Kpop Demon Hunters (2025) Film Review: Healing Ourselves & the Generations Before Us
- theghoulsnextdoor
- 2 days ago
- 17 min read
Kpop Demon Hunters is a magical, vibrant, and gut punching animated film with catchy, thought provoking songs, beloved pop stars, and a lot of character growth. The musical has become a cultural phenomena, taking the charts and our hearts by storm.
Ghouls explore the hunters' battle to not only seal the honmoon but the wounds of their trauma and the world’s around them too.
Media from this week's episode:
K Pop Demon Hunters (2025):
A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.
Directors Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
Kpop Demon Hunters: Healing Ourselves & Toxic Idol Culture
by gabe castro
RED: Quotes, someone else's words.
Synopsis
Kpop Demon Hunters is a magical, vibrant, and gut punching animated film with catchy, thought provoking songs, beloved pop stars, and a lot of character growth. Following the famous K Pop band, HUNTR/X who are so much more than a highly talented group of musicians, they’re also badass demon hunters. Using their music and voices, they seek to seal the Honmoon, a magical barrier keeping demons out of our world. Rumi, Mira and Zoey (HUNTR/X) are close to doing what generations of musicians before them have sought to do, seal the Honmoon for good, turning it Golden. Only as the Golden Honmoon becomes clearer and closer than ever, lead vocalist Rumi struggles with the loss of her voice and begins to buckle under the weight of a dark secret, she’s half demon herself.
Rumi is the daughter of a former famous singer who had fought to seal the Honmoon alongside groupmate, Celine who had raised Rumi after her mother’s death. Celine has trained the girls to fight demons and for Rumi to fight her demon nature/history by suppressing the shit out of it. While battling her internal challenges and an ill-timed vocal rest during their new album release, HUNTR/X encounters new competition for the KPop music charts, boy band, the Saja Boys. Not only are they hot, talented, and quickly taking over their fandom, they’re also demons themselves sent by demon lord Gwi-ma to take care of these singing heroines once and for all.
Lead Saja Boy, Jinu discovers Rumi's dark secret and forms an unlikely connection with her. They slowly develop a plan (and feelings for each other) to take down Gwi-ma while actively fighting each other (on the charts and in the streets). Rumi’s best friends and fellow performers become concerned by her growing relationship and shady behavior while Rumi continues to grapple with those things herself.
In the end, the Saja Boys nearly defeat the girls, hosting a large soul-sucking concert that nearly destroys the world as Gwi-ma wanted. But after accepting her flaws, history and hidden strength stemming from those very pains, Rumi is able to fight back against the demonic Saja Boys, give Jinu a chance at redemption, and finally seals the Golden Honmoon alongside her besties.
Let Your Darkness Meet the Light - Healing Our Pain on Our Own
K Pop Demon Hunters has become a cultural phenomena, taking the charts and our hearts by storm. While the spotlight is firmly on Rumi and her struggle to embrace the “darker” half of herself, her bandmates have their own shadowed history. Their music does more than seal the Honmoon, it heals pieces of the artists themselves and the fans who are inspired by their vulnerable lyrics. HUNTR/X finds strength in the love they have for each other, their friendship a safe haven for them to be true to themselves, to repair the damage done by their families, and be fully known.
Zoey, our adorable and talented rapper is Korean-American and largely misunderstood. She straddles two lives, similar to that of someone biracial, not able to firmly exist in one. Seen as too American for Koreans and too Korean for Americans. She struggles with people-pleasing and a strong desire to fit in because of this, needing to essentially code-switch when existing in either world. Her constant switch from adorable to “scary” is also a representation of this. As part of HUNTR/X those parts of her deemed weird or different are embraced when she seamlessly molds American language into her lyrics, using words that are otherwise difficult for Korean-first language learners. She blends her American knowledge into the lyrics as well, we see this in her “Okay, I know I ramble, but when shootin’ my words I go Rambo.” HUNTR/X allows Zoey to be her true self and that resonates strongly with her fans. However, with Rumi clearly holding something back, it makes Zoey feel like she’s not quite good enough or important enough for Rumi, which can lead to overcompensating. She begins rewriting the lyrics to Takedown, desperate to fix what is clearly broken. In the end, her found family accepts her for her perfectionist and odd truth.
