“Ruby-chan!”
“Hai!” (Yes!)
“Nani ga suki?” (What do you like?)
“Choco-minto yorimo anata.” (More than chocolate mint, I like you!)
If you spent any time on TikTok or Instagram in 2025, the “Ruby-chan” trend probably lives rent-free in your brain. It’s usually paired with a high-pitched voice, a too-cute wink or perky dance moves—all perfectly timed to the last sugary syllable of anata.
At first glance, it’s just another cutesy anime-style trend. But the clip comes from an actual song by a real idol group, and the way it’s gone global says a lot about how Japanese pop culture, especially idol and kawaii aesthetics, are evolving online.
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Who Is AiScReam?
The sound comes from AiScReam, a relatively new Japanese idol unit whose entire concept is sweetness. Their name is a wordplay on “ai,” meaning love, "scream" and “ice cream,” and their visual branding leans heavily into pastel color palettes, anime and bubblegum energy.
The group had its live debut at the Love Live! Series Asia Tour in February 2025. The part that’s gone viral comes from a call-and-response section in one of the songs they performed, “AI SCREAM!.”
After Love Live!’s official TikTok account dropped a clip of that moment, the algorithm took it from there—over 10 million views in just a few days. It didn’t take long before parodies started flooding in: anime cosplayers, thirst-traps, car headlights mouthing the words and even Donald Trump and Elon Musk calling to each other: "Trump-chan! Musk-chan!." You name it, someone’s made a version.
The clip kept spreading long after that first wave. By November 2025, it had passed 25 million views on TikTok. That December, it won Video of the Year at the TikTok Awards Japan 2025, where Ai Furihata and Akari Onishi, the voices of Ruby and Ayumu, accepted the award on stage. The phrase also took silver at Gadget Tsushin’s 2025 Netto Ryukogo Taisho (Internet Buzzword Award).
There’s something universal about the format. You don’t need to speak Japanese to get the joke. The setup is familiar—a question and an exaggeratedly sweet answer. The rhythm and tone do most of the work, and the final anata (“you”) lands like a mic drop.
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Kawaii as Performance
This trend isn’t just about being cute—it’s about playing cute. And that’s a huge part of kawaii culture in Japan. Idol interactions are often scripted to feel spontaneous. They’re structured around emotional intimacy and fan service, designed to make fans feel special—like they’re the “you” in the lyric.
TikTok, in many ways, runs on that same kind of performance. You’re not just showing yourself—you’re performing a version of yourself for an audience. That’s likely why this particular trend has spread so easily. It's not just a clip of an idol—it invites you to become one.
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Why It Works Outside Japan, Too
Japanese idol culture has always had a dedicated international fan base, but short-form video apps have changed the game. A sound doesn’t need to be translated. It just needs to hit right.
It also taps into global ideas of “cute” that aren’t necessarily tied to language. Think Sanrio characters, gacha-pon miniatures and food-themed aesthetics. “Chocolate-mint” as a flavor isn’t just a sweet—it’s practically a personality in Japan. By saying “I like you more than choco-mint,” the speaker is making the highest of compliments, wrapped in a pastel pink bow.
And people get that, even outside Japan—or at least they feel it. So they lip-sync it, mimic it and remix it with their own versions of what kawaii means to them.
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What It Says About Internet Trends
Every few months, TikTok latches onto a sound that transcends borders, and AiScReam’s “Ruby-chan” trend is one of those. It’s playful, easy to copy and weirdly intimate. It also reinforces a trend we’ve been seeing: the rise of niche Japanese subcultures going mainstream through meme-ification.
Like previous audio clips from anime or pop songs, this one bridges a language gap with tone, context and sheer charm. All while opening the door for more Japanese artists to get noticed, not because they’re targeting the West, but because the internet decided they’re fun.
And in a sea of ironic, self-aware content, sometimes what people want is just 5 seconds of pure, unfiltered sweetness.
Wanna learn more about the depths of Japanese meme culture?
Allen-sama: Japan’s “FlopTok” Icon?【A Guide to Japanese Meme Culture】
English Translation of the “Ruby-chan” Trend
Ruby-chan!
Hai! (Yes?)
Nani ga suki? (What do you like?)
Choco-minto yorimo anata. (More than chocolate mint, I like you!)
Ayumu-chan!
Hai! (Yes?)
Nani ga suki? (What do you like?)
Sutoroberi fureiba yorimo anata. (More than strawberry flavor, I like you!)
Shiki-chan!
Hai! (Yes?)
Nani ga suki? (What do you like?)
Kukki endo kurimo yorimo anata. (More than cookies and cream, I like you!)
Minna! (Everyone!)
Hai! (Yes?)
Nani ga suki? (What do you like?)
Mochiron dai suki AiScReam! (Of course, I love AiScReam!)
More Information:
While AiScReam does not yet have an official Instagram account, you can find more information about the trio through Love Live.