When they’re onstage, the members of ILLIT transform into magical girls casting spells of positivity, but in their videos online, they’re back to being ordinary young girls. Sometimes they’re part of the gaming club What’s this GAME! or the foodie club ILLEAT, visiting the best restaurants around. And they’re a whirlwind of laughs whether they get together to play the “double motion” game to pass the time or talk about their glasses. With a variety of formats and concepts, ILLIT’s videos serve as a record of both the young idol group learning the ropes of variety shows and how five friends have bonded over the course of a year. Let’s get to know the girls as individuals and the chemistry they share between them through series like “SUPER ILLIT,” two seasons of “I’LL LIKE IT!,” “The Night of ILLIT,” and “lit-pouch.”

YUNAH, master of variety show energy and timing
YUNAH is undeniably ILLIT’s mood setter, never hesitant to start cartwheeling during dance practice to hype everyone up. She sounds like your everyday girl with her word choices, shouting “my lid!” when a gust of wind blows her bangs out of place, for instance. In the video “What happens in ILLIT’s classroom,” YUNAH’s fully invested in the concept of sneaking snacks without the teacher noticing, inventing conversation with ease. After asking, “Anyone know what’s for lunch today?” and MINJU responds, “kimchi jjigae,” YUNAH quips, “Is it tuna or pork?” Despite making an aloof first impression, YUNAH has a way of saying just the right thing at every moment, making it feel exactly like a conversation between friends at school. Watching her greet strangers cheerfully with lines like, “Hello, have a lovely day!” is enough to make anyone feel like they’re already friends.

Nowhere is YUNAH’s knack for entertainment so clear as in the team-building retreat-themed “Night of ILLIT.” Her improvisational skills truly stand out in scenarios like these where the whole group has to think on their feet. While the others bring cute socks or board games, YUNAH doubles down on showing up with only a toothbrush. When WONHEE asks how she plans to wash her face, YUNAH immediately reimagines the toothbrush as an all-in-one tool and mimics scrubbing her face with it (“Have you ever heard of a pore brush?”). When the girls compete to see who can grow the biggest imaginary orange, YUNAH steps up to the challenge completely, doing two cartwheels and leaving everyone else in stitches. The other four then decide to team up against her, and YUNAH, flustered at first, goes for one more cartwheel, growing her orange even bigger and eventually snatching the victory.

YUNAH tends to be a joker, and she shows her true colors through her banter with fellow group members. When it’s time for lights out on their retreat, YUNAH teases IROHA, telling her it’s her “job as the youngest” to turn off the light, but once she does, YUNAH gives her a big hug and makes space for her in the bed, showing the tenderness hiding just beyond the mischief. The group’s just like family the whole time, with IROHA even countering YUNAH’s demands with an equally playful, “What? What’d you say?” Rather than trying to draw out big laughs, YUNAH’s talent is more about using her quick wit and perfect timing not only to make others laugh but also to put them at ease. Perhaps that’s the secret to what makes her so entertaining to watch—and how she brings a sense of harmony to the group.

MINJU, the bright-eyed entertainer
MINJU’s the No Pain Princess, able to sport a pair of reflexology slippers for better health and a better challenge, and do it all with a smile that renders the footwear powerless. She’s also a lover of horror movies with nerves of steel. In her comeback interview, MINJU talked about how her “eyes light right up … when it’s a hobby I really enjoy, like ‘League of Legends,’ or when we’re telling scary stories.” That’s pretty much the ultimate ability of her personality, at which point her eyes sparkle and she transforms into a variety show star. The whole group likes scary stories, but even they were scared during the “ILLIT’s Horror Story: The Haunted School” episode of “SUPER ILLIT.” Except MINJU, that is—she goes right up to the actor playing the ghost, and nonchalantly says, “Let’s go together!” When MINJU catches a ghost getting ready to jump-scare her, she looks perfectly serene as she lets out a scream to rival the ghost’s, turning the moment into a battle of decibels. She even deploys a little ghost flirting on the actor to quickly turn the tables by plunking herself down and, despite the eerie setting, hitting them with, “You’re pretty just the way you are.”

