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Analysis and Predictions before the finale of Universe League (+ Thoughts & Opinions)
- Erica
- Jan 24, 2025
- 12 min read
So now that Universe League is on its way to the finale, there is a lot to think about. It was quite an experimental battle, and while it may has its own flaws, it was enjoyable to watch, and arguably one of the best survival shows to ever come.
Anyways, we are down to 21 players to the finale, so 7 players per team. I will say these are solid lineups. Some are expected because of their strong, notable performances, but there are some that are unexpected. I will express those later.
Since everyone is speculating, I might as well speculate too, so I will input my predictions, which aren't always right haha.
Keep in mind that while I try to be as objective as possible, this is still my opinion, and I can be a bit bias without me thinking what I type.
As everything else in this world, all good things come to an end, so there will be more eliminations at the finale, because only a few members will actually debut.
Before I do that, here are the final teams (not final final though hahaha):
Team RHYTHM!
Team GROOVE!
Team BEAT!
Unfortunately, the following players have been eliminated, as they were not selected for the finale:
Li Zhinuo (he even had a lot of votes too RIP)
Eito
Xie Yuxin
Ayumu
Mac
Kim Daeyun
Bae Jaeho
An Yul
James
Nam Doyoon
He Junjin
Yeo Gangdong
Hiroto
These are the results from Episode 9:
It was heartbreaking, and even though this is a competition after all, everyone is talented, and it must've sucked not getting the dream you wanted. I hope these boys continue to fight for their dreams or be successful at some point.
Regardless, congrats to the 21 players who made it to the finales! WOOHOO!
So let's get this analysis started!
What this analysis will be about?
I will be analyzing the potential outcomes based on how the groups will be finalized and how the potential K-Pop boy group will become. With this, I will also analyze how well they will perform as a group, especially their skills, as well as other things, such as appeal, leadership, etc.
I will also considered each of the individual's performance, votes, star power, and skills for this matter.
Again, while I am doing my best to see this as an objective viewpoint with little to no bias, this is STILL my opinion. Feel free to disagree with me, but don't come at me.
Anyways, enjoy!
The predictions
Outcome #1: Only the winning team will debut
Basically, regardless how the on-site or global votes weigh, only one team will win the PRISM cup and debut. No additions and exceptions to the final lineup, the winning team is as is.
If this is the case:
Team Rhythm
Pros:
Strong international appeal. Based on the votes, it's likely that this group will do well globally. Not to mention you have members from different countries (JL from the Philippines, Juwon and Jeongwoo from South Korea, Chih En from Taiwan, Shuaibo from China, Daisuke from Japan, and Steven from Australia).
Zhang Shuaibo, Steven, and JL have established fanbases which can help the group. Most of Shuaibo's fans came from Boys Planet.
Strong dance department. Juwon will carry the team in terms of that. Not to mention that based on their performances, this group can perform some hard choreography.
Strong visual department. Almost everyone is eye-catching and can attract fans regardless of their experience. Jeongwoo, Steven, Chih En, Shuaibo, and arguably Daisuke are the best contenders in this aspect.
Good rap department. They have a few of their best rappers, most notably Juwon and Steven.
2 good leaders: Steven and JL. Steven would be the best candidate for this.
Cons:
Weak Korean appeal. It might be forgiving since Juwon and Jeongwoo are in this group, and maybe Steven, as he is of Korean descent. However, and this is a term I have just heard now, that Steven would be considered a gyopo, so he may not count. Regardless, this will be hard for the group, especially as a K-Pop group even though the show marketed as a global boy group.
Weak vocal department. Currently, JL and arguably Jeongwoo are the strongest vocalists in the group. Sure, the others have improved and can sing okay, but overall not as strong as the other teams.
Minor in the group (Daisuke). Because of Daisuke's age (bro recently turned 15), this will limit the group's concept pool, and unless F&F extends their contract, it will be hard.
Team Groove
Pros:
Strong Korean appeal. This is a MUST if the group needs to succeed as a K-Pop group.
