Top 30 Best First Kisses in Cartoons EVER

We just love relationships where one character is overly high-strung and the other is totally laid-back. This dynamic is especially on display in the special “Summer Belongs to You”, where Candace actually travels across the world to see Jeremy in Paris. Their meeting in the City of Love ultimately culminates in Jeremy calling Candace his girlfriend, an official term she’d been waiting to hear. While they don’t get to share their first kiss during that romantic moment, the big celebratory number at the end has one more surprise in store. Jeremy returns home early so he can finish what they started.

We’re total suckers for dip kisses, and this one could not have played out better. In the heat of battle, Sir Pentious makes the decision to sacrifice himself in order to help his side of the fight. Just before he does, though, he seizes Cherri Bomb. Not only do we get an absolutely stunning visual with the bomb going off in the background, we’re also made privy to a love confession and Cherri’s positive response. This after Pentious was struggling to be upfront about his feelings is really the cherry on top.

There’s a lot to unpack in this pairing’s story but, for this list, we’ll stick to gushing over how cute their first kiss is. In order to infiltrate Belle Reve Penitentiary, Miss Martian and Superboy are sent in disguised as the Terror Twins Naturally, things go south and Miss Martian ends up frozen in ice. With the warning that she could be dead or shattered if the ice is punched, Superboy sends out a telepathic plea to Miss Martian. It must give her the strength to free herself because the ice cracks, and Superboy doesn’t hesitate to pull her into a kiss. From the outside, it looks really wrong but we can forgive that knowing who’s on the inside.

We love this couple for how well-paced they are. Gwen and Kevin sort of just progressed naturally from friends into something more and, while they’d definitely shared a number of romantic moments before this, it actually took the series finale for us to witness a lip-lock between them. Having been previously stuck in Elemental Form, Kevin reverts back into his human form after the Omnitrix is destroyed. It’s a significant moment in general, but it’s made even more so by Gwen giving Kevin what she calls a ‘victory kiss’. Of course, Ben could have probably done without witnessing it.

This relationship might be one of the most contentious in any animated series, ever. What Daria and Tom did to Jane is reprehensible but, still, there’s just something about spur-of-the-moment kisses like this one. After Daria vehemently reassures her best friend there is absolutely nothing going on between her and her boyfriend, who else but Tom comes around, wanting to talk. The two are both on the same page about not being interested in each other and all the reasons they wouldn’t work. Yup, they’re both on the same page alright. Whether you shipped these two or not, the kiss has to be one of the most memorable from late ‘90s/early 2000s animation.

This is a power couple if we’ve ever seen one. In the three-part episode “Starcrossed”, a major betrayal and subsequent attack on the planet sees the League more than meeting their matches. Batman and Wonder Woman split off, doing their best to remain incognito, until hero duty calls and Wonder Woman’s identity is revealed. The two are helped along by a restaurant owner, who camouflages them as a pair of lovers. You know what makes that charade all the more convincing? A little lip action. Seeing the romantic tension finally come to a head here makes this moment a super satisfying one in the DC canon.

We just love a kiss where it’s so obvious all inhibitions have been abandoned. Everything happens so quickly. Not only have they managed a huge prison break this episode, they’ve also just narrowly escaped the throes of death. Emotions are high after Harley tries to sacrifice herself for Ivy and Ivy manages to save her in the nick of time. The relief is so palpable and, then, in a swift moment we weren’t sure we’d see so early in the series, the two fall into a kiss. Even the characters are left shell shocked.

Everything about this is just dripping in honey. It’s a sweet first kiss for an even sweeter couple in possibly the sweetest DC show out there. Thanks to the whole hero gig, Clark and Lois’ first date is completely hijacked. In the middle of the chaos, they find a moment to reconvene and the apologies come spilling out. They’re so there with each other in the moment, not holding back in the slightest in declarations. True to Lois and Clark fashion, they have their first kiss right there in the mayhem. As far as firsts go, this one is super special.

If you’re going to pick one moment in a season to abuse the animation budget, let it be a big kiss scene. That’s exactly what the “Owl House” crew did here. Luz and Amity’s relationship was built up slowly, from a rocky start into a bond that’s profound and unbreakable. In the episode “Clouds on the Horizon”, Luz comes to recruit Amity for the fight in the most fairytale way. She makes her way up to the balcony and quite literally sweeps Amity off her feet. Immediately, we know something is coming because the animation becomes so gorgeous and fluid, which is saying something for this show.

It only took five seasons and 52 episodes to get there but Catradora did end up endgame. These childhood friends, turned enemies, turned lovers definitely took us on a whirlwind of a love story. But, by the series finale, it was obvious that something had been cemented. Catra had been redeemed and it was clear Adora wouldn’t be able to fulfill her duty alone. Their love is the thing that gives She-Ra the strength to bring down the Heart, mending Etheria’s magic. Love conquers all is an old trope but it’s one we never get tired of – especially not when it’s executed this beautifully.

Ah, young love. Fans of “Recess” shipped T.J. and Spinelli from the very beginning, and the fact that they kissed during the show’s third episode certainly helped push that romantic narrative along. Sure it was part of an “experiment” to see what happens when boys and girls kiss and they both loudly exclaim “EW” when it’s done. But considering how long the kiss actually lasts and the fact that images of a sunset, rainbow and flowers appear around them, it’s clear that this was much more than a game for these two.

