After seven years, BTS is back with one of the most anticipated returns in music history. On March 21, 2026, all seven members — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — reunited at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square for BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG, a Netflix livestream that drew over 250,000 fans to the historic square and reached viewers around the world.
BTS performed 12 songs total. The setlist blended BTS new songs from the ARIRANG album with fan-favorite hits including Butter, Mic Drop and Dynamite.The new material took center stage as the world got its first live look at an album that dropped just one day before the show.
After completing their mandatory military service and nearly four years apart, BTS is whole again and they are just getting started.
@netflixkr 3월 21일, 전 세계가 함께한 순간. 그리고 다시 시작되는 그들의 이야기. <BTS 컴백 라이브: ARIRANG>, <BTS: 더 리턴> 절찬 스트리밍 중. 오직 넷플릭스에서. #BTSLiveonNetflix #BTS_더리턴 #BTSTheReturn #BTS_ARIRANG ♬ original sound - Netflix Korea
3 Predictions for the BTS ARIRANG World Tour Based on Their Comeback Show
The BTS ARIRANG World Tour does not officially kick off until April 2026 but ARMY is already trying to piece together what it will look like. With 82+ dates across 34 cities and 23 countries it is the biggest tour BTS has ever done and the only real preview anyone has gotten so far is the Netflix BTS special. Fans are now combing through every detail of the Gwanghwamun performance trying to figure out what those extra hours will hold.
Here is what the Gwanghwamun performance tells us about what may be coming:
- Deep cuts are finally getting their live debut.
There is a whole corner of the BTS discography that has only ever lived in headphones. Songs like Run BTS are widely predicted to make the Arirang tour setlist as a bridge between who BTS was and who they are now.
Fans are also speculating if Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) – released in 2022 just before the military hiatus – will finally make its full tour debut.
RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook also spent the hiatus quietly dropping solo albums that collectively broke multiple records. None of that material has ever been performed live on a full stadium tour.
The Netflix BTS special only covered eight tracks from the ARIRANG album and some of the group’s hits, so there is a lot of setlist real estate still up for grabs.
- The hanbok aesthetic is going global.
BTS has dabbled in traditional Korean aesthetics and imagery in different eras. But they are leaning in for this comeback, and we got a preview of it during the comeback show.
What debuted at Gwanghwamun was not just a costume choice. The hanbok-inspired styling carried real cultural weight and it read loud and clear on an international stage. It would not be surprising that this kind of identity does not get left behind after one night. Expect the same aesthetic direction to carry through every stop on the BTS ARIRANG World Tour from Seoul to São Paulo.
- A 360-degree stage that puts every ARMY in the front row.
Seat plans for the world tour were released when ticket sales opened, giving a preview of the 360-degree concert stage. The in-the-round setup fits an average of 64,000 fans per show and with moving catwalks and multi-directional screens built into the production there is genuinely no bad spot in the house. If the production is anything like the Gwanghwamun comeback show, alls fans are able to have a good view of the performances.
@netflixkr “𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻" <BTS 컴백 라이브: ARIRANG> 지금 넷플릭스에서 생중계 중 🔴 #BTSLiveonNetflix #BTS_ARIRANG
♬ original sound - Netflix Korea
The Experience Beyond the Setlist
Before hitting the road, BTS was in the United States for promotional activities supporting ARIRANG including a Spotify event in New York where the members answered fan questions and performed. Back-to-back appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on March 25 and 26 follow closely behind. Consider these the final warm-up before the stadium era begins.
The BTS Netflix comeback was never just a concert. It was a proof of concept. Seven men stepped back onto a stage and showed the world exactly who they are and what they owe their audience. The BTS World Tour is where that promise gets paid in full city by city for the next twelve months.
BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG and the BTS: THE RETURN Documentary are streaming now on Netflix. The ARIRANG World Tour begins April 9, 2026 in Goyang, South Korea.
