RIIZE Keeps Rising: Chart Records, a Mystery Teaser, and a New Japan Era
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It’s been just over two weeks since our last RIIZE update, and the SM Entertainment sextet has managed to pack in a chart milestone, a cryptic social media moment that sent fans into a frenzy, a new variety show booking, and a fresh Japanese release cycle.
If you’ve been away from the RIIZE news cycle since late June, here’s everything worth catching up on.
“II” Keeps Racking Up Records
RIIZE’s second mini-album, II, released back on June 15, is proving to have serious staying power.
Far from fading after its debut-week push, the album topped Circle’s Monthly Chart for June, an achievement announced on July 9 that followed its earlier double crown on the Circle Weekly Chart, where it led both the physical album and download rankings in the same stretch.
That milestone alone would be notable, but the numbers behind it are what make the story stand out.
The album has become RIIZE’s fourth million-selling release overall, and it has also drawn significant attention in Japan, securing the No. 1 spot on Japan’s Oricon Daily Album Ranking for July 7.
On top of that, II swept a wide range of additional charts, including a Hanter Weekly No. 1, the Circle Weekly double crown, Melon’s Global K-Chart daily No. 1 and HOT100 No. 1, three separate music show wins, an iTunes Top Album Chart No. 1 in six different global regions.
A leading spot on Tencent Music’s integrated K-pop chart across five platforms in China, a QQ Music “Platinum” certification, the top spot on China’s weekly digital album sales chart, a real-time rising chart No. 1 on Japan’s AWA platform, and a No. 1 on Recochoku’s Weekly Album Ranking.
That’s an unusually broad sweep for an album already a month into its promotional cycle, and it signals that RIIZE’s fanbase engagement — both domestically and internationally, especially in Japan and China — hasn’t cooled since the initial release window.
To keep the momentum going, the group has also been rolling out companion content, including a choreography practice video tied to the album’s title track.
A Cryptic “Normal Business” Post Sparks Comeback Talk
On July 4, RIIZE’s official account posted a short, deliberately vague message: the group was “open for normal business,” accompanied by their usual string of hashtags.
It’s the kind of understated announcement that wouldn’t mean much from most artists, but for a group whose entire concept is built around a continuous “realtime odyssey” narrative, even a brief status update reads as a signal.
Fans and outlets alike quickly read into the phrasing, with the general consensus being that it points toward renewed activity — whether that means a new comeback cycle, additional content drops, or simply a return to a fuller promotional schedule after a comparatively quiet stretch.
SM hasn’t confirmed specifics beyond the post itself, so for now it remains speculation, but it’s the kind of teaser that tends to precede a formal announcement in K-pop marketing cycles.
RIIZE Heads to Amazing Saturday
Adding to the momentum, RIIZE is confirmed to appear on the long-running Korean variety show Amazing Saturday (놀라운 토요일), a lyric-transcription game show known for putting celebrity guests through fast-paced, often hilarious rounds trying to catch mumbled or rapid-fire song lyrics.
The appearance was teased through a playful post on the group’s official account, featuring a string of emojis that had fans speculating about hidden meanings.
No official air date has been confirmed yet, but the booking itself is a good sign for RIIZE’s promotional push — variety show appearances are typically timed to build buzz ahead of a release, which lines up with the comeback speculation stirred up by the “normal business” post just days earlier.
A New Japan Era: “Sunburst” and the Fanmeeting Tour
While the domestic side of RIIZE’s activity has been teased rather than confirmed, their Japanese schedule has been much more concrete. The group has officially announced their third Japanese single, titled Sunburst, set for release on August 26.
This follows a pattern SM laid out earlier in the year, when a May lineup preview confirmed a third Japanese single was planned for the third quarter of 2026 — a promise that’s now been made official with a release date attached.
Alongside the single announcement, RIIZE has been deep into a Japan-focused fan event: the “RIIZE Japan Fanmeeting 2026 RPG — RIIZE Playing Game,” a multi-city tour built around interactive games and fan participation, including “level-up” prediction contests tied to each tour stop.
The Fukuoka stop, held July 10, saw Anton, Shotaro, and Sohee land the top three spots in the fan-voted “level-up” rankings, and the tour includes companion content like exclusive photo cards and digital stamp collectibles tied to purchases of Sunburst or II.
On the media side, members Shotaro and Sohee are set to appear live on the Japanese variety program Hirunandesu! on July 14, giving the group another visibility boost as they build toward the August single release.
Between the fanmeeting tour, the new single, and targeted TV appearances, Japan is clearly a major focus of RIIZE’s mid-2026 promotional strategy — arguably running in parallel with whatever the “normal business” comeback tease turns into on the Korean side.
In Conclusion
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RIIZE is clearly running on two tracks right now. On one side, II keeps proving it has real staying power, still topping charts across Korea, Japan, and China weeks after release.
On the other, the group is quietly setting up its next move — a cryptic teaser at home, a variety show booking to build buzz, and a fully confirmed single and fanmeeting tour in Japan.
None of this confirms exactly what a Korean comeback might look like, but it doesn’t need to. The pattern is familiar: strong sales momentum, a deliberately vague status update, and a wave of Japan-side activity all landing in the same two-week window rarely happens by accident.
Whatever comes next, RIIZE isn’t slowing down — and we’ll be watching closely for the follow-up announcement.