The following contains spoilers for KPop Demon Hunters, now streaming on NetflixKPop Demon Hunters sets up a wealth of possible future stories thanks to a major revelation about the film’s protagonist, Rumi. The animated film centers around Huntrix, a K-Pop phenomenon who are also secretly a trio of demon hunters working to prevent the spread of the demon king Gwi-Ma among humanity. KPop Demon Hunters has a great cast with some big musical stars rounding out the roster and providing the movie with a perfectly K-Pop music-attuned soundtrack.
The slick action and charming characters are also only the surface-level appeal of KPop Demon Hunters, which also steadily proves to have a compelling fantasy lore, plenty of intriguing mysteries, and a deceptively sympathetic central antagonist. All of this is wrapped around an emotional arc for Rumi in one of the summer’s most anticipated animated films, where she struggles with her true self and eventually learns to accept all of herself. Here’s how the ending of KPop Demon Hunters sets the stage for Rumi’s arc and lays seeds for a potential sequel.
Rumi’s Demon Twist In KPop Demon Hunters Explained
Rumi’s Father Is A Demon And It Totally Changes Her Role In The World
The big twist in KPop Demon Hunters is the reveal that Rumi is actually part-demon, which almost splits apart her partnership with Mira and Zoey. Established early in the film as the daughter of a former demon hunter who perished while she was just a baby, Rumi’s unnamed father turns out to be a demon. Rumi has done everything she can to hide this thanks to the ᴀssistance of her adopted mother Celine, with the pair ultimately hoping that completing the Hanmoon will force back the demonic influence on Earth and rid Rumi of that part of herself.
A major aspect of KPop Demon Hunters‘ emotional core is Rumi’s self-loathing for the demonic side of her, which generates empathy in the formerly human Jinu. Rumi’s emotional arc is rooted in accepting both sides of herself, which seems to quell the corrupting influence of her demonic side just in time for the climax of the film. Although the film leaves out a lot of details about Rumi’s mystical half (including the full story of what happened to her parents), her demonic side gradually becomes one of the driving elements of KPop Demon Hunters.
Gwi-Ma, The Hanmoon, & KPop Demon Hunter’s Mythology Explained
The Demon King Gwi-Ma Has Been Trying To Destroy Humanity For Centuries
The world of KPop Demon Hunter is steeped in Korean mythology, pulling from real-world lore about the unseen side of the world. While Jinu serves as a sympathetic antagonist for the film, the overarching threat of the movie is Gwi-Ma. Gwi-Ma is an ancient and powerful Demon King, whom all the various villainous spirits encountered in the film serve under. Beyond the hordes he unleashes from the underworld, Gwi-Ma also proves to be a master manipulator who convinces people to make bargains that steadily corrupt them into demons as well.
At the heart of KPop Demon Hunters’ lore is the тιтular hunters, who throughout history ᴀssemble to protect humanity. Gifted with beautiful voices that can inspire the souls of others, the Hunters are able to harness the power they instill in people to craft mystical weapons, perform amazing feats, and even create a barrier that can stem the flow of demons onto Earth. This barrier is known as the Hanmoon, which serves as the source of power and main motivation for Huntrix. If the barrier can be strengthened enough, it’ll become the Golden Hanmoon and can stop demons forever.
Similar to the lore of other franchises like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, these powers seem to be born again and again in each new generation. Over time, three Hunters have become a foundational number, with three-woman demon hunter bands shown protecting villages in the 17th century, singing into the radio during the 1920s, and performing sold-out pop concerts in the present day. This establishes the concept of a musical trio as a fixture of this world that a compelling mythology all centers around.
Why Jinu Works For Gwi-Ma, & Why He Saves Rumi
Jinu Is The Demonic Antagonist But Is Too Human To Become A True Villain
Over the course of KPop Demon Hunters, Jinu steadily has more of his backstory revealed. Rather than the ruthless and clever villain he initially presents himself to the audience as, the discovery that Rumi is half-demon stirs something in him. Like her, he must contend with having a human half and a demonic side. Originally a musician centuries before the events of the film, a desperate Jinu made a bargain with Gwi-Ma for a better life. However, this came at the cost of condemning his family to a dire fate and eventually morphing into a demon himself.
