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{{trope}}
[[File:
The moment when two characters become an [[Official Couple]].
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For many shows it is a natural part of the ongoing narrative. For some it's a twist. For still more it's a season [[Cliff Hanger]] or standard ploy for the [[Grand Finale|series finale]] to be employed at the [[Last-Minute Hookup|very end]]. For others it triggers [[Shipping Bed Death|a specific type of Jumping The Shark]], especially if it breaks the [[Relationship Ceiling]].
Most commonly broadcasted with a [[First Kiss]], but every once in a while you find a more...drastic variant ([["Glad to Be Alive" Sex]] comes to mind). Compare [[Relationship Reveal]]
Not to be confused with [[Level Up At Intimacy 5|characters upgrading their abilities by socialization]].
{{Unmarked Spoilers}}
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* For ''[[Digimon Adventure 02]]'', the [[Christmas Episode]] was an opportunity to upgrade some
* In the last episode of ''[[Candy Boy]]'', Yukino and Kanade's relationship appears to get an upgrade from a [[Romantic Two-Girl Friendship]] to something
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'':
** Chapter 252. "With ultimate love and ultimate power, the ultimate duo is finally born!!" And lo, did the {{spoiler|[[Schoolgirl Lesbians|Konoka/Setsuna]] [[Yuri Fan|fans]]}} [[Squee]].
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* ''[[Karin]]'', when Usui finally acknowledges the millions of hints given to him that Karin and him were meant to be and does what Karin herself was too scared [[Interspecies Romance|(for good reason)]] to do and confesses to her. This drives Karin to tears.
* ''[[Aoi Hana]]'' has {{spoiler|Akira asking Fumi out, after learning Fumi has feelings for her}}.
* ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' appears to play this trope straight with {{spoiler|Shinji and Rei}} in the second film finale. Appears because with Hideaki Anno's habit of [[Mind Screw
* The kiss between [[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water|Jean and Nadia]] may be treated as the moment where this upgrade takes place. Unfortunately, it was very inconveniently placed in the middle of an arc, with about 20% canon material. Regardless, they end up as an official couple in the epilogue.
* ''[[Toradora!]]'' is a good example of this trope. With a confusing [[Love Dodecahedron]] and twice your daily serving of [[Will They or Won't They?]] , {{spoiler|Taiga and Ryuuji ''finally''}} get upgraded from [[Platonic Life Partners|...whatever they were,]] to {{spoiler|a couple in episode 24, where Ryuuji [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|proposes]] [[Tear Jerker|to Taiga.]]}}
* At the end of ''[[Virgin Love]]'' Kaoru and Daigo upgrade from [[Fuck Buddies]] to lovers after Kaoru overcomes his commitment issues.
* In the ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' manga, {{spoiler|Ed}} and {{spoiler|Winry}} play out this trope well. Before leaving for the west, {{spoiler|Ed}} somewhat "confesses" his feelings to {{spoiler|Winry}} at the train station, using the words: "It's equivalent exchange! I'll give you half of my life, so give me half of yours!" Though he corresponds alchemy with love, {{spoiler|Winry}} acknowledges what he really means, resulting in her agreeing to give him all of her life. Then, she quickly corrects herself, being flustered when those words dawned on her. Depending on how you want to interpret it (some say this was a proposal, while others say it was merely a confession), {{spoiler|Ed}} and {{spoiler|Winry}} end up with two children anyway, not to mention a wedding ring on {{spoiler|Edward}}'s finger. After spending their entire life denying any romantic feelings, they pass their comfort zone and hit home run!
* In ''Mobile Suit [[Gundam Seed]]'', Mu la Flaga and Murrue Ramius manage to upgrade from [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] into an actual relationship only after they've defected from the Earth Alliance and are thus no longer officially constrained by the military's rules against fraternization.
* At the end of ''[[Happy Lesson]]'', Chitose's mothers decide that he's a grown man and doesn't need mother figures anymore...he needs ''wives''. They all change into bridal gowns and marry the poor guy on the spot.
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* Occurs at the end of episode 18 of ''[[D.N.Angel]]'' between Daisuke and Riku.
* In ''[[Fairy Tail]]'', {{spoiler|Alzack and Bisca are revealed to have gotten married after the time skip}}. {{spoiler|Sherry is also engaged to Ren after the Oracion Seis arc hints at them getting together.}}
* In ''[[
* Guts and Casca from ''[[Berserk]]'' go from [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork|teeth-clenched comrades]] to [[Fire-Forged Friends]] in volume 8 and then finally to [[Official Couple]] status when they share [[The Big Damn Kiss|their first kiss]] in volume 9 {{spoiler|progressing to much lovemaking soon after}}. And then {{spoiler|[[From Bad to Worse|it all started to come tumbling down]] in volumes 12-14 when they were demoted from [[Battle Couple]] to [[Star-Crossed Lovers]].}}
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Pictured above is [[Scott Pilgrim]] & Ramona Flowers finally declaring their love for one another in Vol. 4.
