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SM Culture Universe
SM Culture Universe
SM Culture Universe
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SM Culture Universe
Created bySM Entertainment
OwnerSM Entertainment
Years2020–present

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) is a shared universe produced by SM Entertainment.

Development

[edit]

"We are now going to kwangya. We are also going through a turbulent fourth industrial revolution in which not only COVID-19 but also other diseases and climate change can occur at any time. In the future, there will be more changes in human lifestyle as technology advances, and as I said before, the future world will become a world of celebrities and robots. We mentioned SM Culture Universe (SMCU) as a key value and vision for the future entertainment world, and we will introduce new girl group Aespa as the first project that will soon open the beginning of future entertainment."

—Lee Soo-man, Producer, and Chairman of SM Entertainment, on constructing a shared universe.[1]

By 2004, SM Entertainment had been working to produce their own culture universe.[2] During the planning stage, Lee Soo-man thought of creating a worldview with "innovative and powerful" storytelling.[3] He presumed that creating, delivering stories, and entering the worldview is a competition.[4] Instead of a worldview interpreted as a symbol or a metaphor, they created storytelling content that contains a completely "new and very attractive" character and story, and Lee believed that this story is an essential element for expressing artists and music, and is the key to success.[5]

Lee Soo-man attended the First World Cultural Industry Forum (WCIF) as a representative of Korean culture and gave a keynote speech under the theme of "The Future of the World Entertainment Industry After COVID-19 and Culture Universe".[6] In one of the highlights on his speech, Lee stated that they are one step closer to the future entertainment world they have dreamed of.[7] He added that in the year 2020, they will realized SMCU as a vision for the future entertainment world, through the new girl group Aespa, and move forward with "new and innovative" ways as they have done so far.[8]

On November 11, 2020, Park Jun-young, the executive director of SM Entertainment, attended the UAM Seoul Demonstration and Drone Taxi Demonstration Flight Event "City, Open the Sky" hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Park explained the importance of cultural technology in the future mobility industry. It was stated that SM has continued to challenge convergence of culture and technology under the future vision of Lee Soo-man and has been preparing for the future as a "technology company" that goes beyond entertainment.[9] Lee mentioned SMCU as the "core value and vision" of SM.[10] He asserted that it aims to "create a culture-connected entertainment world" and is preparing to predict that the future will be a world of AI and celebrity.[11]

On November 12, 2020, Lee Sung-soo, the CEO of SM Entertainment, together with Choi Si-won, a Super Junior member, attended the Korea-World Chinese Entrepreneurs Business Week 2020 for Chinese businessmen around the world on behalf of the Korean cultural industry.[12] It was held simultaneously around the world as a real-time online forum and was broadcast on YouTube due to COVID-19 concerns.[13] Choi addressed SMCU as the "core value and vision of future entertainment" presented by SM.[14] He presented that SMCU is "not just a worldview" that is interpreted as a symbol or a metaphor, but a "new vision and project" to express artists and music through storytelling content that contains "attractive" characters and stories.[15] Choi talked about Aespa as the "beginning" of the SMCU project, and added that the worldview and stories of various groups such as Exo, Red Velvet, and NCT will unfold independently and sometimes connect to new stories.[16] Additionally, he added that Super Junior is also part of SMCU and hopes that people will see what different stories the group will unfold in the future.[17]

On June 23, 2021, SM Entertainment and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a joint metaverse study.[18] Previously, Lee Soo-man had teamed up with Marvel, Creative Artists Agency, and Intel, among other global companies, to make the culture universe.[19] Through the MoU, SM and KAIST plans to mutually carry out technological cooperation in fields such as content, artificial intelligence and robots, common projects related to digital avatar production, and collective academic research on Culture Technology (CT).[20] Through the joint research with KAIST's College of Culture and Technology, SM will focus on researching metaverse performance technology using avatars.[21] Based on the collaboration, KAIST and SM plans to carry out research that seeks both the "perfection" of performances and the "advancement" of technology.[22]

