Slap Slap Kiss

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
It's really more of a Slap Slap Kiss Kiss Kiss Slap...

Saito: Why would anyone want to serve under the flat chested Louise the Zero?
Louise: Then why don't you just leave then!?
Saito: Because I love you!

—The Familiar of Zero

This trope is all but universal in romantic stories. It frequently brings to a close the Will They or Won't They? phase of a Romance Arc.

When a male and female character spend a lot of time bickering, it is all but inevitable that sooner or later he will interrupt her in mid-rant by suddenly grabbing her and kissing her. (Less frequently, she grabs and kisses him.) The kissed one rarely resists, and usually responds wholeheartedly.

Usually this is triggered by their hostilities reaching a climax that results in an exchange of slaps, followed by a moment where both stare at each other in combined confusion and shock, after which they dive into the kiss.

Either way, the kiss prompts both to realize that they've been in love all this time—the rationale being that they wouldn't argue so much if they didn't give a damn about each other. Normally results in some kind of permanent change in their relationship.

The concept is related to the theory that hate is not necessarily the opposite of love so much as its twisted twin; its opposite would be apathy. Ergo, lots of contained emotion towards a person might be translated into lust given the proper catalyst. Pulled off successfully, it can be... quite satisfying. Otherwise, not so much.

Older Than You Think, dating back at least to William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

Compare "Shut Up" Kiss, Love At First Punch, Belligerent Sexual Tension, "Take That!" Kiss, Vitriolic Best Buds, Destructo-Nookie, and Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other. Often considered in similar terms to Foe Yay. Tsunderes are often involved on at least one end. Kiss Kiss Slap is this in reverse (kissing, then fighting).

Examples of Slap Slap Kiss include:

Anime and Manga

  • Mazinger Z has maybe the earliest Anime example: Kouji/Sayaka. The Belligerent Sexual Tension between them was legendary, and sometimes they applied this trope literally.
    • Great Mazinger: And then you have their sucessors, Tetsuya/Jun. They were somewhat more mature than Kouji and Sayaka, but Tetsuya was still arrogant and loudmouthed, and Jun had little patience for stupidity.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion has the Shinji/Asuka pairing. They kiss once, but that whole scene was actually a heartbreakingly epic and twisted failure of communications for both of them that contributed to Asuka's mental breakdown and Shinji's lack of self-esteem. They are attracted to each other but both fear rejection, so Shinji doesn't dare believe it's anything more than just a play to pass time and Asuka pinches his nose to get at least some kind of reaction out of him and to ensure some kind of "plausible deniability" of her own emotions in the face of possible rejection. And she reads rejection in his passivity even if he doesn't mean it as such, because he doesn't understand that there is anything to accept or reject... Mostly because her words and actions just then and there give him no reason to actually think so! So she started crying after seeing Shinji's reaction (that is, gasping for air, not hugging or comforting her etc.) and ran into the bathroom, making gargling noises as a front (as seen in ep. 22 director's cut version), as Shinji felt even worse.
  • Gen and Kanon, in Kanon by Chiho Saito, are always clashing, and it always leads to a kiss (sometimes to more).
  • Tenshi na Konamaiki can be fairly described as forty-nine episodes of slapping, followed by a kiss.
  • Although it quickly gave way to true affection in the manga and live action, Sailor Moon played this to the hilt in the anime. In fact, up until the reveal, there's not really a lot at all to indicate Usagi and Mamoru have anything but deep loathing for each other. Thankfully, fanfiction can remedy that . . .
  • Ranma ½ stretches out the trope to breaking point by doing seven seasons of increasing romantic tensions (and slaps—and punches, and roundhouse kicks, and exploding Ki Attacks), but never getting to the kiss.
  • Kousuke and Ryoko in Spiral Suiri no Kizuna and Alive. One of their fistfights actually scared away a bear.
  • Kazahaya and Rikuo of Legal Drug seem to be heading in this direction (considering that both their bosses and the rest of the universe seem to be nudging them together), but since the series has been on hold since Vol. 3 it is impossible to tell.
  • This is the essence of Melissa Mao and Kurz Weber's relationship in Full Metal Panic!!, although they've only reached the "kiss" stage in the novels on which the anime is based.
    • Further confused by the reappearance of Belfangan Clouseau, Mao's former boyfriend, who's now their superior officer.
  • Suzuka is chock full of this. The manga has a rare "kiss-kiss, SLAP!!" scene both initiated by the girl depicted.
  • Black Lagoon's seventh episode is an extended Slap Slap Kiss sequence between Rock and Revy, though it's more a case of "punch, gunshot to the face, Indirect Kiss".
  • In Blue Drop, Hagino and Mari's huge fight at the school's swimming pool results in both of them landing in the water and exchanging a kiss—probably, since that moment is obscured by lots of bubbles.
  • Inverted in Noir when Lady Silvana (a.k.a. the Intoccabile) gives Mireille a lengthy Kiss of Death, whereupon the latter tries to punch her.
  • Literal example in Gokinjo Monogatari, when the kiss directly follows a bitchslap, which the heroine's given her somewhat tactless lover.
  • Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat (a case of Interspecies Romance) from Sonic X. Just watch almost any episode where they're in the same place and you'll know what I mean. Episodes 12, 13, 39, 52, and 54 are good examples of this (episode 52 being the best example).
  • Shinra and Celty have this going on in Durarara!!. Well, more Slap Slap Hug because of Celty's lack of anything to kiss with. And Shinra doesn't really seem to mind getting punched around by her all that much.
    • That and ther fact he hits her back (well, knocks her helmet off anyway) and neither one of them seem to get hurt over it. Seems to be (to them) more of harmless punching.
  • Inuyasha and Kagome have this type of relationship. Kagome pounding Inuyasha's face into the ground by yelling "SIT!" is usually either preceded or followed by a bit of romance from the couple.
  • In Wild Rose, Kiri is angry about being forced to become a servant and purposefully riles up Mikhail. This very quickly leads to sex.
  • Gilbert and Serge from Kaze to Ki no Uta.
  • Robotech: Max Sterling and Miriya Parino. First they try to shoot each other down in a aerial dogfight. Then she tries to stab him to death inside Macross City. Then they get married. Seriously.
  • Lawrence and Holo from Spice and Wolf in the last episode of season 2. Lawrence shows up to redeem Holo from being collateral from a deal gone bad. Cue strangle attempt, a mean-sounding right hook, and the obligatory Love Confession. A few self-depreciating lines, a kick to the torso, a snappy one-liner, and then the kiss. All to cheesy violin music.
  • This is done literally in Code Geass by Kallen in her relationship with Lelouch.

