I’m feeling so many mixed emotions right now. On the one hand, I’m sad that the conclusion of Kingdom has arrived – no more top-notch stages from this mix of veteran and up-and-coming Kpop leaders to look forward to each week. On the other hand, I think all the groups and their fandoms alike are joining in a collective sigh of relief that it is done – we can all get some well-earned and much-needed rest! But first, come check out all the fun finale stages and find out who was crowned King!
Over the last 100 days, these six team have come together to compete, yes, but also to step outside their comfort zones, learn, grow and bring a stronger and brighter version of themselves to the stage. Whether it was industry seniors BtoB or newcomer maknaes ATEEZ, each group valued the experience that came with their participation in Kingdom – most notably the camaraderie and friendships that blossomed in the midst of this legendary match-up.
First to the stage for the finale was ATEEZ! Whether it was from the examples of their seniors or through their own experiences, their mindset throughout the last ten weeks has been to view Kingdom as a place of learning. Their new song, ‘The Real’, was a fantastic essay on the culmination of their lessons. Exuding confidence in their own unique brand and styling, their message with this last performance was loud and clear — being humble and showing kindness is the epitome of truly being ‘cool’.
With another strong song written by 3Racha, ‘Wolfgang’ expresses the challenges that Stray Kids faced during their memorable time on Kingdom. They brought their opening stage ‘Wolf’ full circle as they once again showed off their dark and wild side. Stray Kids’ raw energy is a force to be reckoned with, and this final performance just a stepping-stone on their path to prestige.
The Boyz are true challengers! Not only have they endured the prior full season of Road to Kingdom, they have also withstood the highs and lows of the recent gauntlet that is Kingdom: Legendary War. Although it’s been long journey, The Boyz were eager to take to the stage in their finale performance. Always striving to work harder and shine brighter, they proudly concluded their time together with the sentimental, passionate song, ‘Kingdom Come’.
BtoB have been unlikely contenders from the very beginning of Kingdom. Ten years senior to the youngest competitors, they themselves questioned whether a vocal group could attempt to challenge a roster of strong performance teams. But, echoing their motto “Dreamers Don’t Die”, they chose to seize the opportunity to tackle stages that had, up until now, only been a dream. With lyrics that speak on their past decade together, ‘Finale (Show and Prove)’ is a heartfelt autobiography and beautiful conclusion to “Act 1” of BtoB’s career!
iKon always maintains a good balance between work and play and this vibe is at the forefront of their finale song ‘At Ease’. Behind the scenes they worked non-stop, pulling together more closely as a team, to bring stages that everyone could enjoy. Rather than focus on the Kingdom title and trophy, iKon’s reward was seeing their fans’ happy responses to their performances. Their dance party enthusiasm is contagious – it was impossible to stay seated by the end of their final stage!
The last group performance of the evening was SF9! Though unsure in the beginning, they sought to prove their worth on the Kingdom stage. Desiring to highlight music they liked most, they gained a team unity and confidence with each subsequent stage. In their finale song, ‘Believer’, SF9 showcased not only a belief in themselves as performers, but celebrated their fans’ continued belief and support of them as well.
Emphasizing the friendships and teamwork on display by all groups in Kingdom, the viewers were treated to one last finale stage. Nicknamed the King’s Voice — BtoB’s Eunkwang, iKon’s Donghyuk, SF9’s Inseong, The Boyz’s Hyunjae, Stray Kids’ Seungmin, and ATEEZ’s Jongho — paid tribute to the last 4 months spent together in the song ‘Boy’s Diary’.
Combining streaming counts of the finale songs on select music platforms, as well as live fan votes during the last performances, AND adding them to the cumulative points from the previous 9 weeks. . . FINALLY a winner was declared! Congratulations to Stray Kids for claiming the crown in Kingdom: Legendary War!!
A Fangirl’s Final Unfiltered Thoughts
You guys. . . I am SO glad this show is over! While I have loved all the tremendously phenomenal stages, everything else to do with this program behind the scenes has been a hot mess and I am just done! I know I sound like a broken record, but there was really no need to make this show a competition!! Whew, okay! Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.
Now, for some happy thoughts!
I have a confession to make – I’ve totally decided to become a Melody! That’s right, BtoB completely won my heart during this show and I adore the members tremendously. Between Eunkwang’s positive and cheerful leadership, Changsub’s effortless humor, Peniel’s humble personality, or MinHyuk’s music producing talents, they are a fantastic team of singers and performers and I will be cheering them on from here on out! (Can’t wait for Hyunsik and Sungjae to finish their military service and re-join the team too!)
As far as impact goes, I feel that ATEEZ benefitted most from this program. Their domestic recognition has grown leaps and bounds – I’m hopeful that the new Korean fans will help them gain much-deserved appreciation and support in their home country!!
It was a common theme among all the groups that working to prepare for this show brought the members closer together, in their own teams and for the joint stages. At the end of the day, I think strengthening of team bonds and fostering of friendships were the two best things to come out of this show. . . after the amazing stages, of course!
