During Kep1er's first behind-the-scenes video, Hikaru was barely visible. While all members have individual screentimes, Hikaru's screentime is often shared with other members.
On January 27, 2022, Kep1er fans took to Twitter to trend the hashtag #HikaruDeservesBetter. There, they demanded fair treatment for Kep1er member Ezaki Hikaru from their agency as well as media outlets.
People highlighted that for all the "WA DA DA" performances, Hikaru and Seo Young Eun were the two members who were never chosen as ending fairy. In K-pop, the ending fairy is the member who gets the spotlight during the end of the performance, and the camera hits that member and makes it the main focus.
In addition, during Kep1er's performance on “THE SHOW” on January 26, Korean media outlet Top Star News shared individual articles for each member featuring photos of their performance. However, Hikaru and Kang Yeseo did not get their own articles from media outlets.
In addition, Hikaru is the only member who doesn't have his own solo shot in "Studio Choom." While the other eight members had their own solo photos, Hikaru shared a photo with Huening Bahiyyih. It was also shown that Hikaru has the least number of fan cams among the Kep1er members, despite always being among the three most viewed fan cams.
During Kep1er's first behind-the-scenes video, Hikaru was barely visible. While all members have individual screentimes, Hikaru's screentime is often shared with other members. In addition, many were unhappy that during "WA DA DA," Hikaru had fewer parts despite proving himself to be a capable rapper in "Girls Planet 999".
People believe that some parts of Kim Dayeon's singing can be shared with Hikaru. People have also pointed out that, despite being part of Kep1er's dance line, he is usually in the back or corner of the choreography.
Fans demanded that WAKEONE, the agency that handles Kep1er, pay more attention to Hikaru and give him the same opportunities as the other members. In addition, many are demanding music shows and media not to ignore Hikaru, because he is just as talented as the other members. Currently, WAKEONE has not released a statement regarding the matter. (wk/goddess)
