The Japanese version of the song was released for digital download and streaming on October 16, 2018, by Universal Music Japan as a single album that included the remix and "Airplane Pt.

The song received generally positive reviews from critics who praised its dark production, eclectic sound, and the band's vocal delivery.

[22] "Fake Love" is a emo hip hop,[9] grunge,[24] rap-rock[25] and electropop song[26] with elements of pop-rock,[27] trap and adult contemporary music.

[30] Though the song keeps up with the band's signature hip hop sound, it employs a dark production consisting of thumping trap beats, "gritty guitars", "ambient synth quirks" and "doomy bass.

[34][37] The remix version adds "dynamic" electronic and acoustic string instruments over the original melody, introducing rock vibes to the song.

"[28][42] Lines like "Mold a pretty lie for you" and "Try to erase myself and make me your doll" suggest themes of "hiding depression" and "pressure" to maintain relationships despite struggling with mental health.

Jeff Benjamin of Paper praised the track's sound and the band's vocal delivery, writing that the song "might very well be the best representation of the pop excellence BTS brings to music.

"[28] In The Korea Herald, Dam-young Hong wrote that the musical style "offers an overwhelming sense of darkness and maturity" to the song.

"[23] Hyun-su Yim, also of The Korea Herald, praised the song for "brilliantly" capturing the "genre-bending" and "emotion-heavy" musical essence of BTS.

[43] Rhian Daly of NME commended the "dark" production and labelled the song "beautifully gloomy," adding that the track is an "early instance of BTS tackling the idea of one's persona.

[45] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal said the song was "sonically and lyrically powerful" and "embodies the emotions of saying goodbye in a raw yet sincere fashion."

"[34] In a separate review, music critic Elias Leight of the same publication viewed the song as "a jolt of angst-ridden, arena-ready rap-rock.

"[25] Jess Lau of The 405 wrote that the song displayed significant growth in the band's sound and deemed it as the strongest track on Love Yourself: Tear.

[36] Writing for Spin, Blanca Méndez stated that the song "turns dark and marries the drama of Wings with the angst of their 2015 album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever.

"[46] Dan Weiss of Consequence of Sound deemed it as a "breathy anthem-ballad," while Idolator's Mike Nied called the song "mega-infectious.

They further wrote, "the tension between electric guitar and a hip-hop beat creates a sense of dark resolve, unique among contemporary K-Pop and even among BTS's other music.

"[32] In a Billboard publication, Caitlin Kelley cited it as one of the best songs of the band and wrote, "this is BTS at their angstiest, wallowing in the heartache of changing yourself so much for someone that your love is fake.

[35] Other publications that included the track among their lists of the best songs of 2018 were The Dong-a Ilbo,[53] The Guardian,[54] The New York Times,[55] and Rolling Stone.

[97] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for track equivalent sales of 500,000 units becoming BTS' third song to do so.

[105][106][107] Additionally, it made top 40 appearances in Austria,[108] New Zealand,[109] Russia,[110] Scotland,[111] Slovakia,[112] Switzerland[113] and Flemish region of Belgium.

[119] It sold 481,000 copies in the month of November 2018, achieving higher sales than their previous Japanese single album "Mic Drop / DNA / Crystal Snow".

[122] On December 9, 2018, the single album received double platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), denoting shipments of 500,000 copies.

[42][126] It continues the extended story-line of BTS' fictional narrative universe by connecting "fantasy and reality, past and present" with multiple Easter eggs, and symbolisms.

[27][56][129] The video opens with a flower trapped inside a glass and then switches to show close-up shots of band members Jin and Jungkook.

[27] The video alternates with scenes which show the members reflecting their own personal struggles in several decaying rooms and group-shots of the band performing furious and tight choreography in an "imposing collection of sets".

[42] The choreography depicted in the video consists of "sharp movements" and "dramatic poses" which portrays each member exhibiting the anguish of the song's lyrics.

"[29] In his review for Cosmopolitan, Alex Reed cited the clip as "wonderful" and said, "The styling is perfect, the vocals are on point, the choreography is exceptional, and the visuals are beyond.

[136] An accompanying music video for the remix version of "Fake Love", also directed by YongSeok Choi, was uploaded to Big Hit's YouTube channel on June 1, 2018.

[132] Taylor Weatherby of The Hollywood Reporter deemed the choreography as "intense" and "flawless" adding, "From high kicks to synchronized waves, BTS hit every move perfectly while singing their latest jam.

"[140] Jennifer Drysdale of Entertainment Tonight wrote that the band "slayed the performance with their intricate dance moves in front of a stunning display, completely stealing the show.