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Jojokiss tv series
Cquote1

I lifted her head, she looked at me and said
"Hold me, Darling, just a little while."
I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss;
I found the love that I knew I would miss
And now she's gone, even though I hold her tight

I lost my love, my life, that night.
J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, "Last Kiss"
Cquote2


The only kiss that's more meaningful and dramatic than the First Kiss (unless, as is frequently the case, they happen to be one and the same). It's not just the last one we'll see, it's the last one these two characters will ever share... as far as they know at this point, at least. If the characters don't think it could be their Last Kiss, the music and color scheme of the scene will definitely indicate to the audience that it is.

The favorite time to write it in seems to be when one (or both) of the partners is/are on their deathbed (or past it), literally or proverbially, such as just before someone goes off into battle (or their wedding). Possibly will be teary. Less dramatic in old shows where the main character could share one with every new Girl of the Week or Temporary Love Interest.

May be a Last Request.

See Also: Final First Hug and Go Out with a Smile. Death's the time to show you love someone.

Sometimes overlaps with Dude, She's Like, in a Coma.

Not to be confused with Kiss of Death or Sealed with a Kiss. And definitely not with I Love the Dead. If the characters think it's their Last Kiss but it turns out not to be, it's a Now or Never Kiss.

As a Death Trope, all Spoilers will be unmarked ahead. Beware.

Examples of Last Kiss include:

Anime and Manga[]

  • Neon Genesis Evangelion: Misato, knowing she's about to die from the bullet wound in her back, kisses Shinji, possibly to snap him out of the near comatose depression he's in. It backfires spectacularly as, moments later, Shinji wipes her blood off his mouth and realizes she has probably died.
  • Ninja Scroll - In the cold universe of the film, where lust, violence and greed has cheapened sex as an expression of love, Kagero's simple kiss for Jubei was an expression of love stronger than any other.
  • Yoko from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a prime example of these, being kissed by Kamina and Kittan before both of them died in battle. This is prominent enough for her to earn the Fan Nickname "Doombitch". However, Kittan subverted it as he stole a kiss from her fully knowing he was going to die anyway, apologizing for his selfishness when he does so. She understands and even hugs him.
    • Nia's last act before she disappears into nothingness was kissing Simon.
  • Played straight and subverted in the same episode of Mai-HiME:
    • Yukariko and Ishigami share one before they go down together.
    • Subverted moments later with Mai just barely missing out on one of these as Yuuichi disappears before their lips touch.
      • That, or he vanished at the exact instant their lips do touch. Either way, she doesn't get to... uh, 'enjoy' it.
    • Natsuki kisses Shizuru and tells her how she feels about her (she may not have the feeling Shizuru wanted, but she's happy she loved her and also loves her) before destroying both their Childs, killing them both.
  • Tokyo Mew Mew combines this with Almost Kiss, Final Speech, and Pieta Plagiarism when in the second to last episode Kisshu gets killed trying to help Ichigo.
  • Subverted in Basilisk. The dying, despaired and insane Kagerou tries to kill a severely injured Gennosuke with her literal Kiss of Death, but she commits the mistake of briefly looking at her love rival Oboro... who's got the power of neutralizing any ninja's powers. Even more - Oboro had her eyes sealed with some Applied Phlebotinum, but the effect had just worn out as Kagerou was getting ready.
  • Almost played straight in Bleach where Orihime is given 8 hours to say goodbye to one person before being abducted by Ulquiorra. She enters Ichigo's room. Unfortunately he's unconscious because of a battle, but she says goodbye anyway. She tries to sum up the courage to kiss him, but at the end she cannot bring herself to do it. (He still realises that she was there when he wakes up since he can feel her reiatsu in his room.)
  • Code Geass has a case of both First Kiss and Last Kiss between Lelouch and Kallen near the end of the show, complete with background music and all. The irony is that while Lelouch really IS on his way to his death and this IS the last thing he does before crossing the point of no return, Kallen initiates the kiss without knowing it at the time.
    • Or maybe she's just trying to resolve their UST one way or another. She gets the bad ending as not only Lelouch doesn't return it, he completely ignores the fact that he had just been kissed and looks at her with such neutrality as if nothing happened.
    • Also subverted at the end of season 1 with CC since death is a non-issue for her.
  • Kikyou and Inuyasha share a last kiss in Inuyasha, right before she definitely dies in his embrace.
  • In 5 Centimeters Per Second, Takaki and Akari share a (first and) last kiss at the end of the first chapter. The remaining two chapters are about their separate lives afterward. Heartbreak ensues.
  • Used in +C:Sword and Cornett to portray Linna Orhadi's final moment with his Prince.
  • Sadly, Pip and Seras share their first and last kiss in Episode 7 of Hellsing Ultimate. To be fair, it is the most impressive combination of a Tear Jerker, Crowning Moment of Awesome, and Crowning Moment of Heartwarming to date.
  • Yoga and Msyu in C the Money And Soul of Possibility.
  • Zero no Tsukaima Season two, Louise and Saito come incredibly close to this before the knockout potion Saito put in her champagne kicks in. Almost literally, a split second before they kiss, she passes out.
  • Steins;Gate has another (rather heartrending) first-and-last-kiss between Kurisu and Okabe, as the latter confesses his feelings to her... the day before he has to switch timelines to a world where she's killed.
  • Elfen Lied: Lucy kisses Kouta shortly before confronting the soldiers who have been assigned to kill her. (Her fate, however, is left ambiguous.)
  • In Sonic X, after the Kill Us Both scene, Cosmo kisses Tails as she fades away.
  • Almost the end of Mahou Sensei Negima, Asuna kisses Negi on the mouth... but as this, since she'll have to go into some sort-of cryogenized sleep due to her powers. She even tells him "someday you'll kiss another girl, give that a good thought!"
  • Pictured above: At the end of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's first arc, Phantom Blood, Jonathan Joestar is fatally wounded in a sinking ship as he fights his Arch Enemy Dio Brando. He and his weeping wife Erina, whom he has juuuust married (and the trip was supposed to be their honeymoon!), share a tearful kiss as she decides to die with Jonathan, but after they part he manages to convince her otherwise for her sake (and that of a baby girl who had just been orphaned). Erina even lampshades the trope, as she thinks "in the warmth of these lips, alas, I felt the touch of death".