Mira is our apathetic, entirely too-cool member who says she was labeled a “problem child.” She’s giving oldest daughter with the way she shoulders her bandmate’s emotions as her responsibility. She is strong and often confronts problems head-on. We see very little about her family, through the portraits in their Golden music video. But we see her mother, father and brother who all seem like wealthy, upright citizens, with her in the center being authentically herself. Mira has embraced the “too wild” parts of herself, challenging social norms like attending the Met Gala, a famously wealth showcase event, in a sleeping bag. Mira essentially exists as a big fuck you to the upperclass world she disconnected herself from. Instead, she finds meaning in her found family and her fans.
Rumi’s trauma is the core focus of the film and we watch as the concealment of her true identity takes a physical toll on her. Just as we explored in our I Saw the TV Glow review, the act of performing an identity untrue to yourself can be incredibly harmful, leaving you scarred, broken, and that much closer to death. For many of us who’ve had to silence or mute pains we experience, whether that’s mental health challenges, visible and invisible disabilities, chronic illness, or even complex racial identities this resonates heavy. When our mental wellbeing suffers, our physical health is affected. Forced to cover up her skin, put the patterns in the past now, and deny the parts of her deemed dark, flawed and dangerous, Rumi ends up literally silenced, losing her voice, her one weapon for not only the Honmoon but her truth.
As Rumi begins to develop feelings and compassion for Jinu, she is slowly allowed to accept the good in the parts of herself she’d labeled bad. As she flinches away at the hurtful lyrics in Takedown, she has to acknowledge why they hurt. “A demon with no feelings doesn’t deserve to live, it’s so obvious,” they sing. Rumi, when ignoring her own demonness, could easily distance herself from this label but as her patterns creep over her skin stronger each day, she’s no longer able to ignore her role in this narrative. If Jinu is a full demon but worthy of redemption, then she will have to confront her own capacity for redemption. I relate to this as someone who can easily forgive and find compassion for others while denying myself the same grace.
Her guardian, Celine, someone who should love her unconditionally had carved harm into Rumi with each reprimand and demand for silence. When the one person you look to for guidance on how to exist in the world demands that you ignore and suppress a core part of yourself, you grow into an approximation of who you were meant to be. She lived as a fragmented self, “Broke into a million pieces, and we can’t go back.” Rumi was forced to become a performer every day, not just on stage. This only further isolated her from those who loved her and the world that admired her. While the HUNTR/X songs in the beginning of the film were both healing the Honmoon and hunters Zoey and Mira from their trauma, Rumi was unhealable. You can’t grow and heal while in a constant state of survival. You first need to “see the beauty in the broken glass.”
This challenge is one quite familiar to myself and to other young people who have had to struggle against their own otherness. For those who are neurodivergent, queer, biracial or another tag of identity strongly misunderstood by the larger world, Rumi’s last heartbreaking conversation with Celine can hit far too close to home. Celine’s plea of, “I did my best to accept you,” is like a knife straight to the heart. What struck me hardest and stays with me longer and louder than any of the (incredibly catchy) songs is how unlike an animated children’s movie this scene’s resolution is. When Rumi asks, “Why couldn’t you love me? All of me,” she is left with an unlikely answer. Celine fears her and doubles down on the need to hide Rumi’s indecent truth, she still believes Rumi needs to be fixed. It’s only natural to expect in a coming-of-age story such as this with punchy lyrics, fun colors, and adorable creatures for Rumi to leave that conversation with her mother-figure feeling loved, supported and finally free from the burden of being a disappointment. Instead, Rumi is denied an apology, she isn’t truly seen or understood, and has to leave on her own, her back straight and feeling a firm belief in herself without her mother’s unconditional love and support.
If you’ve ever struggled with the need for approval, to hear an apology from someone whom you love who has wronged you, then this scene hurts. It was inspiring to watch as Rumi is able to fight back, stronger than ever, after embracing her darkness for herself and without her mother’s acceptance.
Keeping You Obsessed - the Toxicity of Idol Culture
The Saja Boys as our villains also highlight the complex toxicity behind idol culture in Korea. Considering they are demons and villains, I think they best show us how young creatives can be corrupted, manipulated and twisted by the industry. Their name “Saja” can have two meanings, one being a lion and the other is connected to the Korean version of a grim reaper, the jeoseung-saja, which they later dress up during their “Your Idol” performance. The jeoseung-saja grim reaper isn’t a bringer of death but more a guide, a psychopomp of sorts. The Saja Boys are certainly ushering souls to an afterlife, only more aggressive than their mythological counterparts. Idol culture is strong and obsessive, with the line between artists and their fans heavily blurred, giving a new level to para-social relationships. It’s not a far leap to assume that these idols have a firm grasp on the souls of their fans.