* In ''[[Garfield]]'', Liz has somehow fallen for Jon after years of begrudgingly dating him and the two are now the [[Official Couple]]. This can be considered a good thing given [[The Woobie|Jon's]] [[You Suck|status]] [[Butt Monkey|in]] [[Chew Toy|life]].
* [[Superman|Clark and Lois]] were casually dating already, but the
* [[Marvel]] Comic characters Rictor and Shatterstar spent a few years seeming like [[Heterosexual Life Partners]], with the author planning to reveal that they weren't so hetero after all. He got moved off the book before this could happen, and it wasn't until much later that another writer had them finally start dating.
== [[Film]] ==
* [[Firefly (TV series)|Simon and Kaylee]] finally get it on at the very end of ''[[The Movie|Serenity]]''. {{spoiler|[[Squick|With River watching.]] }}
* Modesty Blaise and her sidekick in the [[Modesty Blaise (film)|1967 movie version]] (and they ''sing'' about it). This is one of the reasons [[The Movie]] is considered [[Canon Discontinuity]].
* In ''[[Kung Fu Panda 2]]'', Tigress has changed from a bitter [[The Resenter|resenter]] of Po becoming the Dragon Warrior, to his best friend with some [[Ship Tease]] of becoming still more to him.
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[
** Harry and Ginny.
** Same with Ron and Hermione in Book 7.
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* In the ''[[Nightrunner]]'' series, Alec and Seregil get upgraded to [[Official Couple]] after almost two books of [[Ho Yay]].
* In ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'', just before Percy releases his power on the telekhines at Mount St. Helens, Annabeth kisses him.
** Except that was a "if you don't get out of this alive" kiss. The real
* In [[Jack Chalker]]'s "In the Dowaii Chambers," two characters had a very abrupt one thanks to [[Applied Phlebotinum]]. They'd been nothing more than acquaintances, then had [["Glad to Be Alive" Sex]], and '''then''' an [[Exposition Beam]] gave them the entire life memories of a long-ago couple who were happily married for some four or five decades.
* ''[[Scrubs]]'' dabbled with this repeatedly in the relationship between JD and Elliot. At one stage they even became [[Friends with Benefits|no-strings-attached "sex buddies"]], which JD says is the best thing a man can hear from a female friend. They receive their true
▲== [[Live Action TV]] ==
▲* ''[[Scrubs]]'' dabbled with this repeatedly in the relationship between JD and Elliot. At one stage they even became [[Friends with Benefits|no-strings-attached "sex buddies"]], which JD says is the best thing a man can hear from a female friend. They receive their true [[Relationship Upgrade]] into [[Official Couple]] during the final (well technically there's another season, but in truth it's really more of a spin off setting/content-wise) season, one that is clean and without any drama mucking it up (aside from one bit of drama that arbitrarily arises during the two-part episode, but that is mostly to make way for a strong [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] at the end).
* In the middle of the final season of ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', Major Nelson finally drops the [[Idiot Ball]] and confesses his feelings for and to Jeannie.
* In the final episode of the first series of ''[[Torchwood]]'', Captain Jack Harkness and Ianto finally (and very dramatically) kiss in front of the
* Jim and Pam on ''[[The Office]]'' (U.S. version) got a
* Harry and Christine in ''[[Night Court]]''. A bit of a subversion in that they don't date for very long before deciding they work [[Better as Friends]].
* In ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'', after 3 and 1/2 seasons of subtle growth and development, Laura Roslin told Bill Adama that she loved him, to which he responded "About time."
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* ''[[Babylon 5]]'': John Sheridan and Delenn get theirs in "[[Babylon 5/Recap/S03/E11 Ceremonies of Light and Dark|Ceremonies of Light and Dark]]" when he tells her, "...I can no longer imagine my world without you in it." Although they don't get their [[Big Damn Kiss]] until eight episodes later, from that episode on, they are for all intents and purposes together romantically.
* The writers and actors of ''[[Castle]]'' didn't even try to hide the fact that Beckett and Castle were eventually going to become a couple; the tension (which was arguably the primary driving force behind the show) was in seeing how. {{spoiler|As of season four's finale, "Always", it finally happened. It remains to be seen how future seasons will handle their relationship upgrade}}
== [[Video Games]] ==
* This is essentially the point of all [[Dating Sim
* Subverted in ''[[Tales of Legendia]]''. Senel and Shirley ''want'' to have a
** Kind of one-sided actually. It's only Shirley who ''wants'' the
* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series, Tali and Garrus have forged a strong bond with [[Player Character|Commander]] [[Magnetic Hero|Shepard]] due to the events in the first game to the point where they both [[Undying Loyalty|trust him/her unconditionally.]] Depending on both Shepard's gender and choices, the relationship he/she has with these two characters can turn into a romantic one.
