History Main / TrueLovesKiss

* In Creator/EstherFriesner's ''Literature/MajykByDesign'', the magician-protagonist's estranged wife asks him to turn ''himself'' into a frog, so she can use this to prove her point that she still loves him.

* Parodied in Amanda Bynes' ''Film/SydneyWhite'', where Sydney was simply exhausted from staying up all night for her paper and fell asleep in the library, causing her to be late for the presidential debate. The LoveInterest finds her and treats it as if she would never wake up, culminating with the kiss to "break the spell".

Subtrope and most common form of MagicKiss. Has a tendency to be TheBigDamnKiss. Can overlap with DudeShesLikeInAComa.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/43473279/chapters/109862982 Thanks, but no]]'': During the events of Dark Cupid, Marinette uses a platonic version of this trope to free Alya from the akuma's HatePlague by kissing her on the cheeks. Later, Nino/Melliferna kisses Chat Noir on the lips to do the same, albeit with [[ShipTease more romantic undertones between the two]] that later lead to their RelationshipUpgrade.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' plays it straight as part of a larger subversion. The female lead has a curse which turns her into an ogre by night, which can only be broken by True Love's Kiss. However, when said love, the ogre Shrek, kisses her, she becomes an ogre ''permanently'' -- which she preferred. Of course, there is the opening monologue, which mocks this trope lightly; you can see how seriously Shrek takes it.

** Near the end of the first manga story, Mamoru brings back to life a seemingly dead Usagi by kissing her (Luna comments on this, saying that the princess has been woken up by the prince's kiss).

* ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'': In the last episode, between [[spoiler:Taiga and Ryuuji]]. Can be a tearjerker and a CMOH all at the same time.
--> '''[[spoiler:Taiga]]:''' Just as I expected... [[{{Tsundere}} It was like a rough, dry wilderness. Also, it was really warm...]] Hey, it's cold, so let's do it one more-- ''[gets ShutUpKiss'd by [[spoiler:Ryuuji]]]'' One more... ''[they kiss again]'' One more... ''[they kiss again, and the camera pans out]''

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': In a tragic variant of this, [[spoiler:It is Mikasa giving Eren this after killing him that convinces Ymir to remove the Power of the Titans from the world, reverting all the Titans back into human form]].

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''Anime/PorcoRosso''. Fio suggests that her kissing [[PigMan Porco]] may break his curse, even citing the Frog Prince fairy tale, and offers to do so. Porco rejects the offer; partly because he's too [[KnightInSourArmor cynical]] to really believe it would work, partly because Fio's ''a lot'' [[PrecociousCrush younger than him]] and he's not the sort to take advantage of a young girl. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, however, she ''does'' sneak a kiss from him as they say goodbye and shortly afterwards Porco's curse is indicated to be broken. It is [[AmbiguousSituation left ambiguous]] whether this is because of the kiss, or simply because of Porco [[CharacterDevelopment finally letting go of the selfishness and disillusionment]] that possibly led to him getting cursed to begin with.]]

* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' [[CatGirl Shampoo]] got captured by Maomolin (a giant ghost cat) to be cursed to be its bride. However Shampoo manages to make a deal with it to be able to break it with a kiss from her true love, intending it to be Ranma. HilarityEnsues as Ranma is joined by Mousse and [[ClingyJealousGirl Akane]] to help her but they spend more time fighting each other than Maomolin on whether to allow Ranma the kiss or not.

* Seen numerous times in ''Manga/SailorMoon'':

** The ending of the ''Sailor Moon R'' movie may or may not count -- it was technically more of IntimateHealing, with Mamoru giving Usagi the life-saving nectar that way; but to the rest of the team it definitely looked like another instance of the PowerOfLove in work.

* In the ''Manga/SallyTheWitch'' remake from TheEighties, one of the episodes delves in the past of Sally's HappilyMarried parents and mentions an episode where Sally's dad had to give one to her mom to break a curse cast on her by a VainSorceress. [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Hm....]]
* ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'': When Griamore is turned into a child, Veronica (whom he had some ShipTease with as an adult) ends up accidentally turning him back by giving him an innocent kiss on the forehead. Sadly, since they had no idea that would happen, and Griamore ended up naked after tearing through his child sized clothes, it leads to a misunderstanding and Guila beating him up.

