August 2025 Rookie Brand Reputation Rankings: New K-pop Boy Group AHOF Claims #1 with 1,780% Rise, Hearts2Hearts’ Ian Tops Rookie Idol

A new K-pop group is making headlines in the K-pop industry. AHOF, which formed through the TV show “Universe League,” now leads the rookie brand reputation rankings in August 2025. Their popularity exploded with the brand index growing by an incredible 1,780 percent, showing how quickly they captured everyone’s attention. But the news does not stop with this group. For individual rookie K-pop idols, another star is shining brightest. Ian from K-pop girl group Hearts2Hearts took the top spot, making her the most popular rookie idol right now. With a new K-pop group and rookie idol leading the rankings, let’s explore the brand reputation rankings for rookie groups and individual idols for August 2025 below.

August 2025 Rookie Group & Individual Idol Brand Reputation Rankings

The Korean Business Research Institute analyzed 10,458,075 pieces of rookie idol group brand data from July 5 to August 5, 2025. The number saw a 3.09 percent decrease from 10,791,994 pieces of rookie idol group brand data in July. According to the analysis result, new Kpop groups AHOF, TWS, KiiiKiii, ILLIT, and BABYMONSTER claimed the top five positions on the brand reputation rankings for rookie idol groups in August 2025.

For the individual rookie idol rankings, the institute analyzed 4,048,333 pieces of rookie idol group brand data from July 7 to August 7, 2025. It also saw a decrease of 20.62 percent from 5,099,850 pieces of rookie idol individual brand data in July. As a result, Hearts2Hearts’ Ian, ILLIT’s Wonhee, KiiiKiii’s Jiyu, ILLIT’s Minju, and Hearts2Hearts’Hearts2Hearts’s Jiwoo dominated the top five individual rookie idol brand reputation rankings for August 2025.

AHOF’s Popularity Explodes 1,780% to Snag August’s #1 Rookie Spot

F&F Entertainment’s new Kpop boy group, AHOF, has emerged as a standout in the K-pop scene. AHOF consists of nine members: Steven, Seo Jung-woo, Cha Woong-ki, Zhang Shuai Bo, Park Han, JL, Park Joo-won, Zhu En, and Daisuke. 

Their journey began on the popular SBS survival show “Universe League,” where K-pop fans watched them. This gave them great support even before their debut.

Then, just a month after they made their debut, AHOF achieved something incredible! The group claimed the top spot in the rookie idol group brand reputation rankings with an outstanding brand reputation index of 1,045,445, skyrocketing by 1,779.94% from 55,611 in July. The breakdown of the indexes shows:

• Participation Index: 108,290
• Media Index: 274,538
• Communication Index: 361,546
• Community Index: 301,071

So, what does that index really mean for the group? From the index breakdown, the participation and media indexes show a strong connection with both fans and the media. Their communication score was the highest part at 361,546. This means people are actively talking about AHOF online. The community score was also very high, showing a powerful fan base.

Their brand reputation index shows that AHOF’s success is built on genuine excitement. Their start in the Universe League created a strong foundation. Now, they are proving their power with massive fan and media engagement.

​The group’s popularity can be seen in their keyword analysis. Keywords such as “Blue School, Green Grass, Red Sneakers,” “Let’s Meet Again There (Rendezvous),” and “Fan Meeting.” Meanwhile, in the link analysis, the institute found the terms “lovely,” “fresh,” and “refreshing” as their most popular related terms. In the positivity/negativity analysis, AHOF gained a positive score of 83.29 percent.

How New Boy Group AHOF Became the #1 Rookie of August

AHOF’s amazing popularity comes from their hard work. They began their journey and made multiple remarkable achievements shortly after their debut on July 1, 2025.

Their first mini-album, “WHO WE ARE,” was a huge success. It sold over 360,000 copies in just one week. This record placed fifth in all-time first-week album sales among boy groups. They also hold the top spot for rookie boy groups debuting in 2025.

The title track “Let’s Meet Again There (Rendezvous)” also topped the Bugs real-time chart immediately after release. However, their significant achievements don’t stop there. All other album tracks also rank high on the chart, showing strong musical appeal.

But their success goes far beyond album sales. The music video for “Rendezvous” got over 26.85 million views in less than a week. This is the highest number of views among boy groups that debuted in 2025. They also proved their incredible ticket power. The group’s first fan concert in the Philippines sold out completely. This shows their strong and growing international fan base.