MINJU puts her levelheaded and extraordinary leadership skills on full display in the “LITgue of Legends” episode—skills worthy of a true legend. With a mastery score of 700,000 playing champion Katarina, MINJU not only has an impressive play style but is a legendary multitasker, too. She can strategize at the same time she’s patiently teaching the other members how to play the game and complimenting them on their progress. MINJU also says things that are the T (thinker) personality—the only one in the group—to a tee. When a tiger steals a prop plate of tteok, she quips, “That’s plastic!” And when MOKA, during their mini basketball finals, says, “Let’s stay calm …” but chokes under pressure, MINJU teasingly retorts, “You don’t look calm.” But when her group looks to her for help, MINJU’s instantly ready to fill them with confidence. Even when they start to apologize as the tables turn while playing “League,” MINJU still reassures them, saying, “There’s no need to be sorry. It’s honestly a little touching that you guys are trying to protect it at all”—then seeks revenge on the opposing team on behalf of the group. At one point, with everyone else in battle at the middle of the map, WONHEE, arriving at the enemy’s inhibitor solo, asks, “Hey MINJU, am I allowed to destroy the inhibitor?” and MINJU proudly responds, “WONHEE might win this for us. WONHEE destroyed all the turrets.” While her fearless nature, endless endurance, and “League” skills are all cornerstones of what makes MINJU so entertaining, her true ultimate ability is alternating between the sharp quips of a T personality and the heartfelt encouragement she has no shortage of.

MOKA, the warmhearted daredevil
The production crew has a special way of describing MOKA: “an idol whose heart is warmer than motsunabe.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of her kindness, as the rest of the group members are quick to confirm. In an episode of the second season of “I’LL LIKE IT!,” when MOKA becomes WONHEE’s Secret Santa, she carefully picks out items from a boutique shop that speak to the kind of cute aesthetic WONHEE likes. She also writes a card to go along with it: “If there’s something you can’t solve by yourself, always let me know! I’ll be there for you.” Secret Santa or not, MOKA’s just “the sweetest”—clearly ready to help her friends out at all times, no matter what. In the “I might freeze to death, but I still choose ILLIT” episode of “SUPER ILLIT,” when the rest of the group becomes so absorbed in ice skating that they aren’t paying attention while MOKA does her self-introduction, she pouts and cutely protests, “Listen to me!” Though visibly upset, as soon as they all gather around her to apologize, MOKA, hands on her hips, doesn’t hesitate to steady a wobbly WONHEE, once again demonstrating her instinctive kindness.

When it comes to competition, though, MOKA’s sweet demeanor takes a sharp turn. In “LITgue of Legends,” during a game of “Goose Goose Duck,” MOKA ends up being the Spy Duck. Although nervous at first, she quickly gets a feel for the role. She doesn’t blow her cover even after eliminating YUNAH, dramatically shouting, “Don’t come closer! You’re scaring me!” as she feigns innocence and calmly continues to take down her opponents. Similarly, in the episode “You like me, huh?,” though she doesn’t want to be (“I hope I’m not the spy”), MOKA ends up as a spy for the rival Red Onions, infiltrating the Almond Chocolate Crew she’s supposedly a part of. She takes to her role swiftly, fighting tooth and nail for clues with obvious competitiveness. Her outstanding performance as a spy even earns her praise from the others, who marvel about how her “acting got better.” This charming duality—her warm motsunabe heart paired with her icily dispassionate competitive streak—is further underpinned by her give-it-your-all attitude. Whether facing off against her own groupmates or other opponents, and whether she ultimately wins or loses, MOKA’s always ready to give her absolute best.

WONHEE: once a class sports leader, always a class sports leader
Former class sports leader WONHEE—who’s “never lost a race in” her life—lives up to the confidence she has in her ability to run, proving to be naturally talented in race episodes on variety shows. In the “I might freeze to death, but I still choose ILLIT” episode, where they hold a track and field competition on an ice rink, WONHEE takes first place in a game where everyone’s on bikes with baskets attached to the back by blocking the balls the other girls try to throw into her basket and with her impressive drifting. In another game, where they have to pop each other’s balloons with toy guns, she once again emerges victorious with a total count of eight balloons popped, earning her the nickname Won-sniper. Though all around athletically gifted, her quick reflexes and bottomless energy are especially impressive in the “Even the mighty tiger threw in the towel” episode. In one unforgettable scene, WONHEE’s on the elevator, and muses, “What if the tiger’s right there when the door opens? No way!” When her fears turn out to be true and the tiger is waiting there for her, she lures it into the elevator and escapes, completely unfazed. She zooms around the building with an innocent grin until the tiger, exhausted and its costume coming unzipped at the back, eventually concedes defeat. (Other highlights of that episode include the tiger and MINJU having an impromptu dance-off, and all the group members picking up confetti and showering the exhausted tiger in it to thank it for all the hard work.)