Strong vocal department. Even though Kyungho, Hanseo, and Kenta aren't as strong compared to the other four (yes, I will say Heejun has some good vocals, but I'd put him in the middle because of his tone), overall, they can support each other. They even have 3 of their best vocalists: Park Han, Joohyoung, and Gijoong.
Strong visual department. They have some potential fan attractors and several of their members are eye-catching. Most notable ones are Kenta and Heejun.
Good rap department. Their best rappers in this group are Hanseo, Kenta, and Heejun. Their voices are also unique and have pretty good flows.
Kenta(?), Joohyoung, Kyungho, Hanseo, Heejun, and Gijoong have established fanbases already, which can help the group in the long run.
2 good leaders: Kyungho and Heejun. Kyungho would be the best candidate.
No minors in the group. Their youngest members are their vocalists Han and Joohyoung, whom both are born in 2003 (21 at the time of this post).
Cons:
Weak international appeal. It may be a bit forgiving since they have a Japanese member (Kenta). Also, some K-Pop groups also have promoted albums in different languages, but it's usually a hit or miss from my understanding. Regardless, based on the votes, they aren't nearly as popular as the other teams.
Weak dance department. This is probably because the concepts Groove has performed so far doesn't contain a lot of it, which is fine, especially when vocals are the focus. Regardless, their strongest member who is the best at this department is Han.
Team Beat
Pros:
Good Korean appeal. It may be a little harder since there are only 3 Koreans in the group (Woongki, Jinho, and Dongyun). However, the group are probably more favored by Koreans compared to Rhythm. Not to mention, there are two Japanese members (Kairi and Yuito), and they are arguably compatible with Koreans due to ethics.
Strong international appeal. They would probably be loved by Japanese and Thai fans. Even then, if you compare this group with Rhythm and Groove, Beat would probably have both Korean and Global fans happy.
Strong vocal department. It was smart of Yugyeom and El Capitxn to get Sirin and Zen Zen to improve the overall vocals of the group. Not only that, they also support with while not strong, but decent to good vocalists of the group, who are Woongki, Kairi, and Jinho.
Strong dance department. Based on everyone's past performances, they seem to do pretty well at this aspect. Most notable ones are Kairi and Sirin.
Woongki, Kairi, Jinho, and Yuito have established fanbases already, which will help the group in the long run. Most of Woongki's fans came from Boys Planet.
2 good leaders: Woongki and Jinho. Jinho would be the best candidate.
Cons:
Weak visual department. While they are good performers, I don't think they can attract a huge audience as a group. They aren't exactly visual holes, but they don't seem to have a huge attraction. The only ones that can and are the strongest ones in this aspect are the adults in the group (Woongki, Kairi, and Jinho), and even then, I think Woongki would carry this the most.
Minors in the group. If anything, team Beat are the worst contenders, as 4/7 of them are minors. While not as bad as their potential sister group, UNIS, this is alarming, since that will still limit their concepts. Yuito will turn 18 this December, but it doesn't change the fact he is still 17.
Popularity is not as strong compared to Rhythm and Groove sadly. Things might change in the finale, but if we are talking long run and assuming this team actually debuts, they won't have a steady fanbase. This is beyond the member's control, because in the past performances, despite doing well, their scores are low.
Chances of winning
If a team wins based on only or if the on-site votes are weighed higher: Team Groove.
If a team wins based on only or if the online votes are weighed higher: Team Rhythm.
If 50% for both: Team Rhythm.
These would be what I would predict should a team win and debut in the finale along with the probability of winning.
Pros & Cons of this Outcome
Pros:
Fits within the show's team format.
Establishes the team's overall skills and synergy.
Chemistry within the team is established without any awkwardness (maybe a little for team Beat)
Cons:
Will lose some of the top contenders, especially Han and Woongki.
Deserving contestants won't have a chance.
I will use this as the base for the next few outcomes.
Outcome #2: The winning team will debut + an MVP/Director/Fan choice pick from each team
This is if the winning team will debut plus an MVP pick from each team, making it 9 members instead of 7. If the show decides to do 2 picks per team (either MVP + Director's, or both director's picks), then it would be 11, which would make sense as a sports team. Who knows, maybe 13 would be a likely number.
