RIIZE has become the center of attention after recording an impressive milestone with their latest album Odyssey. The SM Entertainment boy group sold over 1.79 million copies in just the first week of release, marking their highest first-week sales to date.
According to the chart breakdown, Odyssey sold over 805,000 copies on its first day alone. By the end of the week, cumulative sales reached 1,797,200 copies, surpassing their previous records. Their 2024 single album RIIZING recorded 1.255 million sales, while their debut mini album Get A Guitar crossed just over 1 million.
The significant jump in sales has caught the attention of fans and netizens alike. Alongside praise for their success, the group has also sparked heated debate online, especially regarding the number of physical versions available for purchase.
Odyssey was released in a total of 27 versions, including: seven Photobook versions (group and six individual versions), two Package versions (Earth and Universe), seven SMini versions (six individual SMini versions and Mega SMini), Sunlove (QR) and many other exclusives.
RIIZE release 9 versions of The 1st Album 'ODYSSEY' Preview #RIIZE #라이즈 #ODYSSEY pic.twitter.com/sEhGrGacyu
— riize.city (@riize_city) May 11, 2025
Some Korean netizens have expressed concern that the large number of versions encourages excessive spending and contributes to overconsumption, especially in light of ongoing discussions about the environmental impact of K-Pop album production.
Still, others defended the format, saying that fans now have more freedom to choose versions like merchandise instead of simply collecting identical copies.
- “26 versions..? There’s no way I could ever buy that many… wow…”
- “Wow, and the songs are good too. Congrats, congrats!!!”
- “People used to bash idols for harming the environment, but now that albums are more like merchandise with lots of versions and you can choose the ones you want like actual goods, they’re mad about the number of versions. Sigh.”
- “Yeah, there are a lot of versions, but don’t freak out and start attacking people just because someone said there are too many. Chill out.”
- “26 versions…”
As K-Pop album packaging continues to evolve, the conversation around physical albums and their impact shows no signs of slowing down.