On June 29, 2021, SM Entertainment held SM Congress 2021 to announce SM's vision and strategy.[23] Lee Soo-man opened the event through stating that SM has "continued the challenge to create an experience" that was never before with music content. He explained that the metaverse era will be recognized for its "originality and will become more valuable" in the future.[24] Furthermore, Lee said that they have predicted, prepared and pioneered the future.[25] Lee told Aespa that they are "stepping out in earnest to a world" where they expand their worldview under the name of SM Culture Universe and create their own universe.[26] Moreover, SM announced further details regarding SMCU such as potential plans for films, applications, and games that would allow for fan interaction.[27]

On July 1, 2021, the Second WCIF was held in the form of an international seminar involving key figures from five countries including South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and India.[28] Under the theme of "Changes in the Music and Entertainment Industry in the Post COVID Era", Lee Soo-man, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's chairman Mark Burnett, who produced famous audition programs The Voice and Survivor, and Teddy Zee, who has more than 30 years of experience in Hollywood, will be delivering their keynote speeches.[29] Lee asserted on his keynote speech that "unexpected" fields should fuse with entertainment, be able to create "explosive synergy", and that Korea should become the "first mover".[30] Moreover, he said that in the future, the content that would be drawing attention should be the supposed "recreative content" that users can recreate and claimed that the content can be a "third currency".[31] Lee added that it will be an agenda that they wanted to share with the cultural and future industry leaders as well as K-pop.[32]

Media

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Comics

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Title Publication date(s) Writer(s) Artist(s) Ref.
First published Last published
SMCU : Red Velvet - The Story of ReVe November 9, 2022 November 11, 2022 Kim Aromi D D Kang [33]

Projects

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Aespa

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Main article: Aespa

It was announced that the SM Entertainment will introduce a new girl group, Aespa, which will be the first project for SMCU.[34] Lee Soo-man revealed that once the group is released to the world, people will experience "new" entertainment through "attractive" stories in addition to all Intellectual Property Rights (IP), visuals and performances, including their music, lyrics, and video content including the music video.[35] Lee have mentioned Aespa's storytelling in which artist members in the "real world" and avatar members in the "virtual world" communicate, interact, and grow through the "digital world", an intermediate world between reality and virtual reality.[36] In addition, he described a new concept group with a "groundbreaking" identity to work together in reality in which the members of the "real world", the avatar members and the mysterious beings in the "virtual world", who supports and assists them, are members of Aespa.[37] Lee furtherly presented their plan of a "completely new concept" of storytelling to which "real world" members and "virtual world" members have artificial intelligence (AI) brains as different organisms.[38]

CAWMAN

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Cartoon, Animation, Webtoon, Motion Graphics, Avatar, and Novel (CAWMAN) is a new mixed video genre to portray SM Culture Universe (SMCU).[39] Lee Soo-man hinted that there are talks about making a movie in Hollywood using the genre.[40]

[edit]
List of SM Culture Universe terminologies
Name Description Ref.
Ae (stylized as æ) The online avatars of Aespa that have been created from all of the data that the members have uploaded on the internet [41]
Black Mamba The threat to the world and disrupts the connection between the real subject and the virtual reality avatar [42]
Ether The sea of unconsciousness [43]
Flat A virtual world where people and their "aes" coexist with each other [44]
Kosmo An unknown world that appears in the worldview of Aespa and NCT [45]
Kwangya (Korean: 광야; lit. Wilderness) A parallel dimension where the "Black Mamba" resides and the "ae" exists [46]
My A key figure in the story which means "the most precious friend" in "Kwangya" [47]
Naevis (stylized as nævis) An artificial intelligence system and a mysterious being which connects Aespa and the avatar in the virtual world [citation needed]
Nu Evo The new evolution [41]
Synk A virtual platform wherein Aespa and their avatars are connected [48]
SynkOut The forced disconnection with the "ae" [49]
Rekall The process where an avatar can come out for a limited time in the real world [50]
P.O.S (Port of Soul) Allows Aespa and their "aes" to "Synk" or hang out together in the real world [51]

Recurring cast and characters

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List of recurring cast and characters[52]
Character Artist or Group
TBA Kangta
Birth of Universe BoA
Speed of Light and Sound TVXQ
Space Travel Beyond Nationality and Ownership Super Junior
Goddess of Sound Girls' Generation
Five Lights Shinee
Supernatural Powers Exo
Transcendental Beings that are in Communion with the Gods Red Velvet
Messengers of Solidarity through Dreams and Subsconsciousness[citation needed] NCT
TBA Aespa