I will list each team member's in order of chance of getting selected as the MVP. However, it is obvious who are the top contenders of each team, although things may take an unpredictable turn.
Rhythm
JL (likely choice)
Steven
Chi En
Shuaibo
Juwon
Jeongwoo
Daisuke
Groove
Han (likely choice)
Kenta
Joohyoung
Hanseo
Heejun
Kyungho
Gijoong
Beat
Woongki (likely choice)
Kairi
Sirin
Jinho
Dongyun
Yuito
Zen Zen
It's fairly obvious that JL, Park Han, and Woongki would be the MVPs for each team, and I am pretty sure F&F knows that. However, let's assume whoever is selected as the MVP (or Director's pick):
If the MVP/Director's pick from Groove & Beat are sent to debut with Rhythm
Vocals as a whole would improve.
Assuming if these are picked:
Groove: Han (high impact), Joohyoung (high impact), Gijoong (somewhat high impact), Kyungho, Heejun
Beat: Woongki, Kairi, Jinho, Sirin (high impact), Zen Zen (high impact)
Korean appeal would improve (assuming any Koreans are picked)
If the MVP/Director's pick from Rhythm & Beat are sent to debut with Groove
Dance as a whole would improve.
Assuming if these are picked:
Rhythm: JL (high impact), Steven, Juwon (high impact), Daisuke, Chih En
Beat: Kairi (high impact), Sirin (somewhat high impact), Dongyun, Jinho, Zen Zen
Global appeal would improve (assuming any foreigners are picked)
Small chance of a minor getting picked. Not a good thing if that happens.
If the MVP/Director's pick from Rhythm & Groove are sent to debut with Beat
Visual as a whole would improve.
Assuming if these are picked:
Rhythm: JL, Steven (high impact), Daisuke (high impact), Jeongwoo (high impact), Shuaibo (high impact), Chih En (high impact)
Groove: Joohyoung, Kyungho (somewhat high impact), Kenta (high impact), Heejun (high impact)
Korean appeal would improve (assuming any Koreans are picked)
Global appeal would improve (assuming any foreigners are picked)
Chances of winning
Based on the list of each team I provided:
Most likely top MVP picks:
Rhythm: JL
Groove: Park Han
Beat: Cha Woongki
If there are director's picks (assuming MVP picks are chosen):
Rhythm: Steven and/or Zhang Shuaibo
Groove: Joohyoung and/or Hanseo
Beat: Kairi and/or Sirin
If there are fan's choices (assuming MVP picks are chosen):
Rhythm: Steven and/or Zhang Shuaibo
Groove: Joohyoung and/or Kenta
Beat: Kairi and/or Zen Zen
Pros & Cons of this Outcome
Pros:
Gives the winning team the benefit of having all members together.
Gives a chance for any losing teams to debut.
Chemistry within the team is established without any awkwardness (maybe a little for team Beat). The chosen picks from losing teams may be able to adapt.
Top contenders or deserving members will have a chance.
Cons:
Selection may not be fair.
Outcome #3: 5 members of the winning team will debut + an MVP/Director pick/Fan choice from each team
For this one, it is similar to the 2nd outcome. However, only 5 members of the winning team will debut. That is, if we are sticking to 7 members debuting unless expanded.
Should there be only 5 members chosen, here are the likely candidates:
Director's Pick
Rhythm - JL, Steven, Shuaibo, Chih En, Jeongwoo
Groove - Han, Joohyoung, Kyungho, Heejun, Hanseo
Beat - Woongki, Kairi, Jinho, Sirin, Yuito
Fan's Choice
Rhythm - JL, Steven, Shuaibo, Chih En, Juwon
Groove - Han, Joohyoung, Kenta, Heejun, Kyungho
Beat - Woongki, Kairi, Jinho, Sirin, Dongyun
Please refer to the 2nd outcome on the what if the contestant is chosen to debut from the losing team along with their chances of winning.
Pros & Cons of this Outcome
Pros:
Gives the winning team the benefit of having most members together.
Gives a chance for any losing teams to debut.