So now that we’ve wrapped up Kingdom, Kpop fans, I want to know – which stages were ultimately your favorite?? Share with me in the comments!!
화이팅!
MiataMama
Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
For the final stages…
ATEEZ has made me love them. I am going to have to go listen to all of their albums. I loved the concept and how they kept it simplistic enough so that I was able to focus on the voices and the music but still enjoy all the props. The puppet sequence was hilarious! Loved the message as well. Putting armbands on all the members was a genius way to help the non-Atinys keep track of them amidst all the supporting dancers.
Stray Kids are my babies, so I love them. That they did a brand new song was quite the ambitious feat to pull off. That said, their stages end up feeling very cluttered to me, like they decided to do all the great ideas instead of just focusing on one or two. I love their wild and raw approach, but it was hard to pay attention to the music because they had so much going on. Still very proud of them though.
iKon – That “yessir” had to be the cheekiest yessir in the history of yessirs. I think theirs was a good example of a crazy concept done simply but without losing any of the emotion they were going for.
SF9 had the most interesting concept (by interesting I mean made me think about what they were trying to say) with the light vs dark. The camera work was not that great and feels like it missed some or tarnished some key moments.
For the show as a whole…
I have enjoyed watching all the stages, but I agree that I’m glad it is over. The shooting schedule was insane and I hope all of these guys get some good well-deserved rest now. Also, since it is over, does this mean we can get Hyunjin back now? I miss my favorite stringbean.
I’m so happy to hear that you are checking out the ATEEZ discography! Have you found some new favorite songs?
Also, I was thrilled to see that HyunJin has returned – it makes my heart happy to see Kpop teams whole once again!!
I don’t watch a lot of variety and this “already formed boy group competition” is a new concept to me. They blow me away with how amazingly hard they work. I too am glad it’s over in a way 😉
I started watching Imitation in the mean time and all of a sudden I am so much more aware of the idol actors! The story is pretty addictive (and frustrating at only one episode a week!) Hope you get to check it out!
I’m watching Imitation as well. Went in with zero expectations, and found it surprisingly good. Also recognizing more faces from Kingdom: Legendary War.
I’ve been struggling thru the long weekly waits between episodes too, but Imitation has been a fun, fictional (yet strikingly accurate in some aspects) take on the lives of Kpop idols. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces from Kingdom: LW on the show!!
Once again everyone did amazing work for the finale! They are all Kings in my book. That being said, congratulations to Stray Kids. I’m hoping they ask all the other teams to be guests on their prize reality show. (Whenever it airs) I’m both happy and sad that it’s over. I’m happy to finally reach a conclusion after all these weeks of competition, but I’m also a bit sad to say goodbye to both all the groups and my fellow watchers. I enjoyed interacting with everyone each week to discuss each episode and the performances.
Show was at its best when showcasing the camraderie and support between all the groups and giving insight into the creative process of making a stage performance, from concept through rehearsals to final performance. Round 3 was my favorite with the groups working together in teams. Agree strongly that Show did not have to be a survival competition program, and was at its weakest when using those type elements.
Of course, we’ll never know the truth of what went on during the filming, but I sincerely hope that all the groups were able to come away from Kingdom: Legendary War with positive experiences and memories. I hope all groups were able to challenge themselves and grow artistically, broaden their fanbases, show new sides of themselves to industry peers, meet new people, network, and make positive professional and personal connections. Hopefully, friendships and mentorships were forged.
I thought that the Finale was going to be a live concert experience, so it surprised me when some of the groups were lip synching and doing more of a dance performance as I was expecting just live singing with minimal stagecraft. I was disappointed not to hear live vocals from all of the groups, but I did enjoy all the performances. My favorites were BTOB, SF9, and King’s Voice.
My Overall Top Favorite Performances from the Show:
Team Mayfly Vocal Performance “Love Poem”- The Standout of the whole show. It turned into “A Moment” and will be remembered for years to come.
SF9 Round 3 “Move”- SF9 took this cover and made something new while paying homage to the original. Showed their growth and creativity.
ATEEZ Round 1 “Wonderland: Into The New World”- Showcased both what the Judges would be looking for in all future performances (strong storyline, use of props, strong choreography) and what 4th Gen groups are all about (High energy, fast dance moves)
BTOB Round 2 “Back Door” and Round 3 “Blue Moon”- Each was different, but both had great stories and great vocals that were just fun to watch
I have to say I think I became a baby Melody too after watching BTOB performances and interactions. I think that BTOB and SF9 showed the most growth on the program.
I’m new to the K Pop scene but I have gained an appreciation for all of the groups and I wish each one of them continued success!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts each week!! It really made the program more fun (and a bit less stressful) to hear everyone’s take on the performances. And I’m happy to know that you also became a baby Melody because of the show! In the end, gaining new fans to support the artists in their future endeavors is the best win for ALL the groups!!