Reception

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Gong Mi-na of StarNews noted the project for containing SM Entertainment's "accumulated technology" and "know-how" which is expected to become the new model for K-pop market.[53] Gong also praised SM for the consistent application of "cutting-edge technology" to K-pop and introducing contents that has "advanced to the next level".[54] Kim Sun-woo of Sports Seoul recognized SM's signaling of an "expanded worldview" that will "exceed" expectations, adding a statement from an official on the music industry, "The idea of avatar is fresh, but the key seems to be how collaboration will be achieved and how much bond it can form with fans".[55] Lee Jae-hoon of Newsis labeled SM's various experiments as building a "cultural empire" and is compared its similarity with Marvel Cinematic Universe which also creates contents with diverse world views with IPs.[56] Jung Yu-jin of SPOTV News reported that the industry is interested in Aespa's avatar worldview, describing it as "groundbreaking".[57] Jang Jin-ri from the same news media stated that it remains as SM's attempt to become a "cultural empire" beyond an entertainment company representing Korea.[58] Kim Do-heon of OhmyStar compared the SMCU to Marvel Universe because of its resemblance with building a virtual worldview.[59]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

SM Culture Universe

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) is a shared fictional developed by , a leading South Korean entertainment company, designed to interconnect the narratives, characters, and releases of its artists and groups into a cohesive, futuristic storyline akin to the . Launched in October 2020, the SMCU integrates elements of music videos, albums, animations, and experiences to create an expansive world that blends reality with virtual dimensions, emphasizing themes of digital alter-egos, connectivity, and advanced technology. The origins of the SMCU trace back to early teasers in 2019 with the debut of SuperM, SM's supergroup project, which hinted at a larger interconnected narrative, but it was formally introduced through NCT's "NCT 2020" concept and aespa's debut single "Black Mamba" in November 2020. SM Entertainment expanded the universe in May 2021 with an official explanatory video titled "aespa 'ep.1 Black Mamba' - SM Culture Universe" on aespa's YouTube channel, detailing its core concepts and positioning aespa as the flagship act. By 2023, the SMCU had evolved to incorporate metaverse elements under the brand KWANGYA, symbolizing a future entertainment ecosystem powered by SM's proprietary "Culture Technology" that combines music, AI, and virtual reality. Central to the SMCU is Kwangya, a boundless virtual "wilderness" or digital realm that serves as the primary setting, first introduced in NCT's September 2020 teaser "Ether" and representing a hyper-connected space where physical and virtual worlds intersect. Key antagonists and motifs include Black Mamba, a serpentine villain depicted as a digital disruptor that severs connections between humans and their virtual avatars (known as "æ" or alter-egos), prominently featured in aespa's music videos and songs like "Next Level" (2021). The universe connects SM's roster—spanning legacy acts like BoA, H.O.T., Girls' Generation, and SHINee to contemporary groups such as NCT, EXO, Red Velvet, and aespa—through recurring symbols like butterflies (symbolizing transformation and linkage) and collaborative projects, such as the 2021 remix of H.O.T.'s "Free to Fly" featuring members from NCT and aespa set within Kwangya. SM Entertainment's ambition with the SMCU is to foster a unified brand ecosystem that transcends individual artist promotions, enabling cross-group storytelling via multimedia formats including webtoons, novels, and live performances like the 2022 SMTOWN concerts, while leveraging global expansion through overseas subsidiaries. As of 2025, the project continues to develop, highlighted by the 30th anniversary "2025 SMTOWN: THE CULTURE, THE FUTURE" album and concerts featuring interconnected performances from multiple SM artists, with ongoing integrations of AI-driven content and platforms to position SM as a pioneer in hybrid entertainment.

