BTS comeback, with a bang

Back in 2022, BTS hit pause right at the peak of their global fame. The reason? South Korea’s mandatory military service. Every member: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, had to enlist, one after another.The group stopped performing as a whole, but that didn’t mean they disappeared. Each member went off and did their own thing: solo albums, projects, you name it. Even then, BTS never really left the charts. They kept breaking streaming records and stayed right at the top, even without group activities.Their last big show before the break, in Busan, felt more like “see you soon” than “goodbye.” Fans always knew they’d come back.And they did. On March 21, 2026, BTS stormed back onto the stage at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square. This was their first time performing together since finishing military service, and the city went wild. Over 260,000 people showed up in person, and millions more watched live on Netflix. Seoul just turned into a huge party, with fans everywhere, singing, waving their light sticks. The city had to close roads, and security was everywhere, just to keep up with the crowds.RM started things off with a simple, “We’re back.” That’s all it took: instant, deafening cheers, people crying, everyone feeling that sense of reunion after all these years.

Fans’ reaction to BTS big return

The whole event, ‘BTS The Comeback Live: ARIRANG’, was a spectacle. Gwanghwamun Square looked incredible, with lights and visuals lighting up the historic backdrop. The city turned purple, the color of BTS fandom. The setlist jumped between new tracks and old favorites, so fans got the best of both worlds. Even with a few hiccups, as RM had to sit out parts of the show because of an ankle injury, the energy never dropped.But the real story? The fans. The crowd brought all the emotion.Per popular outlets, Some people called the show “awesome.” Others just said it was “unreal” and “worth every second of the wait.” Fans came in from all over, Mexico, Japan, Europe, just to see it happen in person.According to The Guardian, there was Atsumi Shioya, just 18, who flew in from Shizuoka, Japan, with her mom, Ayako, a ballet pianist. They grabbed what tickets they could: impossible to get, since they sold out in minutes. Ayako managed to snag one, but Atsumi came anyway, just to be there. “Their voices, their dances. I think I’ll cry if I see all seven performing,” Ayako said, waiting for the show to start.Adelina Gainanova, 24, from Russia, found BTS before she ever set foot in Korea, and now she lives there. Seeing them live was “just amazing,” she said. She couldn’t believe how organized everything was, either.Then there’s An So-young, 41, an English teacher from Cheongju, about 110km from Seoul. She was still trying to process everything after the show. What stuck with her was a moment during “Body to Body,” when the traditional “arirang” melody suddenly appeared, clear as day. “The album is called Arirang,” she said. “So I’d been wondering how they’d include it.”

The spectacular comeback: All about it

BTS’s comeback concert wasn’t the only big thing happening. The band dropped their new album, ‘Arirang’, at the same time. It’s their first major album in almost six years, and fans didn’t waste a second. Per the New York Post, nearly four million copies were sold on day one. It shot straight to the top of the streaming charts, everywhere.‘Arirang’ isn’t just an album, it’s a statement. Named after a classic Korean folk song, it mixes up modern pop, hip-hop, and all kinds of experimental sounds, but still has that unmistakable Korean heart. Fourteen tracks, blending old and new, and during the concert, they played songs like ‘Body to Body’, ‘Hooligan’, and ‘Swim’ live for the first time, right alongside their classics like ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Butter’.During the show, per Euro News, member J-Hope admitted they had moments of doubt during the hiatus, wondering if fans would still remember them. That vulnerable confession felt real, and it resonated strongly, making the reunion feel even more meaningful. Jimin echoed the sentiment, saying they had always trusted that their sincerity would reach their audience. And they did! The night in Seoul stood as a testament to that.

While many sequences were carefully choreographed, some moments came together spontaneously on set. Aejaz recalled one such instance where a violent scene involving Hamza was improvised during filming. “A lot of ideas were created on the spot. Aditya wanted the action to feel ‘manly’—not just simple pushes or throws,” he explained.The film’s climactic stretch, which runs for over half an hour, proved especially demanding. According to Aejaz, the masjid sequence alone required six days of rehearsal and 14 days of shooting. Maintaining continuity across such an extended sequence was no easy feat, with every department, from hair and makeup to costumes, meticulously documenting each detail to ensure consistency.He also spoke about the intense chain fight between Arjun Rampal and Ranveer Singh, where Rampal’s character nearly strangles Ranveer’s. “We obviously couldn’t use a real chain, so we designed a rubber prop. It wouldn’t cut the skin, but it still caused pain—and Ranveer bore it. So did Arjun. Both of them got injured multiple times during that climax,” he revealed.Despite sustaining injuries, neither actor eased up. “They wouldn’t stop—even during rehearsals, they pushed each other for real. They were so immersed in the scene that even after getting hurt, they refused to take breaks. We use lighter props for safety, but when used with force, they still hurt. In that chain sequence, we even had to stretch Ranveer Singh’s eyes when Arjun tightened the chain around his face,” he revealed.