Comic Books

  • In Frank Miller's All Star Batman, Wonder Woman is characterized as a man-hating shrew, someone who thinks men do nothing but destroy the planet and even calling some random onlooker in the street a "sperm-bank". She meets up with the rest of the Justice League, including Superman and, after saying that she hates their guts (several times, using the same wording) she suddenly starts making out with Supes. After that she returns to her ultra radical feminist self with no explanation given for the two heroes suddenly massaging each others' tonsils.
    • Frank Miller does, indeed like this trope. In Sin City, he had Gail shove a gun in Dwight's face, only to be slapped away. The next panel has then making out in the rain.
  • A frequent move of Catwoman's when she goes up against Batman. The final issue (#82) of her most recent series is just one example.
  • In Boy Meets Hero by Chayne Avery and Russell Garcia, villain Cold Snap and her protege 'Zack Savage' get a moment like this, hurling insults, complete with "Are you as turned on as I am?" "More!", at which point she jumps on him and they start kissing.
  • Scrooge McDuck and Glittering Goldie in the Don Rosa story The Prisoner of White Agony Creek, pictured. The action cuts to outside the cabin, where there are sound effects of yelling and crashing—and then, suddenly, silence. Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson attempt to rush in, shouting, "They killed each other!" but the more Genre Savvy Judge Roy Bean prevents them from ruining the moment.
    • It's even more so with Donald Duck's parents in The Invader of Fort Duckburg.
      • Must be something in the family, Donald and Daisy also have these scenes fairly regularly.
  • Happens at times between Matt and Kayleigh in Dork Tower.

Matt: "You think my friends are annoying!"
Kayleigh: "You think my friends are pretentious!"
Matt: "You hate my hobbies!"
Kayleigh: "You think I'm a snob!"
Matt: "You ARE a snob!"
Kayleigh: "It's better than being a loser dweeb with no initiative, no fashion sense, no job, no prospects and a 'Buffy'-hater to boot!"
Matt: "THAT was a LOW blow!" (beat) "I love 'Buffy'."
(beat) KISS!

Fan Works

Film

  • Pretty much literally in How to Train Your Dragon.
  • Used very briefly early in the film Ratatouille. When Remy is running through the walls of an apartment building, we briefly see a woman holding a man at gunpoint as he runs by; a shot goes off, narrowly missing Remy, who goes back to investigate. The two struggle over the gun briefly before they passionately kiss one another. Those French...
  • Tangled: Rapunzel's first meeting with Flynn involved not just slapping, but knocking fully unconscious with a cast-iron frying pan three times (and that doesn't count the damage done while trying to stow him in her closet).
  • Blades of Glory has this between Stranz and Fairchild van Waldenberg. Um... right.
    • Made more interesting by the fact that the pair are played by real-life husband and wife Will Arnett and Amy Poehler.
  • Father Goose does this. The first time, Leslie Caron slaps Cary Grant, he calmly slaps her back, and she dissolves in tears and runs away. The second time, she slaps him, he slaps her back, she slaps him back ... cut to Trevor Howard, reaction to the news that they want to be married.
  • Taken to a ridiculous extreme by the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The two main characters practically demolish a house with gunfire in an attempt to kill each other. They then proceed to punch, kick and smash objects onto each other, demolishing even more furniture in the process, until they grab their weapons again and get to a Mexican Standoff. Surprising nobody, little time passes before they put down the guns and start kissing and ripping each other's clothes off.
  • In Whitecoats, this is done with out the will they or won't they, in this case the Slaps were a fist fight where they gave as good as they got, with the rest of the cast trying to pull them apart. It ended when they started making out.
  • Iron Man has an argument between Tony Stark and Christine Everheart cut directly to them having sex. However this is a one-night-stand and isn't a set-up for a relationship.
    • The more subdued scene later on with Tony and Pepper is more standard but still ends up subverted when it inspires Pepper not to sleep with her boss but to mull over just how screwed-up her relationship with him is.
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has a classic example of this: Indy and Elsa are arguing. Indy goes on about how "Since I met you, I've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait" blah blah, then kisses her. She slaps him, says, "How dare you kiss me?!" then kisses him back.
    • Marion, the original Tsundere in Indy's life. Heck, they're still at it when they're old and grey, right before they finally tie the knot.
      • Indy's relationship with Willie Scott would probably count as well.
  • Star Wars—Han Solo and Leia, anyone?
  • Enchanted: Giselle is first turned on by Robert when he makes her feel angry for the first time in her life.
  • Played straight in Lethal Weapon 3, where Riggs and Lorna end up kissing after the infamous "my scar is bigger" contest.
  • The Singles Ward has another classic example, where Jonathan and Cammie, after having gotten off to a rough start, get into an argument in the kitchen, during a party at his house. They criticize and mock each other, stepping ever closer together, until a friend walks in to find them making out.
  • Outlander has a rather non-standard use of this. Kainan knocks Freya unconscious during his attempted escape. The following morning, Freya gives him a good sock upside the head in return. Freya warms up to Kainan after hearing that he killed a bear all by himself. By the end of the film, they're married.
  • In Gangs of New York, this trope makes an appearance as more of an "Insult retort slap slap punch grapple claw try-to-bite kiss".
  • Stef and Mouth have this sort of relationship in The Goonies. At first they hate each other, but then she hugs him when they find the pirate ship and then pushes him back. Finally at the end they really do make up.
  • The parents in The Ref. Although it's more like slap slap slap slap slap slap slap slap slap almost-kiss, with the slaps being verbal rather than physical...
  • In Moonstruck it's more of a "yell yell knock-over-a-table kiss." But hey, they're Italian-Americans, that's normal for them.
  • Played very straight at the end of Loverboy, between Kirstie Alley's character and her husband.
  • The Great Leslie and Maggie DuBois in The Great Race. He kisses her, she slaps him. When he kisses her again later, in the next scene they're in a car with a "Just Married" sign on it.
  • Maverick. Maverick's relationship with Annabell Bransford. They argue and fight throughout the film and end up in bed together near the end.
  • This is the entire plot of Laws of Attraction.
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Jen and Lo take this Serial Escalation, crossing the desert twice, patching up twice, and beating each other senseless, until...
  • In the film Random Hearts, Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas have discovered that their spouses were having an affair (they were killed in a plane crash on the way to a romantic rendezvous). He's obsessed with finding out all the details while she just wants to let it go. They're arguing about this and she's slapping and shoving him when he abruptly grabs and kisses her, shocking both of them.
  • In Night at the Museum, the second movie Manic Pixie Dream Girl and Genki Girl Amelia Earhart playfully plays on it, slapping repeatedly Larry to get his attention and then planting a passionate kiss on his lips.
    • It's not like they actually weren't in love: Larry was just deliberately trying to ignore her avances, despite showing early signs of Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other, as Amelia's peculiar condition (as a mystical animated mannequin of the original aviatrix bound to return to her inanimate state) made Larry unwilling to pursue a literal eight-hour long Mayfly-December Romance.
  • In the Italian Film Il 7 e l'8 (The seven and the eight), near the end, the resident Jerk with a Heart of Gold gets a passionate proposal from the resident Ice Queen. He initially flatly refuses, blaming the girl for her icy demenanor and bad manners, until she slaps him. After that, he suddenly and abruptly kisses her.
  • It's played with in Grosse Pointe Blank where Martin and Debi are kissing and Debi stops the make out session and says something is missing, then slaps Martin across the face before going back to kissing and proceeding to have sex

