What are your thoughts on the "filler member" label? Are there any groups with unnecessary members?

larger groups do have members who are forgettable

Treasure, they all look the same i'm sorry.

My POV: Sometimes when companies put groups together I feel like they say "We want a 9 member group but we only have 6 members ready to go" so they would take 3 more trainees that maybe aren't on the same level as the others. BTW, my 9 member group example isn't talking about any specific group, it's just an example. After a while I think they get rounded out and then it's all good but I find that at debut for pretty much every group I can point out which one is the filler member. After their first year or 2 or 3 you can't tell anymore. Also bigger groups will probably have more people that you can forget about or who don't jump out at you but maybe that's just because it's hard to learn a lot of things about all those people.

So in short: I think filler members are definitely a thing, the most popular members are that way for a reason and then the others aren't so popular for a reason. But I think after they get used to the tiring idol life and get rounded out in their talents, they aren't a filler anymore.

But, all members, even if they are fillers, are talented and deserve to be in the group

every member serves a purpose and fills a space within a kpop group. the idea of a filler member is ridiculous and completely fan made. companies spend years carefully choosing and curating trainees in order to fit a certain group and the image associated with that group. it isn't a willy nilly whatever lets just through this person in a group kind of process.

literally name anyone you believe is a "filler" member in a group and i can explain to you why they are absolutely not "filler" and serve a clear purpose in the group.

Nct. They have so many members but only some members are relevant it seems.

No company is going to invest time and money into a 'useless' member, believe me.

Any group over 5-6 members. Doesn't mean they're untalented/unlikeable, it's just that their contributions to the group are minimal or add very little. The group would be perfectly fine without them

Quote from flop-star

Nct. They have so many members but only some members are relevant it seems.

Lol not at all. I thought with the many members I would see a lot of fillers but surprisingly they all are either well-rounders or have crucial skill. Unless you mean memorable to non-fans then that’s an other thing.

I think it depends on the definition of "filler". I think practically every member has stans who will support the group through merch, tix, and album sales, and streaming. But not every member is essential to the vocals/dance performances of the group. I mean, you dont really need 12 people to sing a 3 minute song or to dance the choreo. And in many bigger groups, it is inevitable that some members get shafted with lines and center time (Mina for like the last three official comebacks ).

Some trainees seem like they're put in the group just so the agency can recoup the debt that person owes them.

I always felt Kangin was in SuJu. I didn’t feel he had any particular purpose and glad he left tbh.

Yes there are filler members 3 groups come to mind when I think filler

Noone needs to have more than 5-6-7 members in a pop group, unless its a choir or some of them play instruments. 10+ is clearly overkill.

No. We see such a narrow sliver of what is actually happening in a Kpop group.

For starters, the member may not be the group’s strongest dancer, singer or rapper, but they are very good at variety shows. This is a skill, but it also creates some relief for the other members who are weaker in this area and may have been stressed out at the expectation.

Or the member may be fluent in a different language and often serve as the group’s representative in a key market, do all the talking on shows and translate for other members. Again this is an important role, particularly in the global marketplace.

This is a highly stressful, high pressure environment where you are being constantly scrutinized. When members talk about a person as a mood maker, this person who can help soothe and lighten up and reduce stress and help keep everyone going is just as important as someone who can dance well.

- We don’t know what happens off stage and what the company doesn’t want to talk about.

Maybe the person you think is “filler” is the person who holds the hand of the member that is having anxiety attacks.

Maybe the person you think is “filler” is there to offset the workload for the member with the bad back.

Maybe the person you think is “filler” is the one talking to you in your language and pretending to be another member responding.

Maybe the person you think is “filler” is doing more on the choreo or the production or the songwriting, but because they aren’t as popular, you don’t see any of that and the company certainly doesn’t want to talk about that.

Maybe the person you see as filler is the member that plays peacemaker, calms down fights and helps everyone get along - which is an important role for a bunch of people who have to live and work together in a high stress environment.

Kpop groups are formed based on pretty specific calculations to meet specific needs and areas. I don’t know why people would assume that “filler” member hadn’t been calculated to fill a specific role too.

EDITED TO ADD: Stan attractors and visuals are also playing a key role in the group. They are potentially what gets the attention, sells the hype or sells the merchandise. It’s a damned job. Because that person more than the others has to be constantly “on” - picture-worthy, no bad skin, hair or weight days much more so than any other member, heightened scrutiny of every aspect of their appearance, the pressure to be perfect. Slightly dorky person with “the voice” still has the voice, no matter if they gain 5 lbs or wears an unflattering outfit. Visual is about the visual. Even if the visual has other talents, it will be first and foremost about what’s happening with their appearance.

I always feels like Heechul is mis-used. I mean he's actually a really good vocalist, but he can't really shine in the rapper position.

You only need 1 good singer to make music as had been shown by successful solo singers, everyone else is filler. Why add a 2nd best singer? Or 3rd? There redundant. Why add a dancer when the main priority for music is singing? Why even have idols take up acting or TV shows when again the main priority is singing? Your fave groups are 90% filler

The answer is because they add to the group in some way. Kpop is more than just singing, having a variety of members brings something new/different.

You're not supposed to be wise