In the season three episode “Too Young”, Princess Bubblegum has been de-aged, going from 18 years old to 13. When she’s in her younger form, she seems to have some serious affection for Finn, and in order to get her back to her actual age so she can rule the kingdom, he has to give her a "a whopping love-hug". Afterwards, the two kiss. But sadly, once Bubblegum is 18 again she looks at their embrace as ancient history. Finn can only dream of being brave enough to take up Jake’s advice on how to win her heart.

At the end of this season five episode, Jack and Ashi are fighting side by side, attempting to fend off a swarm of leeches that make up the alien Lazarus-92. While they struggle to figure out how to use the weapon that’s able to kill it, it seems as though they’re going to be overwhelmed and defeated. But after a hard fought battle, they emerge victorious (and exhausted) and stare at each other panting. Then they passionately kiss to the background tune of "Everybody Loves Somebody" as performed by Dean Martin.

When Rose is told that she has to slay Jake, it’s obviously the last thing she wants to do. Before the two enter the arena together, Rose asks if Jake has any requests before he transforms into a dragon. He pulls up her mask and kisses her before taking on his alternate form. While at first it seems like Rose has actually killed him, he actually managed to pull a fast one by consuming a magical potion that only made it appear as though he was dead. Thank goodness!

Fans of “Gargoyles” had to wait more than 60 episodes for Elisa and Goliath to finally express their feelings for one another and kiss. The moment came at the end of the second season, in the three part episode titled "Hunter's Moon”. Elisa has started a relationship with Jason Conover AKA Jason Canmore but eventually ends things with him after realizing his identity, and deciding to focus on someone who means more to her. She and Goliath then open up about how they feel about each other and finally give fans the embrace that they’d been hoping for.

While most of the entries to come feature first kisses that often herald the beginning of a relationship or at least deepening attraction between two characters, this is one between two characters in an established relationship. Ruby and Sapphire are both female alien Crystal Gems who have been in an established relationship throughout the show, to the point where they’re often fused into the same person, Garnet. However, it took five years and their marriage, which was one of the first LGBTQ+ ones to appear in a cartoon, to finally get the pair to lock lips.

In the season two episode “Starcrushed”, Star confesses her feelings to Marco. But he doesn’t give them the attention they deserve. Despite that, it’s clear that things changed between these two after Star told Marco how she felt. The following season, when they look back at old photos together, Marco acknowledges his mistake and decides to make it right by kissing Star after putting money into the photo booth. It’s a brief moment that’s quickly interrupted by Fotino, who bounds onto the scene with over the top congratulations. Well that escalated quickly!

These two best friends have shared plenty of danger together facing down ghosts, but it takes them until the series finale to finally realize they want to share more. Although Danny and Sam have done a few “fake-out make-outs” (pretend kisses meant to allay suspicion), this is their first genuine kiss. The smooch is the prospect of Danny enacting a desperate plan to save the world from an asteroid that finally pushes them to admit their feelings for one another. Fans of the show certainly felt like they’d “gone ghost” and died from happiness at seeing Danny and Sam get together at last.

While they often argue, John Stewart, or Green Lantern, and Shayera Hol, a.k.a. Hawkgirl, have great chemistry with each other. Despite several almost kisses, a crisis is what makes them face their feelings for each other. Green Lantern is gravely injured when saving Hawkgirl from an explosion; causing her to abandon the current mission to get him to safety. When he wakes up and recovers, John wants to pursue things further, since his brush with death has left him tired of waiting. Although Hawkgirl tries to make excuses for why they shouldn’t pursue a relationship, she ultimately concedes that her arguments are flimsy and they share a kiss against the backdrop of the planet down below in a very romantic moment.

Sokka and Suki’s relationship didn’t get off to the best start. Captured by her Kyoshi Warriors, Sokka comes off as chauvinistic rather than charming. But he eventually realizes the error of his ways ... with help from Suki, who becomes his trainer and doesn’t go easy on him! Part way through the show’s second season, the tension between the two characters came to a head. While Suki is apologizing to Sokka, he stops her in the middle of her speech by kissing her and telling her that she talks too much. Maybe a little rude, but a lot romantic.

Lots of first kisses are sweet and loving, but this one didn’t exactly go so well. The fact that Mordecai and Margaret’s first kiss happened in an episode titled “Bad Kiss” tells you pretty much everything you need to know. Mordecai is mortified after Margaret cuts the smooch in the car short and tells him he has bad breath - and he decides to try to travel back in time to fix it. Watching two birds kiss is strange to say the least but this embrace was definitely a memorable one.

The middle Simpson child, Lisa has several notable first kisses with Springfield boys, and while it’s sweet to see her finally kiss her longtime crusher (xref) Milhouse, we had to give our pick to her first smooch with Nelson Muntz. One episode sees Lisa crushing on the school bully and her attempts to get to know him better. Nelson’s character is fleshed out and he genuinely has fun with Lisa, culminating in a kiss on a date to the town observatory. While Nelson naturally returns to his old ways by episode’s end, his kiss with Lisa is still a notable moment for both characters.

The titular blue cat and his peanut friend, Gumball and Penny have a longstanding mutual crush, and while both of them are aware of how the other feels, they have trouble expressing it to each other. That all changes when Gumball accidentally cracks Penny’s shell when the two of them appear in “Beauty and the Beast.” While he encourages her to live outside of it, his delayed response in telling her what he thinks of her appearance leads her to shapeshift into a rampaging creature. Gumball eventually catches up with Penny and tells her how he really feels with a kiss; bringing out her inner beauty.

7: Marceline & Princess Bubblegum
“Adventure Time” (2010-18)