Who would’ve thought that a LINE Friends character could move a whole fandom to tears?
Every ARMY since 2017 has been closely following the story of BTS’ LINE characters, BT21. Though if you’ll be needing a recap of who the BT21 characters are, well, here you go: UNIVERSTAR BT21 is the story of TATA, KOYA, RJ, SHOOKY, MANG, CHIMMY, COOKY, AND VAN and their journey to becoming the most influential pop-culture sensation.
TATA is a Prince from Planet BT, and is described as an “off-the-wall, curious soul” and has superpowers. He was created by V.
KOYA is described as a bright, multi-talented sleepyhead, whose head is always filled with deep thoughts. He was created by leader RM. KOYA represents RM’s fascination and appreciation for koalas.
RJ is a “kind, loving foodie” that absolutely loves cooking and eating (in that order). His fluffy fur coat and compassionate soul is said to make everyone feel comfortable around him. He was created by Jin, who was revealed to have created the character prior to the LINE collab.
SHOOKY is the group’s mini prankster, and definitely loves pulling pranks on his friends. His creator was Suga, who the character got his prankster side from. SHOOKY is besties with COOKY, and hates milk the most.
MANG is the gang’s “expressive faced dancing machine”—much like J-Hope himself. MANG is known for wearing a cute horse mask, which shrouded (past tense because this article is about his unmasking) his face, making his entire identity a mystery to all. MANG’s heart-shaped nose is a reference to his creator’s lips, which forms a heart when he smiles.
CHIMMY probably stands out the most due to his signature yellow hoodie, and this character is said to be a representation of BTS’ image. His creator, Jimin, made him into a puppy after fans have compared the group to puppies—as they like to be around people and are very active in their careers.
COOKY is “brawny” and full of energy, with his stamina seemingly not running out. Just like Jungkook, this muscly rabbit loves to work out at every chance he gets, and is someone you can always depend on when times get tough.
VAN is the representation of BTS’ ARMY, their beloved fandom. This character is a “sentient all-knowing guardian space robot,” and is the protector of BT21, 24/7.
Now, back to the actual article.
On February 24, 2023, the BT21 official social media accounts posted a teaser to the BT21 series titled, “INSIDE MANG,” which, kind of gave away its eventual plot: MANG’s face reveal.
Fast forward to April 5, 2023—the episode where J-Hope’s character finally reveals his true face under the horse mask. Well, needless to say, ARMYs were definitely surprised and delighted to finally see this revelation.
As well as emotional. ARMYs connected the dots after seeing Jin’s character, RJ, meet J-Hope’s character MANG on the rooftop while seeing the sunrise. This did signal that the “Hope World” rapper will be enlisting as an active-duty soldier.
I'm going to cry mang is so cute#MangFaceReveal pic.twitter.com/uNGee8geOn
— tay(tae)⁷ | 🥢d-day 아포방포 (@kimgayism) April 5, 2023
No like are you serious?
It was not meant to cry right?#MangFaceReveal was not supposed to be tearing??
Because Him and RJ😭😭😭😭😭
OMG Why would you do that to us
My babies😭😭❤️😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/QsfNI1oMRw— Niki|D-DAY IS HERE🥢💵🔥BTSMilitary wife🪖💜 (@NikiBangtan6313) April 5, 2023
WHAT A MASTERPIECE! #MANG #BT21 #MangFaceReveal
watch here:https://t.co/OtzepG3hgx pic.twitter.com/9Fe0kdQZkZ
— BTS Trend Songs⁷🥢 (@BTSTrendSongs) April 5, 2023
We love you Mang ✨💜✨💜🐿#MangFaceReveal #bts #btsfanart pic.twitter.com/qCbEjHJPwm
— Ri (+ㅅ-) 🍊🐱🐯🍓 (@tinytaegilover) April 5, 2023
OUR MANG FINALLY TAKE OF HIS MASK…..🥺❤
HE IS SO CUTE💜
WE LOVE YOU MANG…
SUPER CUTE🥺
AND IN THE LAST THE WAY HE LEAN ON RJ…..GOT ME TEARS…
HOBI JIN AND RJ MANG💜🥺#MangFaceReveal#MANG pic.twitter.com/Bky7bqF3IJ— Purple 💜 (@Purple71478143) April 5, 2023
mang is so cute pic.twitter.com/LMwUmjQhfp
— hope⁷ (@winnttaebear) April 5, 2023
Mang reveal is the cutest &
RJ was right there 😭💜#Mang #2seok #BT21 pic.twitter.com/vjRDlDChEJ— Kacey ot7💜 (@KayceLuv) April 5, 2023
SO PRECIOS ✨️✨️✨️ pic.twitter.com/806GyhT8Tl
— Autorasweetlove⁷ (@autorasweetlove) April 5, 2023
RJ&MANG Jin&Hobi pic.twitter.com/v23IcIGmp6
— 🍎キナ･ムルフェ👻T⃰h⃰e⃰ A⃰s⃰t⃰r⃰o⃰n⃰a⃰u⃰t⃰ 🚀🌎🌙*ﾟ (@21321_RJink) April 5, 2023
NOOOOOOOO HE IS SO CUTE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
— ✨Bcn For BTS✨아포방포 🐿️🐹 (@BcnForBTS) April 5, 2023
NOW THATS HOW YOU DO A FACE REVEAL pic.twitter.com/U0pvh1CaWR
— ♡shaira⁷ (@kookiesroll) April 5, 2023
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