* In the ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Season 8 comics, Buffy needs one of these to awaken from a magically-induced sleep cast on her by Amy, who explains that the love in question has to be romantic but doesn't need to be mutual. Knowing that someone in the group is in love with Buffy, Willow instructs everyone to close their eyes so that whoever that person is can cure Buffy while maintaining their privacy. Buffy eventually figures out who kissed her based on the flavor of her lip gloss; [[spoiler:it's Satsu, a fellow Slayer, but Buffy is mostly straight and [[IncompatibleOrientation doesn't reciprocate the feeling]]. She does, however, sleep with her a couple of times despite it being a not-so-good idea. Satsu ultimately takes on leadership of the Tokyo squad and does her best to get over Buffy]].
* In the 50th issue of ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Sonic's kiss wakes Princess Sally from a coma.

* How do you save someone from the [[MindControl Anti-Life Equation]] when it pops up in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''? Well if you're [[ComicBook/TheFlash Barry Allen]], you kiss your wife. And maybe the Speed Force does something, too.
* In ''ComicBook/BrightestDay'', The Predator possesses Abraham Pointe. Eventually, it/they sadly say it/they wanted to know what it is like to be loved. Carol Ferris kisses him to separate them. Hal Jordan (her boyfriend) irritably asks, "[[LampshadeHanging Was that really necessary?]]" Carol says it was.

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Invoked and defied in the epilogue. Shinji and Asuka take [[spoiler:their daughter Aki]] to the hospital to see [[spoiler:a comatose Gendo.]] They explain [[spoiler:Aki]] that maybe [[spoiler:her grandfather]] will never wake up. She gets sad and then exclaims: "I know! It's like in the fairytale! If I give him a kiss, he'll surely wake up!" Before no one can stop her, she gives him a short peck. To [[spoiler:her disappointment, it does not work.]]
* A truly heartwarming example occurs in ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/93809/a-pleasant-surprise A Pleasant surprise.]]''
* Inverted in ''Fanfic/TheTangledPrincessBride''. A broken hearted Rapunzel kisses a prince under a love spell and the total lack of love in the kiss is what breaks the spell.

* In ''Fanfic/TheStudentPrince'', as in "[[Recap/MerlinS02E10SweetDreams Sweet Dreams]]", this is needed to undo the effects of a love potion on Arthur; however, unlike in canon, it's ''Merlin'''s kiss and not Gwen's that reverses the effects.
* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/32682 Who Loves Thee Best]]'' [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Itachi Uchiha]] is able to break his OnlyFriend [[Manga/SakuraGari Masataka's]] [[Literature/SleepingBeauty cursed sleep]] with a kiss through Itachi's fraternal love for him.
* In ''Fanfic/ACodetteWorldTour'', Ezekiel uses one to awaken Izzy from her coma.
* In ''Fanfic/OutOfTheDeadLand'', Bucky is able to break through Steve's brainwashing during their IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight by kissing him.
* It happens a few times, as well as being discussed and lampshaded, in the ''[[Fanfic/{{Cinderjuice}} Contractually Obligated Chaos]]'' series, because the stories are based on Disney fairy tales.

* In ''Fanfic/PrinceCharming'', true love's kiss can break any curse. Unfortunately for Prince Adrien, the thing that's ruining his life is technically a ''blessing''. While he ''is'' under a curse, the curse is the only thing that mitigates the effects of his blessing and makes his life at all bearable. Cue major angsting when he realizes that he can never kiss the girl he loves, or his curse will be broken and his blessing will destroy his beloved's mind.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/25474393/chapters/61793125 Divergent Points: ML Salt]]'', Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Nino are puts into a sleep that forces them into the scenario of various salt fics. After they wake up, Tikki tells Marinette that when the Kwamis were trying to wake them up, Plagg tried to invoke the trope by kissing Adrien on the lips, which didn't work and left Plagg tasting the salt covering his partner.

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/43473279/chapters/109862982 Thanks, but no]]'': During the events of Dark Cupid, Marinette uses a platonic version of this trope to free Alya from the akuma's HatePlague by kissing her on the cheeks. Later, Nino/Melliferna kisses Chat Noir on the lips to do the same, albeit with [[ShipTease more romantic undertones between the two]] that later lead to their RelationshipUpgrade.
* ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'': Subverted and PlayedForLaughs. When Harry is in an AngstComa, Hermione has the thought that this looks a lot like all those fairy tales about princesses being awoken with a kiss. When she ''does'' kiss him, he wakes up... [[GirlsHaveCooties because he's so grossed out that it breaks through the supernatural apathy he's under]].
-->'''Dumbledore:''' Excellently done, Miss Granger. [[CrazyEnoughToWork Do you know, not even I would have expected that to actually work]]?

