Jungian Symbolism and Persona Motif
The classical sculptures surrounding the members in the Blood Sweat & Tears video visualize Jung's concept of “persona” (social mask). Each one represents an internal conflict. In the clip, V closes his eyes and then sheds tears, symbolizing repressed aspects of the subconscious and spiritual awakening. The statue of the fallen angel in front of whose wings RM is stationed is directly related to Jung's archetype of the “shadow”: the repressed dark side of the human being.
The green-blue hue used in the scenes with the statues represents psychic dissolution and the surfacing of repressed desires. Jin's seeing himself as a different figure while looking in the mirror describes the process of confronting one's inner selves. This is the direct visual equivalent of Jung's theory of “individuation”.
Art History References
The painting at the center of Blood Sweat & Tears, “The Fall of the Rebel Angels”, is inspired by the baroque work of Peter Paul Rubens and carries themes of fall, rebellion and desire. The statue Jin kisses in the clip is a reference to Michelangelo's “Pietà”, but the emphasis is not on affection but on forbidden pleasure.
Some of the framed paintings shown throughout the clip are excerpts from real works of art, but their content has been cropped or manipulated by coloring - representing visual censorship and distortion of reality. The figure of the “masked dancer” in Fake Love is associated with the Commedia dell'Arte style of European theater, with its themes of assumed identity, disguise and emotional alienation.
WINGS Period and Philosophical Depth
The trilogy of “sin - desire - fall” that runs throughout the WINGS album period is inspired by Goethe's Faust. In the Lie clip, Jimin seeing himself in the mirror and running away reflects the fear of facing one's true self. The sudden flooding in the confrontation scene symbolizes spiritual purification and panic.
The flaming piano in Suga's First Love video shows that devotion to passion is both a divine and destructive force. In the Stigma clip, V's walk down the dark street represents the state of being trapped between the guilt imposed by society and individual regret.
Symbols Given by Color and Light
In the Spring Day video, pastel tones visually express the dulling of time and the longing for the past. I Need U scenes, in which the color red is used intensely, point to emotional chaos and inner collapse. In the same clip, cold blue tones emphasize “loss” and “loneliness”.
In the Black Swan clip, the members dressed in white clothes sink into darkness after stepping on stage, referring to the destruction of innocence and the inner death of the artist. The theme of “going through the darkness to reach the light” is emphasized through the intense use of dark-shadow contrast, especially in ON, Black Swan and FAKE LOVE clips.
Mythology and Religious Imagery
The “drinking wine” scene in Blood Sweat & Tears is a Christian symbol of being caught between sin and redemption. The swan figure combined with the choreography in the Black Swan video is an indirect reference to the Leda and Zeus narratives in Greek mythology-questioning the boundary between beauty, power and control.
Jungkook's solitary walk through the tunnel is a reference to the classical myth of the journey to Hades, based on the theme of “death and rebirth”. The “passing through the gate” scene in the ON music video overlaps with the biblical metaphor of the gate of paradise. The chained figure dragged by Jungkook indicates that the individual carries his sins.
BTS Universe (BU) and Time Cycle Symbols
I Need U and Run are the cornerstones of the BTS Universe (BU) narrative; in these two clips, time is constantly twisted, with events leading to the same ending but in different ways. The narrative of Jin constantly trying to save the other members corresponds to a cycle of desperation similar to the “Sisyphus Cycle” in mythology.
The flower Jin holds in his hand in the Run clip is the same type of flower, although it always looks different, symbolizing that the flow of time is cyclical. The “Time Loop” theme is most evident in the short film Euphoria, where Jin rewinds the memories of the other members before falling into the water, signifying a desire to change fate.
The Notes, a series of physical books, contains textual versions of some of the scenes in the clips, allowing only attentive fans to discover the inner workings of the BU universe.
Destruction and Rebirth Theme
The collapse of the building in Fake Love represents the shattering of the individual's self-constructed dream world when confronted with reality. The breaking of the mirror in the short film Butterfly refers to the disintegration and reshaping process of the idealized self. In the Film Out clip, Jin's gaze into the empty room after the missing members symbolizes that lost relationships cannot be returned, but can be rebuilt with memories.
In the Yet To Come clip, the toy train derailing and getting back on the track signifies the acceptance of the chaos of the past and a hopeful transition towards the future. In the Spring Day clip, scenes such as the empty Ferris wheel and the abandoned platform stand out as physical images of emotions stuck in the past.
