RAERAE REACTS

ARISE

i-dle took Solo Leveling’s most famous command, wrapped it in a rising battle track, and let five women enter the dungeon as playable hunters instead of decorative collaboration skins.

Watch the music video

What the song is doing

“ARISE” borrows the central command from Solo Leveling. Sung Jinwoo uses it to call defeated enemies back as shadow soldiers. That gives the title an easy dramatic job, but it also fits i-dle. This is a group that repeatedly writes itself back into the story after setbacks, a lineup change, public scrutiny, and every prediction that the next era would finally slow them down.

The track builds instead of exploding immediately. That mirrors leveling itself. Power is accumulated. The arrangement adds pressure, voices, and scale until the chorus feels earned. Minnie brings smoke. Miyeon brings lift. Yuqi gives the center extra weight. Shuhua’s cooler tone suits the game-world stiffness. Soyeon supplies the attack.

This works better than many brand collaborations because the song does not paste the group’s name over generic orchestral wallpaper. The cool aggression already belongs in i-dle’s catalog. The game only gives it armor.

The music video: five idols become hunters

The video mixes the members with in-game action, dungeon imagery, cinematic effects, and character reveals. Netmarble’s official description explains the rollout: Miyeon and Shuhua entered first, then Minnie, Soyeon, and Yuqi joined as hunters so the full group could be collected inside the game.

That is the main Easter egg. The MV is also the completion notice for the collaboration roster. Players could obtain Miyeon and Shuhua through event content while the campaign built toward all five members.

The styling understands the assignment. They look like units with roles, not idols borrowing plastic swords for a thumbnail. i-dle already knows fantasy. They have worn crowns, led armies, staged funerals, burned kingdoms, and turned bad luck into choreography. A dungeon barely interrupts the schedule.

Easter eggs and details

• “Arise” itself: Sung Jinwoo’s command summons shadow soldiers from defeated enemies.
• The staggered rollout: Miyeon and Shuhua appeared before the remaining three members completed the team.
• The progression: The song grows in layers instead of opening at full power, echoing the leveling mechanic.
• Playable identity: The members were added as hunters, giving the collaboration a purpose beyond a promotional video.
• The group parallel: Rising stronger after a battle fits i-dle a little too perfectly.

What works

The voices remain recognizable under cinematic production. Game OSTs often bury artists beneath trailer noise. “ARISE” keeps enough i-dle personality to survive outside the event. The gradual build also gives the final stretch weight. It feels like reaching the boss room.

What needed more

I wanted more live-action member footage and a longer final section. The concept is rich enough for a narrative video. Let Soyeon command shadows. Let Yuqi punch a monster. I have reasonable needs.

RaeRae verdict

Song: 8/10. Strong enough to escape the sponsored-content basement.

Video: 7.5/10. Beautiful game presentation, slightly stingy with actual i-dle.

Replay value: 8/10. Excellent for pretending the grocery store is a dungeon.

Final thought: Solo Leveling gave i-dle five hunter slots. i-dle responded by making the dungeon look like another Tuesday comeback meeting.

Receipts and further digging

• Official collaboration music videoDaily+102Total views312.3K
• Netmarble official announcement
• Netmarble Korean press release
• Fan discussion

Keep digging: Visit the i-dle profile for members, songs, and sourced tea.