The Rise of KPop Demon Hunters

Tiffany Sun

July 18, 2025

Since its release on June 20, this film has blown through global audiences like rapid fire. The clips dominate social media, the music climbs to the Billboard Hot 100, and this animated film itself has become a worldwide roaring success—vastly different from the performance of other recently released animated films, as mentioned in previous articles. KPop Demon Hunters, a film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released on Netflix, has received tremendous popularity with little marketing, and well deserved.

The film follows Huntr/x, a trio K-pop group, as they take the stage by storm with their song and dance, while, in secret, they battle soul-sucking demons and safeguard the human world. As the group—made up of Rumi, Zoey, and Mira—finally approaches success with sealing the demon realm up for good, a demon boy band, the Saja Boys, pop up at this precarious time, and threaten to unravel all the hard work the Huntr/x and the previous generations of Hunters have done. However, it’s not as simple as it seems, and the line between demon and human, good and bad, starts to blur as long-held secrets and simmering shame are inevitably exposed to light.

As an animated film, KPop Demon Hunters not only appeals to the young, but also resonates with adults and an audience of varying ages because of how the story explores self-discovery, friendship, acceptance, and identity. The clever and authentic blend of Korean culture, paired with Sony’s stunning animations (not surprising since the Spider-Verse films were masterpieces as well), and the right balance of humor and depth has enraptured viewers around the globe. And what most of all is the music.

Multiple of the Huntr/x and Saja Boys’ songs have reached the Billboard Hot 100, while they’ve also risen to the top of Spotify’s charts, surpassing some of the most popular K-pop groups today, such as BTS and Blackpink. These songs have dominated the global music scene with their catchy beats and authentic K-pop nature, and how could they not? The film directors partnered with top K-pop music producers such as Teddy Park and Lindgren, as well as with TWICE, to ensure they capture the true essence of K-pop. K-pop fans and non-fans alike have flocked to the music, unable to resist the charm.

For the past couple of years, the K-pop industry has struggled to fully integrate into mainstream music in parts of the world like the US and UK because of cultural barriers; however, KPop Demon Hunters, in the form of animation, has effectively broken through that stalemate and revolutionized the reach of Korean music.

This authenticity not only extends to the music but also to the blend of Korean culture in the film, as seen in the food, architecture, historical clothing, and other features. The utmost cultural sensitivity and care the production team took to portray Korean culture has been key to connecting with the audience. This film introduces cultural aspects that most of the world has yet to see.

With its unique story premise, thoughtful exploration of self-acceptance, authentic portrayal of Korean culture, and catchy music, KPop Demon Hunters is sure to be a classic favorite for years to come. Sony Pictures has once again outdone itself on animation.