Ganbare Challenge

Origin

The Ganbare Challenge is a short-form challenge in which a vertical screen is split into three panels and one person appears in all three at once, running through cute expressions and moves to the rhythm of a Japanese song. The key is timing to the beat and switching between panels rather than flashy choreography, so anyone can easily film their own.

The music is "頑張りたい人へ" ("For Those Who Want to Do Their Best") by Japanese music creator odamayonaise. Its repeated "ganbare" ("hang in there") carries a message of encouragement, which gave the challenge its name. The original video was posted in February 2026 by Yuna, a member of the girl group CSR, who edited moves and expressions she created herself to the song into a three-way split screen.

Spread

The response exploded in Japan first. According to a March 31, 2026 Sports Kyunghyang report, Yuna's video passed 6 million views on Instagram and 3 million on TikTok within a month of release, 9 million in total. The article praised the three-panel format of cute expressions and choreography as "pleasant and sensory." The trend soon crossed from Japan to Korea, where creators led a flood of videos on Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

K-pop idols fanned the flames, with members of SEVENTEEN, TWICE, IVE and Stray Kids posting their own versions. Thanks to its message of encouragement, it branched out into versions featuring friends, family, students and even pets. Amid the challenge's popularity, CSR itself returned to the music scene after one year and nine months with the new single "I Can't Hide My Heart" on March 26. Brand accounts also used the low-barrier format for promotional videos.

Usage

• Encouragement videos that split the screen into three, with one person appearing in each panel with a different expression or move
• Sending someone a "hang in there" message, with friends, family or pets appearing alongside
• Promotional short-form videos in which brand accounts put products or staff in the three panels

Sources

• Sports Kyunghyang, "Girl group CSR's Yuna's 'original' Ganbare challenge records 9 million views" (March 31, 2026) — the original video released in February, 6 million Instagram and 3 million TikTok views in a month, odamayonaise's song, spread from Japan to Korea, participation by SEVENTEEN, TWICE, IVE and Stray Kids, variations on the encouragement message, CSR's March 26 comeback
• Wepick Letter, "The Ganbare challenge: here's how marketers can use it!" — the three-panel format, timing and frame transitions as the key, the low barrier to entry and use by brand accounts