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BTS Theory — More than a "simple" Glitch

ARMY, I have a theory that through many of the contents released from 2021 to today in 2025, we ourselves are currently stuck in a Time Loop to prepare us for what's to come next. Just like how HYYH BU Jin time-travelled, we're travelling back to 2017 and then we'll move forward from there when all 7 BTS Members reunite in June.

Let me explain in this long post.

Disclaimers:

1. This post is my PERSONAL INTERPRETATION/ THEORY / SPECULATION based on MY OWN OBSERVATION. I am NOT, in any way, saying that these are canon to BTS’ (upcoming) plans and/ or the actual BTS Universe (BU).

2. You may NOT use any part of this post as a “Gotcha!” moment against BTS.

3. Contains BU Spoilers.

4. You may agree, or disagree. If it's the latter, you can make your own post of your own interpretation.

5. I’m emphasizing yet again that these theories are in relation to the FICTIONAL “BTS Universe“ story; not the real-life BTS Members.

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Notes:

1. PLEASE CLICK ALL THE LINKS AND WATCH/ READ ITS CONTENTS BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT WORD/ SENTENCE/ PART.

2. We'll use this definition of "regressor" from the manhwa community:

"A REGRESSOR is someone who returns to the past by turning back time often as a product of a mysterious magic incident. They'd regress to younger versions of themselves while keeping their memory of the future"

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LET'S START!!!

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At the time of posting this, 5 of the 7 BTS members are still doing their mandatory military service, so of course BH “has no choice” but to bring back or use old OT7 contents. BUT there are just way too many parallels and little, subtle changes for it to be called a “simple throwback” because those said “little, subtle changes” may have actually affected the space-time continuum, causing us to feel either a sense of déjà vu, or Mandela effect… or maybe even both.

My theory is that we have been going back to December 2017 then RE-LIVING 2018 to 2019. Just like how BU Jin keeps going back to the date April 11th, I say that we ARMY are being time-travelled back specifically to the month and year “December 2017” through the contents BECAUSE OF THE GLITCH.

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PART 1. Wait, what glitch?

We already saw TV screens showing White Noise STATIC as early as No More Dream MV. It's also in the MVs of I NEED U, DOPE, and EPILOGUE: Young Forever, to name a few. The Color Bar TV Static is even included in In The Seom Chapter 3 "DESERT Stage."

Initially, it was this SUBTLE static, however it developed into the following stages until it reached the OBVIOUS GLITCH:

STAGE 1:

In 2016.01.14 25th SMA’s VCR, “Unknown Signal Transmission” was seen before the glitches in the scenes of DOPE & RUN MVs were shown. I interpret those words as a Regressor from the future interfering with the current timeline.

STAGE 2:

2017.02.11 Not Today MV teaser: From 00:21, while there’s the TV static on-screen, the sound is just “straight line” which reminds me of the old school TVs when it doesn’t get any signal. Plus, at the end of the teaser, there’s a blank canvas which reminded me of the painted canvas in Jimin's WINGS Short Film… but a blank canvas may symbolize new beginning different from the WINGS Short Film / LY Highlight Reel.

2017.02.20 Not Today MV= there were minor glitches whenever “Not Today” was shown on screen. BTS were being chased by hooded figures & my interpretation of this is that the running members are Regressor BTS from the future and they’re fighting to change the timeline, which matches the lyrics as well. “A day may come when we lose but it is not today. Today we fight.” Coincidentally, if you slow down in those said lyrics on-screen in the MV, it’s like you’re being sucked in then out while the glitch/ static is present. I interpret that part as a “solid evidence” of a future version of BTS going back in time to change something from their past coz they’re fighting it here in “Not Today.” [thus "Unknown Signal Transmission" in Stage 1]

STAGE 3:

2017.02.22 6th Gaon VCR, from the gray TV static we've seen in the MVs before Stage 1, this time, the TV Static became the well-known Color Bar TV Static. After which, it was followed by the words “NO SIGNAL”. The words “NO SIGNAL” indicate that the display is temporarily not receiving a stable signal from the source, leading to the glitch (visual distortion). Therefore, seeing these words in February 2017 were just precedent to the more-noticeable / glaringly obvious glitches spread throughout most of the subsequent BTS contents, even today in 2025.

STAGE 4:

2018.04.02, many ARMY worldwide saw glitch & errors in BTS’ MVs, misspelling in BTS’ Blog saying “reversed” instead of “reserved” that resulted in the hashtag #BTSGlitchParty.

My theory is that this was a deliberate move TO INCLUDE THE READER/ AUDIENCE, us BTS’ ARMY, IN THE STORY by letting us spot those "errors".

