Stray Kids Expose Their Unexpected "Leader"

Every STAY knows Stray Kids‘ Bang Chan is a reliable and caring leader for the group. He protects his members during performances…

OP explained that since lee know almost fell during the maniac stage, bang chan was guiding the members to come to the back of the stage to avoid any injuries during the performances. truly the best leader out there always looking after the kids~ pic.twitter.com/RFnHWY6gxA

— yas ⤮ (@beyondyasmin) August 14, 2022

Literally leads the way in unfamiliar places…

chan is literally the mother duck with his little ducklings following him pic.twitter.com/Nman4BIjmO

— amy | ⤮ maxident ⤮ | MINCHAN MONTH (@amywolfchan) August 19, 2022

And even tries to give his members the sweetest gifts.

another saga of skz asking bangchan to buy them a building 😭 pic.twitter.com/0nEX9peFFZ

— 냥이😈🐰 (@skzkitty) May 30, 2022

In the past, Bang Chan has explained how he became familiar with the position of leader before ever debuting and revealed that he actually doesn’t think of himself as a good leader.

The moment that you accept that you’re a good leader, it means that you’re not a good leader.

— Bang Chan

So in a recent WIRED interview, fans were understandably surprised when all of Stray Kids pointed out a different member for the question “Who is Stray Kids’ leader.” Without hesitation, most members pointed out Stray Kids’ maknae, I.N, who also agreed with the label.

(top, left to right) Bang Chan, Lee Know, Hyunjin, (bottom, left to right) Seungmin, I.N, and Felix | WIRED/YouTube

Bang Chan quickly explained that while he’s “the official leader,” the position can also be assigned to I.N since “the youngest is always on top.”

| WIRED/YouTube

Indeed, I.N is the “Maknae On Top,” and he’s even released a fan-favorite track by the same title.

| WIRED/YouTube

And although the group joked about putting I.N in the leader role, the idol himself has admitted that he’d be a very different leader from Bang Chan, “which makes [him] grateful that [he’s] the youngest.”

You can listen to I.N’s “Maknae On Top” here.