Hug the Shore... Try the Deep
"Where I live, if someone gives you a hug, it's from the heart."
Hugs treated as Serious Business. In contrast to normal hugs that aren't treated as a big deal, this is when it's treated dramatically to underscore a highly emotional part of the story. Often used during a particularly heartwarming or tragic moment.
It can be used to show a turning point in the characters' relationship, the characters' reconciliation after a feud, or to emphasize that something very emotional or dramatic is happening or about to happen. If the characters in question normally dislike hugs, it can be a case of OOC Is Serious Business. It can be platonic or even romantic as some couples prefer long hugs rather than kisses.
May happen during a Big Damn Reunion. A Man Hug or a Cooldown Hug can be variants of this, with a Final First Hug being a more tragic example. A dark variant is Revealing Hug.
Can also overlap with Group Hug or Cry into Chest. Compare with The Big Damn Kiss.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- The Dangers in My Heart:
- Yamada gives Ichikawa a "make-up hug" in Chapter 43/Episode 9, when they reconcile over her pulling a Fake-Out Make-Out with him. She tries to apologize for it, thinking he doesn't like being touched, but he assures her that it's never been an issue and she continues hugging him.
- She hugs him again in Chapter 57/Episode 12 after Ichikawa shares his issues from his first year at school. Unlike last time, he hugs her back and quietly thanks her.
- Ichikawa gives her one in Chapter 63, both as an apology for lying about why he was avoiding her in Chapter 43 and as a Cooldown Hug when she starts crying.
- Death Note: Light Yagami and Misa share a dramatic hug in Episode 13, which is then undercut when it's revealed Light is acting and plans to manipulate Misa to help him kill L and then dispose of her.
- Fruits Basket: In the final part of the story, Kyo finally confesses his love for Tohru and asks her to give him a hug, even though both expect the Sohma family curse will trigger his transformation again. They tenderly embrace each other and surprisingly, Kyo doesn't turn into a cat, proving that the curse has been broken.
- Good Luck Girl!: Ichiko and Momiji's farewell in the final chapter involves the two of them fighting as usual, only for Ichiko to start crying and run into Momiji's arms for a hug, showing how much Momiji has come to mean to her despite their rocky start.
- Honeybee Hutch: In the final episode of the first series, Hutch leaps into his long lost mother as they finally reunite.
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya!: In the episode Delivery Dilemma, after Tiff finds Kirby with the noodles that he didn't deliver to King Dedede yesterday, she apologizes to him saying that he wasn't able to resist eating the noodles. However, as both of them get ready to go home, as Tiff picks up the noodle box, she expected it to be empty and when she opens it, she finds that it hasn't been eaten by Kirby since yesterday. That is when she gives him the hug because he really is a professional and he really did put in all his trust in her.
- Moriarty the Patriot: The first time any of the Moriarty brothers properly hug on screen is when William returns after three years abroad, presumed dead, and begins apologizing, ashamed of himself. But his little brother Louis simply cuts him off with sudden hug and says he's glad he's alive and well.
- My-HiME:
- During their final confrontation, Shizuru uses her Whip Sword naginata to draw Natsuki to her. Natsuki surprises her with both a Big Damn Kiss and then a tight hug while telling her that she does love Shizuru, in her own way. It's enough that it snaps Shizuru out of her Psycho Lesbian phase and she's at peace when Natsuki pulls a non-Yandere version of Taking You with Me, resulting in the two of them being Together in Death.
- During Mai's confrontation with the Obsidian Prince and Mikoto, she finally understands the tears Mikoto had been crying earlier in the series and dissipates her Element (a HiME's weapon), and embraces Mikoto with open arms as Mikoto charges her with her sword. Being openly embraced by Mai snaps Mikoto out of the control of the Obsidian Prince, who is currently pulling a Grand Theft Me on Mikoto's older brother, Reito. Mikoto stops Reito from attacking Mai at that point, hugging him herself, and taking a blow from his katana in the process, begging him to end it. Mikoto also shattered the talisman that anchored the Obsidian Prince to Reito as a host in that moment.
