BTS Star V Has Hit Master in League While on a World Tour

It’s hard enough to hit Master in an ideal League of Legends environment, but BTS star V has just reached the rank in the middle of a world tour. Here’s everything to know.

BTS Star V Hits Master While Touring

League of Legends‘ ranked grind is tough, and it’s hard to find time to climb the ladder. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way: K-pop star Kim “V” Tae-hyung has just hit Master… while currently on the BTS ARIRANG World Tour. The event has over 88 specific dates, spans 23 countries, and will keep BTS on the road until 2027.

The esports community has known about V’s interest in the game for a while. Fans have watched his climb since the early 2020’s. Typically, V will post updates on his Instagram story, showing his screen after hitting rank milestones. In this case, the post accompanied an announcement about BTS’ decision not to enter the Grammy Awards in 2026. The blazing purple Master icon was just chilling in the background (a fun little sidequest, if you will).

V’s promotion occurs about two months after his last check-in at the Diamond 2 rank. During this stage of his climb, he reportedly had a win rate of 61%. This was a significant positive indicator for his Ranked trajectory.

Landing in Master places V in Apex tier lobbies (Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger, the pinnacle of League ranks). He now sits in the top 1.5% of the playerbase. The accomplishment is even more notable given V is queueing in the Korea region, which is traditionally the most difficult. Korean Ranked lobbies and tournaments like the LCK have spawned some of the game’s fiercest competitors: Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-Hyeok, Jeong ” Chovy ” Ji-hoon, Heo “ShowMaker” Su, and Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, to name a few.

The next logical step on V’s Ranked journey is the Grandmaster tier. After that, if he chooses to continue, he’d climb to Challenger. It’s important to note that staying in Challenger is incredibly demanding, since there is rank decay involved. It would require a much more significant time commitment.

What Does This Mean for League of Legends?

The esports community has tons of unexpected celebrity fans. For example, Ben Affleck plays VALORANT, and musician Keshi showed up at VCT Americas. The effect certainly extends to K-Pop: T1 also recently announced that FIFTY FIFTY member Athena would be the team’s official VALORANT ambassador. She has also reached one of the game’s highest ranks, peaking at Immortal 1.

Faker himself is a BTS fan. The star met the group in 2020, appearing on Run BTS!, their variety show. The group played League of Legends together, bonding over their shared enthusiasm.

It seems like T1 is taking notes from BTS in 2026, too: the org recently announced a K-Pop style debut concept called ‘T1 Stars.’ The move is a partnership with Spotify. The roster is popping up in flashy boy-band outfits, participating in photoshoots, and even teasing music.

The ongoing celebrity partnership trend showcases how esports is creeping into mainstream pop culture, standing head-to-head with physical athletics. It also demonstrates that fans enjoy seeing more about their favorite pros outside the arena, and are interested in influencer-based interactions.

Stay tuned for more League of Legends esports and in-game news.