Comics[]

  • When Raven and Beast Boy had their First Kiss, Beast Boy asked if she did it just because they were facing "certain death". Yes, because Heaven forbid a woman should kiss you because she wants to, Gar.
    • He also admitted that he did this with Firehawk, and didn't seem too happy about it. But why? She's hot!


Film[]

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice. A kiss in a car, and death follows quickly.
  • In Pirates of the Caribbean, Elizabeth shares not one, but four last kisses with different partners: the Kiss of Death with Jack Sparrow at the end of Dead Man Chest; one with James Norrington when he found out Redemption Equals Death; her wedding-cum-battle kiss with Will Turner; and a forced kiss from Sao Feng. Good thing death isn't always permanent.
    • Jack Sparrow lampshades this in the third movie when Elizabeth tries to kiss him, telling her that once was enough.
  • Another one from Disney: In Tron, Flynn kisses Yori (the spitting image of the ex-girlfriend he still carries a torch for) before making his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Neo and Trinity's last kiss before she dies in The Matrix Revolutions.
  • One such occurrence in Signs is based off an urban legend of a worker at a quarry who falls into the rock crusher and will die soon whether or not he is pulled out or left there, so a third option is taken: he's fed painkillers and his wife is called in who kisses him goodbye and then turns the machine back on.
  • After Madeleine omniously tells Scottie in Vertigo, "If you lose me, then you'll know I loved you and wanted to go on loving you," she gives him a final kiss before heading off to the clock tower that seems to strangely draw her... Scottie runs after her, but is slowed down by his acrophobia enough to see her plunge to her death from the top of the tower.
  • Jim and Selena's ...messy kiss from 28 Days Later. It's their third kiss throughout the film- the first was on the cheek and the second was intentional, but this is a full on, Chick Flick Hold, with-tongue affair, sure proof of being doomed. Shortly afterward, he gets shot. Depending on the ending, he usually dies.
  • In the film version of Death Note, Shiori and Light share a Last Kiss when Naomi Misora shoots her, as a tragic callback to Shiori stating that she would only kiss in public for her Last Kiss. Its a rather dark example since Light used the Death Note to bring about poor Shiori's death, and is exploiting this trope in order to make himself seem genuinely remorseful, as part of his Batman Gambit to get onto the Kira investigation team.
  • This got elevated to somewhat disturbing levels during the Pierce Brosnan James Bond films where he gives the dead Paris Carver a last kiss before he goes and backseat drives in Tomorrow Never Dies, and to Elektra King before starting the final action sequence of The World Is Not Enough. Considering he shot her dead, Bond should logically be giving a smooch to a bloody mess.
  • The concept is used in The Mask, when the nightclub singer love interest asks her ex-boyfriend for one last kiss before he blows up the nightclub and kills them all. He is so moved by the request that he complies despite the fact that the bomb he planted is already activated and counting down (though it was just a ploy the girl hatched to get him to take off the mask and for her to get it to Stanley).
Cquote1

 Dorian: There's ALWAYS time for one last kiss!