- In Negima! Magister Negi Magi, the Love Triangle between Yue, Nodoka, and the protagonist Negi Springfield (who is none the wiser) comes to a head when Nodoka finds out about Yue's feelings and decides to confront her about it. Yue being deathly afraid of Nodoka disliking her for crushing on the guy she's already crushing on, runs away until Nodoka catches up and slaps Yue for thinking about "disappearing''. Nodoka then follows that up with a big hug as she can tell Yue is on the verge of a Despair Event Horizon that brings her back.
- Pokémon:
- Pokémon the Series:
- In "Pikachu's Goodbye", Ash and Pikachu embrace tenderly when the latter chooses to stay with the former at the end.
- In "A Togepi Mirage", Misty tearfully embraces Togetic when she releases it at the end, telling it she loves it.
- Pokémon Origins: When Cubone reunites with the ghost of his mother, Marowak, they share one final hug before she disappears into nonexistence.
- Pokémon the Series:
- Yona of the Dawn: Jae-Ha arrives while Hak is in the middle of a big swarm of mooks, and tells him Yona is safe. Hak (The Comically Serious) hugs him and immediately goes back to battle, while Jae-Ha is left confused and babbling, asking for someone to explain the joke.
Comic Books
- Kingdom Come: the trade paperback edition features an epilogue in which, despite all their differences along the story, Superman and Batman share a hug after Supes and Wonder Woman invite Bruce to be the godfather of their future child.
Fan Works
- Advice and Trust: After kissing and learning that Shinji is just like her, Asuka squeezes him in a fierce hug, declaring he is hers from now on. Both teenagers share another kiss and hug as time disappears for them.
- Asuka & Shinji's Infinite Playlist: At the epilogue, Shinji and Asuka merged together in a warm embrace as they are about to look for another lost fragment of Asuka's mind.
"Trust me."
Shinji's thoughts raced with possibilities, but her last words pacified a warring mind. Deep down he trusted her as he always did, knowing she would make the best decision for herself and the coming child. He had dedicated himself to making Asuka whole several years ago, and if there were still fragments out there, he couldn't bear to ignore them.
The man reached up and grabbed the device, hugging her tightly. "I always do."
Asuka and Shinji melted in the embrace, their hearts merged as one, and they prepared for the music to take them once more. - AU: Everafter Penny
: When Penny Polendina hugs the Curious Cat, the latter is momentarily surprised before completely breaking down in tears, receiving the emotional support and treatment from their friend that they gave the other Afterans for aeons but likely never once received theirself.
- Baby Steps by Gullfriend31: In the final chapter, Maple has her first steps and then falls into Nagisa's arms. While Nagisa is usually Afraid to Hold the Baby, this is the moment she fully overcomes her fear because of the significance of this milestone, and she gives Maple a hug. The others then join in on the group hug.
- Children of an Elder God: In the final chapter, Misato, Toji and Hikari hug Shinji and Asuka when when their friends say goodbye to them before leaving civilization forever.
She drew both of them into an embrace. "Be careful, okay?" she said, trying not to cry.
They held her tightly. "Of course," Asuka said.
"Very careful," Shinji said. "We'll miss you."
That's when Misato started crying, while Touji shifted uncomfortably and Hikari came over and hugged Asuka.
"Hey, man, I..." Touji didn't know what to say to Shinji.
"I'll miss you too," Shinji said simply. - A Crown of Stars: Asuka hugs Shinji with enough strength to tackle him in their bed when she becomes upset at the thought of the current war screwing up with them -again- and ruining their relationship -again- right after they had managed to connect with each other.
- Difficult to Endure, Sweet to Remember: Variant. In chapter 12, when Asuka sets a new sync record, she feels her mother giving her a tight, close embrace, enveloping her whole body despite Kyoko being a bodiless soul bonded with her Evangelion.
- Evangelion: A New Awakening: In chapter 21, Misato hugs Shinji fiercely after one of his friends has been killed in action, trying to reassure him that when he walks out of a battle, trying to reassure him that everything will be right.
- Everyday Craziness in Pontypandy: In "Shop Till You Drop", Elvis and Gabby get separated during a fire. When they finally find each other in the parking lot, Gabby runs into Elvis' arms and he holds her.
