Sometimes, when a couple is about to kiss, hug, have sex, or otherwise have an intimate moment, fireworks go off. This can be used to signify the tension and excitement between the two, improve the atmosphere for them... or just show that Something Else Also Rises.
Note that this trope covers both literal fireworks going off during intimate moments and metaphorical representations, e.g. when two characters kiss and both imagine fireworks going off around them, only to have the world return to normal after thy open their eyes.
See Flames of Love and Electric Love for flames and electricity symbolizing love respectively. May overlap with Fantastic Fireworks, especially if they are heart-shaped, and The Big Damn Kiss. Some versions of New Year's Kiss have the couple kiss as the new year's fireworks go off. Compare and contrast Fireworks of Victory.
Examples:
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- At the end of Cryptoland, as Christopher and Bianca share a ride into the sunset on a Cryptokitty and hold each other, fireworks go off.
Anime & Manga
- Subverted in Chainsaw Man, where Reze kissed Denji under the fireworks and bit his tongue off in the process.
- Played with in Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro. Nagotoro is teasing her Senpai during a fireworks show, claiming that he does sleazy stuff. Senpai compels her to go into detail leading to her exclaiming that he'd kiss her as an example. He denies that he'd do such a thing and she agrees claiming that she'd never let him anyway. He counters saying that she wouldn't be able to do it either. As she approaches him seemingly about to kiss him, a shot of fireworks goes off in the distance (in the shape of a heart no less) illuminating the wooded area they're at and exposing them to many couples embracing each other with affection. The atmosphere is too intense for the both of them to handle and they run away. They are later seen under a tree awkwardly pointing out the details of the fireworks as if nothing happened.
- Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: During a fireworks show, Kaguya feels so infatuated with Shirogane that she doesn't pay attention to the fireworks.
- Mayo Chiki!: During a firework display at a summer festival, Suboru is talking to Kinjiro about how school is going to start soon with their vacation coming to an end and that she's looking forward to their time together. Kinjiro says that they'll be friends through it all, to which Suboru responds by stating that she doesn't want to be "just friends" anymore, right as the last shot of fireworks goes off in the distance.
- Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun: In the anime's final episode, Sakura and Nozaki (who has been staunchly oblivious to her feelings) watch a summer festival fireworks show together. Sakura attempts a Love Confession, but it is drowned out by a particularly big firework. As the show continues, Nozaki leans in close... to tell her that he also loves fireworks.
- My Dress-Up Darling has Marin and Gojo attending a fireworks festival together. The two share a longing gaze at each other under the glow of the fireworks as a beautiful love song plays over the scene... at which point Marin sticks out her tongue, stained blue by some shave ice she was eating, freaking Gojo out and causing the BGM to halt for a moment.
- In Plastic Memories Isla is scared of the noise of fireworks but then Tsukasa finds her, hugs her, and tells her he loves her under the fireworks.
- A Silent Voice has Shouya and Shouko watching the fireworks together, which should have been a romantic moment if not for Shouko suddenly deciding to return home, and Shouya following her only to catch her as she is preparing to jump from her apartment balcony.
- Ushio from Summer Time Rendering confesses to Shinpei that she has feelings for him as the fireworks of the festival go off in the background.
Comic Strips
- Garfield: Discussed in one strip. Jon asks Garfield if his lips are pouty or kissable, and Garfield gives him a big kiss on the lips before saying that they're kissable, but not "that fireworks-going-off, give-you-goosebumps kind of kissable".
Fan Works
- At Odds
by Writerzero ends with Beast Boy and Raven deciding to have some private time together, and her powers manifesting as huge fireworks of multi-colored hearts blasting up from the Tower's roof. The other Titans decide to temporarily leave the building, the rest of the city speculates on what's going on.
- Pokémon: Equestrian Champions: This happens at the end of "We Are the Champions". Right after Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle confess their feelings for each other and share their First Kiss together, becoming an Official Couple, they see some fireworks being set off in the distance celebrating the ending of the Equestria League. This interrupts Flash when he tries to kiss Twilight a second time, but the two of them decide to watch the fireworks while cuddling together.
