ATEEZ’s “BAD (Japanese Ver.)” Finally Lands as a U.S. Physical Release
ATEEZ’s Japanese-language rework of their record-breaking hit “BAD” is now something ATINY in the United States can actually hold.
On September 18, the group’s fifth Japanese single, “BAD (Japanese Ver.),” received an official U.S. physical CD release, confirmed directly by ATEEZ’s Japanese X (formerly Twitter) account:
“ATEEZ will release its 5th Japanese single, ‘BAD (Japanese Ver.)’ physically in the U.S. on September 18. Don’t miss the Target Exclusive and Kpop Nara Exclusive editions!”
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For a fanbase that has turned photocard collecting into a competitive sport, this release is packed with things to track — multiple CD editions, overlapping-but-distinct photocard pools, and a wave of Japanese retailer exclusives that are easy to mix up. Here’s everything confirmed so far.
A Japanese Version of ATEEZ’s Biggest Song of the Year
To understand why this release matters, it helps to know where “BAD” came from. The song is the lead single off GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5, the K-pop octet’s 14th Korean-language EP, released on June 26, 2026.
That album didn’t just perform well — it became a career milestone. According to Billboard, GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5 debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a career-high 228,000 equivalent album units, of which 223,000 came from pure album sales — both personal bests for the group.
It marked ATEEZ’s third Billboard 200 No. 1, following THE WORLD EP.FIN: WILL (2023) and GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2 (2024), and gave them nine consecutive top-10 albums on the chart since 2022.
In South Korea, the album sold over 1.88 million copies in its first week alone, per Hanteo Chart data, becoming ATEEZ’s best-selling first week to date. “BAD” itself became a genuine cultural moment at home, propelled in part by a viral dance challenge, and gave the group their first entry on the Billboard Global 200.
Days after the album’s release, ATEEZ headlined BST Hyde Park in London, becoming just the third K-pop act to top the bill at the festival.
Against that backdrop, a Japanese-language version of “BAD” was a natural next step — and a lucrative one, given how consistently ATEEZ’s Japanese singles have performed.
Japan has been a stronghold for the group for years: their previous Japanese single, “Birthday” (October 2024), followed “Not Okay,” which topped Oricon’s daily and weekly single rankings and later earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Their most recent full-length Japanese release, the sophomore album Ashes to Light (September 2025), debuted at No. 1 on Oricon’s Weekly Album Ranking with more than 115,000 copies sold in its first week — the group’s best first-week sales for a Japanese release and their fourth Oricon No. 1.
When and Where “BAD (Japanese Ver.)” Actually Released
“BAD (Japanese Ver.)” first came out in Japan on July 29, 2026, preceded by a Tokyo showcase on July 28. KQ Entertainment announced the single back in mid-May, alongside a Yokohama fan meeting, positioning it as ATEEZ’s fifth overall Japanese single and their first Japanese single release in roughly a year and ten months.
The September 18 date specifically marks the single’s U.S. physical rollout — a separate, later release aimed at international collectors who don’t want to import directly from Japan.
Multiple official music retailers, including uDiscover Music (Universal Music Group’s official storefront), UGSounds, Relix, and Antone’s Record Shop, list the U.S. release with matching details: same tracklist, same edition structure, and consistent pricing across the board.
The Tracklist
“BAD (Japanese Ver.)” contains six tracks, identical across every edition sold:
- BAD (Japanese Ver.) — the Japanese-lyric version of the GOLDEN HOUR: Part.5 title track
- Seeker — a Japanese-original song
- HIGHER — a Japanese-original song
- BAD (Instrumental)
- Seeker (Instrumental)
- HIGHER (Instrumental)
Every U.S. Edition, Broken Down
The U.S. release comes in multiple formats, mirroring (though not exactly duplicating) the Japanese release’s lineup, which reportedly spans up to 13 versions total when counting all eight individual Member editions separately.
Standard Edition — $13.99 CD with a 16-page booklet and one random individual-member photocard, pulled from a pool of 8 designs (one per member).
Limited Edition A — $17.99 CD in a slipcase with a 36-page photobook. Includes a member trading card randomly pulled from an edition-exclusive pool.