* At the end of ''WesternAnimation/WallE'' [[spoiler:a "kiss" from EVE restores WALL•E's apparently lost memory. Note that this is one of the few straight examples that can be explained beyond ThePowerOfLove: EVE's "kisses" are literally electric.]] Possibly justified (although non-canon) as [[spoiler: the electric jolt from the "kiss" may have caused WALL•E to reload his "personality" from a backup]]. Maybe.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'', Princess Melisande wakes from the semi-coma which occupies her for about a third of the movie. Her foster father, the wizard Carolinus, thinks it was a magic relic which awakened her, but she corrects him with the information that it was a kiss from the human Peter. (Unlike many of the examples on this page, it was not their first kiss.)
* Zig-zagged in ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''. [[spoiler: Maria "dies" after being bitten by Xibalba's snake staff. She wakes after Joaquin kisses her, while wearing the Medal of Everlasting Life, which gleams magically when he does so. It turns out, though, that ''one'' bite from the snake staff is only enough to induce a trancelike coma. It takes ''two'' bites to kill... but Xibalba is a notorious cheater, so it is never clear whether she really died or the medal had anything to do with her waking.]]

* ''Film/TheMatrix'': After [[spoiler:Neo]] is killed by Agent Smith in the Matrix, [[spoiler:Trinity]] [[CameBackStrong brings him back to life]] with a kiss.

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension''. Buckaroo uses this (with a little help from the Black Lectroids) to resurrect Penny Priddy.
* Parodied in Amanda Bynes' ''Film/SydneyWhite'', where Sydney was simply exhausted from staying up all night for her paper and fell asleep in the library, causing her to be late for the presidential debate. The LoveInterest finds her and treats it as if she would never wake up, culminating with the kiss to "break the spell".

* Played with in ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}''. Princess Aura lies to Flash, telling him that she brought him back to life with a kiss after his execution. She actually had a doctor give him a drug that simulated death before the execution and another wake-up shot later.
* Subverted in ''An Ordinary Miracle''. A bear that has been turned into a human can only turn back if a princess (a human one, mind you) falls in love with him and kisses him. However, their love is so strong that [[spoiler:after the kiss, nothing happens and everyone, including the former bear, is quite happy with the outcome]]. The wizard responsible explains that we witness a perfectly [[TitleDrop ordinary miracle]].
* At the end of ''Film/SupermanReturns'',[[spoiler: it's two kisses that awake a comatose Superman. A romantic one from Lois and a filial one from little Jason, who turned out to be their son.]]
* ''Film/{{Descendants}}'': At some point in the second movie Evie and Mal discuss the trope, saying it works every time. [[spoiler:A {{Foreshadowing}} to the Cotillion scene, when Mal manages to take Ben (who's under a love spell by Uma) back to his senses thanks to a kiss.]] It's also utilized in the third film, when [[spoiler: Evie finds Doug under Audrey's sleeping spell, and must come to terms with her first kiss, thanks, in no part, to [[ThatRemindsMeOfASong a musical number]]]].
* Played with in ''Love Potion Number 9.'' Paul is told by the gypsy who gave him the titular LovePotion that the only way he can break the RomanticFalseLead's use of it on Diane is to drink the antidote and then kiss her. He does so and then waits for her to come back to him. And waits. And waits. When it becomes clear that the kiss didn't work as expected, he sadly narrates, "I'd like to tell you that five minutes after I kissed Diane, she came running out into my arms and that we fell in love forever, [[SubvertedTrope but that's not what happened]]." Then the camera cuts to a shot of Diane happily running towards him and he adds, "[[DoubleSubversion It took six minutes.]]"
* ''Film/TheCurseOfSleepingBeauty'': Through his [[DreamingOfThingsToCome prophetic dreams]], Thomas believes that his kiss will awaken Briar Rose from her eternal sleep. Thomas, Linda and Richard return to Kaiser Gardens and open a second door behind the shrine room. Linda and Richard distract the Veiled Demon while Thomas finds and attempts to wake Rose. He finds her and kisses her. [[spoiler:But he is unable to wake Rose with a kiss, so Thomas uses his blood.]]