Literature

  • This situation very accurately describes the relationship between Aravis and Prince Cor in The Horse and his Boy:

Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I'm afraid, even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up, they were so used to quarreling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.

  • There's a similar case with a young Vulcan couple in Diane Duane's Star Trek novel, Spock's World. The chapter is set pre-Surak, after all.
  • Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series.
  • How about Stab Stab Kiss? Vlad of the Taltos series and his wife, a former assassin, fall in lust/love after she kills him and he is revived from the dead. This is subverted later, when the series takes a more realistic perspective toward this kind of tumultuous relationship by having their marriage fall apart very quickly when the two discover how different they really are.
  • Alluded to in the prequels to Eddings' Belgariad. The heirs of Astur and Mimbre were Locked in a Room "to kill each other without disturbing honest people", with the sole purpose of having them accept marriage.
    • Pretty much defines the relationship between Garion and Ce'Nedra.
  • Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice are often cited as this—a scene where the two of them argue about what the other's worst qualities are makes Darcy's Clingy Jealous Girl Caroline Bingley worried enough to try to distract them with the piano... which just leads to more UST. However, the Slap Slap Kiss feelings are actually only coming from Darcy. Elizabeth genuinely DID detest him at first and finds it insulting that no one can ever give a girl permission to genuinely dislike a man without masking love.
  • Older Than Dirt: The real ur-example is most certainly the Sumerian poem The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi, in which the Tsundere goddess Inanna spends most of the story berating the shepherd Dumuzi for not being a farmer, until they have a good argument and Inanna becomes smitten. They spend the rest of the story having awesome sex.
  • Averted in Animorphs, where Marco and Rachel exhibited many symptoms of this trope. Turns out that they were really too different for a relationship and ended up staying in the kinda-friendly zone. There are indications of attraction and mild flirting, but Rachel and Tobias are set up as a couple from the very first book. Later in the series, Marco makes it pretty clear that he thinks Rachel is a rageaholic violence junkie and Rachel gets very impatient with his snark and suspicious caution. The trope is also played with to a certain extent: they seem to flirt in earlier books, Marco's immediate reaction to seeing that Rachel has been split in half is that there's one for him now, Nice Rachel says she would go out with him if he asked her, and in the Wonderful Life / What If book, where they never became Animorphs and Rachel never really got to know Tobias, they did end up going on a date.
  • In Xanth, Ogre-style-love is violent to the point of being perceived as rape by virtually all of the other non-Ogre cultures.
  • Discworld:
    • Mort and Ysobel. There's a good two pages dedicated to a conversation in which they insult each other.
    • Pratchett sums up their relationship in Soul Music: [Mort and Ysobel] took a strong and immediately dislike to one another and everyone knows there's only one inevitable outcome to that kind of relationship.
  • In Pyramids this is mostly the case for Pteppic and Ptracy until it is revealed they're half-siblings.
  • DS Edgar Wield and Edwin Digweed in Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe novel Pictures of Perfection, largely because neither of them is Genre Savvy enough to realize that Hill is parodying Pride and Prejudice.
  • In Arch Angel by Sharon Shinn, the main characters' relationship is entirely this.
  • An entire chapter of The Action Hero's Handbook is dedicated to teaching the reader how to invoke this trope.
  • Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged and Trillian Astra in And Another Thing, after a heated argument regarding a) the treatment of Random Dent, and b) whether or not the chosen pastimes of either them is more or less pathetic and laced with schadenfreude than the other's.
  • With Amy and Ian in Book 3 of The 39 Clues. (And then, it goes all Kiss Kiss Slap because he leaves her for dead, she thinks she's over him as soon as he realized he actually might have liked her, and then there's his psycho mom making him help her try to kill Amy and her brother. Yeah, um, that might cause problems....
  • Zoe and Jason from Zane's Addicted.
  • Percy and Annabeth in Percy Jackson and The Olympians. In this case, at Mount St. Helens, Annabeth kisses Percy.

