor that Kirk recognizes it by. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that fog machines generate a sweet odor.

* In ''{{Series/CSI}}'', Greg is badly beaten in "Fannysmackin" and his eyes are swollen shut. But when Sara arrives, he tells her he recognizes "that Sidle scent".

* According to AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho's ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho034SpareParts Spare Parts]]'', Cybermen have always reeked of antiseptic from the surgeries that led to their UnwillingRobotization.
** Meanwhile, the werewolves in ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho020LoupsGaroux Loups Garoux]]'' notice that the Fifth Doctor smells distinctively of celery from the bunch in his lapel. Turlough, having blown the last of his money on an extremely manky burger, is identified by the smell of cooked goat - resulting in several of the werewolves mockingly referring to him as "Goat Chop" or "Goat Boy".

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Link in wolf form uses his heightened sense of smell to track down the next goal at hand several times throughout the game. The nature of these scents is not described, but each has a [[EditorialSynaesthesia distinct colour]]. To wit, the four captured kids' have a yellow scent, while Ilia, Link's ImpliedLoveInterest, has a pink scent.

* In ''VideoGame/GrandiaII'', the villain Melfice is tracked by the beastman Mareg who tends to mutter (before attacking whatever he detected it on) "This SMELL... MELFICE!!" Melfice is revealed early on to be the main character's brother. This is a problem (understatement) when they first meet Mareg, because they apparently smell alike.

* Occasionally, the stats for some characters in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' describes them as having specific scents. As a few examples: [[DemBones Papyrus]] smells like bones, [[FishPeople Undyne]] smells like angry sushi, and [[KillerRobot Mettaton]] smells [[ShapedLikeItself like Mettaton]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', Geralt's search for Yennefer makes repeated mention of her distinctive scent of lilac and gooseberries. Witchers (who have superhuman senses,) can tell a letter was written by her because of it, and even normal humans are able to detect it if they meet her in person. Since it's mentioned in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBba-cHEN1g a ballad about her]], she's apparently quite well known for it.

* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': A HunterOfMonsters warns the player character that Zygaena, a dangerous [[spoiler:wereshark]], can be identified by his fishy smell. Unfortunately, they don't notice this when they meet him in his human disguise.

** The heroine has a pleasant scent which is used as the subject of a {{running gag}} by most of the characters, to the point that she considers using lab chemicals to alter it and avoid the "nice smell" comments. Her smell is also typical of the Heterodyne bloodline, allowing Jägermonsters to identify her.
** Agatha has her body chemistry tangled up when the author of a {{Grand Theft Me}} keeps herself awake with stimulants... lots of them. This is detected by Krosp (Emperor of cats), who points out that her scent is messed up.
** The Wasp Eaters detect wasps via smell (even though they are animal constructs, they are trained to react to it). The Weasels react to Tarvek's smell too -- they ''love'' it, which leads to [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120613 a lot of Weasels hugging him]].

* In one ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' episode called "Baby, You Stink", the boys of the main six decide to have a contest to see who of them smells the best after a week of not bathing of any kind, with the girls acting as the judges. It got way out of hand, with the boys stinking so bad that Jen said, "At this point it's not about who smells the best anymore--it's about who smells ''the least horrible''." When the day of the actual judging came, the rules that the girls laid out were that whichever guy made it closest to them without being yelled at to stop would be declared the winner. In the order the boys went, the results were:
** Wyatt -- Made it about two-thirds of the way towards the girls, which Wyatt was happy about, because he was worried that he'd end up smelling the worst--he almost dropped out of the contest, but ultimately stayed after his then-girlfriend, Marlowe, assured him that she was fine with it and even pointed out how many of the world's top musicians and celebrities don't bathe frequently.
** Jonesy -- Being who he is, Jonesy was very confident that he'd smell the best after a week a not bathing--but he actually ended smelling the worst out of the three boys. In fact, he didn't even make it more than two steps towards the girls and Nikki was so nauseated that she actually vomited on the food court floor of the mall. On top of all that, he also got fired from his latest job at a florist shop because his rank BO killed all the flowers at the shop.
** Jude -- He made it all the way without complaint from the girls. Caitlin noted that Jude didn't smell any differently than he normally did, with Nikki adding, "Jude never bathed much to begin with--he's always had a faint, lingering odor." As a result, Jude was declared the winner.
* In Creator/DonBluth's ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Dowager Empress Marie dabs peppermint oil on her opera gloves. The scent triggers a memory in orphan Anya of spilling peppermint oil on the palace carpet. No matter how much servants scrubbed that spot, it continued to smell of peppermint. This statement convinces Empress Marie that Anya is, in fact, her long-lost granddaughter Princess Anastasia.

