Writer: Suhasini Singh (Pune, Maharashtra, India)
Editor: Arpita Jena (Baripada, Odisha, India)
Kingdom, the battle among six trending boybands: IKON, SF9, Ateez, Straykids, Theboyz and BtoB is known as the male counterpart of Queendom. It is the sequel of ‘Road to Kingdom’, hence the winner team (TheBoyz) secured place in this show.
Picture Credit: IMDb
This program has four rounds of performance, the finals broadcasted live on 3rd June 2021. The 4 rounds were ranked on the basis on following criteria
- Self-evaluation, which made up 25% of the total points
- Experts voting, which made up 25% of total points
- Global voting, made up 40% giving the audience the authority to choose the winner
- Performance video view count, which made up 10% of the total points
Picture Credit: DRAMAS WITH A SIDE OF KIMCHI
INTRODUCTION STAGE
Each team had to perform their hit song that received 1st place in music show. They had 100 seconds to express themselves. The song choice of all the bands made the audience curious about them as a band. For me, I wasn’t really interested in exploring their music, but through kingdom I have added six legendary bands to my little list of the bands I Stan.
Video Credit: Mnet K-POP
The viewers voted for their top 3 bands through whosfan app and after self-evaluation, stream count and expert’s evaluation the results were revealed. The winner boy group got the benefit to set the cue sheet for the next stage. They also received 1000 points.
TO THE WORLD
This round was a really interesting one. The bands rearranged their stage which was different from their usual one. They took their representative hit song and performed it like a total different genre. Let me give you a spoiler, Ikon performed on their famous song Love Scenario and Killing Me giving out one of their best stage performance.
Video Credit: Diggin’ K-Contents
The performances were really mesmerising and all the bands did an amazing job. Each band had 3 votes to cast after the performances where they decided who was the top 3. There were also 30 professional judges who chose their top 3, alongside with the voting on whosfan. The top boyband for this round gets 2,000 points.
RE-BORN
Through this round we saw a new avatar of the songs performed by the bands. The bands exchanged their songs and performed it adding their own colour to it. It was a really difficult task as each band has their own way to portray their music, the bands had to keep their genre in mind and add their own flavor too.
Video Credit: JENNY
We have to agree that they have portrayed the songs amazing. The bands added a storyline to tell us something amazing through their performance! Well, I am making you curious right?
THE SPORTS DAY
We as fans are seeing kingdom as a war to choose the king but this show was an amazing way for all the bands to know each other. The sports day event was an opportunity for them to explore together. It was time for all the bands to forget about their competition and just enjoy themselves.
Video Credit: MULTIPUFF
We surely enjoyed the little interactions between them and not to mention them teasing and cheering for each other! Well we discovered our sportsmen here who can for sure make to the Olympics someday!
NO LIMITS
The last task before deciding the real king! This task was divided into two parts.
The part one divided the bands into two groups further dividing the members into three units: Rap unit, Dance unit, Vocal unit. The teams was selected by ATEEZ the top band for the previous task.
Video Credit: Diggin’ K-Contents
The two groups will compete against each other in rapping, singing and dance. The winner unit would grab 5000 points dividing it equally amongst the 3 bands in the team, the total points being 15000 gives chance to all the unit to express themselves!
Straykids, BtoB and Ateez came together forming the “MayFly” unit. TheBoyz, SF9 and IKON came together forming “The One” unit. All the units came up with amazing performances. The relationship between the unit members was just so precious, they were now more like brothers than colleagues.
Video Credit: briczennie
For Part One 33 special judges where invited which included the famous choreographer Lia Kim, Shindong and Donghae from Super Junior and their junior artists Weeekly, Mirae and Tribe.
The part two was again a competition between them as bands. They had no limitation to what they wanted to show as a band. The bands came out with amazing performances and surprises for the viewers. The evaluation was done in the same way as in the other rounds. However for self-evaluation they could now choose only two groups instead of three.
Video Credit: Diggin’ K-Contents
FINAL- WHO IS THE KING?
All the bands performed a newly produced song live for the final episode. This song was released digitally on May 28, 2021. All the main vocalists came together performing a wonderful song “A boy’s Diary” giving shivers to the audience with their angelic voice.
For all the atinys out there, this performance will surely make you emotional. Mingi participated in the recording of the song though he isn’t there physically but you will all be pleased to hear his voice.
Here’s a list of the songs performed for the finals:
- Finale (Show and Prove)- Btob
- Kingdom Comes- The Boyz
- At ease- IKON
- Believer-SF9
- The Real- Ateez
- Wolfgang- StrayKids
Picture Credit: DRAMAS WITH A SIDE OF KIMCHI
Kingdom was not just a show, it was an opportunity for me to explore these amazing bands. After watching kingdom I have started to respect every group for who they are.