- Futures Freak Me Out: Asuka hug-tackles Shinji fiercely and passionately when he shows he doesn't care for her pilot status' old symbols, but for her.
- The Great Snowball Battle Trilogy: Little Rei hugs Asuka warmly, asking her not get sick, after the latter has become completely covered with snow.
- Ghosts of Evangelion: In the final chronological sequence, Shinji and Asuka hug each other for the last time before cancer claims her life.
- A Glass of Wine: In chapter 34, as Asuka tells Shinji she was unable to bring herself to visiting him in the hospital because she couldn't bear the thought of watching another dear person sitting in a hospital bed and looking away from her, Shinji hugs her. Asuka leans her head into his chest and his hands ruffle through her hair as they try to console each other.
- HERZ: After the final battle, Shinji and Asuka wake up in a beach. Quickly, Asuka engulfs her husband in a fierce embrace, and both of them hold each other as weeping over their mothers and Rei being gone for Good.
- Higher Learning (Strike-Fiss): At the final chapter, when Shinji sees his mother again, he reacts by giving her a crushing bear-hug.
She smiled down at him, then gently, took his hand. Shinji rose, and after a long moment, he forgot all his pain and gave her a hug so tight, had she been in a real body, she would have been unable to breathe. She just laughed softly, letting Shinji hold on as tightly as he wanted.
- An Insider's Look: In chapter 19, Asuka bursts out into tears as telling Hikari about the latest battle and Shinji's worrying disappearance. Quickly, Hikari throws her arms around Asuka, and her friend -who usually is violently afraid both of being touched and showing weaknesses- reciprocates Hikari's hug "like if it were a lifeline".
- A Beetlejuice fan comic, "Is It Live or Is It Beetlejuice?" (about BJ juicing Lydia's camcorder) has a segment in Sandworm Land as Lydia finds BJ's tie and she thinks a sandworm ate him. Lydia lowers her head and starts crying which Beetlejuice—rising from his hiding place in a bush—sees and he starts crying as well. Esctatically shocked, Lydia runs up and hugs him.
- Lost Latte: When Latte reunites with the other girls after having been separated from them, Asumi gives her a big hug, shedding Tears of Joy.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genocide:
- In the first chapter, Misato gives Shinji a long, tight hug because it is the only thing she can do for him after losing most of his friends during the War. Shinji hugs her back as he cries for a long time.
- In the final chapter, while their souls are stuck inside Unit-01, Shinji hugs Asuka tightly as he talks her into returning to he physical world so that they can try to find happiness together.
- The Zootopia fan comic Never Say Goodbye ends with Nick giving Judy a hug, which she returns, while he dramatically gives a Title Drop. This shows that the two have finally reconciled after the previous comics in the series (I Will Survive and Born To Be Alive) showed them going through a very harsh breakup.
- No Guts, No Glory: When Buttercup breaks down in tears, admitting that she doesn't feel as special as her sisters, Professor Utonium gives her a hug and tells her that she's better than she thinks she is because she is a true hero.
- The One I Love Is...: After she has been mind-raped by Arael, Asuka requests Shinji to lie down with her and hug her tightly. Shinji obliges her.
- Orchestrating the Silence: In the epilogue, Asuka hugs Shinji after their relationship upgrade, even though their embrace is a tad awkward due to be still unsure as to how ready they are for a greater degree of physical intimacy.
- Our Week Off Together!: At the end of the third day, when Luz and Amity confess their feelings for each other and not knowing where to go from there, Luz suggests they hug. While they've hugged before, they admit that it feels different now. When Luz asks Amity if she wants to stop, Amity just thinks about all the experiences and struggles she went through to make this moment a reality and responds with a tighter squeeze and burying her face in Luz's shoulder. Luz returns the gesture in kind and says, "Yeah, me neither...", ending the chapter.
- Princess Tales:
- In "Precocious Crush," Ariel smiles from ear to ear after she sees Jermaine (who King Triton had just turned into a human) on the beach for what's implied to be the first time in a long while. She and Jermaine run towards each other and hug, with said hug lasting for several seconds. The two Best Friends express how much they missed each other.
