# We Hate All Kinds of Violence

We Hate All Kinds of Violence... is the debut studio album by South Korean boy group H.O.T., released through SM Entertainment on September 7, 1996. Two singles were promoted off of the record—"Warrior's Descendant" and "Candy". It experienced commercially success upon its release with sales of over 1,500,000 copies, held the record as the best-selling album by an SM Entertainment artists for 24 years until the record was broken in 2020 by NCT's second studio album NCT 2020 Resonance Pt.1.

## Background

In early 1996, SM Entertainment founder and record producer Lee Soo-man surveyed high school students in the area to find out what their ideal pop music group would be like. Lee then used this information to form and create the concept of the agency's upcoming boy group, H.O.T. Five members—Moon Hee-joon, Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony An, Kangta and Lee Jae-won were recruited by the company and soon became trainees under the agency, a model that took inspiration from the idol system in Japan. The group made their debut with We Hate All Kinds of Violence on September 7, 1996.
Two singles were spawned from the album with accompanying music videos: the first single "Warrior's Descendant" is a critique of schoolyard bullying, while the second single, "Candy", is a cheerful bubblegum pop song that established the group's popularity in South Korea.

## Composition and themes

Wi Su-ji of IZM wrote how the composition of the record's tracks caters to the needs of teenagers. The first track, "Candy", which was decided as a follow-up song after "Warrior's Descendant", contains lyrics about a love story with teenagers being able to relate to the lyrics in some way. In the rap part of "Warrior's Descendant", the group declares the opposition of all forms of violence; Yoo Young-jin who composed the track revealed that school violence, which was a big social problem at the time, inspired the artwork for the album's cover. At the time, the song was noted by critics for openly exposing problems of reality among the youth. The lyrics of the track "X Generation" revolve around the theme of emphasizing individuality rather than simply following trends.

## Reception
### Commercial performance

Upon its release, We Hate All Kinds of Violence was met with commercial success in South Korea, selling over 1.5 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums in the country. "Candy" topped the domestic music program rankings for multiple weeks.

### Legacy

   "In the 1990s, if you were to pick an event that marked a milestone in the history of Korean popular music, it would be the debut of Seo Taiji and Boys as well as the debut of [H.O.T.], who dominated the industry after their retirement. The exact date is September 7, 1996. After H.O.T. debuted, they marked the beginning of the first generation of idols, that is, the beginning of the Korean idol era." — IZM, October 2012
Pop culture commentators have regarded We Hate All Kinds of Violence for its role in ushering the modern idol system in K-pop. The trainee system laid by SM Entertainment with H.O.T. led them to become considered as the first idol group in South Korea; the fashion, rap skills and dance moves shown through its songs such as "Candy" sparked a new wave of mainstream music in the country.

## In popular culture

The 2012 drama Reply 1997 revolves around the main character (played by Jung Eun-ji) idolizing H.O.T along with her friends in 1997, with one scene showing the characters attending a performance of "Warrior's Descendant". The show's popularity sparked a "retro" trend in South Korea with the media and cultural commentators noting an increased interest in 1990s pop culture following the drama's release.

## Release history

Release history for We Hate All Kinds of Violence :
| Region | Date | Formats | Label |
| South Korea | September 7, 1996 | CDcassette | SM Entertainment, Seorabul Records |
| South Korea | 1997 | CDcassette | SM Entertainment, Synnara Music |
| Japan | October 24, 2001 | CD | SM Entertainment, Avex Trax |