The glitch never really left us since it appeared, and to prove this, here's a list of one content with glitch per year starting from 2019 (since I already mentioned from 2013 to 2018 above) until today in 2025...

2019: MAMA VCR, 2020: Interlude: Shadow, 2021: CCTV Live (plus notice the subtle changes in the surroundings BEFORE and AFTER the members disappeared), 2022: We Are Bulletproof, 2023: D-DAY GLITCH film, and the D-DAY logo glitching after the concert ended, 2024: MONOCHROME trailer, 2025: Mona Lisa Teaser + in "HOPE ON THE STAGE TOUR" title, during "Dis-ease", the words, "No Signal" + the static TVs were seen!

BTW, in HotS Seoul, Hoseok made ARMY say “aniya~ (nope)” after he said “byeong? (dis-ease); and for me, this is HUGE coz for me, he's declaring that there is NO MORE DIS-EASE (discomfort) since they’ve DONE the MANDATORY double-edged sword M.S.; a HUGE difference than when they first released it (because they haven’t enlisted yet + there was a virus, a disease at that time).

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PART 2: So, how do these Glitches connect to the Time Loop?

What happens when there is a glitch? Glitches means that there's interference in the signal. BU Jin went back to April 11th every time there was a “Bad Ending” in that timeline. We also saw in the 2021.12.20 CCTV Live that when there was a glitch, the members disappeared from the current timeline.

So, just like what I implied in Part 1, what if all the glitches we’ve seen so far it’s because someone from the future is interfering with the current timeline; changing or erasing what previously happened to bring in a new timeline?

Coz if you think about it, why else would they bring back old photos of significant events in BTS’ career from 2013-2023 in 2024, but in a SLIGHTLY different angle or pose, or maybe even an unreleased photo from that event, other than to mess with our brain and think “I’ve seen it before.” but no, we actually haven't seen them yet! It’s why I got to put this thread of Spot-The-Difference!

Other reasons how The Glitch is connected to the Time Loop:

1. BTS' 5th Anniversary Show in the 2018 FESTA (2018.06.13) is entitled “Re;view & Pre;view” with glitch on the 2018 FESTA logo. — Review means to look back to see what's already happened, and Preview means a sneak peek into the future. There's also the semicolon before “view” and a semi-colon's function is "to join two closely related independent clauses (complete sentences) into one, indicating a stronger connection than a comma but less separation than a period" . They literally said that you cannot move forward until you look at your past.

☆ In this FESTA show, after DDAENG, BT21 debuted through a VCR with the last scene was their backs before it glitches to show BTS wearing BT21 onesies to perform ANPANMAN. This is one of the evidences of "HERO theory" which could be connected to why the 6th ARMY Membership concept (July 2019- July 2020) was Super Hero.

2. It might be related to what Namjoon said in PTD Seoul, “IT'S BEEN 5 YEARS! The spring you've been waiting for is coming”

I already said my theories as to what the 5 YEARS might be on thread but I'll say it again here:

"The full sentence was, "It’s been 5 years; the spring you’ve been waiting for is coming" w/c could BOTH mean:

The 5 years from 2017 to 2022 = 2017 was the year when SPRING DAY was released, and 2022 was the year when PTD ON STAGE SEOUL happened where Joon said these words. 2022 is also plus, AND also the same year when BU!Jin stopped time traveling, and YEAR MAY 22 was SUPPOSED to be the last in the BU timeline, which I interpreted as the time that BTS’ activities resumes after their Military Service IF the pandemic didn't happen since Bang PD said that BTS already planned for their military service in early 2018, yet they still were supposed to have the MOTS Tour in 2020. And if all the members conscripted at the same time by December 2020 “after MOTS Tour”(assuming that their tour months would've been the same as WINGS Tour, spanning from April to December), then they all would've gotten out by May 2022 to continue the timeline. — This would probably happen if the pandemic and lockdown didn't happen in 2020. But since the pandemic DID happen in 2020, ruining their schedules, my other theory is..

The 5 years from 2020 to 2025 — BTS' INITIAL PLAN to enlist after BE album (released: November 2020), up to when all members FINISHES their Military in real life (June 2025). Coz, like what's said in Suchwita ep.21 with Jungkook, “2025: For our second "Most Beautiful Moment in Life" ”

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Part 3. So, why is December 2017 the starting point of ARMY’s Time Loop?