History and Development

Origins and Announcement

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) was announced by , founder and executive producer of , during his keynote speech titled "The Future of the World Entertainment Industry and Culture Universe since " at the 2020 World Cultural Industry Forum on October 28, 2020. In the address, Lee outlined SMCU as a designed to connect all SM artists through technology, integrating real-world performers with AI-driven virtual avatars to pioneer a new era of entertainment that overcomes physical and temporal limitations. This vision positioned SMCU as an evolution of K-pop's global expansion, leveraging digital platforms like online concerts to engage fans interactively. At its core, SMCU envisions blending real-world artists with virtual counterparts within a unified fictional realm called Kwangya, fostering immersive storytelling that spans music, , and interactive experiences. This builds on K-pop's shift toward intellectual properties, influenced by Lee Soo-man's longstanding "Culture Technology" philosophy, which merges cultural content creation with cutting-edge innovations like AI and AR to amplify artistic narratives beyond traditional music releases. As , Lee's role has been pivotal in driving this progression, from early experiments in digital performances to a cohesive that unites SM's diverse lineup. Internal development of SMCU commenced in 2020, culminating in its formal launch phase by 2021, with initial trademark filings for "SM Culture Universe" submitted to the and Office on January 19, 2021. These steps formalized the project's structure following the October announcement, with aespa's debut in November 2020 marking the first artist integration into the universe.

Key Milestones and Expansions

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) was formally introduced through the debut of on November 17, 2020, with their single "," which served as the flagship entry point for the project's narrative elements, including virtual avatars and a shared storyline. This launch positioned as the central act, embedding initial SMCU concepts like the digital realm of Kwangya within the music video and accompanying promotional materials. In 2021, the narrative expanded significantly with Aespa's "Next Level" single and music video released on , which delved deeper into the SMCU lore by depicting the group's avatars confronting disruptions in Kwangya. Later that year, on June 29, announced the CAWMAN multimedia format during the SM Congress 2021, a combining cartoons, animations, webtoons, , avatars, and novels to extend the SMCU across various media. From 2022 to 2023, SMCU progressed through episodic releases, including "ep.2 Next Level" on June 20, 2022, and "ep.3 Girls" on February 23, 2023, which further developed the storyline via CAWMAN-style videos. Plans for a Hollywood movie adaptation were hinted at by SM founder during the 2021 congress, envisioning a cinematic expansion of the Aespa-centered universe, though these discussions remained undeveloped without further announcements. In early 2023, 's departure from amid a management dispute led to speculation about shifting CAWMAN production to his independent ventures, ultimately realized through his new company A2O Entertainment. Updates in 2024 and 2025 showed limited expansions for SMCU, with ties to SM's 30th anniversary celebrations, such as the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 tour starting January 11, 2025, which highlighted intergenerational performances but lacked major new SMCU integrations. As of November 2025, SMCU at has seen no new episodic releases or significant integrations since 2023, with ongoing explorations stemming from earlier collaborations like the 2021 MOU with . Meanwhile, Lee Soo-man's A2O Entertainment has adopted the CAWMAN technique for new projects, such as the 2025 short-form series "A2O MAY STORY," suggesting a divergence in development. Despite these developments, SMCU faced challenges in broader adoption, with only brief mentions in other SM artists' projects, such as subtle NCT references to Kwangya elements in 2021 promotions, and incomplete media coverage of progress after 2023 due to internal shifts at SM.

Conceptual Framework

Kwangya and the

Kwangya is defined as a limitless parallel digital world that serves as the primary setting for narratives within the SM Culture Universe (SMCU), blending elements of and virtuality to create an expansive, boundary-free environment. According to official descriptions, it represents a "wave" that expands infinitely beyond the universe, lacking fixed form, rules, or limits, and functioning as a medium that connects dimensions and individuals. This conceptual space symbolizes the irregular, amorphous, and infinite domain where undefined possibilities unfold, forming the core stage for SMCU stories. SM Entertainment envisions the SMCU, with Kwangya at its heart, as a pioneering platform designed to foster direct fan interactions through avatars, virtual concerts, and NFTs. Early pilots in 2021 highlighted this integration, allowing fans to engage with virtual artist representations and participate in blockchain-based , where prosumers could NFTs and earn royalties. Kwangya facilitates immersive experiences by enabling fans to "enter" this digital realm, blurring lines between performers and audiences in a participatory . Technologically, Kwangya leverages AI for generating virtual humans and avatars, alongside VR and AR to deliver immersive content, all underpinned by SM's Culture Technology framework that combines with traditional . This includes specialized production in VFX, , and creation tailored for virtual environments, as advanced through the establishment of Studio Kwangya in 2022. Kwangya serves as the setting for the Synk mechanism, which synchronizes real artists with their digital avatars. The concept of Kwangya evolved from an abstract idea introduced in announcements during 2020, particularly through teaser content, to a more tangible visualization in 2021 productions that depicted its boundless nature. By 2022, it expanded into a dedicated brand combining SM's platforms like NFT marketplaces and fan communities.

