From the electrifying stage performances and choreography to the glamorous outfits and accessories, 2025’s KPop Demon Hunters channels the dynamics of real-life K-pop stars. The Netflix surprise hit follows the adventures of a girl group known as Huntr/x as they mesmerise fans on the stage with their music and hunt demons as a side gig. The thrill reaches a climax with the emergence of demons who appear as a hot boy band, Saja Boys, posing a major threat to the girls and their fans.
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, several stars inspired and provided the vocals for the fictional K-pop bands. Audrey Nuna, Ejae Kim, and Rei Ami worked as vocalists for Huntr/x, while the singing voices for the Saja Boys were provided by Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Samuil Lee, Kevin Woo, and Danny Chung. Exploring a stunning combination of rival girl and boy groups dishing out spicy songs caught the attention of global audiences, sparking a debate on which K-Pop idols inspired the characters in the KPop Demon Hunters movie.
What is KPop Demon Hunters About?
KPop Demon Hunters is set around a time when demons preyed upon humans, harvesting their souls to feed their leader, Gwi-Ma. The animated musical fantasy movie centers around Huntrix members Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo). After entertaining audiences through their K-pop girl group Huntr/x by day, the girls turn into demon slayers by night. They use their voices to protect the world from soul-eating demons.
Things get messy when a group of demons form an alluring new boy band, led by the sexy Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop). The two groups take to the stage to battle for the top spot in the KPop world, but the real fight happens behind the curtains. The Saja Boys are out to get more souls for their demon master, while Huntr/x is ready to take them down. Amid the chaos, Rumi must hide her demon nature from her bandmates and fans.
Real-Life Pop Stars Who Inspired KPop Demon Hunters Characters
Directors Kang and Appelhans talked about the inspiration behind the movie’s music groups during an interview with Forbes. The filmmakers blended diverse elements from real-life idols to create the visual and singing DNA for the KPop Demon Hunters characters. Huntr/x members were modeled after a blend of girl groups, including Blackpink, Itzy, and Twice. On the other hand, the demon boy band Saja Boys was inspired by groups like BTS, ATEEZ, Stray Kids, Monsta X, and Bigbang. Three members of the South Korean girl group Twice, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung, sing the film’s hit song, Takedown.
Ejae provided the singing voice of Rumi, the lead vocalist of Huntr/x. The other two members of the girl group got their singing voices from Audrey Nuna (Mira) and Rei Ami (Zoey). For the Saja Boys, Andrew Choi provided Jinu’s singing voice, the leader of the group. Other Saja Boys singers are Samuil Lee (Romance Saja), Kevin Woo (Mystery Saja), Neckwav (Abs “Abby” Saja), and Danny Chung (Baby Saja). Mystery, whose purple hair always obscures his face, is inspired by anime.
Individually, KPop Demon Hunters characters were inspired by South Korean idols, models, and renowned actors. Cha Eun-woo (actor and singer) and Nam Joo-hyuk (model and actor) contributed to Jinu’s DNA. Huntr/x leader Rumi and the group’s main rapper, Zoey, take inspiration from different K–pop idols. Korean model Ahn So Yeon inspired the character of Mira, reflecting her fashion style. Overall, the glitz and glam of live K-pop performances are integrated into animation.
KPop Demon Hunters Has Been a Massive Success
With positive reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, KPop Demon Hunters has received wide acclaim since its release. The movie has been described as a visual treat for lovers of K-pop and anime. Its visual style, enjoyable music, beautiful animation, and voice cast performance have received praise from critics and viewers. Within a couple of weeks after its release on June 20, 2025, KPop Demon Hunters amassed over 33 million views to become the most-streamed movie on Netflix worldwide. The glaring success may inspire a sequel to explore the film’s universe.
KPop Demon Hunters may be an animated musical fantasy film, but its soundtracks are making waves in real-world music charts. The Sony Pictures project amassed viral success upon its realease, hogging the charts with its original soundtrack. Like their onscreen battles, the fictional groups have been slaying the charts with Huntr/x. becoming the third most-streamed K-pop group in the world, only bested by mainstays BTS and Stray Kids.
The Saja Boys’ hit track, Your Idol topped the U.S. Spotify chart, setting a record as the highest charting male K-pop group in the history of the streaming platform. Huntr/x made it to number two on the chart with their song Golden, which will be released as a single by Republic Records. Netflix will also submit the track to be considered for awards. Meanwhile, KPop Demon Hunters‘ soundtrack earned the title of the highest-debuting soundtrack of 2025 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Real-life idol merch, including t-shirts and fake Huntr/x lightsticks, point to the film’s success.
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