December 2017 to early 2018 was a delicate time period. Bang PD shared in this CNN interview that BTS was discussing doing the Military Service since early 2018, which explains why…

1. In the 2017 MAMA (dated: December 1, 2017) VCR, the words “The Second Chapter” appeared and there were lots of GLITCHES on the members’ bodies, the scenes from LY Highlight Reel, and on the TV Screens. However before their performances, the TV screens exploded. It’s also in this same award show where the iconic RED Background on 7 silhouettes Mic Drop was born, and it’s parallel to when Hobi performed Mic Drop with red lights all over in Paris, France at Gala Des Pièces Jaunes

2. In THE WINGS TOUR THE FINAL (Dec. 8 to 10, 2017), BTS recounted their painful past thru the Opening VCR. Then ended the concert with the words “Special Thanks to our Chapter 1, ARMY.”

This is also parallel to Hobi’s Paris performance because Hobi performed with an orchestra on stage, and the last time BTS had any string ensemble on stage with them was during The WINGS Tour in 2017.

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Part 4. What older contents (mostly from 2017, 2018, 2019) are parallels to those that were released from 2021 up to now that proves we’ve been time-travelling with potential re-writing of the timeline?

1. Songs

• N.O. (2013) — ON (2021) • Boy in Luv (2013) — Boy with Luv (2021) • No More Dream (2013) — Dream (coming soon???)

2. blue and white school uniform

• 2017 Season’s Greetings concept • 2022 Us, Ourselves, and BTS concept

3. Glitch/ No Signal

• 2017 6th Gaon • 2022 Us, Ourselves, and BTS concept: No Signal • 2025 HotS — Disease VCR

4. string ensemble / orchestra on stage with BTS

• WINGS Tour (April to December 2017 — with Jin, and Yoongi) • j-hope inParis (January 2025)

5. Baby Photos from the 5th Term ARMY Membership Concept (5th ARMY Term: June 2018 to June 2019)

• Big Hit used those Baby Photos for the 2024-2025 Birthday Greeting cycle • Namjoon changed his IG pfp to a new toddler pic, then Hobi used his 5th Term baby photo as his tiktok pfp • In The Seom's 2025.04.03 Play Pass

6. Prince, and Sailor Outfits of 5th Term ARMY Membership Concepts 2 & 3 (May 2018 to June 2019):

• In The Seom: released those outfits in February 2024 and January 2025

7. The act of reminiscing / recounting the past BEFORE MOVING ON

• 2018 FESTA “Re;view & Pre;view” • 2019 MMA Montage of old songs (there's A LOT of glitch too) • RUN BTS ep. 155 (use of a comma (,) ) • PROOF Anthology album • Film strip in D-DAY Tour after “Life Goes On” • 2021 MUSTER: SOWOOZOO VCRs that recounted BTS’ journey in the industry, even including the songs Film Out and Moving On • PROOF Exhibition worldwide • BTS 7 Moments

8. “Memory Clouds”

• 4th MUSTER (2018.01.13-14) —4th MUSTER is the fanmeeting of the 4th ARMY Membership (Term May 2017 to May 2018) • 2024 Monochrome

9. Smeraldo

• Jimin’s track in MUSE “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” • 1 day before Hobi got released, the Smeraldo account on IG [that's usually inactive] posted a Story saying “Thank you for your purchase”.... on the next day, we saw Jin holding a bouquet of blue/ purple flowers and gave it to Hobi to welcome him back from getting discharged

10. Choose-Your-OWN-ADVENTURE (CYOA) Games

• BTS World • BTS World Season 2 • BTS Universe Story • Jin's Ending is a Happy Ending

11. Doors

• In every BTS Concert VCR • Proof Concept photo "Door ver."

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Part 5: Where do we go from here? What's next?

This time loop might result either in a change since one of HYYH’s song is ‘Butterfly’, and butterflies are symbols of transformation.

The Time Loop could (potentially) be stopped and the Timeline would only move forward AND CHANGE once all the members have reunited in June 2025 and then released their new OT7 album, showing us The Next Chapter.

For now, I think our biggest clue lies in the juxtaposition seen AND heard 2019 MAMA VCR wherein the voice said "Present Meets Future: Eternal Journey", however the words on the screen is different; it was "Future Meets Past: Eternal Journey".

In connection to the video above, here are my theories on what might happen next since there was a "Re;view" and a "Pre;view":

Continuation of Map Of The Soul as they found their true selves

The "preview" of what's to come can be seen in the Solo Albums that BTS released which are reflections of who they are, and because the spectrum of their music's style heard in their solo albums were so vast, it reminded me of the time when Namjoon said, “the SEVEN of us are on a boat, LOOKING in different directions, but GOING the same way.” Because their sense if self has been experienced thru their solo albums, we could see the continuation of Map Of The Soul, and the culmination of MOTS might possibly through an IN-PERSON concert in the future because as Namjoon said in the Love Yourself: Answer Press Conference:

"For a singer, [their work] is completed on stage. We have shown everything through our stage. That person’s music and the visuals they want to show are all shown through concerts and albums. All our members love music and we have strived to show that."