Hidden Connections Between Clips and Repeating Objects
Jin's constant driving of the same car is like a visual cue that marks the points in the clips where time is broken or reset. The scene where V jumps into the water is re-staged similarly in different clips (e.g. Run, I Need U, Euphoria); these repetitions reinforce the fixed point of time and the theme of not being able to escape from fate.
Spaces such as umbrellas, glass, the sea and hotels are used repeatedly in many clips, taking on different meanings. Objects such as postcards, videotapes and notebooks held by the members carry traces of personal memory and function as gateways to the subconscious in some scenes.
Dreams, Subconscious and Psychological Depth
The journey that begins with No More Dream gradually shifts to a more subconscious atmosphere in the following clips; Black Swan is the peak of this. In the short film Ego, J-Hope's dance with his past in his inner world is a process of awareness that oscillates between the dream and the unconscious.
Suga's clones reflected on stage in his Shadow performance reflect the fragmentation of the individual between the expectations of society and his own desires. Outro: In the clip scene specially prepared for the Tear performance, Jin, surrounded by mirrors, symbolizes getting lost in one's own emotions.
Hidden Messages Directed Directly to Fans
The purple stars in the sky in the We are Bulletproof: The Eternal animation clip are directly directed at the ARMY; they are the visual equivalent of the “Borahae” message. The image of a “refuge” presented to fans in the Magic Shop clip represents a metaphorical space where they can escape their emotional burdens.
The white room scenes at the end of the “Love Yourself” series offer a breaking moment in which ARMY also witnesses the inner transformation of the characters. Answer: The giant mirror scene in the Love Myself performances calls the audience to “love your own reflection”. This scene was created especially for the fans.
Scenes Removed or Changed from Clips
The scenes of violence and death in the original version of the I Need U music video were censored and re-uploaded in a softened version after the first broadcast. In the original version, Jin's death scene was much more prominent; however, as the BU (BTS Universe) editing process progressed, this scene was faded and the emphasis on “uncertainty” was emphasized.
In the Japanese version of Blood Sweat & Tears, unlike the Korean version, the breaking of V's wings was depicted in a much more visual way - this was one of the representations that was changed according to country-specific censorship and perception of art. In the Spring Day video, the train remaining stationary was a metaphor for death in the first scenario, but in the final version it was transformed into an emphasis on “waiting” and “longing”.
Cultural and Literary References
Blood Sweat & Tears makes frequent references to Hermann Hesse's novel “Demian”. Especially the idea of “the child born between two worlds” shapes Jin's character. The narration in RM's “Wings” intro takes direct quotes from Hesse's “journey of self-discovery”. These passages were initially assumed to be fictitious by the audience.
The concept of karma is a recurring sub-theme in the FAKE LOVE and Black Swan music videos, with Jin's scenes in particular referencing the Indian cycle of reincarnation. Throughout the “Love Yourself” series, the mirrors, masks and costumes are inspired by Japanese Noh theater; the identity games are linked to this tradition.
Details Discovered by Fans
The bunk bed in the Spring Day video never has a member sleeping on the top floor, symbolizing the location of a lost person. The flock of birds that appear after Jin jumping into the sea in the short film Euphoria represents both freedom and the spiritual transition that follows loss - many ARMYs have noticed that the shape of these birds resembles a purple heart.
The shot of V looking out the window in the Run clip is shot at exactly the same angle as the view from the train scene in Spring Day - a deliberate transition. In the ON clip, the figure with the chains Jungkook is carrying is an illustration of one of BTS's old album covers. The school bus in Yet to Come is a reference to the No More Dream era, but the difference in detail is the year on the license plate: it corresponds to the year of the founding of fandom.
Behind the Scenes and Director's Notes
The director of the Spring Day video said that the fact that the scenes were covered in snow was metaphorical, that in fact the seasons did not change in the clip - suggesting the idea of an “inner season”. For the Black Swan clip, the set designers wanted the black swan to be represented not only by feathers but also by the curved reflections of the water surface.
BTS members had real interactions with animals during the filming of the ON music video; in particular, the peacock that Jungkook locked eyes with was an improvised moment on set. The huge background “BTS” script in the Butter clip was specially designed by the members; each letter was decorated with objects to represent a different member.
Final Messages and Meaning Revealed Moments
At the end of the “Yet To Come” clip, Jin's solitary gaze at the horizon is not a farewell, but a signal that someone who has gained wisdom is ready to “move on to the next story”. The elevator descent in J-Hope's MORE clip is the opposite of the ascent in “Ego” - the contrast suggests that the individual has completed the process of accepting darkness.
BTS does not directly explain the meaning of any clip, forcing the viewer to “co-create the meaning”. This collective thinking increases the cultural value of the clips.