Meet PLAVE: The K-pop Virtual Idol Boy Band in Webtoon Style

Have you heard of PLAVE? They're the virtual idol group that looks like they stepped right out of a comic book. They've performed live on the MAMA stage, and yes, they even drive cars during live streams (not kidding). But their popularity has sparked debates—are we watching idols or just an animated show?

Take Korean radio host Kim Shin-young, for example. She once quipped on her show, "If I can't see them (PLAVE), where should I look?" This comment stirred up controversy, with some accusing her of disrespecting virtual idols and others demanding she "step down" to take responsibility. While her tone seemed more like a lament about "falling behind the times," it highlighted a truth—despite PLAVE's phenomenal popularity, many still struggle to grasp what virtual idols are all about.

So, who exactly is PLAVE? How did they transition from "virtual characters" to the spotlight on the K-pop main stage? This article will explore their group concept, world-building, and technical prowess to help you understand the allure of PLAVE.

The Animated Idols and Must-See MAMA Stage

How did you first "see" PLAVE? For me, it was when an algorithm suggested a short clip of Yejun sipping water with his hand over his mouth. At the time, I barely knew anything about PLAVE, and my first thought was, "Wow! Have Korean comics evolved into 3D animations now? This water-drinking scene is so realistic!" Little did I know, it was a virtual boy band!

Another popular "sighting" was their 2024 MAMA performance with Lee Yong-ji, dubbed the "Cultural President," where they performed "Small Girl." I recommend you click the link and watch the performance while reading this article.

The MAMA Awards are a highly anticipated annual music event for K-pop fans, showcasing the artistic achievements of Korean pop music. The 2024 MAMA was arguably one of the most explosive editions yet. Not only did it feature a rare reunion of three BIGBANG members, but also a much-talked-about debut stage of "APT." by Rosé and Bruno Mars. Another highlight was the cross-dimensional performance by PLAVE and Lee Yong-ji.

This performance had three standout moments: First, PLAVE seamlessly integrated into Lee Yong-ji's stage on the big screen, perfectly blurring the lines between virtual and real. Second, when PLAVE member Hamin sang with his unique voice, Lee Yong-ji's shout of "Singing louder!" made it clear that PLAVE's performance was not pre-recorded but a genuine live show! Lastly, this marked the first time MAMA invited a virtual idol to the stage, with PLAVE being the first virtual idol group to perform at this mainstream awards ceremony.

Who is PLAVE? Group and Member Introduction

PLAVE is a five-member virtual boy band launched by VLAST on March 12, 2023. The members include leader Yejun (예준), Noah (노아), Bambi (밤비), Eunho (은호), and the youngest, Hamin (하민). The group's name combines "Play" and the French word "Rêve" (dream), symbolizing "creating a new world to realize dreams." Their fanbase is called PLLI (플리), a blend of "Play" and "Reality," signifying that PILI exists in reality while PLAVE exists in dreams, meeting online to create memories together.

Each PLAVE member has their own representative animal, color, and role. Yejun and Noah are part of the vocal line, Bambi is in the dance line, while Eunho and Hamin handle rap duties. Despite their comic book looks, their hard work is anything but virtual. They not only sing and dance but also participate in music production, choreography, and songwriting, making them one of the few virtual idol groups with creative prowess.

Yejun (예준): The leader, aiming to lead PLAVE to Terra to meet PLLI. His representative animal is a dolphin (🐬) and his color is a blue heart (💙). He is part of the vocal line.

Noah (노아): With blonde hair and an "ice princess" appearance, his personality is surprisingly humorous. His representative animal is an alpaca (🦙) and his color is a purple heart (💜). He is in the vocal line.

Bambi (밤비): Nicknamed "귀염둥이" (adorably explosive baby), Bambi is lively and cute. However, he has a "little violent" streak, often "beating himself up" when things go wrong. His representative animal is a deer (🦌) and his color is a pink heart (💗). He is both a dancer and vocalist.

Eunho (은호): With silver hair and red eyes, Eunho is clearly part of the rap line. His representative animal is a bear (🐻) and his color is a red heart (❤️).