- Near the end of "Lost and Found," Ariel jumps up and hugs Jermaine after he returns to Princess Academy after being stuck in the Land of Faerie for six months. The hug lasts for several seconds.
- At the end of "Ultimate Celebration," Jermaine hugs Ariel tight as he thanks her and says he loves her SO MUCH after she tells him that no matter what happens, their friendship is forever. Their hug feels extra warm for him and lasts for about a minute or two. In this moment, he feels so happy to still have her and all of the other princesses in his life and to know that they love him as much as he loves them.
- Read the Fine Print (Evangelion): After Asuka finds Shinji, who had gone missing due to thinking that nobody needed him, Misato lifts him off the ground in a bear hug, as babbling about how she was glad he was alright, did he have any idea how worried she was, and so on.
- Redemption Song: After the final battle, Asuka shocks Shinji out of his wits when she gives him a smile followed by a hug. Awkwardly, Shinji hugs her back, melting into the embrace.
- Relapse (Deathbringer374): In chapter 11, when Asuka and Hikari meet again after seven years and apologize to each other for past grievances, the latter ends hugging the former, and lets a sob out.
Hikari took advantage of the moment and drew Asuka into another hug. The wave of emotion broke her resilience at last, and a heavy sob bled out of her throat.
"You dummy," she muttered. "Took you long enough to come back."
Asuka's arms finally wrapped around her frame. "I know. Heroes always arrive too late, just ask the idiot over there. But backup is here now." - Rise of the Minisukas: Chapter 25 ends with Leader, a sobbing Shiki and other Minisukas hugging Shinji -and becoming glued to his sticky clothes- after rescuing him from Matarael.
- The Second Child / Promises To Keep: When Asuka decides to go back to the real world to be with Shinji, she says goodye to Rei by hugging her tightly and begging her to take care of herself.
- The Second Try: In the fourth chapter, Asuka hugs Shinji, trembling and sobbing, when he ends a fight by refusing to abandon her.
Before he could react, she rushed forward; her quivering hands drew around his neck, followed by her arms, shifting them a bit to get a tight grip on his back to pull herself closer in this embrace.
Shinji wasn't sure what to do. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he had no idea how. He had never been able to sooth someone. Not to mention that this was Asuka; the same Asuka who had even yelled at him just for looking at her.
But as he glanced down, seeing her sobbing against his shoulder, he knew that this wasn't the same fierce and way too prideful Asuka he knew; neither was this the stoic, lifeless Asuka of the last weeks after her defensive walls had been shattered in one stroke by the attack of fifteenth Angel.
This was the fragile child that was yearning for comfort; finally freed after being locked away in the sub-consciousness for so long; only being able to show itself during her sleep, as he had seen that last night of their synchronization-training.
Hesitantly, he brought his arms up and put his hands gently on her back; returning the hug ever so lightly.'' - Sly Cooper: Boiling Blood: In the third chapter, "Clawthorne and Order", Luz and Sly share one after bonding over the loss of their parents, particularly their fathers, in their youths.
- In the Marvel Cinematic Universe fanfic The Storms of War, Steve refuses to let Sharon, who was recently injured during a mission and hasn't fully recovered yet, accompany him, Sam, and Wanda to Wakanda when they receive a distress signal, stating that it's too dangerous for her to go, upsetting her, which isn't helped by the fact that he had already basically left her behind after she stole his shield for him. When Sharon is left alone at the team's safe house, she's attacked by mercenaries and the fight ends with her blowing the safe house up. By the time Steve, Sam, and Wanda get back, they can't find Sharon in the wreckage which causes Steve to feel immense guilt for his decision to leave her behind. When Steve reunites with Sharon, who was rescued by Natasha, the two share an intimate hug. After they separate, Sharon is embraced again by Wanda, who throws herself at the other woman.
- You Are (Not) At Fault: In the final chapter, Asuka hugs Shinji, almost tackling both of them into the beach's sand, when she sees he has also returned from Instrumentality, and his body is whole again.
Shinji was nearly bowled over as the redhead threw her arms around him in a joyful hug. As it was he had to put an arm out as best as he could within the embrace just to keep the two of them from toppling into the sand.