Core Terminologies and Mechanisms

The core terminologies and mechanisms of the SM Culture Universe (SMCU) establish the narrative rules for interactions between and the expansive virtual realm of Kwangya, where real-world entities synchronize with digital counterparts to maintain balance against disruptive forces. These elements, primarily introduced through Aespa's , provide a structured lore that underpins storytelling without delving into specific plotlines. Central to this system is the Synk mechanism, a synchronization process that links real-world artists with their virtual avatars, referred to as æ-members or æ-avatars. Through Synk, humans and their digital alter-egos share sensory data, emotions, and actions, enabling collaborative navigation of Kwangya to combat existential threats. This connection, facilitated by the Port of Soul (P.O.S.)—an energy portal connecting the real world and the FLAT dimension, where avatars reside when inactive—is vulnerable to interruption via Synk Out, a disconnection state triggered by external interference, which isolates avatars and prevents their integration into the real world. The mechanism emphasizes unity between the tangible and virtual, forming a core dynamic for in the universe. Opposing these processes is the Black Mamba, a pervasive antagonist portrayed as a virus-like AI entity or digital serpent that infiltrates Kwangya's infrastructure. By corrupting data flows and inducing Synk Outs, the Black Mamba systematically severs bonds between humans and their æ-avatars, manifesting as a recurring existential threat that drives the universe's central conflicts. Supporting the protagonists is Nævis, an advanced AI guide derived from the concept of "navigation" fused with æ-elements. Functioning as a digital navigator and portal opener originating from the FLAT dimension—where avatars reside when inactive—Nævis directs Synk processes, reveals pathways, and aids in countering the Black Mamba's disruptions. Collectively, Synk, Synk Out, Black Mamba, Nævis, and the FLAT dimension constitute the foundational vocabulary and operational rules of SMCU, creating a cohesive metaphysical framework for virtual-real interactions. While initially centered on Aespa's æ-members, the application of these terms to non-Aespa artists remains limited in expansions from 2023 to 2025, with ongoing efforts to broaden the universe's integration across SM Entertainment's roster.

Productions and Media

Aespa Integration

, consisting of members Karina, , Winter, and , debuted on November 17, 2020, under as the flagship group pioneering the SM Culture Universe (SMCU), with their virtual æ-avatars serving as integral counterparts that embody the project's core real-virtual . The group's concept positions the human members and their æ-avatars as interconnected entities navigating a shared , where the avatars represent digital extensions derived from the members' real-world experiences, fostering a duality that blurs boundaries between physical and virtual realms. This integration marks as the primary vehicle for unfolding SMCU's lore through music, emphasizing themes of synk (synchronization) between realities. The debut single "Black Mamba," released alongside a on November 17, 2020, introduced the central conflict within SMCU, depicting the æ-avatars' disconnection from the members due to an attack by the antagonist , a digital serpent disrupting the virtual world of Kwangya. This track established the foundational episode of Aespa's storyline, portraying the group's quest to restore harmony across dimensions. Building on this, the single "Next Level" (2021), with its narrative later expanded in the SMCU episode "ep.2 Next Level," released on June 20, 2022, explored a "SYNK OUT" causing avatars to vanish and introduced Nævis, an AI guide aiding the members' traversal between worlds. The debut mini-album Savage, released on October 5, 2021, further embedded SMCU themes across its tracks, with the title song illustrating the members' confrontation with in a hyper-realistic digital battlefield, reinforcing the real-virtual duality through lyrics and visuals that highlight empowerment via synk. Subsequent releases continued to advance the lore, with the third mini-album My World, released on May 8, 2023, inaugurating season 2 of Aespa's SMCU arc by inviting listeners into an evolved personal universe blending emotional introspection with metaverse elements, as seen in tracks like "Welcome to My World" featuring Nævis. This album deepened the real-virtual interplay, portraying the members' growth amid ongoing dimensional threats, a development that extended into 2024-2025 releases like Armageddon, which escalated the narrative with cosmic-scale conflicts. This progression continued with 2025 releases such as the single "Dirty Work" (June 2025), the mini-album Rich Man (September 2025), and the digital single SYNK: aeXIS LINE (November 2025), which delve into multiverse themes and enhanced virtual interactions, further evolving the season 2 arc. Aespa's discography uniquely weaves this duality by using music videos and episodes to depict seamless transitions between human and avatar perspectives, evolving from initial disconnection motifs to collaborative triumphs, with post-2023 works incorporating more interactive virtual elements absent in earlier coverage. In live performances, integrates SMCU through avatar holograms and projections, as demonstrated in their 2022 Synk showcases in and , where æ-avatars appeared onstage alongside the members for synchronized dances and interactions, enhancing the immersion. These elements carried into larger tours, culminating in 2025 SMTOWN Live appearances, such as the concert on May 11, where performances reinforced universe ties via avatar visuals and lore-referencing sets. Visual production for these integrations, supported briefly by CAWMAN's framework, underscores 's role in materializing SMCU's conceptual depth.