Cquote2


Literature[]

  • Juliet's final kiss to Romeo before stabbing herself may count, despite that Romeo was already dead.
    • This actually happens twice more: once before Romeo is exiled (a Fate Worse Than Death), and Romeo's line, "Thus, with a kiss, I die."
  • His Dark Materials: Will and Lyra and their respective dæmons share one final kiss (rushed, clumsy, and tearful) before Will seals their universes apart forever.
  • In G. K. Chesterton's The Return of Don Quixote, when John Braintree and Olive admit that their opposing principles mean they should not be a couple, they part after a kiss. At the climax, they realize that their principles can, in fact, be reconciled, so they are reconciled, too.
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events had Count Olaf steal one last kiss from his old paramour, Kit Snicket. The two of them then recited poetry while dying from toxic mushroom spores.
  • In Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword, the dying hero's Last Request is for a Last Kiss.
  • In Outbound Flight, Jedi Knight Lorana Jinzler and the Chiss syndic Mitth'ras'safis of the Eight Ruling Family, pulling an epic Heroic Sacrifice together, reach out and hold hands for a long moment. It overlaps with Hold Me and It Has Been an Honor, they were on a Full-Name Basis since there hadn't been time to exchange first and core names, and both of them were from emotionally cold societies, so exactly what the gesture meant is left to the reader, and some say it was the equivalent of a kiss.
  • Glinda and Elphaba of Wicked fame share such a kiss the last time they see each other. Changed to a hug for the musical.
  • Liesel and Rudy share one in The Book Thief. Too bad Rudy was just killed in a bombing. The worst part is, Rudy has been trying to get Liesel to kiss him the whole book!! There's your kiss....
    • The book subverts this trope somewhat in that the narrator tells us halfway through the book that Rudy will go to his grave without being kissed by Liesel. After that, every time Rudy asks for a kiss, what is a light-hearted moment for the characters feels a little painful for the reader...
  • Subverted in the Star Wars novel Star by Star, when Tahiri Veila leans in to kiss Anakin Solo, but pulls back, saying, "For that, you have to come back." He doesn't.
  • In the Midnight World novel Igor shares the Last Kiss with his wife when she is already beheaded by him (but still alive!)


Live Action TV[]

  • Doyle kissing Cordelia before his death in episode 9 of Angel.
    • Also, Cordelia kissing Angel... after hers.
    • And Wesley kissing Fred "please Wesley... why can't I stay"
  • Buffy kisses Angel goodbye before sending him to hell in the season 2 finale.
  • In the Space 1999 2nd season episode "The Beta Cloud", a monster is rampaging through Alpha Complex and nothing the crew tries can stop it. Maya and Tony Verdeschi are together waiting for the end when they suddenly start making out (kissing).
  • In the Doctor Who episode "The Parting of the Ways", when Jack goes off to die, he kisses both the Doctor and Rose goodbye.
    • River kissing the Doctor in "Day of the Moon". Heartbreaking because River only realises afterwards that it's their last kiss from her perspective, because it's their First Kiss from the Doctor's perspective.
  • In Torchwood: Children of Earth as Ianto (and Jack) die.
  • ICarly: Both the Sam/Freddie and Carly/Freddie have their own last kiss.
    • Sam/Freddie break up in iLove You, but decide to hold off for an hour on the break up so they can make out a bit more.
    • Carly/Freddie break up in iSaved Your Life, Freddie asks Carly that because he wasn't sure they were going to break up, if he could have one last kiss and she sweetly kisses him on the cheek.
  • Chuck and Sarah are trapped with a bomb about to go off, and go for what they believe will be their Last Kiss... and then the bomb doesn't go off. Awkward.. Even worse, it wasn't even a bomb. It was actually a Human Popsicle box.
  • Psych has one episode where the wife of a murder victim gives him a Last Kiss at his funeral. It ends up being her Last Kiss as well. She dies in the middle of it.
  • Lost: Charlie kisses Claire right before diving down to The Looking Glass, which he knows will kill him.
    • Jack and Kate, after Jack has been stabbed and before he goes to re-activate the Island.
  • Robin Hood: Kept alive only due to the fact that the sword is still jutting from her stomach,Robin and Marian share their Last Kiss after Guy stabs her. She then proceeds to remove the sword from her abdomen, which does, in fact, kill her.
    • This trope is Subverted between Robin and his Replacement Love Interest Kate in the Grand Finale of the show. She attempts to kiss him goodbye after he's been fatally poisoned, only for him to deliberately turn his face away and give her a platonic hug instead. A few moments later, he dies and is reunited with his true love, Marian.
  • Battlestar Galactica Reimagined. Cylon Natalie kisses a fellow Number Six before pulling the trigger on her for killing one of their Colonial allies. Given the nature of the Cylons it's uncertain whether this would qualify as Les Yay or Sister Sister Incest. Also President Roslin has a vision of herself dying in Galactica's sickbay; after her heart monitor flatlines a weeping Adama kisses her, then places his wedding ring on her finger.
  • Farscape, in the episode "Infinite Possibilities Part II: Icarus Abides". Aeryn and Crichton share a final kiss, shortly before he dies of radiation poisoning.
  • In the Supernatural episode "Abandon All Hope", Dean and Jo say good-bye to each other and everything that could have been with a last kiss.
  • Ned and Chuck on Pushing Daisies only got one of these.
  • In the 1998 Merlin series, this happens between Frik and Morgan le Fay right before the latter dies of her injuries.
  • Arthur and Guinevere have what they think is their last kiss in the season 3 finale of Merlin. Both make it through the battle though, and get another one when they're reunited.
  • Lewis, in the last episode of Inspector Morse, kisses his ex-boss on the forehead as a goodbye.
  • Clifford tries to invoke this with Paula Abdul on Muppets Tonight, citing a stray cannonball as the source of his injury. (It's the Muppets) Paula isn't fooled, makes Clifford kiss Rizzo.