Films — Animation
- The Croods: Right as the titular family is about to reach safety, the ground around them starts to crack. Grug offers a Heroic Sacrifice, where he'll throw the rest of his family to the other side of the canyon while he stays behind. When almost everyone is thrown, Eep is the only one left. As they say goodbye, Grug and Eep embrace for the first hug, with Grug himself even coining the term (because it rhymes with Grug). Thankfully, Grug eventually finds another way there and reunites with his family.
- In Frozen, Anna and Elsa embrace when Anna is revived after her Heroic Sacrifice.
- KPop Demon Hunters: At the climax of the story, the three transiently-estranged members HUNTR/X reunite in the middle of their rival band Saja Boys' concert, fight through three separate hordes of demons (one for each member), and give each other a firm three-way hug, all while singing their "I Am Becoming" Song together. For a cherry on top, their edgy dark costumes inconspicuously change colors back to their original heroic white-and-gold scheme during said hug.
- In Ponyo, after Ponyo finds Sosuke at his house again, she goes up to him and gives him a forceful glomp to tell him how much she missed him.
Films — Live-Action
- At the climax of Avengers: Endgame, Tony Stark emotionally hugs Peter Parker upon seeing him revived for the first time in five years, with Peter admitting it feels "nice."
- The Champ (1979): Annie lovingly embraces T.J. in the final scene shortly after Billy dies.
- Eraser: Kruger gives one to Lee after the authorities arrive at the dock to arrest the men trying to kill them.
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: At the end, Elliott and E.T. share a long, emotional hug as E.T. is about to leave in his ship.
- In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Thorin gives Bilbo a Man Hug after the latter saved his life, apologizing for thinking he would be a burden to the company.
- King Kong (2005): After Kong is shot and killed, Ann Darrow stands alone on top of the Empire State Building, grieved. Jack Driscoll, her love interest, reaches her and calls out to her. After a held gaze and an overall undertone of sympathy and commiseration on Jack's part, Ann walks into his arms and stays there for a good while.
- In Let Me In a blood-soaked Abby embraces Owen tightly after he saves her from and lets her kill a policeman.
- Little Shop of Horrors: Audrey and Seymour embrace in this fashion after Audrey II is destroyed. (At least in the revised ending where they don't both get eaten.)
- In War of the Worlds (2005), Ray gives his daughter Rachel an intense hug just before he kills Ogilvy to protect her.
Literature
- Chivalry of a Failed Knight: After Ikki's first official match is over, he wakes to find Stella watching over him in the infirmary. She's initially mortified that he saw her drooling in her sleep, but after she calms a bit, she gives him a light kiss on the cheek. Ikki responds by wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. Stella smiles, saying, "I'm going to let you have that one, because you're injured."
Live-Action TV
- The 100: in "Human Trials," Clarke throws herself into Bellamy's arms, relieved to see him and Octavia walk through the gates of Camp Jaha. He is taken by surprise, but recovers and gives her a Bear Hug in return. Given their history of being Head Butting Heroes running on Teeth-Clenched Teamwork and have only recently been morphing into Fire-Forged Friends, Octavia snarkily hangs a lampshade on it.
Octavia: Now there's something I never thought I'd see.
- The Brittas Empire:
- In "Laura's Leaving", a happy Helen hugs Laura after the latter reveals that she doesn't intend to take up the job she had been away on an interview for all episode.
- In "Curse of the Tiger Women", Helen envelops herself, Brittas, and Carole in a slightly uncomfortable Group Hug to help emphasize that the situation regarding the fact that Brittas, her husband, who has accidentally cheated on her with Carole and is the father of Carole's twins, has been resolved.
- Doom Patrol (2019): Just after the climax of "Possibilities Patrol", where the entire team rallies together to save Jane from an evil entity that has puppeteered her body and tried to make her kill herself, the team shares quite possibly their only group hug in the entire series, as Jane embraces Cliff and the others all wrap their arms around the pair.
- Fraggle Rock: In "The Perfect Blue Rollie", Wembley leaves Boober's hidey-hole (a secret cave he had dug for himself)—only to see it beginning to cave in, with Boober still in it. Wembley runs to get his friends, who rescue Boober Just in Time. Gobo tells him he has Wembley to thank, and Boober gratefully hugs Wembley.
