Plot breakdown for Ateez storyline:
Disclaimer- this is the absolute basics and does not go into the future of the plot and only the characters. Also, I’m writing this down before reading the diary entries, so some stuff might be wildly wrong, but this is how I’ve made sense of it on my own.
Group 1: Pirateez
They are the first version of Ateez we meet in the storyline with the music video Pirate King. They are pirates with a flying ship obsessed with finding treasure and adventure. It is know that this inhuman list for treasure is what lead to their problems later on. They are all confirmed good friends.
Not much is known about their pasts before becoming a crew.
They are the main cast and technically the protagonists.
Group 2: Halateez
We first meet them in the music video Hala Hala, but this is not the beginning of their story, because they were something before being Halateez. They are on the side of good, but are implied to be under the control of the Masked Man.
Some theories suggest that Halateez were a group of good spirits with abilities, Yeosang specifically has emphasis.
Halateez have items specific to them, only Hala!Yunho and Hala!Mingi share an item, radios (implying that their power is linked to the other).
Halateez can break free of the control of the Masked Man, though it is not known how many are still free, as the Masked Man is hot on Ateez’s trail. Hala!Hongjoong is confirmed free.
Group 3: Pirateez (INCEPTION. VER.)
Pirateez and INCEPTIONteez are technically the same people, and are set in the middle of the story. The Inceptionteez’s world is a murky mirror image of Pirateez’s original world, but seemingly with no magic or flying ships, so, the real world.
INCEPTIONteez are Pirateez’s mind and bodies put into a false/mirror reality to distract them. They likely wouldn’t have come back together after the fight if it wasn’t for Halateez Hongjoong giving INCEPTIONteez the hourglass/cromer, telling him that he needs his crew.
INCEPTIONteez are also false reflections of themselves. Each one is missing something that they had before they were sent there.
Yeosang- his freedom.
Wooyoung- his confidence.
Mingi- his ability to listen to others.
Seonghwa- his direction in life, his previous clear headedness.
Jongho- his control of his destiny, trust in his physical body.
Hongjoong- his passion for challenge.
Yunho- (almost) his brotherly bond with Hongjoong’s character
San- the stability the pirate crew granted him. His support system was gone.
What does the Masked Man want?
How I see his story is he is essentially like a hoarding dragon, with an amazing treasure. He thought he kept it safe in a world of monsters (the kingdom ship performance where sea monsters were confirmed to exist in Pirateez reality) but didn’t account for the Pirate King the set his eyes on his hoard.
What is this treasure?
We don’t know (still haven’t read the diaries lol) it could be the Cromer (the hourglass looking thing I think), it could be something else entirely. But he’s OBSESSED with it.
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Note: Halateez are often symbolised through hats, coats and reflective surfaces.
