Described as a "high-energy" song with "inspirational lyrics" that portrays the group's musical identity, it was released as the lead single from their second studio album Neo Zone on March 6, 2020 by SM Entertainment.

NCT 127 promoted the song on several South Korean music programs in addition to their online concert via Beyond Live, titled Beyond the Origin.

After wrapping up promotional activities in the United States by the end of November 2019, SM Entertainment uploaded a music video for "Dreams Come True", along with the release announcement for Neo Zone on January 27, 2020.

[2] On February 12, a "timeline" video for the album was posted on the group's social media accounts, including a release schedule and confirmation of the title of the lead single as "영웅 / 英雄 (Kick It)".

[5][6] "Kick It" was composed by American producer Dem Jointz, South Korean songwriter Deez, Ryan S. Jhun, Mayila Jones and Rodnae "Chikk" Bell, with Yoo Young-jin contributing to co-composition and arrangement.

The song marked the second time that Dem Jointz, Deez and Yoo wrote together for the boy group since "Cherry Bomb" in June 2017.

In an interview with music critic Kim Young-dae in March 2020, Deez stated that "Kick It" was originally prepared to "gird the loins" for "Cherry Bomb 2.0", opining that the outcome ended up being "stronger" than the 2017 single.

[7] Musically, SM Entertainment described the song as a "powerful" hip-hop dance record with heavy metal guitar riff and R&B elements throughout,[8] while Tamar Herman of Billboard called the track "high-energy" with industrial beats, throbbing bass, whistling synths and chanting shouts.

[13] Directed by South Korean director Oui Kim, the music video for "Kick It" has a martial arts theme.

[26] Another review from SoundDigest called the track "rambunctious", while writer Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum from Consequences of Sound noted the song's metal influence and the "darkness, anthemic" return to some of their early releases.

[27][28] Writer Vandana Pawa of Teen Vogue gave the song a positive review, citing "Kick It" as a representation of both the group's sonic origin and development in the near future.

It was the first single of the project, containing three different remixes by American DJ Valentino Khan, Minimonster and labelmate Hitchhiker (who also helped produce the track "Mad Dog" on Neo Zone).