But the boys themselves are representations of the toxic aspects of idol culture. Abby, as the hottie of the group and often bursting out of his clothes, represents the oversexualization of idols. My IG feed can confirm the thirst is real and the group, ATEEZ (a tease indeed) is literally full of Abby’s. For the music industry, the motto “sex sells” has always reigned supreme and while most of the idols (both male and female) are young af, they’re sexualized immediately and in specifically-gendered ways.
Romance is the personification of the para-social relationships mentioned earlier. He exists as an illusion of the potential romance between idol and fan. He is accessible to us and one meet-cute-at-a-concert away from being in love with us.
Mystery is the secrecy of the idol’s true identity. Having to put on a persona to offer their fans that allows their true self to be preserved. He literally hides his face while in reality idols put on a different one.
Baby is our infantilization of these idols, which exists in a weird relationship with the oversexualization of them. Some fans drool over ATEEZ (reasonably, have you seen these concerts?) while others bbgirl-ify their idols. I think of the growth of Jung Kook post BTS. His rise to solo-stardom reminiscent of the former Disney star turned sexy-bad trajectory we see with child performers in America. He grew up and while he is very much an adult now, so many fans (myself included) had a hard time reconciling the sweet little boy we saw grow up with BTS, now shirtless, tattooed and grinding on stage. Many fans shared their takes and disappointment of the sexualization of the otherwise “pure” identity they’d built around him.
Finally, there’s Jinu, our big bad and leader of the Saja Boys. His backstory is where we get a lot of the toxicity behind the culture, leaving behind (and essentially sacrificing) his family for fame and power. He has given so much to the industry and now, after getting all he dreamed of, discovers the true price to this fame, isolation, guilt and the crippling weight of perfection.
Whether fighting our internal demons or the toxicity of idol culture, Kpop Demon Hunters teaches us to have more compassion for performers, after all they’re people too (Demons are people too 😛). Everyone has their own battle they’re facing in the dark, so let’s all be kinder to each other, giving grace and creating a space that allows us to more easily, “let the jagged edges meet the light.”
Healing Generational Trauma in Kpop Demon Hunters
by Kae Luck
RED: Quotes, someone else's words.
Why we shouldn’t “Put these Patterns all in the Past Now”, Healing Generational Trauma in Kpop Demon Hunters
Kpop Demon Hunters is a fantastic piece of media that showcases the essential effort, authenticity and vulnerability required to break generational curses. The patterns and impacts of family traumas that have been perpetuated across generations. From the Silent Generation, to the Boomers to the Gen X, to the millennials to the Gen Z, each generation listed and those before them have a history, and sometimes that history, when we don’t talk about it, manifests as cycles of abuse. Why? Because when we don’t talk about Bruno, when we don’t talk about our histories, our horrors, we also don’t heal or find true connections with each other. And this can result in entire generations feeling completely detached from their own identities, bodies and souls to the point that that self hatred and shame transforms them entirely. Where they are more masked than themselves, resulting in their own perpetuation of the curse that harmed them their whole lives. The shame overtook them so thoroughly that, to equate this to Kpop Demon Hunters, they now feed Gwi-ma, in the sacrifice of their joy, freedom, and self acceptance in exchange for societal acceptance. I don’t know about you, listener, but if there are any other millennials listening, our gen, although not universally, often can relate to feeling like they are the curse breakers of their families. And we often take that healing journey very seriously, therapy on therapy, albeit feeling frustrated as heck along the way. Cause Why me? I’m so tired.
What we see unfold in Kpop Demon Hunters, is that the greatest fuel for these persistent generational curses, is shame. This shame results in unhealthy coping mechanisms, self-silencing, and self harm behaviors masked as perfectionism or on the opposite end, self sabotage. As we discussed heavily in our Talk to Me episode, not talking about an event or trauma doesn’t make the impact of that trauma go away. Looking away from it and pretending it didn’t happen doesn’t remove its power. It removes our ability to recognize and have context for the harmful impacts and how that impact will manifest in other ways. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t recognize the problem as it’s sneaking up behind you, as it’s overtaking your body, your voice, your connections. The patterns come out in different ways, whether that’s health issues, attachment issues, rage, obsessive behaviors and more. Just like representation is so important for identity, the context of our lives and histories are essential to us understanding who and why we are. If we don’t have context, we cannot heal, because we won’t have the words or tools to heal. And this lack of context actually fuels shame even further, giving the curse what it wants, its continuation. No amount of hiding will remove the trauma we’ve experienced, and in doing so we’ll greatly damage ourselves, our relationships, and the people we love. Kpop Demon Hunters reminds us through the use of its lyrics and storytelling, that we have to face the truth of our history, or identities, and our traumas to break the cycle of shame attached to it.
