The Bangtan Theory: I Need U Analysis

All the boys of BTS, at one point, were alive. However Jin dies and ends up sharing all these past memories he has of them from before through these music videos. Eventually they all die because they are unable to move on. BTS portrays death as an event that shouldn’t keep you from living. By showing the effects of depression on youth and allusions to other pieces of literature or forms of art, including greek mythology and the band Nirvana, they show love is not over at death.

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Who is BTS? ​

• BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) is a Korean Pop band founded by Big Hit Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea.

• BTS has 7 members and each of them are important in their own way.

• BTS performed at the BBMAs and they won Top Social Artist two years in a row.

• They also became #1 out of top 200 for Foreign Artists.

From left: V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin, JHope

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I Need U

Please watch their video.

Disclaimer: This is a story line created by BigHit Entertainment and is completely made up for the sake of other's enjoyment.

BTS met in High School but they all have troubled pasts. Jimin got lost in the woods when he was younger, JHope was abandoned by his mother at a theme park and left him with a snickers bar, V's father was an abusive alcoholic, RM lived in poverty, Jin's father controlled his every move, and Suga's house was burned down with his mother inside. This information can be found in the notes that BTS releases in their albums and photo shoots. Another factor that contributes to the BTS story line in general is the book Demian by Hermann Hesse. This is a novel that is a Bildungsroman and follows a character, Emil Sinclair, who suffers the same experiences as each of the boys.

After the boys spend a day on the beach, it is evident that they drifted apart. The scene starts out with Suga alone in a motel room and the wallpaper is ripped, showing that he is exposed; Suga is vulnerable. He is also playing with a lighter which helps to present the theory that the videos are about growing up. Playing with fire is a personification of angst in teenage-hood and the burning passion of the fact that he wants to stay in the past. The camera goes back to Jungkook who is crying which makes it obvious that the two boys fought over something since they are the two that are paired within the series and are assumed to be best friends. At the end Suga spreads gasoline and turns the room into a sort of hellfire, resenting himself for not stopping Jin and his mother from dying and tries to forget about all the memories he has of the boys. He sings, "I can't do it anymore...You can't do this to me," which is him singing about how he can't live with this self-hatred much longer. Suga's character within the series is the one who rebels against the idea of moving on into adulthood and the only one to "fight" to stay in the past when they were all together, where there are happier times and he can avoid reality. In this hellfire he can represent Hades because of the fire that always follows him. Hades is known in Greek mythology to hate being around people, which is why he spends most of his time alone. Suga, like Hades, causes chaos with his friend Jungkook, pushes him around, and prefers to spend most of his time away after the fight that breaks out between the group of boys. Their relationship is similar to that of Hades and Persephone. Although in real life Suga is not cold or mean in anyway, the character he acts in the music video is.

Jimin is seen in a bathtub alone, filling it to the brim. He is shown later in the video burning up a letter which V wrote before his attempted suicide. We know that V wrote the letter because he is seen with the letter in the pictures BTS released for the album. At the end of the video he is shivering from the water and being alone. JHope is not there to warm him up like he was when they were coming back from the beach. This feeds into the theory that his love for his friend Jin is not over. Jimin still loves Jin very much and dwells over his death to the point where he himself attempts suicide. He also loves V and refuses to accept the fact that V tried to kill himself after the incident at the beach. The fact that there is water in the clip of Jimin can be linked back to He also theorized that he is unable to let go of his youth, only in a different way than Suga. Suga has anger inside him and rebels against it by playing with fire whereas Jimin cries about it alone in the bathtub trying to be as pure as can be by bathing himself with his youthful tears and ultimately drowning himself. Further research leads fans to believe that Jimin could represent Perseus from the Percy Jackson series written by Rick Riordan. In the beginning Percy cannot accept who he is and is lost. In later videos water plays a huge part when it comes to Jimin but that will be mentioned and explained later.

JHope is staring at himself in the bathroom, fixated by his sleep deprived appearance. He grabs a bottle of what seems to be sleeping pills and tries to commit suicide. Looking within the notes that the albums come with it is noted that JHope had narcolepsy, which is seen from him sleeping a few times in the Prologue video as well as Run, and he was tired of living his life like that especially after Jin dies. It is also noted that Kurt Cobain also attempted suicide multiple times through pills, which links to the fact that Nirvana has influenced their songs. This is seen because the boys consistently wear Nirvana merchandise within the prologue and Run. In the end, JHope passes out on a bridge however it is not clear if he died on the bridge or simply passed out.

Jin is seen in white, which in many Asian cultures represents mourning for death. Koreans have a saying called death by white lilies, where the overwhelming scent of white lilies can kill someone trapped in a room full of them. He places six petals of the lily flower on the floor, which represents souls becoming pure after death. Each of the petals represent the other members of BTS, which makes him whole. The image of the lily is shown on his chest where the heart is presumed to be. This represents that love doesn’t end at death. He loves them even after his death. However the song itself sounds like a couple fighting.

The lyrics go “You’re my Everything / Please Get out of my life / I’m Sorry (I Hate you)” and keeps going until the end when it says “I need you” which makes it seem that the boys are rejecting each other after the day at the beach. They want to break up and get away from each other but then they know at the same time that they need each other. After this, the Jin’s flower petals are on fire and he is on a bed in the fetal position which shows that his death even impacted him because he misses his members. Jin is in this final stage where he moves on from youth to adulthood. He is able to do this by lighting the flower petals on fire but not without causing himself pain.

V is seen in black, which in western culture represents mourning, sadness or depression. This is proof that he did not die during the prologue and he is seen walking away, looking back occasionally like someone is out to get him but he has suffered from Jin's death just like the other members.

Many fans theorize that this can represent V moving on from his past and moving on from his youth and from the boys.​​ He later comes across his parents that are fighting (which is the seen prior to the opening chapter of the prologue). He ends up beating his father to death. Many fans say that this is all a dream and that he doesn't really kill his father but rather thinks about what he thinks he should have done when he had the chance to protect his mother from her abuser. V shows his anguish through these actions and proves that you shouldn't let death keep you from living your best life. He thinks about his friends but he is alone which is the path many people have to walk when growing up. Other fans also note that he is trying to get out of the situation and tries to delay adulthood.

Throughout the video, the boys are shown together and then alone which highlights that the death of their friend Jin caused them to grow apart and grow up. They sing “Why do I need you when I know it hurts me” and are seen together on a train, laughing. They don't want to be together anymore because it hurts to be with each other when the group is not whole but they need each other to survive the struggles of adulthood. The train helps to emphasize the fact that you are never alone because the boys are with each other through their memories and the lessons they taught each other.

Jungkook is seen alone walking in the darkness where he bumps into two thugs, which represent the times that adulthood can bring you down. These thugs represent his suicidal thoughts and instead of fighting back, he lets the two men or the thoughts beat him up. Jungkook is theorized of being the cause of Jin’s death or the final push and he is obviously distraught. The video goes to RM and he is back at the gas station shown in the Prologue. He is seen as an employee there and this represents him growing up. People theorize that RM has treated Jin’s death as an event that didn’t occur. RM is the leader of BTS but throughout the videos he is seen doing chaotic things and it relates to the quote from Demian which states, "While my friends regarded me as a leader, deep down inside me my soul grieved” and helps to emphasize the fact that RM has feelings too. At the end of the video he discards the lollipop almost the same way he discarded Jin and his youth. This is the realization that nothing will ever be the same.

At the end of the video, this point is highlighted through the color of the video. They are together in a group sleeping but it is in black and white; this is the past. They are all finally moving to adult hood and nothing will ever be the same after the events that happen in this video.