Hamin (하민): His symbols are a black cat (🐈‍⬛) and a black heart (🖤). As an "unfinished" character, his age is unknown, making him the youngest. He is in the rap and dance line.

A Unique Three-World Concept

As virtual idols, PLAVE naturally has a world-building concept. Their story revolves around three spaces: "Terra," "Caelum," and "Asterum." "Terra" is "Earth," where humans reside; "Caelum" is the "virtual space," where characters created by humans gain life; "Asterum" contains the "Life Space" (VitaexCubo), where characters exist as "cubes" before birth and after disappearance. For a character to be born, love from humans on Terra is essential. When a character receives enough love from humans, the cube transforms into a meteor and flies to Caelum; conversely, when a character loses popularity, they gradually disappear, reverting to a cube form and returning to Asterum.

PLAVE's story begins with an accident: In Asterum's Life Space, a character that should still be a cube, in the making stage—Hamin—awakens due to some unknown factor. Hamin then crosses the rift between Asterum and Terra, attempting to connect with his creator, Developer A.

When Hamin successfully meets Developer A, Developer A recalls his past of giving up his dream of becoming a comic artist to become an engineer, as well as the other characters he previously created: Yejun, Noah, Bambi, and Eunho. These characters, still living in Caelum, are facing a decline in popularity due to the hiatus of their series, leading to their impending disappearance. To save the situation, Developer A executes a summoning code, bringing Yejun and the others back from Caelum to Asterum. Hamin also returns to Asterum to join them, and the five establish their identity as the idol group "PLAVE" in Asterum, attracting human attention on Terra through live streams. The once cold and lifeless Asterum begins to flourish with vitality as PLAVE gains the affection of PLLI.

From left to right: Yejun, Eunho, Bambi, Hamin, Noah. (Source: NAVER)

Each of PLAVE's comebacks reflects their world-building. Their debut album "ASTERUM" reveals their location, while the title track "Wait for you" expresses their longing to meet PILI. The members' visuals and concept photos feature a space adventure style, filled with elements of space and futuristic technology, continuing the "cross-dimensional" theme in their world-building, as if hinting that the album is a gift from PLAVE to PILI on Earth after gathering in Asterum.

Their recent comeback promotion with a "hacker invasion" theme was particularly interesting. Due to the hacker's interference, PLAVE's live stream ended prematurely; the hacker attack also prevented the members from uploading photos to Bubble for PILI to see. This concept allowed fans to not only follow the music but also be "forced" (in a fun way) to engage with the world-building through live streams.

And the love for PLAVE from humans grows day by day. In just two years since their formation, they've achieved a series of impressive feats:

For instance, in 2024, they topped the Melon TOP 100 chart with "Pump Up The Volume!" (only five boy groups have achieved this: BIGBANG, BTS, EXO, SEVENTEEN, NCT Dream); their third mini-album released earlier this year surpassed one million sales in its first week (first-week sales refer to the number of albums sold in the first week after release, and PLAVE is the first in the Korean virtual idol scene to achieve this); their YouTube channel also surpassed one million subscribers last week (March 23, 2025); even G-Dragon publicly expressed his desire to collaborate with PLAVE on the show "Good Day" (굿데이)!

So, PLAVE deserves to be seen, not just as a virtual idol gimmick (though many virtual idols fade away soon after debut...), but because they've achieved many things that "real idols haven't been able to."

What are Virtual Idols? PLAVE's Underlying Technology and Business Model

After getting a glimpse of PLAVE's background, let's take a moment to revisit the concept of virtual idols. We've discussed virtual idols several times before—like our ongoing coverage of the virtual idol pioneer, Hatsune Miku (though Miku wasn't the first virtual idol, she's undoubtedly a legendary figure!), and we've introduced the American FOX TV show "Alter Ego," which features virtual avatars competing, as well as the Korean show "Girls RE:VERSE," where real girl group members anonymously compete using virtual avatars.

