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HYBE Expands Dark Moon Franchise With Werewolf-Centric Multimedia Project
posted on by Wonhee Cho
HYBE announced on Monday it is expanding its original story IP Dark Moon with a new installment, DARK MOON: The Witch of Yerasah, marking the first time the series focuses exclusively on a werewolf-driven narrative.
The project is being rolled out as a large-scale multimedia initiative in collaboration with K-pop group &TEAM, spanning four formats: a web novel, animated music videos, video content, and visual artwork. Unlike previous Dark Moon entries, which intertwined vampire and werewolf storylines, The Witch of Yerasah centers entirely on werewolf characters, exploring themes of fate, identity, and self-determined love.
At the core of the project is the web novel, which launched on May 20 across multiple platforms including Naver Series in Korea and leading Japanese e-book services such as Cmoa, ebookjapan, Mecha Comic, and Line Manga. The story serves as both a prequel to Dark Moon: The Blood Altar and a follow-up to Dark Moon: The Grey City, set in the fictional 2010s-era kingdom of Aman, in a remote town called Yerasah.
The narrative follows a group of werewolves navigating destiny and romance beyond the constraints of past lives, shifting the series' focus toward more introspective character arcs and emotional growth. Complementing the web novel, an animated music video for &TEAM's track “Bewitched” visualizes the story's mythological elements, while a separate weekly video content series dives deeper into each character's backstory and development.
Additional visual artwork, titled “Blood Print,” will be released in tandem with the video series, further expanding the universe across platforms. HYBE noted that while AI tools were selectively used in parts of the animation process, particularly for motion implementation, the core creative elements — including story, direction, and artwork — remain fully human-driven.
Dark Moon is a multi-media project based on the webtoon that features the members of the South Korean group ENHYPEN. Most recently a television anime based on the webtoon aired in Japan starting on January 9. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS.
Ize Press has licensed the Dark Moon: The Blood Altar webtoon for release in print, and it describes the story:
Mixing urban fantasy and teen romance, the story follows the confrontation, confusion, and chemistry between a group of vampires, a pack of werewolves, and a mysterious girl with a secret. The tale of DARK MOON is told in the form of a series of stories, starting with DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR. Combining a heroine with incredible abilities, youthful friendships, and a powerful secret, DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR brings new levity and energy to teen romance.
The webtoon launched in English in January 2022 and ended with the 71st chapter in October 2023. Ize Press also released HYBE's original novel in English in print on December 2.
HYBE launched the webtoon DARK MOON: Two Moons globally last November as a sequel to Dark Moon: The Blood Altar.
Source: HYBE press release