Films — Animation
- Aladdin: Happens not once, but twice:
- Downplayed in the first instance, when Aladdin (as Prince Ali) and Jasmine are watching fireworks in China (presumably for Chinese New Year), clearly caught up in the magic of the moment. Subverted when Jasmine catches Aladdin in a lie about being the boy from the marketplace, while Aladdin digs himself deeper by claiming he really is a prince, and was in disguise as a peasant like she was at the time.
- Played straight at the end, where a now-honest Aladdin and Jasmine go back to China on the Flying Carpet and kiss to a reprise of "A Whole New World".
- The Book of Life: After Xibalba and La Muerte both reconcile with each other, they kiss and fireworks shoot out from behind La Muerte's hat as a result.
- Despicable Me 2: In Dave's imagination, he and Lucy shoot off fireworks from their missile launchers before kissing.
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Invoked. At the exact moment that Scrat and Scratte have their first kiss, a massive lava geyser goes off in the background. To further hammer in the invocation of this trope, small sparks from the lava geyser come showering down on the area around Scrat and Scratte kissing in romantic fashion immediately after said geyser has finished going off (complete with said geyser's finishing revealing a heart-shaped natural environmental design) in a style somewhat similar to the remnant sparks of a firework.
Films — Live-Action
- In Harold and Maude, Harold and Maude kiss at the carnival as fireworks go off. Smash Cut to Harold and Maude lying in bed the next morning.
- Invoked in Iron Man 3 when Tony self-destructs all his Iron Man suits to pursue a relationship with Pepper Potts. As the two of them embrace, the exploding suits in the sky around them look quite like a fireworks display.
- Inspector Gadget 2: When Gadget and G2 kiss, fireworks shoot out of Gadget's hat.
- In Johnny Dangerously after Johnny and Lil Sheridan go for a long walk and kiss after falling for each other, fireworks go off. In fact, the rest of the mob notices the fireworks and realize that Johnny has just scored.
- To Catch a Thief: Robie and Francie share a passionate kiss in her hotel room as a fireworks display goes on outside in the background. It's potentially the Trope Maker.
Literature
- In the final book of the original Percy Jackson series Percy kisses Annabeth during Camp Halfblood's firework show.
Live-Action TV
- In the The Brady Bunch episode "Never Too Young," Bobby sees 'fireworks' when he gets kissed.
- Bridgerton:
- Daphne and Simon introduce their fake courtship to the ton with a staged Dance of Romance as fireworks go off in the air and lawn in the background.
- Queen Charlotte attempts to invoke this by timing fireworks at Anthony and Edwina's wedding to go off as the happy couple says "I do". So when Edwina pulls a Runaway Bride at the last moment, the fireworks go off to rub salt in the wound.
- Kate and Anthony confess their mutual love just as Lady Featherington begins her fireworks show.
- Connor Undercover features one between Connor and Gisela after she's broken up with Andre Martin in the episode, "The Eye of Cordoba".
- Cousin Skeeter: Subverted in "Blast From the Past"; Skeeter's old girlfriend returns, and believes she and Skeeter had something special because once, when they kissed for a photo, fireworks went off, which she believed to be this trope. However, it's eventually revealed the picture was taken on the Fourth of July, so the fireworks had nothing to do with them kissing.
- Doctor Who:
- The TV Movie has The Doctor and Dr. Grace kiss as the New Year's Day fireworks explode over San Francisco.
- Downplayed in "Eve of the Daleks". After the Thirteenth Doctor and companions defeat the Daleks and break the "Groundhog Day" Loop by blowing up a storage facility with illegal fireworks, Nick and Sarah, who bonded during the course of the loops, share a significant look while the fireworks go off behind them. Meanwhile, the Doctor, who has been Oblivious to Love in terms of Yaz's feelings towards her, steals a look at Yaz, suggesting the feelings are indeed reciprocated.
- In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when Carlton loses his virginity in season 4's "It's Better To Have Loved and Lost It...", images of fireworks, a volcano erupting, and a dog catching a frisbee mid-air as a Sexy Discretion Shot.
- Glee: Invoked and later discussed in season 2 episode "Silly Love Songs". When Finn sets up a kissing booth as an excuse to hopefully kiss his ex-girlfriend Quinn, he hears the sound of fireworks going off in his mind immediately after he finally scores the desired kiss. Later, after he ends up getting infected with mono, he ends up disclosing the matter with his other ex-girlfriend Rachel, who promptly asks him if any of the times they'd kissed prior to their breakup had resulted in a similar effect, with Finn's uncomfortably long hesitation in providing an answer soon proving answer enough to the subsequently very disappointed Rachel.
