I’m sure you’ve all heard about the international war going on in South Korea right now, right? A war where fighters from around the globe have landed, battling fiercely to claim victory, using every weapon and strategy they have… Wait, hold up—you know I’m talking about none other than ‘World of Street Woman Fighter’, right?
On Tuesday, May 27, Mnet’s highly anticipated dance show finally kicked off. We’ve already had two exciting episodes, and the buzz around the show has been huge, along with some criticisms. Still, as the show’s producer, Choi Jung-nam, proudly said, this season genuinely feels like it’s on a global scale.
Episodes: 9
New Episodes on: Airs every Tuesday at 5:00 PM KST (1:30 PM IST)
Airing on: Mnet
Available on: VIU, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video
Episode 1: The GRAND Opening
a) The Golden Cast:
The show features 6 international crews:
- AG SQUAD from Australia, led by Kaea Pearce, a first-gen member of the Royal Family dance crew.
- Royal Family from New Zealand, the new generation of the legendary crew founded by Parris Goebel.
- MOTIV from the U.S., which even includes an Olympian dancer.
- OSAKA Ojo Gang from Japan, led by Ibuki, who’s hugely popular for her waacking style in Japan.
- RHTokyo from Japan (second Japanese Group), led by Riehata, who’s known for choreographing K-pop giants like BTS, TWICE, Red Velvet, and NCT U. (She was also a special judge in the mega crew mission on SWF2!)
- BUMSUP from South Korea, known as the “Avengers team” due to its lineup of stars like Honey J, Monika, Lip J, Aiki, Gabee, NO:ZE, and Leejung, who all competed in the first season of Street Woman Fighter.
b) Meet the Judges and the New Host
The judging panel this year features the K-pop legend himself J.Y. Park (head of JYP Entertainment), Mike Song (leader of LA-based dance crew Kinjaz), and Aliya Janell, famous for her heels dance choreography and having worked with Beyoncé. Also exciting news: This season’s host is ZB1’s leader Sung Hanbin, who’s widely loved for his incredible waacking and tutting dance style. Fun fact—before becoming an idol, Sung Hanbin was a street dancer, which made fans jokingly call him “mother” after seeing his pre-debut dance videos!
c) No Respect Dance Battle
In this challenge, dancers have to choose a counterpart they think they could easily beat in a one-on-one. While we all know the rules and also probably the winners, here are some memorable highlights:
- AG SQUAD’s Aaliyah vs. BUMSUMP’s Aiki (Winner: Aaliyah)
We ALL love Aiki and know her strength in choreographies, but spontaneous battles might not be her strongest area. Meanwhile, Aaliyah was prepared and on fire. But I must mention, Aiki’s line “Aaliyah, naega oneul allyeojulge” (“I’ll teach you a lesson today”) was truly badass!
- OSAKA Ojo Gang’s Kyoka vs. RH Tokyo’s Riehata (Winner: Riehata)
Everyone expected street veteran Kyoka to win, but Riehata, being a famous choreographer, clearly understood what the audience (and judges) wanted to see, securing her victory.
- AG SQUAD’s Danica vs. BUMSUP’s Gabee (Rematch – Winner: Gabee)
I totally agree that Danica was incredible in terms of technical skills and heels dancing, but ‘WSWF’ isn’t just about pure dance skills. Given the show’s K-pop entertainment backdrop, Gabee clearly had that captivating charisma and dominating stage presence, easily grabbing everyone’s attention.
- Ibuki vs. BUMSUP’s Lip J (Rematch – Winner: Lip J)
Just like Mike Song said, viewers at home were truly privileged to watch this epic battle. Ibuki danced passionately, fiery and fierce, but Lip J moved smoothly and gracefully like flowing water, captivating everyone.
- Royal Family’s Teesha vs. AG SQUAD’s Kaea (Winner: Teesha)
Leader vs. leader, old-gen vs. new-gen Royal Family—this battle was fantastic and gave vibes similar to Mina Myoung vs. Lia Kim from ‘SWF2’. Teesha nailed the groove, but I think Kaea impressed everyone with her powerful “girl crush” style and could have easily won the challenge.
Episode 2: The Class Mission
This episode introduced relay battles with a tense new rule—the Double Score System. Teams earned double points for wins but also risked double penalties for losses. Surprisingly, RH Tokyo took first place while BUMSUP ranked at the bottom, despite winning their revenge battle against AG SQUAD
The main highlight, however, was the Ranking Mission, where crew members are split into Leader, Middle, and Rookie classes, and where they should choreograph to the show’s brand-new original tracks:
- Leader Class: ‘Echo!’ by SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi and Woozi
- Middle Class: ‘Ridin” by NMIXX’s Kyujin, Lily, and Jiwoo
- Rookie Class: ‘Flip Flop’ by Padi feat. Gummy and Since
Things heated up and the dance war intensified as each dancer fiercely fought to copy and “steal”, or protect their choreography, to win the coveted Main Dancer position.
Even though BUMSUP initially won the choreography round for the Rookie Class, AG SQUAD successfully stole and took the Main Dancer title. For the Middle Class battle, tensions were extremely high. Royal Family and RH Tokyo gave their absolute best performances. And, BUMSUP’s Leejung used her spicy, energetic moves, all while AG SQUAD struggled to defend their choreo. Eventually, Royal Family snatched the Main Dancer title. Now, the only battle left is the epic Leader Class!
Who do you think will be crowned Main Dancer? Could it be BUMSUP’s Honey J, AG SQUAD’s Kaea, MOTIV’s Marlee, the fiery Ibuki, or Royal Family’s Teesha? Or will K-pop choreography star Riehata manage to hold on to her crown?
Share your thoughts in the comments below! And let us know who your favorite dancer or crew is so far!
Written by Diksha Gangadeen
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