Motivational Kiss

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The Hero is just about to take on a herculean and possibly life- threatening task, be it facing down the Big Bad, barging into a burning building, or even trying to clear a massive Bottomless Pit. All his friends are depending on him, and time is running out, but he still may be a little nervous and apprehensive. He needs some sort of Heroism Incentive.

All he needs is a little peck and he'll be ready to go.

A Motivational Kiss happens when someone, almost Always Female, gives the main protagonist a kiss that gives him an extra boost in confidence. The kisser will often, but not always, be the protagonist's Love Interest, or at least someone who he's been Ship Teased with in the past.

May sometimes overlap with Last Kiss, or a (successful) Comically Small Bribe.

Examples of Motivational Kiss include:

Anime And Manga

• Sometimes the hero is the one who steals a kiss to give himself motivation: In Gurren Lagann, both Kamina and Kittan choose to kiss Yoko shortly before dying heroically in battle.
• Inverted in Baccano!, when Jacuzzi kisses Nice just before running off to confront an Ax Crazy Mook with a Flamethrower. She admits that's the first time they kissed.
• Sera gives one to Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.

Film

• In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers receives a kiss from Peggy Carter just before he boards the Red Skull's plane.
• In Star Wars Episode IV, Princess Leia gives Luke a peck on the cheek "for luck" before he tries to swing over a precarious gap.
• Played more-or-less straight in Mystery Team...except that Jason doesn't actually know how to kiss, and just blows into the love interest's mouth.
• Happens in Van Helsing when Van Helsing and Anna split up before the climactic battle, he to face down Dracula using his werewolf power to defeat the vampire and she to retrieve the werewolf cure serum.
• At the climax of Monster House, our protagonist, DJ, is faced with the task of climbing up a crane and dropping a stick of dynamite down Constance's chimney, destroying her once and for all. When he says that he doesn't think he can do it, his Love Interest Jenny loudly proclaims, "Yes, you can!" before kissing him on the mouth.
• In the live-action film version of Peter Pan, Peter is nearly defeated by Hook until he gets one from Wendy.
• Subverted radically by the villainess, Poison Ivy in Batman and Robin. Late in the film, Robin is lured into the villainess' lair under the pretense of her love for him. When Ivy reveals Freeze's plan to destroy Gotham City, Robin turns to leave in order to stop him- only to be pulled back by the villainess.

Poison Ivy: "One kiss, my love. For luck." ......

• • Though in truth it's Double Subverted by Robin as he came prepared thus didn't die.

Live Action TV

• Star Trek the Next Generation: one time when Data was on an away mission a local girl gave him such a kiss. He was perplexed.
• The Suite Life On Deck episode Maddie On Deck: Maddie's kiss to Zack allowed him to do an overkill of noodle-whacking towards the prince, enough for the prince to surrender and run home crying for his mommy!
• Done by Captain Power to his female crewmate Pilot before the big trench run against the Icarus Platform.

Power: For luck.

Real Life

• "Morgana the Kissing Bandit" was a woman who'd sneak onto the baseball field and try to kiss a player. By 1990 she'd kissed over 40 professional athletes. She continued despite being beaten by security once.

Video Games

• Actively defied by Zelda in Link: The Faces of Evil.

Link: How about a kiss? For luck? Zelda: You've GOT to be kidding.

Web Comics

• In Girl Genius, Gil gets one here (continued to the next page).

Western Animation

• Towards the end of Frisky Dingo, at one point Stan and Taqu'il are dangling from a ledge, and Ta'quille uses a grappling hook concealed in his belt to lift them to safety. Before he does, Stan (referencing the Star Wars example above) gives him a quick kiss and says "For luck." Taqu'il is not amused, and activates the grappling hook with nothing more than a cold look.