- House of Anubis: At the end of season 3, the school is having a firework celebration, interspersed with scenes of the show wrapping up the years' love subplots. Jerome's and Joy's kiss transitions into a shot of a firework, cutting quickly to the next scene where everyone is outside watching. Fabian and Mara begin to flirt while Patricia and Eddie finally resolve their issues and get back together.
- In Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Moze struggles with the fact her relationship with Faymen is fading in attraction, especially after accidently kissing Ned leads to the trope when it doesn't with Faymen. Eventually Moze breaks up with Faymen and this happens again when Ned and Moze decide to start a relationship.
- Our Flag Means Death: When Ed and Stede have sex for the first time, the scene cuts from passionate kissing to fireworks over the Revenge, and even literal cannonfire.
- My Wife and Kids: A fireworks show is used as a visual metaphor for the event in which Junior lost his virginity.
Music
- Confession Executive Committee's "Tokyo Summer Session" has the climax of the song take place during a fireworks show. All three featured couples get some alone time watching it, with one only upgrading to slight physical intimacy, and another having just put a name to their feelings while watching the fireworks together.
Theatre
- In the Heights: Act 1 ends on a Big Damn Kiss between Nina and Benny — who have been arguing since her father sold the taxi business and told Benny he would never be family — while fireworks go off (set off by Graffiti Pete to distract vandals during a citywide blackout).
Toys
- In the Tamagotchi series, as your Tamagotchis are about to mate, they kiss before the screen switches to a display of fireworks in a night sky, then switches again to the new Tamagotchi babies.
Video Games
- Codename: ICEMAN: As Westland and Stacy spend the evening together in her hut, talk to each other, and kiss, the game cuts to fireworks exploding in the sky once the tension reaches its peak.
- Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards: As Larry is about to go to bed with Eve, the game cuts to the night sky with plenty of fireworks.
- Pokémon X and Y: In the Parfum Palace, once the protagonist and Shauna help catch the owner's Furfrou, he invites them to a fireworks show on the balcony. The cutscene that follows is heavily romantically charged with music to fit the atmosphere, regardless of whether you're playing as Calem or Serena.
- The Sims 2: WooHooing's animation includes fireworks going off over the bed.
- In Tomodachi Life, if a proposal between a Mii couple is successful at a fireworks show, the fireworks explode into the shape of a heart.
- In Super Mario World, this happens right after Mario rescues Princess Peach (and she kisses him on the cheek). Fireworks explode in the background behind the couple, with the last one exploding in the shape of a heart.
Visual Novel
- In the premium scene of The Heist: Monaco, Eris fires off fireworks and two of the options the player can choose is to give her a hug or a kiss.
Webcomics
- In Sonichu, this happens at the end of "Genesis of the Lovehogs", where Rosechu is already in love with Sonichu in the same day because "There's no other Pokémon like me".
Western Animation
- Big Mouth: When Coach Steve loses his virginity to Jay's mom, Jay sets off illegal fireworks that hit him straight in the groin.
- Chowder: Inverted in "Chowder's Girlfriend". Chowder takes Panini to a stage show with a song called "I'm Not Your Boyfriend!" that ends with a fireworks display of those words, which hit the King of the Sky who blows up the stage. Unfortunately for the hero, she only becomes more impressed with him.
- Clone High: The episode Plane Crazy: Gate Expectations ends with Abe and Cleo kissing as fireworks explode behind them.
- Doug: In "Doug's Fair Lady", Doug asks Patti to the fair in the hopes that she'll ride the ferris wheel with him. As she helps him off the ride, fireworks go off, both in the sky and in Doug's eyes over the fact that they're holding hands.
- Gravity Falls: Invoked in "The Hand that Rocks the Mabel"; one of the Grand Romantic Gestures Gideon uses to pressure Mabel into dating him is a fireworks display that spells out her name.
- In Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM), after destroying the Doomsday Project, Sonic and Sally declare their love for one another and kiss during the celebration in Knothole. Still harbouring residual energy from the Deep Power Stones, this causes firework-like explosions to go off above them.
