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I recently travelled to Bath to see family, and as we hunkered down in the flat to escape the September rains, it was suggested that we watch KPop Demon Hunters (2025). As someone only peripherally aware of K-pop as a musical genre, I was intrigued by what seemed to me one of the most dissonant titles in modern cinema.

What followed was an eye-opener: one of the best written, most entertaining and visually stunning animated productions of recent years! My eyes were glued to the screen the entire time. And even an interruption to enjoy a southern beer garden couldn’t stop me from returning to my seat, eager to see how the story ended.

Am I a convert to K-pop? Alas, despite the efforts of certain close friends, not yet. Will I be awaiting with bated breath more Sony productions of this quality? The same quality we’ve come to expect thanks to such wonders as Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse? Absolutely.

WARNING: Spoilers for KPop Demon Hunters Ahead!

Characters discussed in order of first mention:

1. Byung Hun Lee plays Gwi-Ma
2. May Hong plays Mira
3. Ji-young Yoo plays Zoey
4. Arden Cho plays Rumi
5. Ahn Hyo-seop plays Jinu

KPop Demon Hunters: The BEST Premise EVER!

With such a bizarre title, it makes sense that the premise of the movie should be equally odd. A K-pop girl group trio ‘Huntrix’ use their musical powers to maintain the ‘Honmoon’. It is a protective shield which stops demons from stealing human souls for their king, Gwi-Ma. Mira is the edgy adolescent outcast, Zoey is the happy-go-lucky people pleaser, and Rumi holds it all together whilst hiding a dark secret. They are the titular ‘demon hunters’, and they can conjure weapons to do away with their enemies with ease.

Their rivals, Saja-boys, are a group of demons who seek to use the modern music industry for their own ends and out-compete Huntrix. Jinu leads this group and faces his own haunting past as he tries to break free of Gwi-Ma.

In linking Korean mythology with the modern K-pop scene, the movie uses an entirely original story to bring back the magic of creative storytelling missing from so many animated projects of late.

Now THAT’S how you write an Ending

As all plotlines converge on a final showdown between both bands as Rumi’s secret threatens to burst forth and ruin everything, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The demon hunters must stand together at precisely the moment they have never been so divided.

Yet, Rumi’s dual nature as hunter and demon provides the heroes with their solution: establishing a new Honmoon built not on hiding who you are and drawing lines between who is and isn’t worth saving, but on embracing all of who you are and living without shame.

All this emotional weight and satisfying action is delivered in a sublime animated format, which pushes the boundaries of what animation can achieve and raises the bar for future animated projects.

KPop Demon Hunters: Conclusions

I was surprised by how powerful this movie was. The setting and characters quickly immersed me. The film invited me into a fully realised, coherent world not so far removed from my own. The fantastical elements notwithstanding.

This is the kind of magic animated projects seem uniquely placed to bring to the table. Comparatively, original projects frequently do so from various streaming services. And yet none seem to have mastered the craft quite so well or as consistently as Sony in recent years.

It remains to be seen when next we will get a pop culture animated sensation like this one. One which captures the imagination of every viewer and so seamlessly utilises a catchy soundtrack, compelling characters and powerful plot to tell a truly riveting original story.

Lastly, KPop Demon Hunters is available to watch on Netflix.

Feature image credit: Netflix.