Live-Action TV

Sam: You are the nuttiest, the stupidest, the phoniest fruitcake I ever met!
Diane: You, Sam Malone, are the most arrogant self centered, son of a b...
Sam: SHUT IT! Shut your fat mouth!
Diane: Make me!
Sam: Make you?! My God I'm-I'm gonna, I'm GONNA BOUNCE YOU OFF EVERY WALL IN THIS OFFICE!!
Diane: Try it and you'll be walking funny tomorrow... Or should I say funnier?
Sam: You know... you know I always wanted to pop you one! Maybe this is my lucky day, huh?
Diane: You disgust me! I hate you!
Sam: Are you as turned on as I am?
Diane: More!
(they kiss passionately)

Spike: First I'll save her, then I'll kill her!

    • Also Cordelia and Xander, who at one point gets trapped in a basement.

Cordelia: I can't believe that I'm stuck spending what will probably be my last few moments on Earth here with you!
Xander: I hope these are my last few moments! Three more seconds with you, and I'm gonna... (steps closer)
Cordelia: (steps closer) I'm gonna what? Coward!
Xander: Moron!
Cordelia: I hate you!
Xander: I hate you!

They look at each other for another second before grabbing each other and engaging in a mad, passionate kiss. It goes on for several seconds before they suddenly release each other and look at each other in horror.

Xander: We so need to get outta here.
Cordelia: (nods) Mm-hm!

    • An example mostly in the subtext would probably be Spike and Angel. Which, of course, got a little textier with this:

"Me and Angel have never been intimate. Except that once."

    • Fellow werewolves Oz and Veruca meet in their wolf forms and immediately start snarling and fighting. The next day they wake up naked in each others arms.
    • A Kiss of the Vampire version happens in "Graduation Day" when Buffy punches Angel until he vamps out and feeds on her.
  • Although they are brother and sister, Justin and Alex, from Wizards of Waverly Place, have the Slap Slap Kiss kind of relationship. Despite of the fact that the slap slap part is much more dominant, they occasionally hug and support each other, especially in the last episodes (plus The Movie), where these gestures are quite frequent. Now, it might sound like a normal sibling relationship... if the entire fandom wasn't lead by fans who support Jalex (Justin/Alex).
  • Hawkeye and Margaret's brief liaison under fire in M*A*S*H is a variation on this trope. Even Hot Lips and Frank conveyed this trope note for note years earlier.
  • Aeryn and John on Farscape, often complete with literal punches and backhands. They yell at each other, and then they make out... or they make out and then yell at each other.
  • Chuck and Blair on Gossip Girl, all the time. Most clearly portrayed when they viciously say how much they hate each other and then have sex on a piano.
    • Also Blair and Dan, platonically, right from the start of the show. The writers say this is why they've always wanted to do a romantic relationship between the two.
  • Pretty much the entire plot of every instance of "The Needlers" , a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live.
  • Happened in the penultimate episode of Two Guys and a Girl to set Pete and Ashley together.
    • It was Deconstructed earlier in the show with Berg and Ashley. Berg ended the relationship because it wasn't healthy.
  • Happened completely literally in the late first season of Rome. Slap. Pause. Slap. Pause. Kiss.
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: This pretty much sums up Will's relationship with one of his longer-lasting Girls Of The Week, Jackie.
    • There was also a Girl of the Week who was rude to everyone, and Will wasn't getting along with her for that reason. Carlton had better luck, however, and after the "kiss" part of the trope kicked in, he was able to get her to treat people in a civil manner. After discovering that Carlton was able to assert himself, Will tried doing the same thing as Carlton did... however, Will was just as unable as ever to get past the "slap slap" stage of the relationship.
  • Drake and Josh: Josh and Mindy share the following heated exchange...

Josh: So today, you were just messing with my head?
Mindy: I think you deserved it after the way you screamed at me.
Josh: I still think that was a really obnoxious thing for you to do!
Mindy: I think you acted way more obnoxious.
Josh: Well, I'm just glad we're broken up!
Mindy: Not as glad as I am!
Josh: Oh, really?!
Mindy: REALLY!
(they make out)

  • Maddie shares one such scene with a one-shot character, Trevor, a "merit scholar", on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, ending with the most passionate make out scene ever on children's programming:

Trevor: I don't need a vote from some tree-hugger.
Maddie: If you have it your way, there won't be any trees left to hug.
Trevor: Oh, next you're going to blame the oil companies for global warming.
Maddie: Yeah, 'cause they're to blame!
Trevor: Oh, cry me a river!
Maddie: If I did, you'd just pollute it!
Trevor: You bleeding-heart liberal!
Maddie: You establishment puppet!
Trevor: Do you wanna kiss me as much as I wanna kiss you!?
Maddie: I'm surprised someone as smart as you would have to ask!
London: (to a nearby museum staff) Didn't see that comin'.
(the man nods)

