It’s time to dust off that light stick — BTS is officially back. On March 21, for the first time in three years (and nine months, but who’s counting?), the septet made their highly anticipated return to the stage to perform live globally on Netflix.
The journey to this historic comeback has been meaningful, and a new documentary now streaming on Netflix reveals the blood, sweat, tears (and joy) it took to arrive here. From acclaimed director Bao Nguyen (The Stringer, The Greatest Night in Pop) comes BTS: THE RETURN, which follows the band during the creation of their fifth studio album, ARIRANG. Thankfully, you can watch both the performance and documentary in perpetuity to stave off the post-show sads. Or, just to get your daily dose of Tannies vitamins.
Read on for everything to know about BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG and BTS: THE RETURN, both now streaming on Netflix.
BTS: THE RETURN offers rare behind-the-scenes access as the group comes back together to chart an unprecedented path forward. The film opens with a scene that many fans might recognize: the septet gathered on a Los Angeles beach, greeting fans on a livestream as a full unit for the first time in two years. But now, we’re seeing this warm, unguarded reunion from their perspective. Below, Nguyen reveals why this was the right way to open the documentary and other reflections about the BTS legacy.
Director Nguyen tells Tudum that he wanted to open BTS: THE RETURN with a moment that BTS fans would immediately know. “The Weverse livestream from the beach was an event from that summer that helped establish BTS being in Los Angeles and working on the album, so it grounded the film in a specific place and time right away,” he says. “What I liked about starting there is that we begin inside a frame the world already saw, and then the film slowly pulls back to reveal a perspective just outside of it. You realize we are not only watching the public moment, we are watching what surrounds it. That felt like the right way into the story because it signals that the film is interested in what exists just beyond the image people already know.”
The story that unfolds after this intimate, heartwarming scene is not meant to be a sweeping, holistic tale of BTS’ history, however.
“I did not try to tell the entire story of BTS,” Nguyen says. “I tried to understand what this particular moment meant to them and what story could be found inside that. What I kept seeing, just through observation and listening, was a brotherhood formed through creativity and through proximity, through living together, working together, growing up together, and carrying an enormous weight together. They are holding something that I do not think any one person could fully fathom or carry alone. But as OT7, they are able to face it. So the story I found was not just one of fame or success. It was a story about connection, trust, and the bond that allows them to keep evolving and keep returning to one another.”
The documentary film, premiering March 27, serves as a companion to the live performance and chronicles the long-awaited return of BTS and the making of their fifth studio album, ARIRANG. Directed by director Bao Nguyen (The Stringer, The Greatest Night in Pop), the film enters the group’s world as they come back together and chart an unprecedented path forward — musically and otherwise. Learn more about the documentary and watch the trailer here.
BTS’s hiatus was driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service requirements. In December 2022, the BTS members put their wildly successful careers on hold as each enlisted for up to 18 months of mandatory military service. As some members left for enlistment, others released various solo work in their own time. Jin and j-hope were discharged in 2024, and RM, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook were discharged in early June 2025. SUGA was the last member to be discharged on June 21, 2025.
BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG streamed live exclusively on Netflix on March 21, and is now available to watch in its entirety. Audiences and fans saw RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook take back the stage for a performance in Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square. They shared the first live performances of songs off their upcoming fifth studio album, ARIRANG, among others.
Read about all the highlights, setlist, and more in our recap of the BTS live performance on Netflix here.
Following the live performance, the band will embark on the ARIRANG World Tour, which will span 34 regions and feature 82 shows across the globe.
During the performance, the septet performed the following songs:
Read all about the highlights and striking moments of the performance in our detailed recap here.
The live stream has ended, but you can watch the performance on Netflix now.
About 104,000 people attended the show at the historic Gwanghwamun Square.
The performance spans about an hour.
The group’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, was released on March 20, the day before the live performance on Netflix. Here’s the album tracklist:
Just kidding.