Boober: Aww, little guy! [hugs Wembley] I'm so lucky to have you as a friend.
- Leverage: "The Grave Danger Job". After Hardison is pulled from the coffin where a gang leader had him Buried Alive, Eliot pulls Hardison into a bear hug, saying, "Never do that again, man. Don't do that again."
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters:
- In episode 5, Cate's mother Caroline shares one with her just before Cate heads into the Red Zone of San Francisco's post-Godzilla (2014) Urban Ruins with her friends, and again when Cate makes it back out of the Red Zone without being caught by the military patrols.
- In episode 7, Lyra rushes to glomp her sister Corah/May when seeing her for the first time since she went on the run from AET, followed by their parents joining in and turning it into a Group Hug.
- The Muppet Show: In the Lola Falana episode, Gonzo boasts that he's accepted an offer from a film studio in Bombay, India. As his final performance, he begins to sing a rendition of "My Way". Midway through the song, though, he breaks down sobbing, admitting that he doesn't want to leave. When Kermit comes onstage to comfort him and offer him a handshake goodbye, Gonzo just hugs him tight. Midway through the episode, Gonzo learns that the Bollywood contract has fallen through, and Kermit gives him his job back.
- Odd Squad:
- "O is Not For Over" has Olive, Otto, Oprah, and Oscar all sharing a hug prior to Olive and Otto leaving for what has become their own Odd Squad precinct.
- "Odds and Ends" has Oprah inviting, Olympia, Oona and Otis to hug her just before she leaves for the Big Office, where she will run all of Odd Squad. For Otis, it's quite surprising since he isn't too fond of hugs and even goes for a handshake before Oprah tells him and everyone else to "bring it in".
- Odd Squad: Mobile Unit: In "End of the Road", Opal, Omar, Oswald, and Orla all share a tearful hug after Opal breaks the news that she will be leaving with Olizabeth to repair the damage she caused in other countries.
- In the second-season finale of Son of a Critch, Mark, Fox, and Ritchie share a group hug as they face the prospect of being separated, as Fox promised her father she would join him in his new home outside St. John's.
- Star Trek:
- Star Trek: The Original Series: The wrap-up of "Amok Time" contains one of Spock's most emotional moments in the entire series' run. Thinking he murdered Kirk in a blood-crazed duel invoked by his Runaway Bride, he tries to set the formalities in order, not wanting command or expecting to live very long. When Kirk (who was drugged into a death-like stupor by McCoy) surprises him, he grabs his friend joyfully by the arms with a huge smile and one of the only uses of "Jim" that occurred in that era. It's so passionately emotional that Spock is very embarrassed seconds afterwards when he realizes what he just did.
- Star Trek: Voyager: In the alternate future of the Series Finale "Endgame", once Adm. Janeway admits that her time-traveling scheme to Set Right What Once Went Wrong is to be a One-Way Trip, Capt. Kim tries one last time to talk her out of it. Janeway, Team Mom to the last, simply responds with a heartfelt hug.
- Star Trek: Picard: After decades of antagonism and acrimony, when Q is about to die using the last of his power, Picard offers his longtime adversary a hug, which Q accepts.
- Stranger Things:
- In Episode 6 of Season 1, Mike hugs Eleven after she saves his life, telling her she's not a monster, with Dustin then turning it into a Group Hug.
- In the Season 2 finale, Eleven and Mike share one when they're finally reunited, which is shortly followed by Eleven sharing an emotional group hug with Lucas and Dustin.
- Våre Beste År: Towards the end of the second season, 17-year-old Simone and her mother share one when they reconcile after fighting over political and personal differences for most of the series.
Video Games
- ANNO: Mutationem: In the epilogue, upon seeing Ann return home safely after rescuing Ryan, Nakamura rushes towards her with Tears of Joy to give a very tight hug, much to Ann's embarrassment.
- Baldur's Gate III: Upon completing the first part of Karlach's personal quest to fix the Infernal Engine she has in place of a heart, you can test whether or not it's working by giving her a very emotional hug. As this is the first human(oid) contact she's had since it was installed, she is very worked up about it.
