10 Most Iconic Anime Kisses, Ranked (2025)

Nothing makes a better confession of love than a kiss. It doesn't matter if it's shojo or shonen, iconic kiss scenes are some of the best finales in anime. Sometimes the embrace is several seasons, even over a decade, in the making. Sometimes it isn't the first time a couple kisses, but they share a significant moment that forever changes them and the plot of their stories.

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Whether the love story is a subplot or the main theme of the anime, a well-written, properly foreshadowed kiss never goes amiss. Fairy tales have kisses that bring sleeping princesses out of a swoon, and anime have kisses that bring love interests back from the edge of a full demonic episode.

10 Claude & Aileen (I'm The Villainess, So I'm Taming The Final Boss)

In the second arc of I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, Aileen's fiancé teases her for being disobedient, then gently grasps her cheek and kisses her on the forehead. Aileen positively melts from the heat of her blush. When she looses her composure, he admonishes her again, reminding her that it can't be improper for an affianced couple to show affection.

He pushes her buttons even further by advising her to focus only on him if she's shy. Claude may be a reserved kuudere love interest, but he always knows exactly what to say to set Aileen's heart (and face) ablaze. The "villainess" has truly met her match with the final boss and his tender forehead kisses.

9 Guts & Casca (Berserk)

In Berserk when Guts pulls Casca up from nearly plummeting off a cliff, the situation is ripe for romance – even with the backdrop of a recent betrayal. Casca lays her head on Guts' chest, crying, and Guts gently wipes a tear from her cheek with his thumb. She then presses her face up to his in a rare, sweet moment.

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Guts and Casca's feelings for each other are like a fragile idyll, a temporary plane where they can be vulnerable with each other. A romance is a hopeful concept by its very nature, and neither of the warriors have much cause for hope. But regardless, they want to steal what they can, whether it be fleeting kisses or the temporary comfort of a loved one's embrace.

8 Miyuki & Kaguya (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War)

The finale of the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War movie, The First Kiss That Never Ends, has the cantankerous couple's long-awaited first kiss. And in true Love Is War fashion, that kiss only leads to more drama and chaotic emotional conflict.

Miyuki and Kaguya's whole courtship dance has ended with a kiss, and now they need to figure out how to move forward, and what that means for their relationship. They are good people with a lot of pride, and for so long they used subterfuge like a shield. That one kiss was enough to shatter any semblance of a guard against pain or a wounded ego.

7 Haruhi & Kanako (Ouran High School Host Club)

In Ouran High School Host Club, Tamaki is horrified when there's a last-minute switch and the Host Club assigns Haruhi to kiss Kanako after she's selected as the Queen of the Ball. The Host Club speculates that this must be Haruhi's first kiss and that's enough to force Tamaki to leap into action.

In true himbo-Tamaki fashion, however, he rushes in and mucks everything up in the most delightful way, by accidentally pushing the two together instead of separating them. Haruhi's kiss goes from the planned peck on the cheek to a full-on smooch, much to Tamaki's chagrin. Poor Tamaki's plan is foiled in the worst way, and it foreshadows his feelings for Haruhi.

6 Android 18 & Krillin (Dragon Ball Z)

In Dragon Ball Z, though Krillin trained hard, he was worried about facing off with the androids. Needless to say, the battle doesn't end exactly how he expected. The chaste kiss Android 18 surprises him with is the kiss that starts it all for them.

Normally a kiss comes after plenty of foreshadowing and romantic tension, but Android 18's peck on the cheek was enough to wrap Krillin completely around her cyborg finger. Android 18 intended the kiss to be a goodbye token, not realizing that it was more of a hello for dear Krillin.

5 Sophie & Howl (Howl's Moving Castle)

The protagonist of Howl's Moving Castle is incredibly flawed. Sophie kissing Howl in his beast form is symbolic for accepting the less savory parts of his nature: his flaws, his fears, and his past. Leading up to Sophie's kiss and love confession, Howl gave her a field of flowers. The field is a place where she can retreat and rest – something she rarely does. Howl also notes that it could serve as raw material for her creative ventures.

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Sophie's resulting kiss and declaration reassures Howl, who mistakenly equates his self-worth with beauty, that she doesn't care about that sort of thing--she cares about who he is on the inside. And what's more, she believes in who he is beneath his veneer and beneath the beast. The kiss and the flower field are a beautiful exchange between the couple.

4 Naruto & Hinata (Naruto)

The Last: Naruto the Movie packs such an emotional punch (and pay-off) that it had diehard fans grabbing for their box of tissues. Naruto has been calling out Hinata's name in his sleep leading up to the final battle with Toneri Otsutsuki.

Naruto will stop at nothing to help Hinata when she's in danger. Angry celestial beings are simply obstacles to a man in love when the person he cares about is in danger. Though it's rife with danger, Hinata has been waiting for this moment for years and years.

3 Endymion & Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon)

Sailor Moon spends the rest of her life energy stopping a comet from hitting earth in Sailor Moon R: The Promise of the Rose. Endymion holds Sailor Moon's body as Fiore returns and tries to make amends for what the Kissenian flower forced him to do. Fiore offers his life force in the form of a flower to Endymion.

Endymion sips the flower's nectar and gives it to Sailor Moon with a kiss. Tuxedo Mask rarely has an opportunity to save the day, especially in the original anime series and its movies, but his romantic heroism truly shines in Promise of the Rose as he heals his love like a prince waking his sleeping beauty.

2 Erina & Jonathan (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure isn't known for its romantic moments, but Jonathan and Erina deserve every one of the woefully few seconds they have together. The first arc ends with a swoony (and terribly sad) shojo-worthy moment between the first couple.

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Time seems to stand still in Jonathan's last moments as Erina holds him in her arms and gives him a fervent and tearful kiss. With what little strength he has left, he presses a wide hand to her back, holding her close as he shares his final breaths with her. Poor, sweet lover boy.

1 Kagome & Inuyasha (InuYasha)

It's debatable, which kiss is Inuyasha and Kagome's first official one. In InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Kagome kisses Inuyasha in his demon form, and though everyone is frightened out of their wits, it is still terribly romantic. The kiss hints at Inuyasha's depth of feeling for Kagome that her kiss could help bring him out of his full demon state.

Their first entirely romance-driven kiss must be mentioned, as well. When Kagome is stuck in the Shikon jewel, Inuyasha cuts through hordes of demons to rescue her. He pulls her in close for a hug, as if to reassure himself that she's alright. Then he pulls back, gazes at her, and finally they both kiss each other for the first official time.

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