** By the third game, if you've played it the right way, [[Gay Option|male Shepard and]] {{spoiler|Kaidan}} can make this upgrade as well.
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'''Tali:''' What do you mean, 'something to come back to'? ''(in a flirty tone)'' This is just a fling, Vakarian; I'm using you for your body...!
'''Garrus:''' You're so mean... ''and I'm okay with that.'' }}
* In the ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' series, this is an important, but usually optional part of the game. However, in ''[[Rune Factory 2]]'', missing a
* In ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Cloud and Tifa's [[Pre-Climax Climax|night under the Highwind]].
* In the ''Persona'' series, it's reaching a certain rank in your social link with a girl (or boy, if you're playing ''P3P''). You're given the option to pursue a closer relationship. This can happen with every girl you Social Link with, and if you're already dating one, there's no reason why you can't date more. Christmas Eve is also sort of like this - one of your girlfriends (or the girl you have the highest s-link with) will call you and invite themselves over, [[Fade to Black|and...]]
** ''[[Persona 4]]'' and the Female Protagonist route in ''[[Persona 3]] Portable'' are unique in that it's optional and you the player can choose to take the upgrade.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* In [http://dresdencodak.com/2010/09/25/dark-science-05/ this] page of ''[[Dresden Codak]]'', Kimiko and Yvonne ''literally'' upgrade their relationship (the gadget she uses even reads FRIENDSHIP UPGRADED: CHUMS), in order to allow use of nicknames.
* Elan and Haley in the [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0400.html 400th] ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' strip.
* Torg and Zoe from ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', after years of Torg having [[Cannot Spit It Out|unspoken]], [[Unrequited Love|unrequited]] feelings her, have slowly gotten to the point where they frequently go on what [[Not a Date|may or may not be dates]].
* Yori and Ina in ''[[No Need for Bushido]]'' have finally gotten to this point.
* Aubrey and Jason in ''[[Something
* At the end of ''[[Scary Go Round]]'', Amy and Ryan are friends likely to get together. After a three-year [[Time Skip]], the follow-up strip ''Bad Machinery'' sees them recently married.
* ''[[Penny and Aggie]]'':
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* In ''[[Slightly Damned]]'', Buwaro and Kieri ''finally'' kiss after Buwaro gets seriously injured trying to defend Kieri.
* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'': After a lot of [[Ship Tease]], Parley's experience with the ghost of Jeanne leads her to finally [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=785 admitting her feelings for Andrew].
== [[Western Animation]] ==
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** Shego and Drakken too. Although theirs happens during the ''second'' [[Grand Finale]] of the series.
*** It was only implied on that one however.
* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', The two [[Beta Couple
* The (no longer) [[Screwed by the Network|final episode]] of ''[[Futurama]]'' implied this for Leela and Fry, however the first of several movies made it more complicated. In turn the fourth movie {{spoiler|made it look like they will finally be receiving the Relationship Upgrade}}. And in the first episodes of the 6th reboot season they now are a proper couple, although it's uncertain just how stable their relationship will be during the rest of the season.
** It's actually vaguer then that - Leela specifically refers to herself as single in "Those Darn Katz!", and [[Word of God]] have confirmed that they aren't really together at the moment.
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* Predictably, Danny and Sam in ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' got together by the [[Grand Finale]].
* Casey Jones and April O'Neil (''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'') have had a series of relationship upgrades in the 2003 animated series, beginning as acquaintances, and later friends, until the third season, when they become a couple. In the latest, seventh season, Casey has proposed to April, and the two are now married. Other incarnations of the couple have gone through the process as well.
* While Candace and Jeremy from ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' were an [[Official Couple]] from the get-go, they don't refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend (and share their [[First Kiss]]) until the episode, "Summer Belongs to You." (Although the timing of their
** Subverted in the movie. Isabella kisses Phineas at the end but then they're both exposed to an amnesia ray that wipes both their memories of the event.
* [[Troubled but Cute|Duncan]] [[Birds of a Feather|and]] [[Perky Goth|Gwen]] from ''[[Total Drama World Tour]],'' who unfortunately got together by cheating on Duncan's current girlfriend [[Well, Excuse Me, Princess!|Courtney.]]
== [[Real Life]] ==
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[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Bollywood Tropes]]
[[Category:Pandering to the Base]]
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