- In Act II, if the player is romancing Astarion, there's an option to defend him against a Drow woman named Araj who is obsessed with getting him to bite her, reaffirming that he is his own person and not a slave that does what you tell him to. Back at camp, Astarion quietly thanks you, confessing he was forced to act as a Honey Pot for centuries for his vampiric master, and the player is one of the first people to remind him he has a CHOICE, and that's intimidating to him. While the player has a few options (such as asking him what he wants to do, or offering to hold off on sex until he's ready again), one is just to silently pull him into a hug and hold hands for a moment.
- In EcoQuest, Adam hugs Delphineus in a close-up after promising to help him.
- Final Fantasy IX: At the end of the game Garnet gives Zidane a big hug after the latter reveals his survival, but not before beating his chest twice to indicate her worry.
- Final Fantasy XIII: Over the course of the game, Lightning becomes less cold and forges a bond with Hope in particular. In Chapter 7, after meeting back up with Hope and hearing that Operation Nora didn't work out, Lightning embraces him — the first time she's shown hugging anyone — and vows to keep him safe.
- Golem (2018): At the start of the game's final section, the golem achieves its final humanoid form after having gradually grown physically and intellectually more complex over the course of the game whiel it and the girl have helped each other traverse the complex ruins they were trapped in. When it stands back after transforming, the girl runs up to it and emotionally hugs its knee (the only part of its body she can reach) while the golem pats her head.
- Honkai Impact 3rd: After months of being separated from each other, the first thing Kiana and Mei do when they finally have their Big Damn Reunion is to hug each other, with a CG cutscene dedicated to it.
- In Stars and Time: When Siffrin completes Bonnie's (rather emotional) friendquest for the first time, Bonnie will unexpectedly run up and hug him. He's surprised for a moment before hugging them back, with a face that looks like he's about to cry; on all subsequent loops, his expression is calm. This is also right after Bonnie asks Siffrin why the rest of the party isn't allowed to touch him, which confuses Siffrin, because he had no idea the others think he doesn't like physical contact. This hug is extra important to Siffrin because it's some of the only physical contact he gets during the time loop.
- Persona 4: The player can get a Relationship Upgrade with Rise by hugging her during her Rank 8 Social Link event in order to comfort her after her manager reveals that Rise's been set aside in favor of a rival idol.
- Undertale: Near the end of the Pacifist route, after Asriel is defeated, he is temporarily restored to his normal form as any other monster. He knows that it won't last, and is scared on turning back into Flowey. The player is given the option to hug him, and if they do then Asriel and the Player Character have a heart to heart, assuring him, that, no matter what happens, everything will be okay.
- Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season Two: In the second episode, Clementine meets Kenny, who she thought had died. The player may choose to have Clementine hug him for this dramatic reunion.
Visual Novel
- Higurashi: When They Cry: Keiichi hugs Mion and apologizes to her in the Tsumihoroboshi-hen arc after remembering killing her and Rena in the Onikakushi-hen arc.
Web Animation
- Camp Camp: Subverted in David Gets Hard. Just as David is going to hug Nurf in an attempt to get the latter to realize that bullying is wrong, he trips and accidentally slaps Nurf instead. This causes Nurf to realize the pain he's been inflicting on others and thank David for this realization before going off to think about his actions.
- Helluva Boss: In "Seeing Stars":
- Loona and Octavia's bonding scene is capped off by Octavia embracing Loona before they set off.
- Stolas rushes to embrace Octavia once he sees her safe and sound, and she hugs him back as he realizes that he forgot about the meteor shower and starts to apologize.
- Lumaya Legends: Run From Royalty: Toward the end of the short film, a sobbing Suith gives one to her brother, Rell, after he saves her from their dad and promises to stay by her side.
- Murder Drones: Though they've hugged plenty of times before, Uzi and N get one of these in the series finale when they finally get their Relationship Upgrade. Bonus points for it happening as they're surrounded by flames, falling back into orbit from space. If one looks closely, N even turns his head to try and kiss Uzi on the mouth... who shoves him away out of embarrassment.
- RWBY: Volume 5 ends with the titular team, finally reunited after spending the previous volume and most of the current one separated following the events of Volume 3, sharing a big group hug.
