'Just the Two of Us': How The Unlikely Man + Anime Girl Couples Took Over YouTube

"Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers is a universally recognized hit. On YouTube, the R&B classic sits at a whopping 83 million views, but wait, what's this? Next to a thousand "Just the Two of Us" music videos set to an image of a sigma male and an anime girl together? What a treat!

Since May 2022, videos in which a male character (think Tommy Shelby and John Wick) is shown together with a cute anime girl (too many to pick just two) have been a stable trend on YouTube. Learn why and check out some of the best examples in our review of this meme below.

Where Do "Just the Two of Us" Memes Come From?

The first "Just the Two of Us" meme featuring Chika Fujiwara from the anime series Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War standing next to Thomas Shelby from the crime drama series Peaky Blinders was posted on May 3rd, 2022, by YouTube user KILTLE and currently sits at 15 million views. The image itself was first posted to the now-defunct Facebook page s***postdeanime.

Well… not technically the first one. There's been some before, but nothing like the modern trend.

As the video gained more and more views thanks to the YouTube Recommendation Algorithm, others got inspired and posted their own versions, photoshopping their favorite anime girls next to rugged, "man vs. society" types.

The trend went on through the rest of 2022, and people just don't seem to get tired of it: one playlist with various versions of the song has over 400 videos in it! And YouTube user Aydumarp Ayaranid took it upon themselves to comment on every single 'Just the Two of Us' meme on YouTube, assigning everyone he found a number and writing, "hoping to find more."

Who Wrote 'Just the Two of Us'?

"Just the Two of Us" was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. The song was recorded by saxophonist and one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre Grover Washington Jr., with singer Bill Withers on the vocals. The song appeared on Washington's 1980 album Winelight, and reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for three weeks.

Why the "Just the Two of Us" Trend Is So Popular

There are several reasons why 'Just the Two of Us' memes are so popular. First of all, the memes seem to serve the idea of anime girls being pure and desirable, a concept long perpetuated in memes all over the internet. After all, the dream of being with an anime girl is not a concept alien to young men online.

The idea is further supported by the inclusion of sigma male characters, since they are exactly the type of guys who fall into the Literally Me category and whom young men tend to look up to nowadays, ironically or unironically. Finally, it's the 'love conquers all' vibe that makes 'Just the Two of Us' memes even more relatable to lonely hearts.

Finally, some pairings simply make for a good laugh. A serial killer next to Monika from DDLC? Gus Fring together with Makima?

For the full history of Just the Two of Us be sure to check out our entry for more information.