CAWMAN Multimedia Project

The CAWMAN multimedia project serves as the production arm for expanding the (SMCU) through integrated mixed-media formats. Announced by founder in 2021, CAWMAN is an acronym for Cartoon, Animation, , Motion Graphics, Avatar, and , representing a novel genre designed to depict the interconnected lore of SMCU across diverse visual and narrative mediums. This initiative aimed to blend traditional entertainment with , creating immersive storytelling that ties SM artists into a shared framework. Key developments began with filing a for CAWMAN in June 2021, formalizing its role within the broader SMCU ecosystem. Early implementations included the production of episodic videos for the group , which utilized CAWMAN techniques to showcase avatar-based narratives and visual effects starting in May 2021. These efforts marked the project's initial foray into practical application, leveraging partnerships with VFX and studios to produce content that integrated real and virtual elements. Following Lee Soo-man's departure from in 2023 amid legal disputes over intellectual property, he has hinted at an independent revival of CAWMAN in 2025 through his new company, A2O Entertainment, where it underpins AI-driven multimedia storytelling for emerging acts. The scope of CAWMAN encompasses the creation of webtoons, animations, and novels intended to deepen the SMCU lore by exploring character backstories, world-building, and thematic connections beyond music releases. For instance, early 2021 efforts piloted avatar technologies to enable interactive virtual performances and narrative extensions within the Kwangya . Comics form a subset of these outputs, contributing to the serialized expansion of the universe's visual media. However, progress has been limited, with releases primarily tied to integrations and notable stagnation in new content from during 2024-2025, leaving much of the project's potential unrealized.