According to WONHEE, “You can even find your way out of a tiger’s den as long as you keep your wits about you,” and her secret to evading tricky situations is about more than just being fast—it’s also about quick judgment and a keen sense of observation. While playing a zombie game, she deduces the person next to her isn’t YUNAH based on nothing but listening for footsteps and the sounds of breathing. During a liar game, when MOKA, who’s on the record as disliking the taste of red bean, claims a pastry filled with red bean paste is her “favorite,” WONHEE immediately catches on and calls her out for being the liar. Although her quick eye is based on intuition, it’s also thanks to her deep love for her group and the amount of attention she pays them. In the “ILLIT’s real WALLET” episode of “lit-pouch,” IROHA reveals how, during summer vacation, WONHEE gave everyone a charm that matched their personality. Even while on break, her thoughtfulness toward them all stands out. The effort she puts into selecting greeting cards based on shared memories and personal traits reflects the genuine affection she has for the group, too. As she says, “ILLIT is like honey. ILLIT will never be separated.” That unbreakable bond among the five group members fills every moment of their time onscreen together with laughter and smiles.

IROHA, the baby of the group who always gets things done
In the “ILLIT’s Horror Story: The Haunted School” episode, she tells a screaming ghost to “Stop. S-T-O-P.” In “IROHA’s Night,” she checks items off the group’s bucket list with an unrestrained smile. IROHA’s straightforward reactions, emotional honesty, and deep commitment to each and every moment are her secret to keeping ILLIT videos entertaining. In an episode of “SUPER ILLIT” where they learn the most definite way to escape ILLIT Company, while the group looks for disguises to help them avoid their team leader, IROHA insists they “should make at least one person unnoticeable” and picks out a duck costume that completely covers her top half. The quirky ILLIT member reasserts her stance—“We can’t get caught, okay?”—and practices her best imitation of a duck. With her flawless duck disguise complete, IROHA successfully fools the team leader, helping ILLIT advance to the final challenge: finding their real access cards hidden among a pile of typo-ridden fakes, including ones where her name’s written “Irona,” “Irohu,” and “Irohe.” IROHA’s card proves much harder to find than everyone else’s, but you can see how her relentless determination to always do her very best drives her to locate it at last, as she lets out an emotional, “I think I’m gonna cry.”

Fate sometimes proves to have a twisted sense of humor and drops her into some difficult situations, but lucky for IROHA, she has the grit to overcome all. In season two of “I’LL LIKE IT!,” the group is tasked with cooking the specialties of the Daejeon region, and IROHA ends up having to carry the heaviest rice cooker. Though flustered at first, her naturally cheerful attitude leads her to grow as attached to the cooker as if it were her own. But bad weather causes her to drop it, resulting in visible damage, and to make matters worse, her umbrella breaks and she gets soaked in the rain. WONHEE and YUNAH rush to her aid with another umbrella, declaring, “We have to protect Roha!” MINJU, meanwhile, frets to MOKA over the whole thing (“Our poor cutie!”). But IROHA refuses to dwell on misfortune, saying, “I don’t give up!” She performs some emergency surgery on the rice cooker with some tape, and once everything’s in working order, she proudly showcases “the first rice I’ve ever made by myself.” The rest of the group can’t help but smile at how she made it work after everything she’s been through. Even when things don’t go as planned and IROHA starts to feel frustrated, she doesn’t let any negative feelings get to her. Instead, she gathers up her resolve and keeps pushing forward. As she said in a recent interview, “Since I believe that giving my all is the best way, I always do my absolute best in everything I can.” It’s exactly that kind of mindset that guarantees every frame of ILLIT’s videos is a truly heartfelt moment.