* In Creator/PatriciaCWrede's ''[[Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles Talking to Dragons]]'', a book in a series famous for modernizing fairy tales without subverting them, Daystar uses this to transform Shiara back from being turned into stone.
* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'': Lyra and Will save the multiverse from falling apart with their FirstKiss.
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'' series, this get subverted all to hell (since the 'hook' of the series is that there is an ambient magic in the land trying to make events turn out like fairy tales). One unfortunate prince was a frog for decades and was restored to human form when an infant princess picked him up and kissed him. Not that there was any love -- she just liked animals and liked to kiss things. Close enough, apparently.
* Neal Shusterman has a couple of examples:
** ''Literature/FullTilt'' plays with this. A kiss can't directly cure [[BodyHorror transformation into a monster]], but it restores the transformation victim's flagging morale and keeps her from giving up on a cure.
** Shusterman also did this is the second book of ''Literature/TheSkinjackerTrilogy'', ''Literature/{{Everwild}}''. Allie brings Mikey [=McGill=], who reverted to his monstrous state out of jealousy, back to human form by kissing him even when he looks his most indescribably hideous.
* In ''Literature/{{Beastly}}'', the terms of Kyle's curse are that he must genuinely love a girl, she must genuinely love him back, and both must prove it by kissing. He tries to end the curse early by having his SatelliteLoveInterest of a girlfriend show up and kiss him in the dark. Since neither love each other, it doesn't work. [[spoiler:Of course, it's played straight at the end of the book.]]

* In Creator/EstherFriesner's ''Literature/MajykByDesign'', the magician-protagonist's estranged wife asks him to turn ''himself'' into a frog, so she can use this to prove her point that she still loves him.
* In Creator/DevonMonk's ''Literature/MagicOnTheStorm'', Allie thinks how this will not wake up [[spoiler:Zayvion]], out cold.
* Creator/JohnMoore loves to play with this in his {{Fractured Fairy Tale}}s:
** Subverted in ''Slay and Rescue'', when Prince Charming (yes, that's his name) finds a Sleeping Beauty and rescues her with a kiss, but then it turns out that he's ''not'' her true love.
** Subverted again in ''Literature/TheUnhandsomePrince'', when Caroline's kiss frees Prince Hal from being a frog. She takes one look and demands a better prince.
* In Creator/AletheaKontis's ''Literature/{{Enchanted}}'', this is the condition on the frog's spell. He says this ''after'' Sunday has kissed him twice.
* Subverted in Louisa May Alcott's story ''[[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32357/32357-h/32357-h.htm#Page_25 Lilybell and Thistledown alias the Fairy Sleeping Beauty]]''. [[spoiler: [[{{Jerkass}} Thisteldown]]'s girlfriend and MoralityPet [[NiceGirl Lilybell]] is put [[ConvenientComa into a magical sleep]] by [[TheFairFolk the Brownies]] and he is the only one [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl who can save her]], but he needs ''much more'' than a true love's kiss to wake her up. So he has to go [[FetchQuest through several tests and quests]] as well as huge CharacterDevelopment to get the right to give her the kiss that ultimately brings her back to him.]]
* Inverted in Maggie Stiefvater's ''Literature/TheRavenCycle''. If the main character kisses her true love, he will die, not be saved. Blue has been warned about this since she was young and has gone her life never kissing anyone just to be safe. In the second book when Adam (who she hasn't told about the curse) angrily confronts her about the fact that she barely lets him touch her and won't kiss him and acts like she's hiding something. Around when he finds out and demands that she stop tip-toeing around it [[spoiler: she refuses to kiss him and they both know it's more because they know he'll live than because she doesn't want to kill him. This is what eventually leads to their break-up.]]

* In the ''Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'' story ''[[https://thecrewofthecoppercoloredcupids.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/the-grand-multiverse-hotel/ The Grand Multiverse Hotel]]'', Wendy tries to invoke this to bring the Queen of the Black Market BackFromTheDead. Because Wendy hasn't known the Queen that long, her kiss turns out to be a "Kiss of Mild Infatuation" which only brings the Queen back to OnlyMostlyDead status. Undeterred, Wendy eventually opts to [[LoopholeAbuse "trick out" the magic]] by drinking a LovePotion which enables her to perform the real deal, fully resurrecting the Queen.
* Oddly (or perhaps heartwarmingly) enough, for all that the world of ''Franchise/TheWitcher'' is a dark one, with pogroms and war ever around the corner, and in which the fairy tales are usually given harsher retellings, this actually ''works''.

* In ''Series/{{Haven}}'' Audrey's cheek kiss to Nathan [[spoiler:awakens his ability to feel touch, though only hers.]]

* Played with in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' when Squall finds the rest of the party waiting for him after carrying [[spoiler: a comatose Rinoa]] across Horizon Bridge to find the person who can help her. Quistis teases that all [[spoiler: Rinoa]] might need is a kiss from "the prince". [[TheComicallySerious Squall is not amused.]]