Music[]

  • Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" tells the story of a motorcycle-riding outlaw and his beloved, ending with her coming to the hospital and finding him shot and dying. He "gave her one last kiss and died," slipping her the keys to his titular motorcycle as he does so.
  • Marty Robbin's song "El Paso" (quoted above) tells the tale of a man who loved a dancer in a bar and killed a man who shared his interest. He later runs off into the badlands of New Mexico to escape vengeance from the family of the man he killed only to come back to El Paso and be shot off his horse. Crawling to the door of the bar, the woman cradles him in her arms and kisses him before he succumbs to his wounds.
  • In the 1960s, Teenage Death Songs were remarkably popular, including such classics as "Teen Angel" (Mark Dinning), "Patches" (Dickey Lee), "Tell Laura I Love Her" (Ray Peterson), "Leader of the Pack" (the Shangri-Las), "Ode to Billy Joe" (Bobbie Gentry), and, of course, the Trope Namer.
  • Not necessarily an impending death, but still... "Ae Fond Kiss," by the 18th century Scots poet, Robert Burns:
Cquote1

 Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;

Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!

Deep in heart-wrung tears I'll pledge thee,

Warring sighs and groans I'll wage thee!

Cquote2
  • "Last Kiss" by Taylor Swift. However, the lyrics are more akin to a breakup song than a death one.
  • A quite dark twist happens in the Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave duet "Where the Wild Roses Grow" that ends with:
Cquote1

 And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"

And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth

Cquote2


Theater[]

  • In Richard Wagner's Die Walküre, Wotan's kiss that strips his daughter Brünnhilde of her powers. The Leitmotif is quite touching.


Video Games[]


Western Animation[]

Real Life[]

  • Admiral Horatio Nelson, while lying on his death-bed, asked the captain of his flagship, Thomas Hardy, for a kiss before he died. Hardy kissed him twice, on the cheek and the forehead, as a last gesture of affection to the man who had been his mentor and leader for his entire adult life.
    • Accounts vary - Nelson's last words may have been " Kismet (i.e. fate), Hardy". But it is also recounted that some of Nelson's captains were so moved by the brilliance of his battle plan for Trafalgar that they wept, so the Kiss Me version has credence.
      • It has now become generally accepted that he said "Kiss me", and not "Kismet", the latter being largely apocryphal. See QI.
    • See also this Hark! A Vagrant comic.
  • According to her biography by Carolly Erickson, Queen Victoria nursed her husband, Prince Albert, through his fatal illness (presumed at the time to be typhoid fever, though modern physicians suspect he had stomach cancer). When she knew the time was near, she leaned over and asked him for a last kiss, which he gave on her cheek.
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