Chemistry within the team is established without any awkwardness (maybe a little for team Beat). The chosen picks from losing teams may be able to adapt.
Top contenders or deserving members will have a chance.
Cons:
Makes team winning a little bit pointless because two members won't make it.
Outcome #4: Format similar to mission Move
This one is similar to the 3rd outcome. However, this will rely on fan choice. The team that wins will have most of their members to debut by votes.
If we were to do 7 members:
1st place: 4 members
2nd place: 2 members
3rd place: 1 member
9 members (which is like mission Move if by fan choice):
1st place: 5 members
2nd place: 3 members
3rd place: 1 member
11 members:
1st place: All 7 members
2nd place: 3 members
3rd place: 1 member
13 members:
1st place: All 7 members
2nd place: 4 members
3rd place: 2 member
Chances of winning
Fan's Choice is similar to the previous outcome. However, since we will base it on overall votes and impression, this is what it would look like:
Assuming the team placed 1st, these are the likely candidates in respective order of how they placed:
Rhythm - JL, Steven, Shuaibo, Chih En, Juwon
Groove - Han, Joohyoung, Kenta, Kyungho, Heejun
Beat - Woongki, Dongyun, Kairi, Sirin, Jinho
Even if the votes aren't culminative, these are still the likely candidates, and the top contestants will be prioritized regardless of where their team placed.
Pros & Cons of this Outcome
Pros:
Gives the winning team the benefit of having most members together.
Gives a chance for any losing teams to debut.
Gives fans the power on who they want to debut.
Top contenders or deserving members will have a chance.
Cons:
Makes team winning a little bit pointless because two members won't make it.
Chemistry may vary or not due to several members coming from different teams.
Outcome #5: Format similar to the finale in Universe Ticket
If any of you guys have watched Universe Ticket, you would know how that one went for their finale.
If you don't know, here is how it goes:
There are 2 rounds. 2 groups in each round will perform against each other. The winning team for each round will have 1 member getting a unicorn ticket(?), and thus, secured their spot for debut. After that, the voting results will appear to determine the rest of the trainees that will debut.
If this were to be implemented in Universe League, here is how it may go:
There are 2 rounds. Each team will perform 1 song together. The winning team in each round will have 1 member secure their spot. They will either be an MVP pick or the Director's pick. After both rounds, the remaining spots will be determined by the fans.
Chances of winning
If this is the format that will occur in the finale:
Rhythm - JL (and/or Steven if the show decides to do a winner in each round)
Groove - Han (and/or Kenta if the show decides to do a winner in each round)
Beat - Woongki (and/or Kairi if the show decides to do a winner in each round)
If a team wins based on only or if the on-site votes are weighed higher: Team Groove.
If a team wins based on only or if the online (on-air included) votes are weighed higher: Team Rhythm.
If 50% for both: Team Rhythm.
As for votes, if we are doing this based on team placements, and regardless if 1-2 winners secured their spot, then refer to the previous outcome regarding who would likely make it.
However, if we are ditching which teams will secure their spots and the ranks will be determined individually:
JL
Woongki
Steven
Han
Shuaibo
Chih En
Juwon
Jeongwoo
Kenta
Joohyoung
Daisuke
Kyungho
Heejun
I have it as the top 13 in case if more members are considered. However, do pay attention to the top 7, as these are the most likely candidates.
Pros & Cons of this Outcome
Pros:
Everyone has a fair shot on making it by votes.
Gives fans the power on who they want to debut.
Top contenders or deserving members will have a chance.
Cons:
Makes team winning pointless because only 1-2 will make it.
Chemistry may vary or not due to several members coming from different teams.
Outcome #5: All 21 members debut
Instead of only a certain number of members, all 21 members debut. Competition will still occur, so the top members gets more benefits. Yay!
Pros:
Everyone wins!
Departments are balanced
Chance for sub units and chemistry experimentations
Cons:
Too big unless we have sub units like NCT
0.01% of this happening 😍
Anyways, these are the outcomes I could think of. I will share my thoughts on each contestant individually in a few hours before the finale!
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