At the same time, we also heard Taehyung say, “what if they perform their solo songs in their reunion concert?” So, there’s that.

Additionally, in my opinion, Jin's "Running Wild" is a song for AND about BTS AND ARMY. It's a promise that after all these years of waiting, we will still be together and our journey together will be unrestricted as we run wild together.

Jimin's Rebirth from his MUSE album could also be linked here since that song is like an ode to keep on striving to be the best version of himself. Likewise, I'm also mentioning YOUNG FOREVER here in connection to HYYH / Youth series since if we are forever young, then we will always have the passion, drive, mentality, and desire to stay youthful in spirit, energy, and/or attitude in one's life; we'll be full of enthusiasm for our future, to CARRY ON even when things get hard.

2. Door Theory

In most of BTS’ concert VCRs even today in 2025 with HOPE ON THE STAGE tour, there are doors. SOPE's Solo Concert Tours could also be considered as Doors... and as I've said on my tweet here, perhaps, one day, BTS might be able to pass through their own doors, to be freely up on stage.

3. HERO + Dream Theory

• In the Save Me webtoon (HYYH Pt.0) , BU Taehyung said that "he’s been seeing dreams of the members". It was also Tae who first approached Jin in his home (signifying that Jin ALSO needs to be saved, and not just the 6 members whom BU Jin has been trying to save). In January 2025, he released a photobook called “Reve” which translates to “To dream” (active voice).

• In 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong, we also saw these words "You gave me power You gave me love So now I'm a hero So now I'm a boy with love I'll show you the map of the soul I'll show you the dream" (glitch out) before performance of Intro: O!RUL8,2? to FAKE LOVE

3. ARMY Membership Concept Theory

So far, we’ve seen that the old ARMY Membership Concepts starting from the 5th term being brought to light again since January 2025, such as from 5th term: Childhood photos, to 6th Term: Hero concept, so what if what Joonie said on his 2025.02.01 post, “Act my age? I don't wanna.” is a subtle hint to not living in a fairytale? That would make this a hint either for the 7th Term concept (Fairy Tale) concept.

4. Starting anew / "DREAM ON"

Whether the goal of the time loop is "to erase the past", or "to find my own purpose", what remains is that the time loop in the BU is happening... and this is why I think the song 00:00 (Zero O'Clock) has great significance in these theories — because the song's lyrics go,

"And you gonna be happy. Like that snow that just settled on the ground, let’s breathe as if this is the beginning. And you gonna be happpy. Turn this all around [to] a time when everything is new, Zero O’Clock"

Plus, remember that it's the only B-side that has an MV, and the title even has the words "Dream On" in it.

5. The SEA / ETERNAL JOURNEY with ETERNAL YOUTH

The photocard holder inclusion in the MERCH BOX of their Solo Albums could be connected together to make the words “When we’re together, even the desert becomes the sea.”

Back in the lyrics of SEA [the hidden track / CD-only track of LY: HER album (the first in the series)], RM said,

“Ocean, desert, the world Everything is the same thing (but with a ) different name. I see ocean, I see desert, I see the world Everything is the same thing but with different name. It's life again”

Plus, we also saw the SEA at the end of the MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E concert; which is different when we saw the desert at the start.

Additionally, it's also in MOTS ON:E where Namjoon said that "BTS is not just a story of 7 people. It's a story of you, me, and everyone." as seen on the first image at the very top of this post.

In "Yet To Come" (2022), BTS sang “my moment is yet to come” so I just believe that.

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1. Future version of BTS went back in time and fought in ‘Not Today’

2. They rebelled and made their lives better by singing “I’m so SICK of this FAKE LOVE” which helped them take off their dark, heavy cloaks by singing “You’ve shown me I have reasons I should love myself” which then led to the hands that kept grabbing them in the Fake Love MV to crumble down in PTD On Stage LA, and then be completely gone and replaced by a blooming flower during PTD On Stage Seoul & LV

3. They showed their love for themselves through their individuality in their solo albums = either 00:00 (Zero O'Clock) or Rebirth in Jimin’s MUSE album takes place = their best moment TOGETHER AS ONE GROUP IS YET TO COME since they’ve not made their reunion after individually searching for their true selves. But once they’ve reunited as a group, we’ll surely see the best versions of BTS.

Bottom line/ TL;DR: We ARMY are being time-travelled through the contents being released as a way to invite/ bring us ARMY into BTS' story, and the current timeline is as if we are back in late 2017/2018, and we'll move forward from there once all 7 reunites in June and when they eventually release a new album.