* "The school's resident weird girl," Marcie Fleach, on ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' is nicknamed Hot Dog Water by her peers because that's what she smells like. In her first appearance, Freddie explains the smell as resulting from a chemical reaction involving sweat and gingham; later, we find out that her father owns an amusement park and reuses the hot dog water for bathing. In Season 2 it becomes a plot point when Velma recognizes the smell and identifies a disguised Marcie.
* Lotso of ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Toy Story 3]]'' is pointed out to smell like strawberries.

* This is TruthInTelevision--with the exception of identical twins (who share one), everybody has their own unique scent.

* There is a characteristic odor that hangs around alcoholics--it's the result of the breakdown of ethanol by the liver into aldehydes that are then excreted through the sweat. It doesn't smell like alcohol; it's the characteristic odor of someone who drinks all the time.
* If you’ve ever eaten a lot of garlic you’ll end up smelling like it as well thanks to this trope.

** [[{{Fan Nickname}} The Weasels]], or the Wasp Eaters, detect wasps via smell (even though they are animal constructs, they are trained to react to it). The Weasels react to Tarvek's smell too -- they ''love'' it, which leads to [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120613 a lot of Weasels hugging him]].

* [[WitchSpecies Kymerans]] in Creator/NancyACollins's UrbanFantasy series ''Golgotham'' each have a very distinct individual scent. Good or neutral Kymerans tend to have herbal or floral scents (although SupremeChef Lafo instead smells like Bananas Foster and corn dogs); [[EvilSmellsBad evil Kymerans tend more towards sulfur, fish oil, scorched metal]], and other similarly [[SarcasmMode delightful]] things. Additionally, a change in scent can be a warning flag: [[spoiler:Erys]]—who later turns out to be [[spoiler:Nina's [[GrandTheftMe comatose body hijacked]] by an astral-projecting [[BigBad Esau]]]]—has an "unnatural" mix of molasses and dill; [[spoiler:Dori]]'s scent goes from bergamot and orchids (when she's a [[StealthPun garden-variety]] [[FantasticRacism bigoted]] {{yandere}} ''[[JerkAss annoyance]]'') to ashes and black pepper (when she starts [[spoiler:committing assault and being an accessory to worse crimes]]); and even [[spoiler:Hexe]]'s usual chypre/citrus/leather sours and picks up a hint of mold [[spoiler:when he's being corrupted against his will by an ArtifactOfDoom]] and is [[spoiler:on the verge of irreparably alienating his pregnant consort]].

* All angels and demons in ''Books of Pandemonium'' have their own, powerful signature scent, and if the [=PCs=] know what that scent is, they can use it to identify their opponents, even without superhuman ability to distinct scents.

* In ''The Swan Kingdom'', a smell of poisonous, rotting flesh is a plot point as it helps the main character draw a connection between the monster that attacked her mother and the beautiful young woman who shows up at the palace only a little while later.

* In the first episode of ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'', Lupin is able to figure out that a love letter sent to him, supposedly written by Fujiko, was fake because, among other reasons, the letter didn't have the faintest hint of Chanel #5 perfume.

** Meanwhile, the werewolves in ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho020LoupsGaroux Loups Garoux]]'' notice that the Fifth Doctor smells distinctively of celery from the bunch in his lapel. Turlough, having blown the last of his money on an extremely manky burger, is identified by the smell of cooked goat - resulting in several of the werewolves mockingly referring to him as "Goat Chop."

* In ''A Companion To Wolves'' by Creator/SarahMonette and Creator/ElizabethBear, each wolf's true name is a unique scent.

* Comes up in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Captain Carrot constantly smells of armor polish and soap, to highlight his [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pureness.]]
** Corporal Nobbs on the other hand, has a very strange bouquet described as a mix of cigarettes, skin cream, and old cabbage, that is instantly unforgettable to anyone who encounters it.
** Beggar Foul Ole Ron has a smell that is so strange it's developed its own separate identity and sometimes goes to parties on its own.
** Mr. Groat from the Post Office -- a devout believer in such odd "home remedies" as putting sulfur in his socks and using a goose-grease poultice -- smells vaguely chemical, with the eye-stinging aroma of throat medicine and a hint of old potatoes.
** Ahmed chews on cloves while in Ankh-Morpork, giving him a signature scent.