There is a lot of focus on shame throughout the film, and shame is what gives Gwi-ma their powers, it’s what disrupts the honmoon, and leads our characters astray from their full potential. Historically, shame is a tool used to silence individuals that do not fit the societal norms established by those in power. Shame is a tool used heavily in American Christianity, Puritanism and Catholicism, as well as other religions, to twist people into participants of white supremacist capitalism. Shame is embedded into our collective history, and is largely why we have the country we have right now. If the honmoon is real, it’s trashed by generations of shame filled people, being buried by the system, by each other, and by themselves. If we equate the shame experienced in Kpop Demon Hunters to the queer experience, the neurodivergent experience, and the mixed experience, we see a lot of parallels.
As an AUDHD AF individual, who is nonbinary, and pan, I can at least speak from my own experience that shame is the first emotion I remember feeling as a kid. It’s the first emotion that activated my consciousness. It is what brought me online. Shame has been a major proponent in holding myself back for most of my life. It still is, I actively struggle with persistent feelings of shame, and fear of judgement. Little me, at the age of like 3 or 4, vividly remembers feeling like I shouldn’t exist. That I am a burden. That something is wrong with me. Elementary school was me realizing that in order for people to leave me and my family alone, I had to be perfect. I had to sit still and get good grades and be good for the adults around me. Middle and high school is where the mask of perfectionism truly activated where I stopped being myself even amongst my peers. And I'll be so real, even with all my efforts, I still didn’t do a good job, I was still bad at being “normal”. All of that to say is I related HEAVILY to Rumi, and had to actively remind myself this was a kids movie because I was so impacted by the lyrics and storytelling.
I don’t think that’s a unique experience at this point, as it’s one of the most popular films in Netflix history. The songs broke the charts, and are the most listened to Kpop album. But why does this resonate so deeply with so many, in Canada, America and beyond? That also ties back to shame. Historically, what else has been fueled by shame? Religion, especially Christianity, Catholicism, Puritanism, and think of all the countries those religions have touched. Shame is felt by really anyone who operates outside of societal approval. In an article titled: In ‘KPop Demon Hunters,' Shame Is No Match for Authenticity by Georgia Coley , they explain “Rumi’s story may resonate with anyone who has had any experience with the religious trauma that comes from being told a core part of their identity, such as queerness, neurodivergence, or physical disability, is a sinful stamp. These are significant pieces of self which often receive condemnation in religious circles, prompting individuals to hide or “cover up.”
And as so much of this film revolves around shame it also feels important to acknowledge the ways this could transfer into so many different meanings.
What I additionally appreciate about this film is the fact that it humanizes all of the characters we see on screen…except for maybe Gwi-ma? But also in giving him no face, it does kinda hint that it’s not a single person but a system? Could be reaching but just my two cents. Thinking of Celine as well, as gabe touches on, she is the definition of “good intentions” but life shattering impacts. I appreciate that we get a bit of her perspective though, because like many adults who perpetuate harm, she genuinely thinks that by burying herself and Rumi’s true selves and histories, that she was helping. It makes me think of many parents who think they are helping their kids by being society's enforcer in attempts to protect them. Trying to toughen them up, or hide them from harm. Assimilate to whatever the norms of society are. This experience is transferable to many different communities of people.
Additionally, as the Writer and Director Maggie Kang speaks about in a few interviews, this film was a way for her to honor her Korean identity. Kang grew up in Canada but moved to America after college to pursue a career in animation. In an article titled: Maggie Kang Brings the Most Korean Story to Life, Ignites a Global Frenzy with K-pop Demon Hunters 기사본문 they quote Kang on her experience growing up in Canada. Kang had been born in Korea and immigrated to Canada at the age of 5. This experience was deeply integrated in the storytelling of the film. Kang states: "I remember once in class, the teacher couldn’t even find Korea on the map. That made me want to share more about my country," Kang revealed. "My own identity struggles between Canada and Korea are reflected in Rumi’s narrative. I wanted to portray the confusion felt by those caught between cultures—and at the same time, show that a Korean story can resonate with the world." It’s safe to say she was extremely successful in that goal. Kang continues: “I’ve always been disappointed when I see Korean culture misrepresented in global content. Often, Asian cultures are blurred together. This time, I really wanted to depict Korea accurately and with detail. We carefully checked and edited every single scene with our Korean staff to make sure it was right."
