Webtoon-Origin Virtual Idol 'Space' Debuts, Opening a New Chapter for Virtual Idols

Webtoon characters are transforming into idols and debuting. 'Sphaze,' the world's first virtual idol boy group comprised of webtoon characters, will hold a live broadcast on their official YouTube channel at 7 PM on the 30th to commemorate the release of their debut single album. During the broadcast, the members will share the album introduction, their debut thoughts, and behind-the-scenes stories of the production process with fans in real-time, showcasing the charm of virtual idols.

Sphaze is composed of characters from popular webtoons on Kakaopage and Naver Webtoon. This is the first case of characters who played main or supporting male roles in webtoons debuting as idols, garnering high expectations from webtoon fans. Members include 'Perderick,' the main character from the popular webtoon 'I'm falling for the prince,' which recorded a cumulative 16.4 million views on Kakaopage; 'Madehyup' from Naver Webtoon's 'Fatal vs. Romance'; 'Nidan' from 'Captain! Is this the battlefield?'; and 'Dominseong' from 'July Blue.' These characters, beloved from various webtoons, will be engaging in activities on a new level within virtual reality.

Sphaze's debut album is titled 'Starlight,' containing the title track 'Starlight' and the b-side 'Cloud 9.' Notably, member 'Perderick' participated in writing and composing the title track 'Starlight,' with Seo Taeil also contributing to the lyrics. The b-side 'Cloud 9' was solely composed by member Dominseong, with all members participating in the lyrics, reflecting their unique musical colors. Through this album, Sphaze is establishing themselves as a self-produced virtual idol group.

The debut of a virtual idol utilizing webtoon IP (intellectual property) demonstrates the potential for creating a new market through the fusion of the webtoon industry and K-POP. Webtoon industry officials are also showing great interest in Sphaze's debut. Particularly, the fact that characters can continue interacting with fans even after the webtoon's completion allows existing fans and new fans alike to reconnect with their favorite characters through Sphaze.

Sphaze's success is expected to expand the possibilities of webtoon IP and significantly impact the virtual idol market. This case, connecting the popularity of webtoons to an idol group, is attracting attention as to whether it will establish a new model that will change the landscape of the virtual idol market. Furthermore, the combination of K-POP idol fandoms and webtoon fandoms is expected to create new synergy effects in various entertainment content in the future.

Anticipation is building for how Sphaze will unfold their new virtual reality world with their debut, and the synergy between webtoons and virtual idols through their future activities is keenly awaited.