Ever since its initial release in June 2025, Kpop Demon Hunters has demolished record after record, dominating both the film scene and the music charts, winning over the hearts of kids, teenagers, and adults alike. It’s a title that has crossed every social media feed alongside hit song after hit song. There’s no doubt that, as the award season approaches, the Netflix original will gather even more accolades to its already powerful name. Those who have never seen it may wonder whether the film is really worthy of so much credit– but there’s no doubt that it deserves every ounce of attention it’s garnered.
Part of the popularity comes from Kpop Demon Hunters’ mastery at appealing to a huge, diverse audience. Flashy animations and sing-along remixes draw the attention of children the same way Frozen did way back in 2013. Teenagers can appreciate the humor and the relatability of the characters– more on that later. Even adult audiences are entertained by the gorgeous animation style and clever commentary on the toxic culture within the Kpop industry. Few films in history successfully coalesce humor, style, emotional depth the way that Kpop Demon Hunters achieves.
The music alone is nothing to scoff at, judging purely by the charts– where the soundtrack became the first to ever have four songs simultaneously placed in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10. Both of the bands featured in the movie– HUNTR/X and Saja Boys– are the highest-charting Kpop bands in U.S. history for female and male kpop groups respectively. The song Golden, in particular, has been played ceaselessly on radio stations and is recognizable from its very first chords.
By no means is the film carried by its soundtrack, however. Upon rewatching, a significant element of the movie’s depth became more clear– the emotional layers. The villain of the story, Gwi-Ma, preys on the insecurities of his victims to draw them in and feed on their souls, making the theme vital to the story. Teenagers especially tend to be drawn to the characters that speak to them.
Any of the three HUNTR/X members could be used as an example. Rumi may be the easiest to explain, however, as she has a very physical insecurity, bearing the patterns of the demons while living life as a hunter. She was raised to conceal the fact that she’s half human and half demon. The woman who raised Rumi, Celine, is shown to demonstrate a type of false support that strikes close to home for some audience members. During the climax of the story, Celine’s comforting words to a distraught Rumi are, “When we lost your mother, I swore to protect all that was left of her, but I never thought that that would be a child like you… I did my best to accept you and help you.”
On the surface level, her words are tender and wholesome, yet they give the viewer a slightly sickening feeling. The phrasing “child like you” and “did my best” are key. Celine never saw Rumi as a child that she could love – only a result of something unnatural, a cross between a human and a demon – and thus she raised Rumi to believe that she had to hide a core characteristic about herself to ever be appreciated. How familiar is that? A plethora of real-world occurrences can be compared to Rumi’s struggle.
Say that someone doesn’t catch this metaphor or simply doesn’t relate to it– that’s where the other two HUNTR/X members fill in. Gwi-Ma’s enticing words to the talkative and energetic Zoey are “you are too much, and not enough.” Throughout the entire film, Mira demonstrates insecurity resulting from being the rebellious black sheep of her family, fearing that her bonds with her friends are too good to be true. What other children’s film can make the viewer feel so “called out”? This emotional connection to the audience is undeniably a huge factor contributing to the movie’s worldwide popularity, and why it skyrocketed to Netflix’s most watched movie on record.
K-pop Demon Hunters is a cultural sensation that is absolutely worthy of the attention it’s gathered. Its flawless combination of breathtaking animation, thrilling soundtrack, and heartwrenching characterization make it a film that will be a major landmark in the future of cinema and Kpop alike.
https://comicbook.com/movies/list/every-record-broken-by-kpop-demon-hunters/
WRITTEN BY: Daryan Cem, Empowerteen Editorials Journalism Intern
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