KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Synopsis

For years, groups of talented women have protected the world from demons by upholding the Honmoon magical barrier. The latest group is Huntr/x, a K-pop band featuring Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). They’ve maintained the Honmoon through their songs and reached superstar status, with thousands of rabid fans. In the demon world, former human Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) proposes an idea to the demon king, Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). He suggests starting a rival band, The Saja Boys, to steal Huntr/x’s fans while also weakening the Honmoon. Huntr/x quickly sees through The Saja Boys and plans to attack them, but Rumi has second thoughts. Unbeknownst to Mira and Zoey, Rumi is a half-demon, which gives her a connection with Jinu on a personal level. With the Idol Awards approaching, the girls have to work through their struggles to save the world.

Review

When I first heard about KPop Demon Hunters, I had no idea what to expect given the title. Usually, I wouldn’t be interested in this type of movie, which is why it’s surprising how much I loved it. Much like the Spider-Verse movies, the animation is stylish, vivid, colorful, and energetic without feeling overwhelming to the senses. You can definitely see the influence of Korean mysticism in the animation, from the character designs to the visual aesthetics. Jinu’s pet tiger and crow, inspired by minhwa—a genre that highlights mischief and whimsy—align with the film’s style. There’s also an evident anime influence with the exaggerated facial expressions and body language, which leads to some great gags. It’s a pity this film had a limited theatrical release; the animation deserves a big screen viewing. Whether it’s the slow pedestrian scenes or the flashy action sequences, everything looks incredible.

All of the voice actors do a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and making them feel real. Arden Cho effectively shows doubt and false confidence through Rumi as she attempts to hide a regrettable secret. May Hong is great as Mira, switching between tough and aggressive and light-hearted and friendly. Ji-young Yoo brings an infectious level of energy to Zoey but also shows a more human side that feels natural. What helps these girls is that they’re not generic girlboss badasses, but relatively strong yet flawed people. Ahn Hyo-seop knocks it out of the park as Jinu, showing internal conflict while also putting on a false persona. Lee Byung-hun is excellent as the demon king, and Ken Jeong steals the show as the eccentric manager, Bobby. All in all, the cast does a fantastic job of making these characters feel like real people instead of stereotypes.

The songs are incredibly catchy, and each one serves a purpose beyond just being a good song. Each song is integral to telling the story and shows how each character grows throughout the film. For instance, Huntr/x starts confident in How It’s Done, but later Rumi shows her vulnerability with Free. The film also has some strong themes of friendship, community, acceptance, and coming to terms with one’s flaws. Rumi’s struggle with her demon side can apply to anyone dealing with mental illness, gender identity, or sexuality. If I had any complaints, some story elements don’t feel fleshed out, such as the Celine character. Still, even if you’re not a fan of K-pop, you’ll find something to like about this movie. Overall, KPop Demon Hunters is a fun, exciting, and emotional film with great characters, entertaining action, and a fantastic soundtrack.

Watch KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix: https://bit.ly/3JB0Ran.