Next I'll unpack some of the ways she did that with her team in the creation of Kpop Demon Hunters.
Korean Culture in Kpop Demon Hunters
While this is a Korean-American made film, there are lots of elements within the film that pull from Korean Mythology and culture. The film is actually very thoughtful in bringing Korean culture and myth into it. Shout out to an article titled: Come for music, stay for the cosmology: The Korean folk symbols and beliefs of 'KPop Demon Hunters' that provided a lot of context for me in this section of my script. Highlighting the intentional features within the film. The first piece of uniquely Korean elements they mention are the groups outfits in the “How It’s Done” intro of the film. Our main characters are dressed in K-pop fashion, but each member is wearing a traditional Korean Tassel Ornament called a Norigae. They continue that this ornament is worn with hanbok, traditional Korean dress by women during the Joseon Dynasty which was from 1392 to 1910. The ornament’s purpose was as a charm, specifically with the hopes of warding off misfortune. The knotting style also held unique meaning. They highlight that: “Rumi’s norigae, for instance, features various knotting styles, including a byeongari (chick)-shaped knot and gukhwa (chrysanthemum)–shaped knot. The former takes the metaphor of breaking out of an egg like a chick, symbolizing a new beginning and growth.
The latter signifies long life, loyalty and purity, and when it is made into a decorative knot, it is believed to gather good luck and carry the hope that blessings will last long. This knotting style is also seen in Zoey’s norigae.
Meanwhile, Mira’s norigae incorporates a distinct butterfly knot. In Korean culture, butterflies are thought of as joy, harmony and love.“
Additionally, the article highlights that the beloved pairing of the blue tiger Derpy and the magpie with a hat is from a traditional Korean folk art called Jakhodo, which is featured at the Busan Museum of Art. Maggie Kang (the director of the animation in Kpop Demon Hunters) said that she referenced multiple Korean folk art pieces in their creation. The article also highlights that “In Korean culture, magpies are believed to bring good news, and tigers are regarded as guardians that drive away evil and protect the household. Because of these associations, this folk art was popular because it was believed to keep away evil spirits and bring good fortune. “
They continue saying that Tigers were generally associated with the ruling class, and the magpie associated with the common people. Derpy being well…derpy is intentional as a critique of authority and the often oppressive ruling class.
The tree we see Rumi approach when confronting Celine is also very intentional. The large tree decorated with colorful ribbon ties is known as a dangsan tree, which in Korea symbolizes a sacred space. The trees are often a point of worship, and the ribbons also reflect Korea’s history and traditions surrounding Shamaisitc practices.
The clothing worn by the Saja boys is also intentional, specifically during the “Your Idol” performance, where they are dressed as Grim Reapers. The article states that: “During its “Your Idol” performance, the members change into a Korean traditional grim reaper outfit — dark black robes with a black gat, traditional Korean male hat — the classic depiction of the demon figure. In Korean folklore, these grim reapers are servants sent to retrieve the souls of the dead and guide them to the afterlife.
Dokkaebi, a familiar mystical creature in Korean folk stories, bears similarities to the West's goblins and are depicted in the film as evil entities fighting against HUNTR/X. Featuring various appearances, from having a single eye, a horn on the head, or sharp teeth, the film captures the traditional characteristics of dokkaebi found in Korean folklore.”
Even down to the way HUNTR/X fights resembles the traditional Korean Shamanism rituals that they call “gut” in Korean. The article continues that: ”In a gut, shamans sing and dance — often holding a sword, bell or fan — to connect with the divine and fight off evil spirits. This characteristic of the ritual inspired director Kang to blend K-pop with shamanism, saying in an interview that she thought, in a way, the gut could be seen as “the early version of a concert.”
Additionally the weapons used by Rumi, Zoey and Mira are also infused with elements of Korean shamanism and historical tradition. Rumi’s sword, the article says is based on a saingeom, which translates to “sword of four tigers” in Chinese characters. That specific sword is believed to possess the ability to slay “demons” or more specifically ghosts and evil spirits. They state that Mira wields a traditional gokdo, which is a curved sword inspired by a weapon from the Gaya Confederacy (42-562). Zoey holds a comparatively shorter weapon that she wields by throwing them. Her weapon reflects the ritual knife used by shamans during spiritual ceremonies.”