Meet TEAMILY: How &TEAM Is Turning Its Members’ Personalities Into Characters for Fans

#&TEAM × About group &TEAM &TEAM is a nine-member Japanese boy group under YX LABELS. The group consists of EJ, FUMA, K, NICHOLAS, YUMA, JO, HARUA, TAKI, and MAKI. The group was formed through the survival program &AUDITION - The Howling and officially debuted on December 7, 2022, with the mini album First Howling : ME. &TEAM promotes primarily in Japan while maintaining a strong international K-pop presence. The group later expanded its activities in South Korea with its Korean debut. Their official fandom name is LUNÉ. Tap again to view profile → Close #K × Artist bio K Real name: Koga YudaiPosition: Performance Leader, CenterNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 1997-10-21Birthplace: Chiba, Japan K is the performance leader and center of &TEAM. Athletic and performance-focused, K is often described as a strong leader on stage with expressive dance skills and a competitive spirit. Tap again to view profile → Close #HARUA × Artist bio HARUA Real name: Shigeta HaruaNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 2005-05-01Birthplace: Nagano, Japan HARUA is a Japanese member of &TEAM. HARUA is often described as calm, diligent, tidy, and charming, with a gentle visual presence. Tap again to view profile → Close #MAKI × Artist bio MAKI Real name: Riki Wilhelm MaußPosition: MaknaeNationality: Japanese-GermanBirthday: 2006-02-17Birthplace: Japan MAKI is the youngest member of &TEAM. MAKI is described as energetic, cheerful, multilingual, and expressive, with strong vocal and musical-theater experience. Tap again to view profile → Close #FUMA × Artist bio FUMA Real name: Murata FumaPosition: Sub-LeaderNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 1998-06-29Birthplace: Shizuoka, Japan FUMA is the sub-leader of &TEAM. FUMA is known as diligent, dependable, and leadership-minded, with a calm presence and strong dance background. Tap again to view profile → Close #YUMA × Artist bio YUMA Real name: Nakakita YumaNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 2004-02-07Birthplace: Hyogo, Japan YUMA is a Japanese member of &TEAM. YUMA is described as passionate, serious, and energetic, with a Kansai-style personality and strong creative drive. Tap again to view profile → Close #TAKI × Artist bio TAKI Real name: Takayama RikiNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 2005-05-04Birthplace: Japan TAKI is a Japanese member of &TEAM. TAKI is known for bright energy, joy, and an expressive personality that brings warmth to the team. Tap again to view profile → Close #JO × Artist bio JO Real name: Asakura JoNationality: JapaneseBirthday: 2004-07-08Birthplace: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan JO is a Japanese member of &TEAM. JO is known as serious, athletic, and quietly hardworking, with a calm image and strong competitive side. Tap again to view profile → Close #EJ × Artist bio EJ Real name: Byun Eui JooPosition: LeaderNationality: South KoreanBirthday: 2002-09-07Birthplace: Goyang, South Korea EJ is the leader of &TEAM. EJ is the leader of &TEAM and is often described as warm, kind, steady, and good at listening to others. Tap again to view profile → Close #NICO

Key Takeaways

1. &TEAM members announce their first official character collection with personalities and names

2. Each member personalized their character with unique traits and a name

&TEAM has officially announced their first character collection, TEAMILY. The collection was announced October 6 via a short teaser on YouTube and later confirmed by HYBE Japan that the merch would go on sale starting October 8. According to HYBE JAPAN, the members were part of the creative process from start to finish. Each member helped design, name, and create their character’s unique personality traits. On October 8, &TEAM will release a behind-the-scenes series (five episodes) on their YouTube channel, giving fans the opportunity to see them during the creative process and the thoughts they had behind the cute plushies.

In the TEAMILY collection, each character has a unique profile with information including species type, hobby, personality, specialty, quote, and main emotion. These are the characters that belong to your bias (or bias wrecker): K (Mochamaru), Nico (Huhhbu), Jo (Lejo), EJ (Ejee), Yuma (Miel), Fuma (Holon), Maki (Schammy), Taki (Tattompoo), and Harua (Hapua).

About Mochamaru (K)- "Even if it's scary, let's take a step forward!"

• Species: Mochi (rice cake)
• Hobby: Drinking coffee
• Personality: Gentle, quirky, and whimsical
• Specialty: Connecting a hesitant heart with new beginnings
• Main Emotion: Challenge

About Huhhbu (Nico)- "Good things are closer than you think."

On &TEAM’s Weverse Shop, fans can purchase plush keyrings, photo card holders, tote bags, hair clips, can badges, acrylic stands, and a sticker set.

Watch the first episode of the behind-the-scenes series on &TEAM’s YouTube channel now! Head over to Weverse Shop if you'd like to see TEAMILY!

By: Cassandra Martinez