    • It doesn't help that Trevor and Maddie are played by the same people who played Troy and Sharpay.
    • "I wonder what they'd do if they liked each other?"
  • One episode of Frasier subverts it by having Frasier in the slap phase with a coworker, but when (in a Continuity Nod to the Cheers example) he asks if she is as turned on as he is, she just says no and looks disgusted. Since the station manager saw the situation, everyone in the station has to attend a Sensitivity Training.
    • A straight example of this trope occurred in an earlier episode in a very similar situation, and they actually had sex multiple times (on the air, once) despite claiming that they can't stand each other, but without the Shout-Out to the Cheers line.
    • A version of this trope occurred in the episode "Daphne Returns" where Daphne and Niles' first fight leads to them kissing and then having sex for the first time.
  • The rebooted Battlestar Galactica has raised this to the level of an art form; nearly every canonical couple has engaged in it at some point and to some degree, often in the most literal sense (see—unsurprisingly—Lee Adama and Kara Thrace; also Saul and Ellen Tigh). Though Adama and Thrace seem to be more inclined to Punch Punch Kiss/Punch Punch UST than anything else.
    • Deserving of special mention are Chief Tyrol and Cally. The first slap was actually Cally Murdering The Hypotenuse by shooting Tyrol's Cylon lover right before his eyes. The slap back came later that season, when she woke Tyrol up from a nightmare. Believing he was still dreaming, he beat her so brutally that it required not only a Discretion Shot, but a Content Warning at the beginning of the episode. Two and a half episodes later, they were Happily Married and expecting. Admittedly there was a one year Time Skip in the meantime, but damn. And this was one of the more stable relationships on the show. At least until the fourth season, but that's another story...
    • What about Bill Adama and Laura Roslin? They only got to the kiss part in middle-second season and before that, they had some major clashes like her overruling his orders and him responding by storming Roslin's ship and dragging her to the Galactica's brig.
      • That kiss wasn't even supposed to be there. It was improvised and they kept it.
  • Burn Notice takes this and runs with it, since both of the "combatants" are trained covert ops. After a short fight with heavy subtext, one finally gets the other in a choke pin... but then they start making out.
  • Ellen from Slings and Arrows does this twice within three episodes of each other: the first time with Geoffrey, the second with her brother-in-law Eric.
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
    • Worf and Ezri Dax have a heated argument while stranded on a forest planet, intensified by the feelings shared between Worf and Jadzia Dax, Ezri's symbiont predecessor. It eventually degrades into name-calling and fisticuffs, and a passionate kiss with (implied) off-camera relations.
    • Odo and Kira in "His Way"—not too heavy on the slapping, but a heated argument in the middle of the frickin' Promenade should count too.
    • The way Worf and Jadzia got together in "Looking for Par'mach in All the Wrong Places". Although that was more "Bat'leth Fight, Attempted Strangulation, Destructo-Nookie."
      • That last example is more of a traditional Klingon romantic interlude. They even have (implied) ritual phrases for initiating a fight that they intend will end in sex.
      • In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf explains to Wesley that this is how all Klingon courtship works. The woman screams and throws heavy objects, while the man reads love poetry and ducks a lot.
      • Captain Picard in The Next Generation has one with Captain Phillipa Louvois, who had previously prosecuted Picard with zeal during the court martial following the loss of the USS Stargazer, in "The Measure Of A Man".

Picard It's been ten years, but seeing you again like this makes it seem like fifty. If we weren't around all these people, do you know what I would like to do?
Louvois Bust a chair across my teeth.
Picard After that.
Louvois Oh, ain't love wonderful.

    • Chief O'Brien has this almost done to him as well. He's working with a female Cardassian engineer and the two of them won't stop arguing over everything. Soon he learns that she believed that he was flirting with her.
  • The Tick (live-action): Batmanuel and Captain Liberty.
  • Scrubs: Jordan and Dr. Cox. Although it's more of a "Stab Stab Sex" sort of thing.
    • In later seasons, however, it becomes more because of habit and pride than any actual friction. In fact, in season 8, Cox tells Jordan he's fed up with all the snarking and insulting, and deconstructs this trope, as it's become contrived and fake:

Cox: I'm sick of pretending we don't like each other. It is distinctly not fun anymore, and would you like to know why? Because a) we are over 12, and b) we actually do like each other. In fact, brace yourself, we love each other.
Jordan: *GASP!!*

    • Jordan again, this time with JD. He gets fed up with her behaviour as a patient, tells her so, and she tells him to take his pants off.
  • Gene Hunt to Alex Drake in Episode 1 of Ashes to Ashes (immediately after grabbing her breast in the supply room):

Gene: Now then, Bollinger Knickers. You going to kiss me or punch me?

She did not, needless to say, kiss him. Nor has she yet, but let's face it -- it's only a matter of time.
  • Dick and Mary from 3rd Rock from the Sun have this quite often. Most bizarrely, the first episode has Dick kiss Mary, she slaps him, she kisses him again, then he, confused, slaps her back.
  • Receptionist Amanda and Nick Pepper of Ugly Betty revert to this after quite a few scenes of sexual tension, coming to a close when both tag each other out of a game of company paintball—and consequently decide that their catfights actually turn them on.
    • Justin and Austin had a mild form of this before their first kiss which included insulting one another, and right before the kiss, them playfully shoving one another.
  • Spike and Lynda of Press Gang conducted their kissing-and-slapping exchange while on the set of a Saturday morning children's cartoon show, where Lynda was supposed to be promoting the wholesomeness and public-spiritedness of the Junior Gazette.
  • The Vicar of Dibley has something similar to the Fraiser subversion but played more seriously: Geraldine, the title character and a liberal female vicar, is always trading insults with the arch-conservative councilman David. At one point in the series, he reveals his love for her, interpreting her snarking as flirting. In actuality, she doesn't really consciously like him much at this point. This declaration starts his character on a more Pet the Dog path and makes her better disposed to him.
  • From House, Greg House and Lisa Cuddy: "I try to make you miserable. You deny that it's making you miserable. You try to make me miserable so I'll stop making you miserable." How romantic...
    • And let us not forget the ending of the episode "Joy" in season 5, where they actually do kiss after the slap slap.
    • Season 6 seems to be heading for deconstructing this trope. Apparently, Cuddy doesn't find it at all romantic. Maybe House should read Pride and Prejudice.
  • Done in Friends between Ross and Rachel. Rachel is very pregnant and overdue for labor, and the doctor has advised several home remedies, including sex, to speed up the process. They try everything else and nothing works, so Rachel insists they have sex. Since she had been very mean to Ross that entire episode, Ross declines. Rachel then starts angrily ranting at him how this is all his fault and so on, but is interrupted by Ross kissing her. Rachel is surprised and Ross says, "I don't care what it takes, I am getting that baby out of you!" Rachel immediately starts having contractions and Ross says, "I am good!"
  • Basically describes the whole relationship between Luke and Reid As the World Turns
    • The Slap Slap part of the relationship dies down some after they become an actual couple.
  • An episode of Saved by the Bell featured Slater and Jessie arguing as they always do before launching into a kiss.
  • Star Trek: Enterprise. In "Precious Cargo", Trip Tucker has this happen with the beautiful yet arrogant First Monarch Kaitaama, among a bunch of other cliched scenes.
  • The Daily Show. Samantha Bee and Jason Jones (married in RL) pulled this off...while acting as Dick Cheney and Ahmad Chalabi.
    • Jon Stewart and Wyatt Cenac did something similar during their White House Beer Simulation, though it was more Fight Dance Fight Dance Fight Dance Grope.
  • Laura and one of her love interests had the Insult Insult Kiss variation of this in an episode of Family Matters.
  • Lost. Ana Lucia tries to get Sawyer's gun—she asks him for it, tries to steal it, and gets caught. She and Sawyer fight before he pins her down and asks her what she's going to do, and she kisses him, leading to them having sex. She steals the gun after, when he's too distracted to think about it.
  • Played around with in the season 4 finale of How I Met Your Mother, between Barney and Robin. The two are unable to admit their feelings without provoking the other into an automatic rejection response (as both are relationship averse). Leads to a long, rapid back-and-forth "I love you"/"Lets be friends" style exchange that escalates in aggravation until they become so confused and frustrated they simply kiss.
    • And it's awesome:

Barney: Why are you so afraid of giving this a chance?
Robin: Because I am scared of how much I like you!
Barney: Whoa, this is a bad idea.
Robin: You're right, this is a mistake.
Barney: Yes. No!
Robin: I love you!
Barney: Let's be friends.
Robin: Okay, friends then.
Barney: I love you.
Robin: Let's get married!
Barney: No, you're smothering me!
Robin: Okay, forget it!
Barney: Gaaah!
Robin: Gaaah! (they kiss)

  • In series 1 of Torchwood, Jack and Ianto went from pointing guns at each other's heads in episode 4 to UST in episode 5 and discussing stopwatches in episode 8. (To be fair, it's also been suggested that they were having sex before episode 4, though nothing in canon actually proves it.)
    • How has nobody mentioned episode 1 season 2 yet? The bar fight between Jack and John is this troper's favourite scene by far!
  • Notable aversion: the original script called for this between Jack Bauer and Renee Walker in season 7 of 24, but the kiss was cut for being "too cliché". She instead breaks down crying in his arms. The actress who plays Renee added that she wasn't quite sure if she wanted a romantic subplot with Jack because that's "usually the kiss of death for a character". I smell Genre Savvy here.
    • Played straight in Season 8 including Annie Wersching's prediction...
  • Stargate SG-1: Vala and... well, everyone she has the last part with. (With Daniel, it's mostly subtext.)
    • It's subtext with Daniel until "Unending" where a pretty brutal argument (mostly on Daniel's side) turns into smooches.
    • Was quite literal with Daniel in the first episode. Not so much Slap Slap Kiss as Kick Punch Punch Kick Earpull Groinjob Kick Punch Thighcrush Kiss Headbutt Zatgun
    • She tried to invoke it with Daniel in her first appearance, as a means to disarm him, but that just lead to more slapping followed by a stun blast. He did see her naked, but she's rather disappointed that she was unconscious, thus defeating the purpose.
  • Joe and Helen do this on Wings, except that the slaps are done with flour-coated pieces of veal. (Don't ask.)

Joe: One minute we're spanking each other with meat, and the next minute it got weird!

  • Dean and Castiel from Supernatural pretty much had an episode of this.

Dean: Cas, not for nothing but, the last person that looked at me like that, I got laid.

    • Later on in that same episode, Castiel beats the shit outta Dean. Needless to say, the fandom exploded.
    • In a more literal sense, we have Castiel (are we seeing a trend here?) and Meg. They've only had two episodes together, but already the bickering and name-calling have escalated to pretty obvious UST levels. This comes to a head in the episode Caged Heat, where Castiel and Meg snipe at each other all episode and then suddenly end up smashing each other into walls while trying to clean each other's tonsils.
  • Delayed version in Dollhouse, where Topher is forced to punch out Bennett when he finds out she is trying to kill Caroline/Echo. Later on, when Bennett is helping Topher put together Caroline's original personality wedge, she forces him to tell her why, and subsequently returns the favor with an even more vicious right hook. A scene later, the two finally give in to their respective crushes and start kissing.
  • Vince and Howard from The Mighty Boosh would be like this if they ever got past the UST stage.
  • Happens offscreen in iCarly "iDate a Bad Boy". The audience (and Carly's brother) only get the kissing part, but Carly later explains that it started off with an argument.
  • On Glee in the episode "Never Been Kissed" Kurt confronts Dave Karofsky, a recurring bully who has been torturing Kurt for being gay, which leads to Dave passionately kissing Kurt and leaving Kurt visibly traumatized, and understandably considering that it was Kurt's first real kiss.
  • In The Brittas Empire, the episode, "Sex, Lies, and Red Tape", Laura gives the bewildered Mr. Brittas a rather solid kiss after yelling about her unrelenting hatred of his idiocy.
  • In Roseanne, Nancy and Arnie did this CONSTANTLY when they were married. On one memorable occasion, Roseanne and Dan playfully fight over items to sell in a garage sale (including throwing furniture outside), before pausing to stare at each other, panting, and running to the bedroom.
  • In the Leverage episode "The Two Live Crew Job", the fight scene between Eliot and Mikel, his counterpart in the opposing crew, feels like (extremely violent) foreplay even before it hits the kissing stage. Nicely done, and hot enough to definitely qualify as Fan Service.
  • Max and Iago from El Cor de la Ciutat were like this during the early stages of their relationship when Max was still conflicted about his feelings for a delinquent:

Max: No, Iago, it isn't fucking funny! You always have to bother everyone, or what? First lying to the whole world, then it turns out that you are a thief, and now disappearing and the whole world is concerned about what happened to poor Iago.
Iago: Are you worrying [about me] too?
Max: Don't say foolish things! I haven't thought about you for even a second, Iago, do you understand? I don't care if they're breaking your legs and locking you up in prison, which is what you deserve!
(they kiss passionately)

Music

  • Used in Muse's Knights of Cydonia music video (which is done in the style of a 70s Sci Fi movie). The love interest slaps the hero in a bar, then the slap is shown again, but they're now in a bedroom and wearing less clothes. Again, with less clothes, but he grabs her arm and they kiss.
  • The whole point of the 80's Latin-American pop song "Dame un beso" ("Gimme a Kiss") by Yuri, which plays it up as comedy.
  • Florence and The Machine has a song called "Kiss With A Fist" that is basically about this trope.
  • The music video for Kelly Clarkson's My Life Would Suck Without You is this trope all the way through, with the "Kiss" part is in the lyrics.
  • The Aphex Twin and Chris Cunningham video "Flex" involves a nude man and woman beating each other up before engaging in sex and going out in a flash of light.
  • 'The Ballad Of Tom Jones', Space's duet with Cerys Matthews, veers between this and The Masochism Tango. The couple in the song are constantly at each other's throats, to the point where the woman tries to kill the man by driving him off a cliff. The only thing that stops the couple killing each other is - you've guessed it - the sound of the music of Tom Jones.

Professional Wrestling

Puppet Shows

  • Red and Gobo of Fraggle Rock—in the rare moments when they're not fighting/competing to see who can be more stubborn, they're hugging. Or Red is desperately trying to get his attention. And yet for all their complaints and squabbles about leadership, they keep coming back...
  • Avenue Q's "The More You Ruv Someone (The More You Want to Kill Them)" is basically this trope's anthem.

Theatre

Millie: Skirt-chaser!
Jimmy: Gold-digger!
Millie: Womanizer!
Jimmy: Jezebel!
Millie: Casanova!

At which point he grabs her, snogs the hell out of her, and dashes off... whereupon she bursts into song. (Though to be fair, this is a case of Volleying Insults rather than a Slap Slap.)
  • Jimmy and Helena in Look Back in Anger.
  • In Wicked at first Glinda and Elphaba, more apparent in the musical where they have a song that revolves around Foe Yay and lust-related lyrics.
    • Glinda and Elphaba? How about the undeniably canon Fiyero and Elphaba? The first time they meet he nearly runs her over and she shouts at him but by the second scene together they start off shouting a lot and then suddenly nearly kiss and Elphaba sings a moapy song about it. The next time they're shown alone they're pratically having sex on stage.
  • The writer of Crazy For You loves this trope: a little bit Irene and Bobby (though this might be more of a mild Yandere), Irene and Lank, Polly and Bobby - of course, theirs is more of a Kiss Slap Slap Mistaken Identity / Fake King Kiss Kiss Slap Slap Slap Kiss.
  • The Taming of the Shrew.

"Kiss me, Kate!"

Video Games

"Oh yeah? Well at least your mother tipped well!"

  • Fire Emblem seems to be quite fond of this trope when it comes to romance. In the 7th installment, we have Genki Girl/Rich Bitch Serra and Badass Bookworm Erk, Tsundere Farina and the Boisterous Bruiser Dart the Pirate, Genius Bruiser Hector and Action Girl Lyn, Hector and Farina, and to some extent Wil and Rebecca (she kicks him in the gut and yells at him quite a bit shortly before rushing into his arms). Fire Emblem 6 has Well, Excuse Me, Princess! Clarine and Fragile Speedster Rutger, while 8 has the other Well, Excuse Me, Princess! L'Arachel behave this way towards her two pairing options (Innes The Archer and The Wise Prince of sorts Ephraim) and popular fanon option Rennac.
    • You also forgot Serra/Matthew from the 7th game. And Boyd/Mist from the ninth and tenth.
    • Earlier still, Tanya and Othin from the 5th game.
  • Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis shows that Indy loves this trope. After freeing Sophia Hapsgood from her prison they get into an argument, she hits him, he hits back, she goes to hit him again but Indy yanks her into a deep kiss.
  • Buck and Dare do this near the end of Halo 3: ODST.
  • Loni and Nanaly in Tales of Destiny 2. Every time she gives him a bone-crusher makes you think "Aw, they really do love each other!"
    • Sheena and Zelos in Tales of Symphonia. Though the former says she "can't stand" the latter, they both care a great deal about each other, and Sheena is visibly devastated if the party is forced to kill Zelos.
  • Renegade Shepard and Miranda's kiss in Mass Effect 2.
    • Shepard and Liara's banter during Lair of the Shadow Broker comes across as this.
  • In Mass Effect 3, the first time you meet Jack, she punches you. But if you'd romanced her, she promptly jumps your bones.
  • Jade Empire has the player's introduction to Silk Fox.
  • In Knights of the Old Republic, several scenes where a male Exile gains Influence with the Handmaiden are immediately preceded by a fistfight with her. Ah, the opportunities the developers wasted!
    • Not wasted, cut. It was stated that most of the romantic elements of the game had to be cut due to time constraints, which is why none of the game's romance subplots really go anywhere.
      • Referring more to the wasted chance of having a cutscene in which the two fistfighting transitions seamlessly into making out was the opportunity referred to.
  • In Dragon Age: Origins, Oghren and his old flame Felsi's reunion is this, with the two tossing insults at each other before Felsi asks him to stay a bit longer so that they could continue the namecalling. By Awakening, they're married and have a kid together though still not quite peaceful due to Oghren's inherent Blood Knight nature.
  • Dragon Age 2, any romance with a rival.
  • Bayonetta: In one cutscene, Luka seems to think this is the heroine's intent when she tackles him after he cusses her out. In truth, she's doing so because a Joy is about to impale him.

