Netizens Think LE SSERAFIM Might Become The New “It” K-Pop Girl Group Of Japan, Here’s Why

K-Pop has been pretty popular in Japan for some time, with artists like BTS, TWICE, SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN, and many others making impressive sales numbers in the country.

It has become more common for K-Pop artists to appeal to Japanese fans with releases in their language, especially with original songs and not just Japanese versions of previously released Korean title tracks.

Japanese K-Pop idols have also become increasingly common in the industry, with some of the most notable names being TWICE’s Japan line (Momo, Mina, and Sana), TREASURE‘s Japan line (Asahi, Haruto, Mashiho, and Yoshi), NCT’s Japanese members (Yuta and Shotaro), and rookie idols such as IVE‘s Rei and ENHYPEN‘s Ni-ki.

LE SSERAFIM is also known for their Japanese members, Sakura and Kazuha. But it’s not just the inclusion of these two idols that has led some fans to believe that the rookie girl group might be destined to be huge in Japan.

An article on Reddit titled “Opinion: Le Sserafim’s lineup was created with Japanese promotions in mind,” the original poster shared why they believe each member of LE SSERAFIM could appeal to Japanese audiences and why they might have been chosen because of it.

Sakura is the most obvious case, with her musical career beginning all the way back in 2011 at age 13 as a member of the Japanese idol group HKT48. From then until 2018, she had a long and successful idol career in Japan, also acting as a member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and even holding center positions for a couple of their comebacks, really rocketing her into stardom. She took a hiatus from the group due to placing high enough on Produce 48 to join IZ*ONE in 2018, where her popularity only grew.

Of course, instead of returning to HKT48 after her time with IZ*ONE was complete in 2021, she ended up signing a contract with Source Music which led to her debut in LE SSERAFIM!

As far as former IZ*ONE members go, Chaewon was also one of the members of the group that was more popular in Japan, with her specific merch sales and hi-touch slots being surpassed seemingly only by Sakura herself and Minju. She has also spoken openly about being a fan of Japanese actress and model Nana Komatsu, and her fashion choices definitely resemble her role model’s.

While Kazuha wasn’t an idol before joining LE SSERAFIM, she is the other Japanese member of the group, and her extensive dance background makes her an overall admirable idol. After studying ballet in Japan, the U.K., the Netherlands, and elsewhere, she was well on her way to already making a name for herself in the dance world as a talented Japanese ballerina before she joined Source Music.

As for Yunjin, her visuals at debut were actually compared to Satomi Ishihara, a famous Japanese actress from Tokyo who has won numerous awards for her work and has appeared in shows such as Pretty Proofreader, Dear Sister, and Attack on Titan.

Finally, maknae Eunchae was rumored to have joined the group after one of the original trainees left. A former trainee named Haruka was originally a part of the final lineup. The two have even had their visuals compared for looking fairly similar, though Eunchae’s main role in the group is thought to appeal to younger Gen-Z fans in general.

There were also rumors at one point that former IZ*ONE member Minju — also one of the top 3 members most popular in Japan — was being pursued by Source Music in order for her to join LE SSERAFIM, further adding to the possibility they were looking for Japan-appealing members.

The comments on the original post discussing this matter vary, but quite a few people are in agreement that Source Music was looking for members who would help LE SSERAFIM do well in Japan.

Opinion: Le Sserafim’s lineup was created with Japanese promotions in mind. from kpopthoughts

Whether these factors were all taken into consideration when forming LE SSERAFIM or not, it’s quite likely that they will lead to the girl group becoming popular in Japan since they’re already a talented and likable group anyway!