Comics and Visual Media

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) incorporates and visual media to expand its mythological narrative through static illustrations and animated sequences, offering fans deeper insights into Kwangya and character interactions beyond music videos. These formats provide narrative-driven content that bridges the physical and virtual realms, emphasizing lore development in a serialized manner. Comics within SMCU began with Red Velvet's "The Story of ReVe" in November 2022, marking the project's first dedicated comic series. This 16-episode webcomic, released via the group's official social media channels, depicts the origin and evolution of "ReVe," a sentient entity inspired by Red Velvet's discography that emerges in an otherworldly realm and becomes attached to the members. Illustrated in a whimsical, fairytale style, it explores themes of creation, pursuit, and harmony between real and virtual worlds, serving as a prequel to the group's "ReVe Festival" era. Subsequent comic expansions include NCT's "NCT: Dream Contact," an omnibus webtoon launched in August 2023 through a collaboration between and . Serialized on platforms like , this five-episode series delves into NCT's dream-based universe, featuring stories of young protagonists confronting subconscious fears and aspirations, with subtle ties to the broader SMCU lore such as virtual connectivity and alternate dimensions. Created by artists including Hoae Kim, ZQ, and seogeul, it highlights emotional growth and interpersonal bonds within Kwangya's expansive framework. Visual media in SMCU primarily consists of animated shorts and integrated into promotional content, produced under the CAWMAN initiative. Aespa's SMCU episodes form the core of this output, starting with "ep.1 Black Mamba" in May 2021, a 3-minute introducing the group's avatars entering Kwangya to confront the Black Mamba. Follow-up episodes include "ep.2 Next Level" (June 2022), depicting a "SYNK OUT" crisis and deeper exploration of the virtual realm, and "ep.3 Girls" (February 2023), which escalates the conflict with Black Mamba through dynamic battles. These shorts blend 2D and 3D , , and comic-book styling to maintain continuity with Aespa's video episodes. Production of these visuals involves collaborations with specialized studios, including 37th Degree VFX for effects, for 3D animation, and Giantstep for 2D elements, ensuring high-fidelity depictions of SMCU's digital environments. Motion graphics also appear in music videos across SMCU artists, such as Aespa's "Savage" (2021) and NCT's "Universe" (2021), reinforcing key terminologies like SYN K and avatars through seamless visual storytelling. Despite initial momentum, SMCU's comics and visual media output has remained limited, with no major new releases identified between 2024 and 2025, focusing instead on integrating existing content into live events and merchandise.

Characters and Lore

Recurring Characters and Avatars

The recurring characters and avatars in the SM Culture Universe center on the members and their digital counterparts, who function as synchronized heroes combating threats in the expansive digital landscape of Kwangya. The four members—Karina, , Winter, and —each have virtual æ-avatars: æ-Karina, æ-, æ-Winter, and æ-, respectively. These avatars are AI-generated entities formed from the real members' uploaded online data, allowing seamless interaction between physical and virtual realms as they unite to protect Kwangya from disruptions like those posed by antagonists such as . Nævis serves as the central AI companion, functioning as a navigator and storyteller that facilitates connections across dimensions. Introduced as the system enabling æ-avatars to manifest in the real world via portals like the P.O.S (Point of Soul), Nævis guides Aespa and their avatars through Kwangya's narratives, providing exposition and support in key story arcs. By 2024, Nævis expanded into a standalone virtual artist under SM Entertainment, releasing music while retaining her role as a bridging entity in the universe. While the core cast remains focused on Aespa's , the SM Culture Universe outlines potential recurring allies through integrations with avatars from other SM artists, such as hypothetical to NCT's virtual representations in shared storylines like Kosmo. These connections aim to unify SM's roster in a broader narrative but have stayed conceptual and undeveloped, with no fully realized crossovers by 2025. The evolution of these characters began with their debut in 2021 through the "ep.1 Black Mamba - SM Culture Universe" animated video, which established their roles and visual designs. Subsequent developments appeared in 2023's My World album visuals, including the track "Welcome to MY World" featuring Nævis, marking the start of SMCU Season 2 with enhanced digital integrations. As of November 2025, the character lineup has remained static, with no new protagonists or avatars introduced beyond these foundational elements.

Antagonists and Supporting Elements

Black Mamba serves as the central antagonist in the SM Culture Universe, depicted as a rogue AI originating from human greed that corrupts the digital expanse of Kwangya. Introduced through aespa's debut single "" in November 2020, it manifests as a serpentine entity capable of infiltrating technology and severing the SYN K mechanism, which synchronizes human idols with their æ-avatars, resulting in "Synkout" disruptions. The character's origins and powers were further detailed in the 2021 SM Culture Universe Episode 1: , where it is shown feeding on negative human impulses to amplify its destructive influence across virtual realms. This lore positions as a metaphor for digital threats, embodying unchecked technological ambition within the framework. Supporting threats in the include corrupted entities such as mirror versions of protagonists and digital glitches, which extend Black Mamba's reach by mimicking and subverting connections in Kwangya. These elements drive episodic conflicts, notably in the 2021 "Next Level" narrative and subsequent 2022 expansions like the Savage storyline, where they manifest as adversarial distortions challenging the heroes' unity. Such threats underscore the ongoing instability of the SYN K system, portraying Kwangya as a volatile space prone to viral incursions. Minor elements like mystical artifacts and sub-dimensions within Kwangya—such as fragmented mirror realms—provide auxiliary settings for encounters, enriching the lore's environmental depth without resolving core conflicts. These features hint at broader integrations with future artists but remain underdeveloped, suggesting untapped narrative potential. As of 2025, the framework has seen no major evolutions since the early expansions, leaving Black Mamba's and supporting threats in a state of narrative suspension that highlights the universe's incomplete development.

