7 Beautiful Friendships Seen And Formed On "KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR"
As the entertaining spectrum of a show, "KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR," came to an end on Jun. 3, it made fans feel bittersweet. The sweetness came from seeing their faves ending the show successfully, and the bitterness came with the realization that they would no longer see the boy groups interacting with each other.
It was a rollercoaster of a show, for both the groups involved and their fans. Many fans, on Twitter, have agreed that (besides the final results) the best thing that came out of the show was the friendships. The groups had several performances and challenges where they had to collaborate with or compete against each other. These groups consisted of Stray Kids, BTOB, iKON, SF9, THE BOYZ, and ATEEZ, and they did not disappoint when it came to cute and hilarious interactions. A few of the contestants were already friends and reunited on the show, but a lot of new friendships were formed as well.
You could see them becoming closer on screen as a result of spending so much time together (the show was broadcast from April to June 2021). However, BTOB's Peniel actually opened up about what it was like being on the show and revealed (on the podcast "GET REAL") that the "KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR" production team wouldn't let them interact with each other before stages. Despite this, the boys still managed to form some genuine friendships.
Here's a list (in no particular order) of some of the most beautiful friendships formed on the show that we got to witness.
1. iKON's Chan and SF9's Chani
The first friendship is actually a long-standing one. iKON’s Chan (formerly known as ChanWoo) and SF9’s Chani became friends as child actors and are still close. So much so, that on “KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR,” Chan even called Chani for advice on which song to perform for a challenge. Here is an article all about it.
Chani had advised Chan to perform either 'KILLING ME' or 'I'm OK,' and Chan actually followed his advice and added 'KILLING ME' to the medley they would perform. Chani was super impressed that Chan listened to him, clapping proudly when the song started.
Fans actually believe that Chan and Chani's friendship created the bridge to iKON and SF9's new friendship.
2. iKON and SF9
Whilst individual members within the groups have gotten along well, iKON and SF9 have become a family. Some fans have even expressed the need for a reality show with the two groups because they get along so well!
SF9's ZuHo actually said that they felt no competition with the group because they just felt like comfortable neighborhood friends.
3. ATEEZ's WooYoung and Stray Kids' ChangBin
This friendship has been a fan favorite since they started showing it off on the first episode. ATEEZ's WooYoung and Stray Kids' ChangBin have been inseparable since the first airing of the show.
During Stray Kids’ 'I'll Be Your Man' performance. WooYoung couldn’t stop bragging to his members about the fact that ChangBin is his friend and kept saying how cool he thinks ChangBin is throughout the performance.
He even held up a fan sign on his phone, during their 'Side Effects + God's Menu' performance, saying that ChangBin is sexy when he raps.
He had another one that said, “My friend ChangBin is the best,” too.
In fact, their nicknames for each other are 알콩 (pronounced alkong- which is ChangBin) and 달콩 (pronounced dalkong - which is WooYoung). 알콩달콩 (alkong-dalkong) translates to 'lovey-dovey' in English, showing just how much these two adore each other as friends.
4. ATEEZ's WooYoung and Stray Kids' Felix
WooYoung was clearly not holding back on his charisma as another friendship bloomed with Stray Kids' Felix. They performed together in round 3 of "KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR," performing the song 'Wolf.' Their chemistry is undeniable which can be seen in the stunt that they performed where Felix launches himself onto WooYoung's chest.
See the full performance below.
Additionally, fans can't help but gush over the heart-melting hug that Felix and WooYoung shared at the final show after the winner was announced.
5. iKON's Bobby and SF9's HwiYoung
This friendship is another result of the unit challenge. After the challenge, iKON's Bobby and SF9's HwiYoung became inseparable. It was actually to the point that on the final stage, HwiYoung was next to Bobby and in between iKON members, earning him a nickname as the 7th member of iKON. The two became close after learning that they have a lot in common. They are both introverted and claim to not be well-spoken. They even have the same MBTI personality type which is INFP. Watch the video below to see how well they hit it off.
6. iKON's DK and SF9's Yoo TaeYang
iKON's DK (formerly known as DongHyuk), SF9's Yoo TaeYang, and THE BOYZ's JuYeon all got incredibly close during their unit challenge, but fans are particularly obsessed with DK and Yoo TaeYang's newly formed friendship.
During a V-Live, Yoo TaeYang mentioned how DK called him when he was bored and asked him to play the game Minecraft with him. Yoo TaeYang doesn't usually play games but he gave it a try. DK built a villa, so Yoo TaeYang built a basement that connects to DK's yard. He seemed excited to finish up the building when they both have free time again. How sweet is their gaming bromance?
Fans even noticed that Yoo TaeYang commented on one of DK's latest Instagram photos saying that he was cool. DK responded affectionately with, "You're cooler."
iKON's DK's Instagram
7. All of the groups
Although the focus has been on a few friendships that were formed. It is clear, when watching the final stage, that all of the groups became close. There were obviously more friendships formed on and off-stage than the cameras could pick up on nor we could know about. Regardless, we're happy that despite the tough competitive nature of this survival show, all of our faves earned themselves some genuine friendships.
It's always exciting to see our favorite groups interacting with each other, but even more heartwarming to see them form genuine friendships. Here's hoping we get to witness more cross-fandom interactions soon!
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