MONSTA X Closes Their 10th Anniversary Era: How 'THE X' Marked a Full-Group Comeback Four Years in the Making

MONSTA X completed their 10th anniversary comeback era in September 2025, wrapping up two weeks of full-group promotions for their 13th mini-album THE X. It was their first complete six-member release in four years, closing a chapter that had seen military service rotations fragment the group across nearly half a decade of staggered absences. The era marked a definitive milestone for one of K-pop's more emotionally resonant long-term stories: a group that survived separations, personnel departures, and the slow grind of mandatory service to arrive intact at ten years together.

The Road to Complete: Military Service and the Four-Year Wait

MONSTA X's full-group absence began in earnest when leader Shownu enlisted in October 2021, triggering a staggered service rotation that kept some members on stage while others disappeared for 18 months at a time. At its most fragmented point, the group was operating as a four-member unit while Shownu and others completed their obligations. The final member to return was Hyungwon, who completed service on May 13, 2025 — the moment that made a full-group comeback logistically possible.

The wait was compounded by the earlier departure of Wonho, who left the group in 2019, and Shownu's own temporary hiatus from official group activities during his service period. For Monbebe — MONSTA X's fandom — the years between the last full-group promotions and the September 2025 comeback were defined by patience and the specific kind of loyalty that K-pop long-form narratives demand: stay present, stay supportive, trust the return.

THE X: A Decade Declared

The album's title is explicitly symbolic. In Roman numerals, X represents ten — and MONSTA X named their 10th anniversary mini-album accordingly. The six-track record includes the title track "N the Front," co-written with the group's creative involvement, alongside pre-release "Do What I Want" (co-written by Joohoney and I.M), and tracks including "Savior," "Tuscan Leather," "Catch Me Now," and "Fire & Ice."

"N the Front" declared the group's identity directly: the choreography was physically demanding, the visuals were striking, and the lyrics — "Rather than follow someone else, we set the standard" — carried the weight of a group that had been through enough to mean what they were saying. The MV accumulated millions of views within its first week, driven by a fanbase that had been waiting for exactly this moment.

Promotions: Two Weeks of Full-Group Presence

The promotional cycle ran from the September 1 release through September 14, with MONSTA X performing "N the Front" on Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo. For audiences watching, the image of all six members on stage simultaneously carried an emotional register that went beyond the song itself. Each performance communicated the same thing: we're all here, and we intend to stay.

The promotions were also a demonstration of what MONSTA X's "performance powerhouse" reputation means in practice. Their choreography for "N the Front" was physically exacting, and their execution was consistent across two weeks of live broadcasts. The group's live stage presence — built over a decade of practice and cemented through years of concert touring — translated immediately into broadcast environments designed to reward exactly that kind of reliability. Audiences watching from home and at the broadcast venues responded with the enthusiasm of a fandom that had been counting down the days, and the performances generated viral moments across social media platforms throughout the promotional cycle.

What a Decade Means for MONSTA X

Reaching 10 years in the K-pop industry is a statistical rarity. The industry's fast-churn model — seven-year contracts, fierce competition for attention, generational turnover every 3-4 years — means that most groups dissolve or restructure well before a decade. MONSTA X's longevity reflects multiple compounding factors: genuine fan loyalty built through consistent effort, a willingness to adapt their sound while maintaining core identity, and the kind of institutional resilience that survives personnel challenges and extended separations.

The "X" in their name, after all, was always the variable — the unknown quantity that made the group's story an open equation rather than a closed one. That variable resolved itself in September 2025 into something concrete: six members, thirteen mini-albums, and a decade of proving that the equation was worth solving. Monbebe, who had waited through years of partial lineups and military countdowns, understood the full weight of what that resolution meant.

Looking Ahead: The Decade-Plus Era

The September 2025 promotions were an endpoint, but they were equally a starting line. Having cleared the milestone, MONSTA X enters what might be called their "decade-plus era" — territory occupied by very few K-pop acts. The groups that sustain themselves past ten years typically do so through a combination of continuous reinvention and deep audience trust, and MONSTA X possesses both. Their fan base, Monbebe, demonstrated during the THE X cycle that decade-long loyalty does not erode passively; it intensifies when given reason to. The group's management, Starship Entertainment, has consistently invested in full-group international activities, suggesting the coming chapter will extend their global footprint further. For MONSTA X, year eleven is not a denouement. It is where the next equation begins.