Limited Edition B — $17.99 CD in a slipcase with its own separate 36-page photobook (different content from Edition A). The photocard pool here is larger: 16 total designs, split between 8 selfie-style shots and 8 standard photos, all random.
Member Edition A stripped-down format built around a single member’s concept: CD, an 8-page booklet, and a selfie-style photocard specific to that member, with 2 possible designs per member (also random).
Target Exclusive and Kpop Nara Exclusive Called out by name in ATEEZ’s own announcement, these are retailer-specific U.S. versions. Kpop Nara’s listings show its Standard and Limited Edition B versions each come bundled with an additional bonus photocard (random, 1 of 8) beyond what’s already inside the CD — with a full 8-card set guaranteed only if a customer buys all eight albums in one order.
Worth noting: some resale listings also reference a Japan-only “ATINY Edition” and “First Flash Price Edition” as part of the broader 13-version rollout, though those specific formats aren’t confirmed as part of the U.S. retail lineup — they may be import-only.
Photocards: Why There Are So Many Different Pools
This is the part most likely to trip up collectors, and it’s worth stating plainly: the photocard included inside a CD is not the same as a purchase-benefit (POB) photocard handed out by a specific retailer. These are separate pools, produced separately, and completing one doesn’t get you any closer to completing the other.
Inside the CD itself, there are three distinct pools depending on edition:
- Standard Edition: 1 of 8 (one per member)
- Limited Edition B: 1 of 16 (8 selfie-style + 8 standard photos)
- Member Edition: 1 of 2 per member (selfie-style, tied to the member whose edition you bought)
Outside the CD, several Japanese retailers ran their own exclusive purchase-benefit photocard campaigns tied to the release, each producing a separate 8-member set:
- HMV Japan — a Loppi/HMV-exclusive trading card set, distinct from HMV’s separate “Lucky Loto” photocard promotion
- Tower Records Japan — its own exclusive 8-member card set
- CDJapan — its own exclusive 8-member card set
- Universal Music Store Japan — an exclusive set using selfie-style artwork specific to that retailer
These retailer POBs are typically sold separately (often photocard-only, with no CD included) through resale platforms once the original in-store promotions end, since most were only available to customers purchasing directly through that retailer in Japan at the time.
If you’re trying to build a complete photocard collection for this era, the practical takeaway is: figure out which specific pool you’re chasing — CD-packaged, Kpop Nara’s bonus pool, or one of the four retailer POB sets — before you start buying, since a listing that says “ATEEZ BAD photocard” without more context could be referring to any of six-plus separate pools.
Release Events in Japan
For fans able to attend in person, ATEEZ and KQ Entertainment confirmed a run of release-commemoration events in Japan tied to the single:
- September 5, 2026 — Osaka (Herbis Hall)
- October 2, 2026 — Tokyo (Ariake GYM-EX)
- October 3, 2026 — Tokyo (Ariake GYM-EX)
These were announced through ATEEZ’s official Japanese X account and the group’s official Japan website, which also noted fan-club-limited photo sessions and an on-site lottery for same-day ticket buyers.
Some first-press CD copies in Japan reportedly included an application-lottery serial number tied to these events, though such entries are generally only valid for residents applying within Japan — international buyers, including those picking up the U.S. physical release, shouldn’t expect to use a U.S.-bought copy to enter.
The Bottom Line
“BAD (Japanese Ver.)” arriving as a proper U.S. physical release is a meaningful step for ATEEZ’s growing international fanbase, giving collectors a way to pick up the single without importing directly from Japan.
But the sheer number of overlapping editions and photocard pools — Standard, Limited A, Limited B, Member, Target Exclusive, Kpop Nara Exclusive, plus four separate retailer POB campaigns — makes this one of the more complicated releases to shop for cleanly.
The safest approach: decide first whether you’re chasing an in-CD photocard or a retailer-exclusive POB, then buy from a listing that clearly states which pool it’s pulled from.
Given “BAD” the Korean original’s chart run — a Billboard 200 No. 1 album, a first Billboard Global 200 entry, and a headlining BST Hyde Park slot — it’s safe to say this won’t be the last time ATEEZ turns a single release into a full-blown collecting event.