* In ''Literature/{{Gor}}'', each Priest-King -- the {{Physical God}}s of the world who look like giant locusts -- has an individual scent, which is used as their name (they communicate via scent).
* The Others in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' are said to smell like cold. Often enough, somebody points out that cold is not a smell--but only until they have encountered an Other themselves.
* Lupus of ''Literature/TheRomanMysteries'' series lost his mother as a child. He remembers that she wore lemon perfume, and always carries a handkerchief scented with lemon to remember her. [[spoiler:When he meets up with her again at last, she wears a different perfume and he finds it jarring.]]
* All angels and demons in ''Books of Pandemonium'' have their own, powerful signature scent, and if the [=PCs=] know what that scent is, they can use it to identify their opponents, even without superhuman ability to distinct scents.

* [[BigBad President Snow]] of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' keeps a rose on him at all times in order to mask his peculiar breath, [[spoiler: caused by his terminal illness.]] The main character thinks that he smells like "blood and roses" on every occasion she meets him.
* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the love potion Amortentia smells differently to each person based on what they're attracted to, including a scent they associate with a specific person. Harry smells a flowery scent that he recalls smelling at the Weasleys', which turns out to be associated with Ginny.
* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'':
** Bella Swan is stated to smell like freesia.
** Edward Cullen is said to smell like honey, lilac and sunshine.
* In Lisi Harrison's ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' books, most of the Ghouls have a favourite perfume or body spray they're known by: Draculaura smells like lily-of-the-valley, Clawdeen like berries, Cleo like amber, Lagoona like coconut (and saltwater), and Spectra like lilac. Frankie is associated with vanilla from her scented candles, but she switches fragrances too often to have a signature.
* In ''The Swan Kingdom'', a smell of poisonous, rotting flesh is a plot point as it helps the main character draw a connection between the monster that attacked her mother and the beautiful young woman who shows up at the palace only a little while later.

* In the novels ''Iron Dawn'' and ''Jericho Moon'', the Egyptian sorcerer Kheperu smells uniquely-horrible: a blend of body odor, alchemical residues, and rancid unguents. [[spoiler: It's actually intentional, as there's a price on his head in his native Egypt and he doesn't want people getting close enough to recognize him.]]
* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Perrin literally has a wolf's sense of smell, so scents would a bigger impression on him than on most people. He often dwells on his wife's scent, particularly the herbal soap she uses.
* The third ''Literature/JulieOfTheWolves'' book is from the point of view of the wolves. They always recognize Julie because her scent reminds them of willows. It also mentions that before Julie came up with her own names for the wolves, they had given each other "names" in their own minds to identify them, and they had thought of Silver as "Saxifrage" for the scented plants she liked to roll in.
* In Heinlein's book ''Literature/HaveSpacesuitWillTravel'', the protagonist makes a point of mentioning the distinctive smell of the "worm-face" alien. The alien is so terrifying that the smell becomes indelibly implanted in the young man's memory, in spite of the smell not being particularly "bad".
* [[Literature/PercyJacksonandTheOlympians Percy Jackson]], half-blood son of Poseidon, is described at one point as always smelling of the sea.

* In ''Literature/TheTalisman'', the SinisterMinister Sunlight Gardner smells like something rotten covered up with too much cologne.
* ''Literature/OctoberDaye'' makes a point of mentioning the distinctive scent of the user's magic at ''least'' every other time a spell is cast.
* Characters' [[AuraVision auras]] in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' have distinctive smells, including cinnamon. Or [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent a snake]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja',' the titular character's SecretIdentity as the Ninja is immediately exposed by a blind man because the former apparently reeks of the [[SmokeOut smoke bombs]] that he often uses.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'' the titular character is identified as the {{Ninja}} by a blind man because he apparently reeks of the [[SmokeOut smoke bombs]] that he often uses.

