BTS’s New Album “ARIRANG” Flamed With One Detail Branded “Worst Ever”

Since BTS announced their new album ARIRANG, set for release on March 20, the group has dominated online conversations.

| BIGHIT MUSIC

Every small update has been closely watched, from comeback hints to official teasers.

| @jin/Instagram

Most recently, BIGHIT MUSIC revealed a teaser image believed to be the album’s cover art — and it has sparked intense debate.

| Forbes

The image shows a heavily faded photo where fans can barely make out the silhouettes of all seven members dressed in suits. The details are intentionally obscured, with the figures almost blending into the background.

Many fans believe this is a deliberate choice, theorizing that the full cover will be slowly revealed as the release date approaches.

| BIGHIT MUSIC

While ARMYs have largely praised the mysterious concept and see it as artistic buildup, the reaction from general netizens has been far harsher. The cover art has been slammed across X, where several posts criticizing it quickly went viral.

since likes are private, can we all agree that this cover is ugly and boring as fuck https://t.co/2TvpFUn9v7

— nay ✦ (@_bratzone) January 18, 2026

pic.twitter.com/zFGzdbXtPE https://t.co/KK8uX3SKUO

— ryu (@ryumazes) January 18, 2026

they put all of their grammy wins on the cover https://t.co/xYAg61L6Da

— ❀ (@vivisweeteners) January 18, 2026

Some netizens also mocked the lack of strong visual impact, especially given BTS’s history of striking album visuals.

What the hell is this 😭 if I were an army I’d be fuming

— Simba (@DylMinnow) January 18, 2026

That’s genuinely the worst album cover I’ve seen

— Carter! 🍃🐱☁️🩷 (@CaRt3r111) January 18, 2026

looks ugly af

— noah (@ordinarysthing) January 18, 2026

Despite the backlash, the teaser has undeniably kept ARIRANG at the center of conversation. Whether the criticism fades once the full cover is revealed remains to be seen — but for now, the album’s artwork is already one of BTS’s most polarizing yet.

BTS