Ranking all the Kingdom performances Pt. 1

So, Kingdom concluded, and honestly, I just could not finish the show. Too much staged filler. Still, I thought it responsible to rank all the performances from the show, and my personal ranking of all the artists in the show.

Artist Ranking

1. BTOB

2. ATEEZ

3. Stray Kids

4. The Boyz

5. iKON

6. SF9

This might surprise some, it certainly surprised me! I was actually rooting for iKON coming into the show and came out even bigger fans of them than before due to their carefree personalities. That said, I rank based on music exclusively. The Boyz might end up becoming the eventual long-term winners of success from the competition, even if Stray Kids won officially.

Unranked Stage: Vocal Unit - Boy's Diary

It was not an official stage, so I did not rank it, but it would have came in the top half.

36. One (Bobby, Sunwoo, Hwiyoung) - Full Dash

I don't want to put this stage at last. The trio actually seem to be having fun, and they really are talented. But really, this does not even count as a rap stage. It is much closer to lethargic talking, with a terrible chorus. At least the pre-chorus is somewhat decent.

35. iKON - At Ease

As a song, At Ease is basically unlistenable. Thankfully, iKON's performance is dynamic enough to make this decent at the very least.

34. SF9 - Good Guy (The Glory)

SF9's Good Guy remix was basically a weaker version of the original. It adds nothing new at all, and the dance segments were underwhelming. At least they'd only go up from here.

33. Stray Kids - Wolfgang

I was one of the few who enjoyed Wolfgang as a song (even if it took me a while to realize they meant 'Wolf Gang'). That said, the performance failed to capture the song's sense of fun, even if the staging and some of the props were excellent.

32. The Boyz - No Air (A Song of Ice and Fire)

The true start of The Boyz channeling Game of Thrones for everything. It is pretty clear that the good stuff was a decent way off. Don't worry, things slowly get better for them.

31. ATEEZ - Wave

As a song on its own, ATEEZ's Wave was one of the best performed in the competition. That said, this over-the-top remix made me laugh more than anything else with its sheer wannabe cheese.

30. Mayfly (Minhyuk, Hongjoong, Bang Chan, Han, Changbin) - Colours

A great message about justice. The performance also had its strong moments, even if the musical groove and staging was slightly forgettable.

29. SF9 - The Stealer

SF9's cover of The Stealer was barely a music performance. The music was hardly there. The stage was cool, even if it played too much into the gang battle trope. Overall, it came together without breaking at the seams fully, with a cool rap verse.

28. SF9 - Believer

SF9's Believer is far from a classic, but its sensual style led to an interesting performance. The prism tunnel was a cool feature, and the members sold the charm well.

27. ATEEZ - Rhythm Ta

The verses of ATEEZ's Rhtyhm Ta cover had some excellent groove, and an excellent pre-chorus. Unfortunately, the drop was practically a disservice to what ATEEZ can do. Hongjoong's monologue made me unintentionally laugh, though the staging was pretty great.

26. iKON - Rhythm Ta

And of course, the superior Rhythm Ta is by the original artists. iKON performance had an awkward first half, but once the actual song started, their fun energy made it great. The laid back choreography just made it better.

25. iKON - Classy Savage Ft. Lisa of Blackpink

A classic case of an underwhelming song and underwhelming performance being redeemed through sheer charisma. iKON's members have just the right amount of colorful charm to make this click. And while Lisa's segment is oddly shoehorned in, she makes the best of her little time with a good dose of charisma. But really, what was she wearing?

24. One (Inseong, Jaeyoon, Jay, June, Sangyeon, New) - Spark

I really enjoyed this performance at first, but have rarely came back to it. I think it might have to do with its rival performance being so amazing, and the fact that this version is basically a weaker and slower version of Taeyeon's original (which is amazing, from an amazing album). At least the climax was solid. I don't get why Inseong's high note was criticized. Sure, it failed, but it added some authentic charm to the song.

23. ATEEZ - The Real

The Real itself as a song is simply forgettable. Thankfully, the performance embraced the fun and cheesy bravado that made the best moments of the song. The staging was really fun, especially the puppet segment around 2:41. All the staging made me appreciate the potential of The Real much better.

22. Stray Kids - God's Menu X Ddu Du Ddu Du

Stray Kids made it their Kingdom mission to mash up all possible songs with God's Menu. Their 'No Limit' performance of it + Blackpink's 2018 mega-hit was a whole lot of fun, with the very Aussie-accented dialogue by Bang Chan and Felix, Felix cosplaying Deadpool (and getting a shout-out from Ryan Reynolds), the JYP diss, and the giant tank. The remix itself was middling, but I'd be lying if I was not having a blast hearing it.

21. The Boyz - The Stealer (Epic Version)

The Boyz's intro performance was led by a middling remix. Thankfully, it had an excellent rap breakdown and the ballet segment at the end was nothing to scoff at.

20. SF9 - Move

SF9's Move cover was one of the show's most acclaimed and successful, and it seems that SF9 may continue down this route. That said, their Move cover went really into the sexier side of the original by Taemin, forgetting that the atmosphere was what made the original so good. The members provide a strong and airy performance, but sometimes it comes off as too try-hard wannabe-sexy. "Male version of Venus" is the proof, and the dance break was simply jarring.

19. The Boyz - O Sole Mio

The Boyz seemed keen on driving their fantasy concept into the ground, though they did have solid moments. The tango-inspired remix of O Sole Mio was certainly an inspired choice. At times it came off as unneededly over-the-top, but it had its moments with those dramatic strings.

Image Source: The Bias List