Web Animation

  • Red vs. Blue. Tex and Church sometimes play this in reverse:

Chruch: Alright, O'Malley, this is it. From now on if any one makes my girlfriend crazy and psychotic... it's gonna be me.
Tex: Aw, that's sweet.
Church: Shut up, bitch.
Tex: Asshole.

Web Comics

  • Parodied in this Starslip Crisis strip.
  • T-Rex of Dinosaur Comics wishes this were more common. See?
  • Done with Star Trek references in this Punch an Pie: strip.
  • Megatokyo's Beta Couple: Largo/Erika. She has broken his arm on two separate occasions.
  • Faye and Sven of Questionable Content in this strip.
  • Hot Goblin Girl Nitrine and her archfoe Halfling Sorceress Morgana satisfy our Les Yay & Foe Yay expectations in this episode of Flaky Pastry.
  • This is the entire basis for the rather strange shipping of Pella X Richard among the Looking for Group fandom.
  • In Juathuur, Emojueel evokes this rope talking about Thomil and Sojueilo. "Fists of love!"
  • Yuki in Ménage à 3 pulls one on Gary. Considering her earlier treatment of men she's upset with, that was actually restrained.
    • Sonya does this to Gary too.
  • Two of the trolls have an almost literal one of these in Homestuck. Very heartrending.
    • Happened again in a more sadistic fashion. Boy, troll romance sure is freaky!
    • In fact, the troll romance type "kismesissitude", symbolized by a spade, is an entire romantic relationship based on hating each other.
    • An example of a literal Slap Slap Kiss has appeared, and is commented on, though there hasn't been a kiss yet. (This example is "matespiritship," the Troll equivalent of romantic love as humans understand it.)
    • Can also be seen between Spades Slick and Snowman.
      • That one isn't so much Slap Slap Kiss as slap slap viciously gnaw each others' lips off.
  • Spacetrawler has Pierrot and Emily. Emily is constantly getting on Pierrot's nerves, and Pierrot reacts appropriately, to the extent that Captain Nogg thinks they hate each other. There's no shortage of Subtext that they like each other—and as of this "Shut Up" Kiss, there's text-text as well.
  • Lucy of Bittersweet Candy Bowl is most violent with the guys she likes at all, David notwithstanding. Species differences among other things.
  • This strip from Bomango.

Andy: "Sorry, you just don't seem like the type someone could ask about... you know... love, and stuff."
Gogo: "I has been in hate with many people. I has much perspective."
Andy: "Maybe, but that isn't love."
Gogo: "Do not be so silly, Boo-Bear. Often, difference between love and hate is like difference between red and orange."

Web Original

Western Animation

  • Alvin and The Chipmunks: Alvin and Brittany are forever fighting, but clearly have the hots for each other.
  • Captain Planet: Linka and Wheeler.
  • In Daria: After the title character gets into an argument with Jane's beau on whether or not they actually have anything going on on the side, the two come to a mutual agreement that Tom breaking up with Jane is inevitable—and that, furthermore, it has nothing to do with Daria, and neither would choose to get involved in the first place... That is, until Tom kisses her. Twice.
  • Beast Machines: Rattrap and Botanica.

Botanica: Although our task does not appear glamorous or exciting, these trees carry our best hope for the future!
Rattrap: Oh, I'm sorry. I was only thinking about myself instead of all the HOMELESS TERMITES!
Botanica: And what would you rather be doing?! Sticking your tail in a computer socket?!
Rattrap: Heh, beats the heck out of plowing your little field of dreams!
Botanica: I think it's high time you dialed back on the attitude!
Rattrap: Oooo-hoo, well, how about I make like a tree and leaf!
Botanica: That would be just fine by me, you impudent little--
Rattrap: Your bark as bad as my bite?!
Botanica: Grrrrrrrr!
Rattrap: Rrrrrrrrrr!
Botanica: RRRRRRRRRR!
Rattrap: GRRRRRRRR!
(smooch)
"GASP!"

(after watching Owen & Gwen walking over logs while being attacked by eagles, Courtney kisses Duncan)
Courtney: (after breaking the kiss) You're still not my type.
Duncan: You make me sick.
(they kiss again)

  • Scrooge McDuck and Glittering Goldie on the original DuckTales. Their idea of romance is taking turns tricking each other out of a fortune... and making out afterwards. Not as violent as the above-mentioned comic but still interesting.
  • Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex own this trope.
  • Brock Sampson and Molotov Cocktease from Venture Brothers are more of the "Stab Stab Kiss" variety, but they always fight and have a hot makeout session afterwards. Too bad they can only get to second base, though...
    • "I THOUGHT THE COLD WAR WAS OVER!!"
  • Stoked: Fin and Reef (of course the almost kiss).
  • KaBlam!‍'‍s Henry and June. June is always doing something mean to him (even though they're friends), however, she has a huge crush on him.
  • Their relationship doesn't get expanded much as the movie goes on, but Centipede and Ms Spider in James and the Giant Peach definitely have this moment:

Ms Spider: Centipede, I do not know whether to kill you or... kiss you.

    • He looks rather satisfied by it as well.
  • Musa and Riven in Winx Club.
  • Helga and Arnold from Hey Arnold!... especially in the latter episodes like "Girl Trouble", "Egg Story", "Summer Love", "Married" and "April Fool's Day".
  • Perils of Love a small French short that is the essence of this trope.
  • Selwyn and Tallulah, the bickering sorcerer couple in The Smurfs, who fight with each other as much as they love each other. Zap Zap Kiss, anyone?
  • Kevin Spencer: Kevin's parents are insanely violent and rude to anyone they come across. But they love tormenting each other (especially Percy.) It occasionally ends up with hate-sex.
    • Kevin and Shawna are occasionally this, most likely attributed to Shawna's slowly growing insanity.

... You're expecting a kiss here, aren't you?

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Slap_Slap_Kiss?oldid=2040599"