* Lotso of ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Toy Story 3]]'' is pointed out to smell like strawberries.
* "The school's resident weird girl," Marcie Fleach, on ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' is nicknamed Hot Dog Water by her peers because that's what she smells like. In her first appearance, Freddie explains the smell as resulting from a chemical reaction involving sweat and gingham; later, we find out that her father owns an amusement park and reuses the hot dog water for bathing. In Season 2 it becomes a plot point when Velma recognizes the smell and identifies a disguised Marcie.
* In Creator/DonBluth's ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', Dowager Empress Marie dabs peppermint oil on her opera gloves. The scent triggers a memory in orphan Anya of spilling peppermint oil on the palace carpet. No matter how much servants scrubbed that spot, it continued to smell of peppermint. This statement convinces Empress Marie that Anya is, in fact, her long-lost granddaughter Princess Anastasia.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' character WesternAnimation/PepeLePew, of course. Ordinarily skunks don't stink except when they're actually spraying, which means that even for a skunk, Pepe really stinks.
* In one ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}} 6teen]]'' episode called "Baby, You Stink", the boys of the main six decide to have a contest to see who of them smells the best after a week of not bathing of any kind, with the girls acting as the judges. It got way out of hand, with the boys stinking so bad that Jen said, "At this point it's not about who smells the best anymore--it's about who smells ''the least horrible''." When the day of the actual judging came, the rules that the girls laid out were that whichever guy made it closest to them without being yelled at to stop would be declared the winner. In the order the boys went, the results were:

* Diabetics' sweat can take on a fruity aroma when their blood sugar is too high, as does their urine.

* In the first episode of Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket, Lupin is able to figure out that a love letter sent to him, supposedly written by Fujiko, was fake because, among other reasons, the letter didn't have the faintest hint of Chanel #5 perfume.

* In Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion, Shinji reports smelling "the scent of Ayanami" during a synchronization test ([[TsunDere Asuka]] calls him a pervert for this). Later, Rei says that Shinji's plug unit has his scent.
** In Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion, Mari is obsessed with the scent of LCL and likes to get inappropriately close to Shinji once she sniffs it on him.

* In ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm,'' when the [[spoiler: Dark Phoenix]] is on the verge of appearing, there will often be a pervasive scent of woodsmoke. This inspires an OhCrap reaction for everyone in the know, and Harry winds up exploiting it when fighting [[spoiler: Dracula]], who has a Past with the entity in question.

* In 1944's ''The Uninvited'', the manifestation of the benevolent ghost is always accompanied by the scent of mimosa blossoms. This serves as both a red-herring and a plot point when it comes to determining the ghost's identity, since one character's dead mother always wore mimosa-scented perfume.

* On Literature/{{Gor}} each Priest-King - the PhysicalGods of the world who look like giant locusts - has an individual scent, which is used as their name (they communicate via scent).

* In the ''Literature/AuntDimity'' series:

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'' the love potion Amortentia smells differently to each person based on what they're attracted to, including a scent they associate with a specific person. Harry smells a flowery scent that he recalls smelling at the Weasleys', which turns out to be associated with Ginny.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', Perrin often dwells on his wife's scent, particularly the herbal soap she uses.
** Of course, Perrin also literally has a wolf's sense of smell, so it makes sense that scents would make a bigger impression on him than on most people.

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' when Oz comes back to town he realizes that his former girlfriend Willow has been with [[spoiler:Tara]] because "I can smell her on you." In "Chosen" Angel realises Buffy is now involved with Spike the same way.

* One episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has a serial rapist described by all his victims as smelling like an ashtray. It's not admissible in court, of course, but when the investigation leads them to a heavy smoker they know they're on the right track.

* In ‘’{{Series/CSI}}’’ Greg is badly beaten in “Fannysmackin” and his eyes are swollen shut. But when Sara arrives, he tells her he recognizes “that Sidle scent”.

* In the musical ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'' John Adams writes to his wife Abigail about how much he misses her and asks, "Do you still smell of vanilla and spring air?"

* ''VideoGame/TempleOfApshai''. Giant rats have a distinctive musty smell.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Link in wolf form uses his heightened sense of smell to track down the next goal at hand several times throughout the game. The nature of these scents is not described, but each has a [[EditorialSynaesthesia distinct colour]]. To wit, the four captured kids' have a yellow scent, while Ilia, Link's potential romance, has a pink scent.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''

* In one ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}} 6teen]]'' episode called "Baby, You Stink," the boys of the main six decide to have a contest to see who of them smells the best after a week of not bathing of any kind, with the girls acting as the judges. It got way out of hand, with the boys stinking so bad that Jen said, "At this point it's not about who smells the best anymore--it's about who smells ''the least horrible''." When the day of the actual judging came, the rules that the girls laid out were that whichever guy made it closest to them without being yelled at to stop would be declared the winner. In the order the boys went, the results were: