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MANG, who represents j-hope, is a product of BTS' collaboration with Line Friends, which was created to communicate the stories of each member through the construction of their BT21 characters. However, unlike the seven other BT21 characters, j-hope's is quite a standout. While all the other characters have their faces revealed, MANG wears a purple pony mask with a heart-shaped nose and indigo hair falling on his back.
The mask, as j-hope explains, is present to help the character successfully perform and dance without any anxiety or pressure to impress his audience. While fans love the significance that it holds, for the longest time, they've been curious to discover what lies beneath the mask. The reveal of the same is finally here, as j-hope embarks on the second chapter of his life and finds it the best time to move forward with MANG, dwelling deeply into what the character means to him.
What do the BT21 character, MANG, and his mask mean to BTS' j-hope?
Following the official embarkation of the BTS members' solo careers, j-hope, who looks at this new era as the second chapter of his life, felt that it was about time that MANG's true identity was revealed. When the character was initially created, j-hope intended it to represent himself in many ways: a passionate dancer with performance anxiety.
Additionally, its name also refers to a contradictory list of things, such as a pony and failure and also alludes to the suffix of hope (heemang) in Korean. But with time, both the idol and the character have developed, calling for a change.
In a recent five-episode series called INSIDE MANG, j-hope documented his efforts to create the face under the mask, something that represents both the character and j-hope's new chapter. ARMYs can easily notice how the BT21 character not only holds a special place in the idol's heart but also is of great significance to him.
He, who sees himself as the character's father, has played a significant role in both the creation of the original character as well as the subsequent new face that will be given to it. When asked why he wanted the BT21 character to reveal his face, here's what the idol had to say:
It's a character that I made, and it has a little part of me. This character is like no other. I am wondering if I could create more of an impact than that. A sudden confession? But I'm not throwing away this mask just because he's taking it off. MANG with the mask is MANG in his own rights, so I want to show that side of the character, and add to everything that there was.
During his discussions with the crew about the character's new identity, he disclosed that he wants the character to have a cool personality. It means three things to him: being good at what you do, being responsible, and being unafraid of new adventures.
Additionally, he also wishes that the new face will be an outlet for j-hope's bucket list. j-hope, who's currently learning new languages, is experimenting with how to cook and hoping to skydive one day, aiming to implement these bold and aspiring qualities into the construction of the character.
MANG's face reveal: the story of the BT21 character's creation, identity, and more
Throughout the series of planning out his BT21 character's face reveal, j-hope kept cultivating new faces that the character would identify with thereafter. The character in the most recent episode eventually received a shape after numerous talks with others in the crew regarding the face hidden behind the mask.
j-hope took ARMY's favorite nickname for him, Chipmunk/Squirrel, and decided to construct a face following the same. Additionally, he also gave the character a backstory.
The story revolves around a chipmunk born in a village named DOTOHEE Village. The chipmunk, whose name was MANG, wanted to be a professional dancer but lacked confidence. He went on to seek help from his mentor, CONN, who gave him a mask that helped him gain confidence while performing on stage and also made him similar to his other friends.
After gaining the mask, he began to train really hard and finally achieved his long-wished dreams and goals. He's now ready for the next chapter in his life. He removed the mask to reveal a face overloaded with cuteness, shaped like a chipmunk. This was the backstory that j-hope created to satisfy the curiosity of fans about who lives behind the mask and what he looks like.
From the creation of j-hope's BT21 character to the latest face reveal, it has been a significant and monumental journey for both the idol himself and the ARMYs, who are well aware of what the character means to him.