[📰] ‘괴물 신인’ 아홉, 필리핀 팬콘 전석 완판 기록

🔗 https://t.co/Hw1u4FnLaG#AHOF #아홉 #RENDEZVOUSinMANILA pic.twitter.com/hcryH5UUpM

— F&F Entertainment (@fnfent_official) August 4, 2025

So, AHOF’s explosive popularity comes from a high-profile debut platform and multiple achievements. They have record-breaking album sales and chart-topping songs. Their music videos are trending, and their first fan concert sells out. They have quickly solidified their place in the K-pop industry.

TOP 50 Rookie Idol Groups

1. AHOF
2. TWS
3. KiiiKiii
4. ILLIT
5. BABYMONSTER
6. Hearts2Hearts
7. MEOVV
8. IZNA
9. Baby DONT Cry
10. XLOV
11. RESCENE
12. KATSEYE
13. Say My Name
14. Unis
15. ifeye
16. ARTMS
17. Close Your Eyes
18. eite
19. Lost
20. KIIRAS
21. KickFlip
22. SPIA
23. HITGS
24. NouerA
25. NOWADAYS
26. tracer
27. NEWBEAT
28. Big O!cean
29. A1
30. BURVEY
31. Geenius
32. HORI7ON
33. USPEER
34. VVS
35. BE BOYS
36. BEWAVE
37. ASC2NT
38. Candy Shop
39. NEXZ
40. BADVILLAIN
41. MADEIN
42. Luna8
43. W!TCHX
44. Crezl
45. All(H)Ours
46. VCHA
47. PICKUS
48. UNICODE
49. InAMinute
50. I:MOND

Hearts2Hearts’ Ian Tops Individual Rookie Idol Brand Rankings

Ian from Hearts2Hearts has been capturing everyone’s attention through her activities recently. Her public appearances have made fans take notice.

She threw the first pitch with her fellow member Jiwoo at the game between the SSG Landers and LG Twins on June 12, 2025, at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

After throwing the first pitch, Ian continued to capture fans’ attention. Ian captured many with her appearance as she walked on the blue carpet with other Hearts2Hearts members at the 2025 SBS Music Festival Summer on July 27. These events made her popularity skyrocket.

Her stunning appearance led to a 75.37 percent rise in her brand reputation index, increasing from 180,524 in July to 316,581 in August. This incredible growth shows her powerful connection with the public. Her participation, media, communication, and community scores all showed strong engagement as follows:

• Participation Index: 100,307
• Media Index: 62,486
• Community Index: 88,971
• Community Index: 64,817

So, why do K-pop fans love Ian so much?

Link analysis revealed the words people use most often in reference to her. These words include “pure,” “pretty,” and “refreshing.” The top keywords that bring people to her are “center beauty,” “pitcher,” and “Gayo Daejeon.” Best of all, the conversation around her is overwhelmingly positive, with an impressive 87.05 percent positivity score. This shows she is truly a beloved star.

TOP 50 Individual Rookie Idols

1. Hearts2Hearts Ian
2. ILLIT Wonhee
3. KiiiKiii Jiyu
4. ILLIT Minju
5. Hearts2Hearts Jiwoo
6. MEOVV Anna
7. ILLIT Yunah
8. ILLIT Moka
9. TWS Shinyu
10. BABYMONSTER Ahyeon
11. IZNA Yoon Ji Yoon
12. TWS Dohoon
13. Hearts2Hearts Ye-On
14. Hearts2Hearts Yuha
15. Hearts2Hearts Stella
16. Hearts2Hearts Carmen
17. Hearts2Hearts A-Na
18. ILLIT Iroha
19. BABYMONSTER Asa
20. MEOVV Gawon
21. Hearts2Hearts Juun
22. IZNA Mai
23. KiiiKiii Haum
24. IZNA Bang Jeemin
25. KiiiKiii Sui
26. KATSEYE Lara
27. TWS Jihoon
28. MEOVV Ella
29. KiiiKiii Leesol
30. TWS Youngjae
31. ifeye Kasia
32. AHOF Park Han
33. AHOF Zhang Shuai Bo
34. IZNA Koko
35. AHOF Sheo Jeong Woo
36. KATSEYE Manon
37. AHOF Cha Woong Ki
38. IZNA Choi Jung Eun
39. IZNA Ry Sa Rang
40. AHOF Steven
41. TWS Kyungmin
42. BABYMONSTER Rora
43. KATSEYE Yoonchae
44. IZNA Jeong Saebi
45. AHOF Juwon
46. TWS Hanjin
47. KATSEYE Megan
48. BABYMONSTER Ruka
49. KATSEYE Daniela
50. BABYMONSTER Rami

This month’s rookie brand reputation rankings brought some real excitement. New rookie groups and individual idols made huge waves, and their impressive growth is truly something to celebrate.

What did you think about the rankings? Were you surprised by who took the top spots? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

If you want to keep up with the latest K-pop news, you can find more brand reputation rankings right here.

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