Although there are still nearly two months to go before BTS officially make their comeback, the atmosphere surrounding this return has already become electrifying on a global scale. A large installation featuring the group’s logo has appeared on the steps of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, while the Empire State Building in New York released a video of the landmark illuminated in purple with the message “BTS IS COMING BACK” on its official social media accounts. Across online communities and forums, discussions about BTS’s return are everywhere.
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This level of excitement is well-founded, as the upcoming release marks BTS’s first full-group comeback with all seven members in three years and nine months, since the anthology album Proof was released in June 2022. Looking specifically at studio albums, it is also the group’s first full-length album in six years and one month, following Map of the Soul: 7, which was released in February 2020.
Meanwhile, according to BigHit Music’s latest announcement on January 5, BTS’s fifth full-length album will consist of a total of 14 tracks and is scheduled for release at 1 p.m. KST on March 20. The company stated that BTS have been fully focused on the album’s production since the second half of 2025, devoting significant effort to capturing “the BTS of today,” as well as creating “a heartfelt way of saying thank you to ARMY, who have been there this whole time.”
From these new details, fans have υиєχρє¢тє∂ly discovered a striking clue, sparking speculation that the upcoming fifth full-length album may in fact be a sequel to BTS’s first studio album, Dark & Wild.
The first coincidence that sent chills through the ARMY fandom is the number of tracks. Dark & Wild, BTS’s first full-length album released in 2014, also contained exactly 14 songs—the same number as the upcoming album. Furthermore, both albums share the same release date number: Dark & Wild was released on August 20, 2014, while the fifth full-length album is set to be released on March 20, 2026.
For a group known for constructing a tightly connected and multi-layered musical universe like BTS, these “coincidences” are difficult to dismiss as purely α¢¢ι∂єитal.
Beyond the numerical similarities, fans have also pointed out several nostalgic details. During a number of recent live broadcasts, BTS members were seen dancing to or singing Danger, along with other melo∂ιєs from the Dark & Wild album. This has further strengthened ARMY’s belief that the group has been deliberately dropping hints connected to their early musical era.
Notably, both the contrasts and parallels in concept between the two albums have sent ARMY’s excitement soaring. BTS’s first full-length album, Dark & Wild, symbolized darkness, rawness, and the anxious emotions of youth, while also showcasing the group’s original hip-hop roots. In contrast, based on several recent spoilers, many ARMYs are leaning toward the theory that the new album’s concept revolves around the sun—representing rebirth, new beginnings, aspiration, and wholeness. If this theory proves true, the fifth full-length album could be understood as a conceptual mirror to Dark & Wild: a journey from darkness into light, from wildness to stability, from a starting point to completion.
In addition, when viewed as a continuous narrative from Dark & Wild to the fifth full-length album, the trajectory resembles BTS’s decade-long “from zero to hero” journey. It reflects the group’s growth and maturity in both career and music, while still preserving their core essence: hip hop, narrative-driven music, and their signature “dark & wild” spirit—now refined, fully realized, and deeper than ever before.
Although all of this remains speculation for now, there is no denying that these subtle yet striking similarities are sending waves of excitement through the global ARMY community. Social media has been flooded with emotional reactions, with fans commenting:
- Yahhhh bcz we’re back to our basics the emotional roller coaster I’m having since the new year live is h3lllll for me
- I'm sooo ready for a new cypher. This album is gonna be DARK & WILD pt.2
- you are telling me bts upcoming album has 14 tracks like 'dark & wild'!?!??!!? omg we're not ready
- They have gone back to the basics i am so ready for what they will bring in this comeback!!
- Oh gosh i don't think i'm ready yet. is this real?!? omg, it's really happening
- Actually coming back to roots !!!!! “Every time BTS release a new album, they pull us back into their universe. It’s a decade-long story that never truly ends—now I finally understand why they sang ‘Yet To Come'
- So it makes sense why bts was dancing and mentioning danger lately. I'm so ready for 20 everyone
- Dark & wild is their best album and I beg this new album will be like that
- Oh we're getting another Cypher, that's for sure. I'm so nervous. This's too huge
