12 Things You Might Have Missed In BTS's "SHADOW" Comeback Trailer

BTS‘s first comeback trailer for MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 is here! This video features “Interlude: Shadow” (a solo by Suga) and countless clues that are inspiring new fan theories. Here are 10+ details you may have missed the first time around!

1. The setting

This comeback trailer begins in what appears to be a hotel corridor.

This could be a reference to the motel room Suga stays in and sets aflame during the HYYH era. It was first seen in “I NEED U” MV. Both settings have red carpets too. Coincidence?

2. The Doors

The video’s corridor was most-likely inspired by British Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor‘s installation art called “Svayambh” — which in Sanskrit means “self-made” or “auto-generated”. The installation comes with its own deeper meaning, but fans have also brainstormed other theories based on different sources.

A number of BTS’s works, for instance, have subtly hinted at both religion and mythology. “Intro: Persona”, for example, features lyrics that may be referencing this Bible passage: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”

I’m still not so sure if I’m a dog or a pig or what else / But then other people come out and put the pearl necklace on me

— RM (“Intro: Persona”)

As such, the red-marked hallway in “SHADOW” trailer could possibly be referencing the Ten Plagues of Egypt.

During the tenth and final plague, God passes through Egypt and strikes down the firstborn of every household. The Jews, who were told to mark their doors with the blood of a sacrificed lamb, were spared.

3. “No More Dream”

Like the “Intro: Persona” trailer for MAP OF THE SOUL: Persona, “Interlude: Shadow” references BTS’s early works. In the intro, Suga says, “I wanna be a rap star, I wanna be the top, I wanna be a rockstar, I want it all mine, I wanna be rich, I wanna be the king, I wanna go win”.

These lyrics echo Suga’s words in BTS’s debut song, “No More Dream”.

I wanna big house, big car, and big rings

— Suga (“No More Dream”)

4. The number of shadows

Six shadows line the hall, one for each unseen BTS member. These shadows could represent different parts of Carl Jung‘s psyche.

This opening shot may also remind viewers of this shot from the “Intro: Persona” trailer…

…or this scene from the “MIC Drop” MV.

5. The mirror

In psychology, the “mirror stage” describes how the Ego is formed through the process of identification. The Ego’s birth is the result of identifying with your own reflection. Suga’s shattered mirror pieces itself back together, which suggests that he’s taking viewers back in time to when his Ego was first formed.

Suga goes from wearing black (Shadow) to wearing light colors (Ego).

The shattered mirror could also be referencing the one he broke in “RUN” MV.

6. O!RUL8,2?

The video makes several references to BTS’s 2013 EP, O!RUL8,2?, through its graphics.

7. “FAKE LOVE”

Could Suga’s hallway run be referencing Jungkook‘s run in the “FAKE LOVE” MV?

8. YD250

What does the code on Suga’s coat mean? At first, all anybody could find with “YD250” was a breadmaker model, but thankfully there’s more to it than that!

After doing some digging, fans discovered that YAMAHA has an older motorcycle model with the same code. When Suga was a trainee, he dislocated the same shoulder “YD250” when a car struck his bike. At the time, he was working a part-time delivery job.

9. “MIC Drop”

Suga suddenly finds himself standing at the top of the world, surrounded by shadows and wearing a Dior vest. This vest references both “MIC Drop” and the literal translation of BTS’s name, “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”.