Global superstars BTS (RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook) have achieved remarkable success, topping both the ‘Album Ranking’ and ‘Combined Album Ranking’ on Japan’s Oricon ‘Half-Year Ranking 2026’ with their 5th full-length album, ‘ARIRANG’. BTS is the only international artist to secure the No. 1 spot on the ‘Album Ranking’ for the second time overall, marking a significant milestone in their illustrious career.
Oricon announced its ‘Half-Year Ranking 2026’ on the 25th, compiling data from December 8, 2025, to June 7, 2026. This marks BTS’s second time at the top of the ‘Album Ranking,’ following their previous triumph in 2020 with their 4th Japanese full-length album, ‘MAP OF THE SOUL:7 ~THE JOURNEY~.’
The album ‘ARIRANG’ sold an impressive 728,000 copies. This achievement is particularly notable as it’s the first time in 22 years that an album by an international male artist has surpassed 700,000 sales on the Half-Year ‘Album Ranking’ since Queen’s compilation album ‘Jewels’ in 2004.
Furthermore, BTS has made history as the first foreign musician to claim the No. 1 spot on the Half-Year ‘Combined Album Ranking.’ Historically, only albums by Japanese groups King & Prince and Snow Man had exceeded 800,000 points on this chart. BTS shattered expectations with 922,000 points, becoming only the third artist ever to surpass this 800,000-point threshold. Their success extended to the ‘Digital Album Ranking,’ where ‘ARIRANG’ secured a strong 3rd place.
Expressing their gratitude, BTS stated, “‘ARIRANG’ is an album released as a full group after three years and nine months. It is truly an honor and a joy that this long-awaited album, which captures ‘the current BTS,’ is receiving so much love.” They added, “We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who always loves and supports BTS and our music.”
Meanwhile, ‘ARIRANG’ has also been featured on numerous lists of ‘Best Albums of the First Half of 2026’ by various international media outlets. On the 23rd (local time), the prominent US music publication Billboard remarked, “The results of BTS’s return after their hiatus speak for themselves,” highlighting tracks such as ‘Body to Body,’ ‘Hooligan,’ ‘Like Animals,’ and ‘Into the Sun.’ Regarding the title track ‘SWIM,’ Billboard praised it as “a massive hit that topped the Billboard Main Song Chart ‘Hot 100’ and is highly likely to become a lasting classic in the team’s representative song catalog.” Prestigious publications including US-based Rolling Stone, Complex, Consequence, and UK’s NME also selected ‘ARIRANG’ as one of the standout albums of the first half of the year.
