Rent-A-Girlfriendwas definitely an unexpected breakout hit in the 2020 summer anime season, but an appreciated one, to say the least. It features a down on his luck college student, Kazuya Kinosh*ta, as he gets wrapped up in a web of his own lies after using a rental girlfriend dating app. Hilarity and love triangle hijinks ensue as he and thewildly "out-of-his-league"Chizuru Mizuhara try to keep it— and her job— a secret.
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It's an interesting premise with some goodhumor, some genuinely warm moments, and of course, a memorable female cast that fans have gone crazy for. And with all that popularity, comes an overflow of hilarious memes.
10 She Protecc, She Attacc, But Most Importantly...
There are many sides to rental girlfriend Chizuru. While working her job, she comes off as sweet and simply adorable, though when alone with Kazuya she's unafraid to speak her mind and call him out when he's in the wrong. Yet throughout all the mistakes and mishaps that Kazuya has dragged her into, she protects their secret as best she can.
This classic meme template celebrates the many aspects of Chizuru, from her fiery behavior to her more kind and loving "act".It's definitely one of the more wholesome memes for a series that's got its fair share of mature moments.
9 The Perfect Live-Action Version Of Kazuya Already Exists
Ruh-roh! Therehave beenmany great examples for the "Netflix Adaptation" meme over the years, but this one seems so accurate that it's almost scary. In it, Kazuya from the anime is compared to his supposed Netflix iteration, which is actually just a picture of Matthew Lillard's Shaggy from the live-actionScooby-Doomovies.
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It could just be because of the green shirt, or that Kazuya does sort of look like a younger version of Shaggy, buteither way it's very close. If nothing else, at least it's closer than Death Note's Netflixadaptation.
8 Kibe Channels His Inner Anakin Skywalker
Mami Nanami dumps Kazuya not even a minute into the first episode, after dating for only a month. This sends Kazuya into a spiral that leads him to get entangled in his rental girlfriend-related lies, but it's also not the last time he ends up seeing Mami. She very quickly becomes an antagonistic force in the story, not only taking opportunities to humiliate Kazuya but also lead him on.
This meme relives the scene during the beach episode where Kazuya's buddy, Kibe, calls Mami out on her toxic behavior. The cherry on top is that third panel that puts Kibe in the role of Anakin fromRevenge of the Sith,which strikes her argument down without even needing a lightsaber.
7 Chizuru Literally Roasts Kazuya
At this point, it's amazing Kazuya was able to keep his "relationship" with Chizuru going for so long before he actually got a job. She doesn't come cheap and Kazuya gets reminded of it pretty much every step of the way— another form of karma for him, to be honest.
Here we see that Chizuru is also skilled in the art ofNaruto'sschool of ninjutsu, as she shows the viewer how to perform the "Fireball Jutsu" while also roasting Kazuya on how much he owes her too. He's going to need ice for that burn.
6 KazuyaBringsEmilia FromRe:ZeroInto The Love Triangle
Ruka Sarushina is another fan-favorite character from this series. Starting off as another obstacle for Kazuya and Chizuru, her role soon changed to that of a romantic rival instead. Regardless of her reasoning, she admits to loving Kazuya, though he has a different girl on his mind.
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In this meme, Kazuya admits that he's actually in love withRe:Zero'sEmilia, mirroring the scene where Rem confesses to Subaru but gets rejected too. Regardless, Kazuya has feelings for someone else and poor Ruka joins Rem in thatclub for heartbreak.
5 Mami Vs. The Boulder's Conflicted Feelings
As one could probably expect from seeing Mami'smanipulative personalityand disdain for Kazuya and Chizuru (whether their relationship is real or not), the character very quickly became one of the most hated characters in the anime. To an outsider who hasn't seen the anime before, it may seem unfair— but with a closer look, the reason for the hate becomes clear.
This meme hilariously portrays that by using the pro-wrestlerEarthbender from Avatar the Last Airbender—The Boulder— in place of the audience who gets "over his conflicted feelings" after seeing Mami's toxic behavior.
4 Most Of The Plot Would Evaporate If Kazuya Didn't Lie
While some of his misfortune comes down to bad luck, a lot of the time that Kazuya suffers, it's due to his own mistakes. This is largely in part because of all the lies that he tells towards the beginning of the series thatspiral out of control pretty fast and creates a whole lot of awkward situations.
Despite how bad he apparently feels about it, he keeps on lying anyway and chickens out on most opportunities to fess up.As this meme points out, the story ofRent-A-Girlfriendwould be pretty short if Kazuya managed to grow a backbone and actually tell the truth for a change.
3 It's Only RelatableTo Fellow Simps
Kazuya's labeled as a loser pretty early on in the series, and it's brutal to the point where even his own family thinks he's pathetic. Given his actions throughout the series and how little he stands up for himself (especially towards Mami), fans have been quick to point out the Kazuya fits snuggly in the "simp" category.
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Kazuya's simp status has been debatable and in some cases, fans are turned off by him. However, some do actually relate to a few aspects of Kazuya's position,though as this meme illustrates it, there's a good chance those who feel that way would probably keep that part to themselves.
2 Worst Girl In A Line Of Worst Girls
Every anime has fans who are willing to debate over who is "best girl", andRent-A-Girlfriendis no different in this regard. In Mami's case, most were quick to call her out as "worst girl" which is pretty easy to see by now. She's the kind of ex-girlfriend archetype that hits too close to home for some people.
In this Spongebob meme, Mami disputes the claim of being the worst girl, only to see the worst girls of past anime seasons, including Sakura from Naruto, Nina from Code Geass,andMyne fromRising of the Shield Hero.The most hilarious member of this groupends up beingRachel fromTower of God.
1 Who Does Kazuya "Belong To," Really?
Rent-A-Girlfriendis technically a romantic comedy rather than a "harem anime," though calling it the latter would be understandable. Unlike most anime in this setup, theextended female cast is more or less using Kazuya for one reason or another, whether their feelings for him are genuine or not. Regardless, it is still a tug of war between all of them in this odd love triangle.
In this meme, using the "your/our" setup, Chizuru tries to get people to stop badmouthing "her" Kazuya, only for Ruka, Mami, and Sumi to claim that he's actually "our Kazuya." Regardless of their relationship to Kazuya, this meme format is perfect for this anime.
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