Jinu’s decision stems from the connection he made with Rumi, giving up his chance to be free of human pain because of the personal connection they developed over the film.
It’s through Jinu that Rumi (and the audience) learn that Gwi-Ma can speak to people in their minds, influencing them into his service. Jinu wants Gwi-Ma to erase his memories, destroying what remains of his humanity to spare him the guilt of his previous actions. However, Rumi draws the humanity out of Jinu, with the pair developing a quasi-romantic connection that never gets a chance to go anywhere. Despite initially betraying Rumi, Jinu sacrifices himself during the final battle to save her life.
Taking a blast from Gwi-Ma meant for her, Jinu is seemingly destroyed. However, his human spirit remains long enough for Rumi to utilize in the battle, which eventually results in Gwi-Ma being forced back off the Earth as a new Harmoon is built. Jinu’s decision stems from the connection he made with Rumi, giving up his chance to be free of human pain because of the personal connection they developed over the film.
How KPop Demon Hunters Sets Up A Sequel
Mysteries About Rumi’s Parentage And The Two Surviving Saja Boys Could Propel A Sequel To KPop Demon Hunters
KPop Demon Hunters ends on a fairly conclusive note for the main trio, with the group triumphant over Gwi-Ma and his demon hordes. With a new Hanmoon in place, the world seems to be safe for a time at least. However, the Hanmoon is shown to be blue, suggesting it isn’t the flawless defense that the Hunters like Celine had been hoping for. This could easily allow Gwi-Ma or other parts of his demon horde to return in future stories. Even beyond that open possibility, there are a few other places a prospective sequel to KPop Demon Hunters could go.
There are a few other lingering threads remaining after the conclusion of the climax, chief among them two of the Saja Boys. While Mystery and Abs of the Saja group are killed by Zoey and Mira in the final battle respectively, Romance and Baby aren’t actually killed on screen. Since Rumi and Jinu believed he could have escaped Gwi-Ma by being on Earth when the Hanmoon was strengthened, it’s possible that the last two members of the Saja Boys escaped the battle and could potentially return in a follow-up. Other eras of Hunters could also carry their own stories.
Joel Kim Booster plays Romance Saja, who is one of the two surviving Saja Boys at the end of KPop Demon Hunters. This could allow Booster to return for a more prominent role in a prospective sequel.
There’s also one of the biggest mysteries of the film, which is the backstory surrounding Rumi’s birth. It’s established in the opening montage introducing the Huntrix that Rumi’s mother was a Hunter before her and that she died when Rumi was just an infant. However, there’s no full explanation for who Rumi’s father is, how her mother fell in love with the demon, and what happened to them. It’s even possible that Rumi’s father is still alive, which could easily serve as the core storyline for a sequel.
The Real Meaning Of KPop Demon Hunters
KPop Demon Hunters Is About Overcoming Self-Loathing
There are two core morals to KPop Demon Hunters, both of which are rooted in Rumi’s arc. When audiences meet the Huntrix’s lead singer, she’s deeply committed to their work but incapable of escaping her self-loathing over her demonic side. Through Jinu, she comes to learn that demons don’t have to be evil. This leads her to confront Celine over the instilled belief that she has to hate a side of herself, a versatile metaphor about self-acceptance that sees Rumi deny that binary way of thinking while still building a new Honmoon to fight Gwa-Ma with.
The other aspect of this theme is the way it underscores the importance of friendship and trust. The little hints about Mira and Zoey’s backstories indicate their own anxieties and fears, which they also attempt to stamp down thanks to Celine’s teachings. Rumi’s secrets being exposed almost split them apart as a result, leaving Zoey and Mira susceptible to Gwi-Ma’s influence. It’s only through coming together and reinvigorating their bond that they can stand ᴀssured in themselves and in each other. It’s a sweet moral core that KPop Demon Hunters makes clear without becoming overwhelming.