Behind these virtual idols, there's often a "person inside," using motion capture technology to translate real human movements into the virtual avatar. The extent and application of motion capture vary depending on the virtual idol's concept. For instance, the "SM Royalty" Nævis has a voice synthesized from analyzing 12 voice actors, while her movements are created using motion capture technology. PLAVE, on the other hand, is closer to the VTuber concept, with each performance, interaction, and live stream being operated in real-time by fixed members. This model retains the space for real human emotions and improvisation, allowing for deeper emotional connections with fans. However, the flip side is that the real identity of the person inside could affect the virtual idol's image. Most fans, however, respect the virtual idol's world-building and avoid intruding or digging into their real-world identities.

Why Didn't PLAVE Debut as Real People?

At this point, you might be wondering—PLAVE members are so talented, why not debut as themselves?

In the fan community, there are two main perspectives: One side feels it's a shame they're "hidden behind virtual images," worrying about scenarios like "200 Pounds Beauty," where the person inside might be replaced or oppressed by the agency (like the recent graduation wave in hololive, where many members cited "differences in company philosophy" as their reason for leaving). The other side goes too far, digging up and exposing the real identities of the people inside, making comments like "Glad it's not a greasy uncle" or "The real person is also great," completely ignoring the rules of the virtual idol world-building game.

However, the decision for PLAVE members to debut as a virtual group wasn't driven by conspiracy theories or complex reasons. On the contrary, this decision is somewhat of a "chicken or egg" situation (?). To explain it all, we need to start with the founding of their agency, VLAST (which we'll introduce later).

VLAST's CTO Lee Hyun-woo once candidly explained PLAVE's market positioning: "The type of virtual idol you create determines who you can attract."

If you create "realistic-style" virtual idols, you're stepping directly into the battlefield with real idols like BTS, NewJeans, and SEVENTEEN, which is a tough competition. With current technology, virtual idols still struggle to surpass real idols in terms of charisma, facial expressions, and body language. The more realistic they are, the more likely audiences are to criticize them for "imitating someone," leading to an awkward situation of "not measuring up to real people," or even causing an "uncanny valley" effect that makes people uncomfortable.

PLAVE chose the path of "webtoon-style" virtual idols, carving out a unique niche. In terms of appearance, they didn't aim to resemble real people but instead used comic book designs to attract subculture audiences familiar with novels, anime, and games. Let's be honest, the male protagonists you used to swipe through on Webtoon are now singing, dancing, live streaming, and even acting cute in 3D live performances—who wouldn't be captivated?

What's the Story Behind PLAVE's Agency, VLAST?

"VLAST" is the backbone behind PLAVE, consisting of a group of tech enthusiasts who never sleep and constantly debug. Initially focused on visual effects (VFX) technology, they later transformed into a virtual entertainment company, forging a new path that blends technology and entertainment. Led by CEO Lee Sung-gu (이성구), they focus on developing technology and content related to virtual idols.

VLAST's predecessor was Byte Eleven. In 2022, Lee Sung-gu and Yoon Chang-hee founded Byte Eleven as an internal startup at MBC, aiming to create a "virtual video and live streaming synchronization" technology process. Their early projects had a bit of a nerdy vibe—featuring a space delivery person and an AI robot delivering packages in a spaceship (lol), but it was to showcase how quickly they could produce smooth virtual videos and live streams, proving to investors that "this technology has potential." They successfully secured funding.

Later, tech expert Lee Hyun-woo joined as CTO, transforming Byte Eleven into VLAST. Byte Eleven served as their technology incubator, while VLAST became the place where technology bore fruit. They also collaborated with digital IP entertainment company IPX (formerly LINE FRIENDS) to produce real-time rendered videos for virtual musician WADE. These practical experiences eventually evolved into the technical foundation for PLAVE—creating immersive, game-like live streams.

Driving During Live Streams: How Does PLAVE Move?

When it comes to PLAVE's live streams, there are countless highlights, but if I had to pick a recent favorite, it would be the "driving live stream" that left everyone amazed with its technical brilliance. The members cruised in a virtual car, with realistic lighting reflections inside the car, natural hair movement, and detailed expressions between members, all so exquisite that it was hard to believe your eyes.

