BTS go rogue with Hooligan music video: A throwback to their 'Dark & Wild' era

BTS return with Hooligan, a dark, rap-driven anthem from their reunion album ARIRANG. The dystopian music video marks a bold shift, revisiting their Dark & Wild era with themes of power, rebellion and legacy.

In Short

• Hooligan video showcased dystopian, chaotic visuals
• BTS embraced raw power over polished style
• Rapline lead with intense, theatrical verses

In a comeback steeped in symbolism, BTS have unveiled what may be their most provocative visual to date. The music video for Hooligan, a standout track from their reunion album ARIRANG, plays like a deliberate rewind—returning to chaos, grit and an era when the group thrived in darkness.

Set within a brooding, dystopian landscape, Hooligan positions BTS at the centre of a fractured, lawless world. Masked dancers, shadowy corridors and an atmosphere of controlled anarchy dominate the frame. The visual language marks a stark departure from their more recent, polished work, instead embracing stylised rebellion. It is less about refinement and more about raw power—performative, intense and slightly unhinged.

Watch the video here:

For long-time ARMY, the parallels are unmistakable. Hooligan feels spiritually aligned with the group’s earlier, more aggressive hip-hop phase, particularly the Dark & Wild era, when angst, swagger and defiance shaped both their sound and storytelling.

The distinction, however, lies in intent. This is no longer youthful rebellion, but calculated dominance. The track leans into alternative hip-hop, layering metallic, almost industrial beats with forceful rap verses that foreground identity and legacy. A clear creative choice emerges: the rapline takes centre stage.

RM, Suga and J-Hope lead with commanding presence, delivering a hook that edges into theatrical villainy, underscored by a maniacal intensity that cuts through the track’s heavy production. Their performance anchors the song with a braggadocious, confrontational energy reminiscent of their pre-global superstardom days. In contrast, the vocal line—Jungkook, Jin, Jimin and V—introduce soaring, almost ethereal hooks, providing balance without diluting the track’s core identity as a rap-driven anthem.

Hooligan arrives at a pivotal moment in BTS’ trajectory. Following a near four-year hiatus and a period of individual artistic exploration, ARIRANG was widely expected to signal reinvention. Instead, BTS appear to be reclaiming something more instinctive—the hunger, the chaos and the unapologetic edge that first defined them.

It is not merely a throwback, but a declaration: the artists who once raged against the system now stand in control of it—entirely on their own terms.

- Ends