Well there are many fanwars but I realised that’s it’s not always about the competition sometimes it’s about the time spent and the memories they have. I want to recommend this to all the fans who are trying to get into kpop but don’t have any motivation. This show will surely make you explore them!
Picture Credit: KOREABOO
And aren’t you curious who is the real king? Well then, it’s time for you to binge this amazing show!
I read this fully, and I liked how each round was broken down so clearly, especially Re-Born and No Limits. The emphasis on brotherhood over fanwars was a strong takeaway. Kingdom really did feel less like a competition and more like a space where every group proved why they deserve respect.
Such a great show recommendation 👏
This article gives a great look into how Kingdom: Legendary War elevated K-pop survival shows with its energy, fierce competition, and stage innovation. It’s fascinating to see how each group brought their own style while delivering powerful performances and teamwork. Articles like this help us appreciate not just the music, but the hard work, strategy, and passion that go into making every moment legendary.
I loved how the rounds especially Re-Born and No Limits highlighted brotherhood over fanwars, making Kingdom feel more about mutual respect than competition. This article is really well written
Woah i remember this show, brings back memories. I remember it had so many iconic moments and interactions. Such a entertaining show.
I totally agree that ‘Kingdom’ felt more like a celebration of talent than just a cutthroat competition! The ‘Mayfly’ unit stages (especially the rap unit!) were legendary. 🎤🔥
It was so cool to see groups like iKON and BTOB interacting with the newer gen groups. Definitely a must-watch for any multi-stan!
Man, Kingdom: Legendary War was such a ride 😄🔥 Watching all those groups bring their best each week made me actually care about every performance. The combos, the stages, the energy — it felt more like watching artists express themselves than just a competition.
The article is so beautifully written explanation each round amazingly 👏🏻 with all details of judges, points and performances and who being the winner of that particular round I’m really not in k pop I always said that but I do have some favourite idols and bands like IU and stray kids Knowing about such a amazing show where each band performs hard to be the king 👑 as well as support and motivate each other too totally shows the game spirit. So good explanation as someone like me who don’t know much about k pop can easily understand it.
I love how Kingdom pushed each group beyond their comfort zone but also built friendship along the way.
It showcased the beauty of performance, not just rankings.
Shows like this truly expand the K-pop universe for fans!
This description is perfect. It explain about kingdom legendary war so perfectly. The groups their talented performance.
An engaging recap that captures the intensity, creativity, and camaraderie of *Kingdom*. From powerful reimagined stages to heartfelt unit collaborations, it highlights how the show went beyond competition to celebrate growth, artistry, and brotherhood among six exceptional boy groups.
“This is such a brilliant and comprehensive recap! I love how you clearly broke down the complex scoring system and the themes of each round—it makes the show’s progression so easy to follow, even for those new to K-Pop. You perfectly captured the intensity of the ‘No Limits’ performances while reminding us that the real heart of the show was the brotherhood between groups like BTOB and Stray Kids. Seeing the ‘MayFly’ and ‘The One’ units mentioned brought back so many iconic memories! Thank you, Suhasini, for emphasizing artistry over fanwars; this is the perfect guide for anyone looking to understand why these six bands are truly legendary.”
Wow, Kingdom sounds like such an epic show! I love how it’s not just about competition but also about teamwork, creativity, and building friendships between the bands. The stages like Re-Born and No Limits sound so intense, and I can only imagine the energy during the final performances. Definitely a must-watch for anyone who wants to dive deeper into K-pop and discover these amazing groups!
Such a well-detailed and engaging overview. You explained each round clearly and really highlighted how Kingdom was more than just a competition—it was about growth, artistry, and mutual respect. Loved how you captured the bond between the groups and the emotional impact of the final stages. This definitely makes anyone want to binge-watch the show!
What I really appreciate about this article is how it highlights that *Kingdom* was more than just a competition show — it was a platform where each group reinterpreted their identity through creative stages and collaborations. The concept of units like MayFly showed a rare sense of camaraderie between rival groups, which made the performances feel emotionally richer rather than purely competitive.
It also captures how the show helped viewers discover new artists organically, especially through rounds like “Re-Born” where groups added their own musical color to others’ songs. Watching groups like Stray Kids, ATEEZ, and BTOB grow through teamwork and storytelling stages really shifted the narrative from fanwars to mutual respect and artistic growth.
Overall, the reflection that Kingdom created lasting memories rather than just rankings feels very genuine. It shows how performance-based survival shows can deepen appreciation for different musical styles and group dynamics instead of simply deciding a “winner.”
Haven’t watched kingdom the legendary war but after reading the article I’m definitely going to check this out & explore all these amazing performances. I’m a fan of musical shows so it’ll be fun to watch this 👍