Plagiarism Or Not — Netizens Divided On Alleged Similarities Between HYBE’s &TEAM And EXO

EXO is one of K-Pop’s most iconic groups. They popularized uniform concepts for boy groups, as well as started the iconic one-take music video and music show shots. It is no wonder that many juniors still look up to them today.

Recently, with all the plagiarism accusations surrounding HYBE, a netizen has brought up the similarities between HYBE’s rookie group, &TEAM, and EXO. Although many acknowledge that it has not yet crossed the line into plagiarism, the similar blueprint is undeniable. Let’s take a look at the alleged similarities.

1. Rugby uniforms

Rugby uniforms were not seen in K-Pop until EXO. This is as the country does not typically play the sport to begin with, but EXO had been going for a high teen, Western concept.

&TEAM recently utilized a similar concept. The key difference is that while EXO went with the rugby theme, &TEAM’s unique lore involves a new fictional sport called nightball. Although the sport is loosely based on rugby, they don nightball uniforms instead.

2. Tree Of Life pose

EXO’s Tree Of Life pose is just as iconic as the group itself. It made waves when it was first unveiled to the public with “Wolf.”

&TEAM’s “Road Not Taken” features a similar pose too. It was also used as the thumbnail, just like EXO’s. The pose was also filmed as a silhouette.

3. Red Sporty Clothes

This claim by netizens can be seen as a slight stretch, given that the two are quite different in style, apart from the color.

4. Striped Tees

The sporty striped tees with khaki shorts helped bring out EXO’s youthful charm.

&TEAM was seen in the exact same outfits, although their shirts were of a different color.

5. One Take Shots

The one take shot was pioneered by EXO during “Growl.” &TEAM’s MV for “Scent Of You” showcased the same technique.

Although EXO pioneered it, many groups have made use of it from time to time in later years. &TEAM is not the only one.

Other netizens have agreed that while there are some similarities in styling, it cannot be termed as plagiarism.

• Wow, but for the “Growl” one, it’s really super similar, just not to the point of plagiarism LOL.
• It’s HYBE again.
• From a third-party POV, that Tree Of Life scene is really iconic, so other groups wouldn’t even try to copy it, given that people would talk about it instantly. Guess HYBE doesn’t care.
• Seems like when HYBE debuts a new group, they pick a famous group and try hard to copy them. They steal music from elsewhere, but reference a ton of local groups’ concepts and vibes.
• At first, I was like ‘well, that can happen,’ but the more I scrolled down, the more… LOL. Just from the few screenshots of the concepts here, there would definitely be people who think they’re similar.
• Okay, but if you watch &TEAM’s songs and content, they’re truly not even a little bit reminiscent of EXO… Even that Tree Of Life thing is a stretch. It’s just because they’re dancing with backlight.

Other comments are dead set against HYBE, accusing the company of being “the bane of K-Pop.” Even so, it seems like many agree that this is a case of similar styling, rather than outright plagiarism.