Iz*One

Iz*One is a 12-member k-pop/j-pop girl group. It was formed through the third season of the music survival show Produce 101, where the viewers voted for their favourites out of 96 contestants. The contestants were Korean idol trainees as well as Japanese members of the idol group AKB48 and its various subunits.Kpop Herald Meet the 12 members of IZ*ONE as ‘Produce 48’ wraps up (Accessed 16 March 2021) 
The members are Eunbi (leader), Wonyoung, Sakura, Yuri, Yena, Yujin, Nako, Hyewon, Hitomi, Chaewon, Minju and Chaeyeon.
Sakura and Nako are also members of HKT48, while Hitomi is a member of AKB48.
==Fandom==
Iz*One's official fan name is WIZ*ONE. "WIZ" comes from Wizard, because the fans and Iz*One are creating a magical future together. Soompi IZ*ONE Reveals Fan Club Name On Debut Day (Accessed 16 March 2021) Many international fans were unimpressed with the name, which they found uncreative and difficult to pronouce. 
However, some were quick to point out that Iz*One are hardly the first group to have a less than catchy fan club name.
====Lightstick====
The official Iz*One lightstick is made in all white except for a gold trim between the handle and the see-through top-part that lights up. Inside the top part there are 12 silicon balls, one in each member's color. The stick can light up in each of the 12 colors as well.Kpop Merchandise Guide IZ*ONE (Izone) Official Light Stick (Accessed 16 March 2021)
===Shipping===
Popular Iz*One pairings are:
*Yenyul (Yena/Yuri)
==Controversies==
===Vote Rigging===
The final lineup of the group was controversial from the beginning, since it looked very different from earlier episode's Top Twelve. This led to viewers accusing Mnet, the channel that aired the show, of vote manipulation. Within a couple of months, Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum, who were producers of the show, were arrested. The Korea Times Vote-rigging suspicions undermine reputation of K-pop audition shows (Accessed 20 March 2021) 
It was confirmed that the lineup was chosen completely by the producers, without consideration for the audience's votes. Koreaboo Prosecution Reveals All The X1 and IZ*ONE Final Members Were Rigged, Plus 1 Wanna One Member (Accessed 20 March 2021) This caused wide speculation among fans about which members did not have deserve their place. It also created a split in the fandom, where some no longer felt comfortable supporting the group, while others argued that it was unfair to punish the members for the actions of their managements.
===Disbandment===
 thumb | right | Translated Statement from [https://twitter.com/DC_IZONECHU @DC_IZONECHU]
As with all groups spawned from the Produce 101 series, Iz*One was always intended to be a temporary group. After 2.5 years, in April 2021, the members would go back to their respective agencies. In January 2021 rumours said that the agencies were discussing an extension of the contracts.Soompi IZ*ONE Reportedly Discussing Potential Contract Extension + Agency Comments (Accessed 18 March 2021) The talks fell through, and many fans were disappointed when the disbandment was announced days before what turned out to be their last concert.
The Iz*One community on the korean forum DC Inside posted a statement from WIZ*ONE after the news of the disbandment broke. There they demanded the group continue to promote as one, or they would boycott all future activities form their respective agencies. Far from all WIZ*ONES stood behind these demands, and some argued that it was an overreaction to something that should have been expected to happen.
To this, others responded that it was not so much about the lack of an extension, but the way Iz*One were not given a proper goodbye like previous Produce 101 groups had. Instead the decision to make 'ONE, THE STORY' their farewell concert seemed like it had been taken last minute.StarrySky Blog 
IZ*ONE DISBANDMENT DUE TO END OF CONTRACT? WHAT ARE THEIR FANS FIGHTING FOR? (Accessed 18 March 2021)
==References==
Category:Girl Groups (Kpop)
Category:J-Pop Fandom