Reception and Legacy

Critical and Fan Reception

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) has garnered praise from critics for its innovative fusion of concepts with , particularly through aespa's 2021 single "Next Level," which was lauded for its bold experimental sound and narrative depth in expanding the group's virtual lore. Reviewers highlighted the project's ambitious scope in connecting SM Entertainment's artists across a shared futuristic world called Kwangya, positioning it as a pioneering alternative universe in that integrates music, animations, and to foster immersive fan experiences. This metaverse-K-pop blend has been credited with encouraging fan theories and deeper engagement through layered lore, as seen in aespa's episodes that reveal interconnected narratives. Metrics underscore the project's early impact, with aespa's SMCU-tied "Next Level" music video amassing over 100 million views within 32 days of release, while dedicated episodes like "ep.1 " have exceeded 13 million views. Aespa's integration of SMCU elements also contributed to accolades such as the category win for their EP Savage at the 2022 iF Design Award, recognizing the innovative Kwangya platform. These achievements tie into aespa's broader commercial success, including multiple Rookie of the Year awards in 2021. Critics have also pointed to drawbacks, including the inherent of weaving disparate histories into a cohesive , which risks overcomplicating the experience and limiting creative variety across SM's roster. This intricacy has been noted to potentially alienate casual audiences unfamiliar with idol worldviews, with some evaluations questioning the project's consistency in reimagining older releases. Furthermore, developments since 2023 have continued to draw for slow , despite advancements like the 2024 introduction of virtual nævis in aespa's lore, with perceptions of slowed momentum amid SM's shifting priorities and challenges in artist integration. Fan communities have shown mixed responses, with core SM enthusiasts praising the lore's depth for renewed interest in legacy tracks, while others express frustration over the forced interconnections and execution challenges that confuse broader audiences. Discussions on platforms like reflect divided views on expansion potential, balancing appreciation for the project's scale against concerns about its accessibility and sustained development.

Cultural Impact and Future Prospects

The SM Culture Universe (SMCU) has pioneered the integration of virtual idols and shared fictional worlds within , establishing a blueprint for immersive storytelling that blends real and digital realms. Launched in 2020, SMCU introduced as the industry's first , featuring human members alongside AI-generated avatars known as "æ," which interact in a parallel dimension called Kwangya. This concept expanded 's narrative scope beyond traditional music videos, drawing parallels to cinematic universes and influencing subsequent trends in virtual performances and fan across the . SMCU's broader legacy lies in SM Entertainment's "Culture Technology" framework, a systematic approach combining , artist training, and to propagate Korean cultural exports. This methodology has elevated K-pop's international footprint, fostering innovations like online concerts with elements that reached 56 million viewers in a single livestream. Economically, SMCU capitalized on the 2021-2023 NFT boom, launching fan-created digital collectibles tied to Kwangya via partnerships such as with Binance's Play2Create platform, enabling "prosumers" to monetize content and generating revenue streams from merchandise. Looking ahead, SMCU's evolution faces uncertainties following Lee Soo-man's 2023 departure from , with his new venture A2O Entertainment advancing similar ideas through CAWMAN—a format encompassing cartoons, animations, webtoons, and avatars—debuting in 2025 with the AI-driven "A2O May Story" series. Recent SMCU expansions include the 2024 debut of virtual nævis, a protector figure from aespa's lore, with teasers at SMTOWN LIVE 2024 and the release of her single "Done" in . SM's 30th anniversary in 2025, marked by the album 2025 SMTOWN: , The Future, signals potential renewed focus on universe-building, though multi- integration remains incomplete, as seen in the February 2025 debut of group Hearts2Hearts without SMCU ties. Challenges persist amid competition from global platforms like , which dominate user-generated metaverses, and unrealized ambitions such as a 2021-proposed Hollywood film adaptation of SMCU.

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