Webcomics
- El Goonish Shive: In "Our Future", Susan gives Sarah a huge hug (that's framed similarly to a romantic kiss) after having a daydream about Sarah that suggested she may be interested in her romantically, and asking if they could hang out more (which Sarah agreed to).
- Homestuck: The scene with Davepetasprite^2 and Arquiusprite hugging. Davepetasprite^2 is a result of Fusion Dance of Dave from a Bad Future (fused with a bird) and Nepeta — while Arquiusprite is a result of Fusion Dance of Lil' Hal (AI based on alternative version of Dave's abusive brother) and Equius (Nepeta's Platonic Life Partner, who blames himself for not protecting her from being murdered). When they meet, they exchange a funny, but at the same time really touching dialogue, in which Davepetasprite^2 assures that they don't blame Arquiusprite for anything and that he is something other than just Lil' Hal and Equius. It all ends with one of the most comically exaggerated hug scenes in fiction.
- In Little Lapses, Holly, Blue, and Cinnabar give each other a big hug that takes up a huge panel after reconciling with each other over Blue's bad day.
Western Animation
- Amphibia: In the ending, Anne Boonchuy has to go back home from Amphibia, which means that she must give a heartfelt goodbye to the Planters. This is especially true for Sprig, as the is the Amphibian that Anne will miss most. Right as Anne is about to leave, she gives Sprig a big hug as a thank for you everything that he has done, and Anne tearfully goes into the portal back home.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: In part two of the finale, Zuko's anticipated reunion with Iroh reaches catharsis when Iroh pulls Zuko in for a teary hug.
- The Dragon Prince:
- In Book 2, Callum returns to Rayla after almost considering endangering himself and Zym, to learn how to connect to the Sky Arcanum, when he soberly admits that he ultimately didn't have the guts to take the risk, Rayla gently says "Good" and hugs him in relief.
- At the end of Book 4, Callum pulls Rayla, his two-year absent girlfriend, into a hug after wrestling with his conflicting feelings about her since her return, finally admitting he's glad she's back and safe, signifying the start of their relationship mending. This quickly turns into a Group Hug with the rest of their friends.
- Miraculous Ladybug:
- In "Queen Wasp", Gabriel Agreste makes his first public appearance since the "disappearance" of his wife, and publicly embraces his son Adrien, one of the few times he actually shows Adrien any open affection.
- "Daddycop" ends with Marinette embracing former nemesis Sabrina, signifying that after so many years, the hostilities between them are finally over.
- "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023)": In the episode "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Lunella hugs her family for finally giving her space then she embrace her former nemesis, the Beyonder for helping her.
- The Owl House: In the Grand Finale, after having spent months separated from each other, Luz, Eda, and King share a reunion hug together before having to face The Collector.
- Regular Show: During Pops' final, epic battle against Anti-Pops, Pops finally realizes destroying each other and restarting the universe isn't the only option; instead, he clasps Anti-Pops into a warm embrace and hurls them both into a nearby sun, allowing Anti-Pops enough time to see the error of his ways and forgiving him as they're both vaporized.
- The Snowman: Near the end, James gives him a massive hug, to a dramatic climax in the music, before he goes to bed, as the Snowman awaits his fate.
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Star and Marco are known for pulling off BDH's throughout the series. The most iconic of the bunch are from "Star Comes to Earth", "Mewberty", "Storm the Castle" and "Gift of the Card", to name a few.
- Steven Universe: In "Jail Break", Ruby and Sapphire have a dramatic hug that also shows us that the two are actually Garnet.
- Another noteworthy hug occurs in Steven Universe: Future in the episode "I Am My Monster". In order to soothe Steven who has turned himself into a massive monster, Amethyst, Pearl, Steven's dad Greg, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Bismuth, Spinel, the Gem Cluster, a giant Garnet, Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, White Diamond and Connie all give him a comforting hug simultaneously. He turns back into his normal form and feels a lot better.
- Teen Titans: At the end of "Spellbound", in a rare show of emotion, Raven hugs Beast Boy after he emphasizes that her dark and creepy nature doesn't mean the other Titans don't care about her.
Beast Boy: You think you're alone, Raven. But you're not.