%% * This happens in the climax arc of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', although it was more of a SacredFirstKiss combined with [[GreenRocks the Chaos Emeralds]].
* Turns out that true love's kiss is the way to awaken [[spoiler:Nanashi's receptivity to physical stimuli]] and getting her memories back in ''VideoGame/DuelSaviorDestiny''. It's a little more complex than just a kiss, but that's an essential step. The idea is that a kiss from someone she trusts utterly lets her know that the situation makes it safe to come out.
* At the end of ''VideoGame/ShiningForce II'', [[spoiler:the team defeating Zeon only makes him more powerful, as he puts Princess Elis into a poisoned sleep before being [[SealedEvilInACan sealed up forever by the Jewels of Light and Evil]]. Bowie and his friends try in vain to wake her up before the Goddess Mitula takes the two jewels, then tells the team that the poison in Elis' body will last a year before vanishing. After a year has passed, if she is still sleeping, she will need "a kiss from her true love" to awaken. Mitula's prophecy is coming into fruition as Bowie kneels down to kiss Elis, and then, after the end credits, she wakes up, fulfilling the prophecy.]]
* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV'', a kiss is the only way to free the Rusalka, the beautiful, revenge-seeking spirit of a murdered maiden. However, the hero has to kiss her decaying corpse, which is not for the faint-hearted.
* In ''VideoGame/Disgaea6DefianceOfDestiny'', [[spoiler:Zed gets dangerously close to awakening as a [[OmnicidalManiac Majin]] in the final chapter]], and the group gets a last-minute idea of having Melodia, basically a fairy tale princess, to give a true love's kiss. She doesn't like the idea since it's the prince who's supposed to give the kiss, [[spoiler:but she does it anyway. Zed didn't like it, but it successfully suppressed his Majin blood ''and'' it unlocks his second Evility]].

* Webcomic/{{Pibgorn}} [[http://www.gocomics.com/pibgorn/2009/09/29/ An attempt]]

* ''Webcomic/PvP'' parodied it [[http://www.pvponline.com/comic/2013/03/22/kiss-me here]].
* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/{{SMBC}}'' [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/sleeping-beauty-2 here]]. The man kisses the sleeping princess. Nothing happens, and he realizes that he [[HeelRealization just kissed a woman who had never consented to it.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheThirteenGhostsOfScoobyDoo'' episode "Reflections In A Ghoulish Eye," Daphne is put under a spell which sends her into a deep sleep that can only be broken by a kiss from a Danish prince. Scooby, a Great Dane and dressed in a prince's outfit, licks Daphne's face and breaks the curse.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "The Prince And The Hopper", Prince Theodore has been turned into a frog and must receive a kiss from the one who truly loves him within a few days or else he will become a frog forever. The prince thinks that his bride-to-be Lady Jasmine is the one who truly loves him, but Smurfette finds out that [[GoldDigger she's only interested in his money]]. Just as Prince Theodore is about turn permanently into a frog, Smurfette confesses her love for the prince and kisses him, restoring him to his true human form.

* ''Anime/CodeGeassR2'': C.C. uses this to reverse [[spoiler:Lelouch]]'s LaserGuidedAmnesia at the start, depending on who you ask. Others (including WordOfGod) claim she made effective use of Save States. Still, quite the ShipTease.

* ''LightNovel/DateALive'': Shido can seal a Spirit's powers via a kiss, but she has to be in love with him for it to work. Later, he manages to banish Tohka's SuperpoweredEvilSide with a kiss.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'': In the last airing-order episode of the first season, [[spoiler:Kyon saved the universe with one of these.]] Confused? Watch the series. [[spoiler:He notably refuses to "try the same method" when faced with the world ending again, though, and the series continues for quite a while after the kiss with no romantic resolution due to one of the people involved thinking it was all a dream and the other being in denial.]]

* Parodied in a ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episode. Ash and the gang along with Team Rocket, are trying to wake a Snorlax up and Jesse suggests that a kiss from a "noble" Pokemon should wake it up. Well, Psyduck tries, it doesn't work (and Misty gets angry at it). So Meowth is forced to kiss it (after James and Jesse make him wear a really dumb-looking prince costume). However, instead of waking up, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments poor Snorlax is poisoned!]]

* ''LightNovel/ToraDora'': Last episode, between [[spoiler: Taiga and Ryuuji]]. Can be a tearjerker and a CMOH all at the same time.
--> [[spoiler:'''Taiga''']]: Just as I expected... [[{{Tsundere}} It was like a rough, dry wilderness. Also, it was really warm... Hey, it's cold, so let's do it one more--]] ''(gets [[ShutUpKiss Shut Up Kiss'd]] by [[spoiler:Ryuuji]])'' One more... ''(they kiss again)'' One more... ''(they kiss again and the camera pans out)''