The mastermind behind all this is the Unreal Engine. Originally used for game development, Unreal Engine has powered games like "Fortnite" and "Final Fantasy VII Remake." VLAST also harnessed Unreal Engine to bring PLAVE to life:

1. From Video Production to Live Performances: All Handled by Unreal Engine

PLAVE's debut MV "Wait for you" was produced using traditional animation processes. At that time, the workflow required switching between multiple software (such as animation tools, special effects simulators, rendering software, etc.). Although Unreal Engine was responsible for scene design, lighting, and output, character animation, effects, and costume simulation relied on other 3D tools.

This fragmented production process was inefficient. Therefore, VLAST began integrating most production steps into Unreal Engine. By the time of the single "WAY 4 LUV," animation, simulation, and visual effects could almost all be completed in real-time within Unreal Engine, not only speeding up the process but also significantly enhancing visual quality.

2. Key Tools for Streamlined Production: Virtual Slate and Take Recorder

To achieve a smoother virtual production workflow, VLAST designed a tablet application called Virtual Slate to integrate multiple operations needed during filming. With a single click, it simultaneously activates Unreal Engine's recording, motion capture system, and audio-video synchronization, automatically organizing material naming and storage locations, effectively reducing manual operations and error risks.

During the actual content recording process, the team used Unreal Engine's built-in Take Recorder to record performance content in real-time, allowing immediate playback, quick on-site previews, and adjustments, making the filming process more flexible, enabling members and staff to make creative or emergency decisions in real-time.

3. Real-Time Motion Capture: Making Virtual Idols Perform Like Real People

To ensure PLAVE's movements appear natural, VLAST employs "motion capture technology," where the person inside wears a specially designed sensor suit, and their performance movements are instantly converted into animations.

They also designed several impressive tools to make movements look more natural and fluid. For instance, a real-time interference avoidance system prevents awkward scenes where members' arms pass through their bodies or collide with teammates; inverse kinematics (IK) technology ensures feet naturally touch the ground, and hands and feet interact smoothly with the scene, avoiding a floating ghost-like appearance; and dynamic FK/IK switching allows smoother transitions between movements, preventing sudden stiffness or awkwardness.

However, no matter how advanced the technology, live streams inevitably encounter some "out-of-sync" moments—these glitches have unexpectedly become a gateway for many fans (laughs).

The reason for out-of-sync issues is quite simple: there are inevitable differences between the real person's body proportions and the virtual avatar, especially in limb length or body shape details. For example, if the performer's arms are longer than the virtual character's design, they can easily reach for something on a shelf, but the virtual character's arms, limited by length, will appear to "miss" in the animation, creating a cute bug.

When Virtual Idols Become the Main Course: PLAVE's Declaration of the Future

PLAVE showcases a new form of virtual idols, where technology and art merge. In the K-pop world, real-time motion capture and virtual characters often serve as ["side dishes" for fan experiences,](https://www.vivepostwave.com/g-dragon-comeback-media-exhitbtion-ubermensch/) providing temporary topics or peripheral fun; even when some have attempted to [treat virtual idols as the main course,](https://www.vivepostwave.com/kpop-meta/) truly entering the public eye is still a long journey.

But PLAVE has fully committed, from planning, stage performances, variety shows to music, capturing attention with their distinct Korean comic style and superb live streaming technology, then holding audiences with the strong talents of the people inside. Upon closer inspection, there's a complete world-building to immerse in. As for the occasional small flaws, they enhance their "human-like charm." PLAVE's existence proves that with strong technology and sincere performances, virtual idols can also touch people's hearts.

Perhaps in the near future, we'll see more virtual idol groups using diverse world-building to attract "human" attention, but before that, we humans might need to adapt to how virtual idols make their debut on Earth~

For instance, check out PLAVE on "House of Sound" (집대성) enjoying famous brand fried chicken from Earth.

Or watch them on "Civilization Express" (문명특급) chatting about band experiences, improvising lyrics, and passionately covering songs via video call~