KPop Demon Hunters features the villainously endearing demon K-pop boy band called the Saja Boys, but only one of them gets any real character development. KPop Demon Hunters’ story is actually about the girl group Huntr/x, who are demon hunters as well as singers, and how the Saja Boys arise to combat them on behalf of Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), the demon king.

Because the Honmoon, the magical ward protecting the world from demons, is powered by Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey’s (Ji-young Yoo) voices and their fans’ appreciation for their music, a group of ambitious demons propose to Gwi-Ma that becoming a rival musical group is their best move. The group is led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), a more nuanced and sympathetic character.

While Jinu’s tragic backstory is explored, and he offers some emotional support to Rumi, who is struggling to accept her own demon heritage, the other Saja Boys are fairly one-dimensional characters. Via Reddit, KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang explained that there simply wasn’t enough screen time for all the Saja Boys to have proper arcs. Check out her comments below:

They were always more side characters and we didn’t have time to flush out character arcs for them– a storyline that would tie into the shame/acceptance theme. We wanted them to be more far gone a demons vs Jinu so that Jinu pops as a guy who is different among the, I guess, monsters because he has a tinge of his soul left.

What The Saja Boys’ Minimal Characterizations Mean For KPop Demon Hunters

It Is Best For The Movie’s Pacing, But Kang Implies Interesting Worldbuilding

In order to keep KPop Demon Hunters at a reasonable runtime, Jinu was the only member of Saja Boys who could have an arc, and he serves the narrative purpose of supporting Rumi’s arc as well. The rest of the time, it is still hilarious to see Mira and Zoey’s cartoon reactions as they swoon over the other Saja Boys — up until they fight them in the final act.

Throughout the movie, Rumi is questioning how much of the hunters’ beliefs she was raised with are true, including whether she should sympathize with the demons. Due to what she, and we as the audience, have learned about Jinu, we naturally turn to the other major demon characters looking for similar story beats.

However, Kang specifies that some demons are “more far gone,” and perhaps Huntr/x has no choice but to do what they must to protect humanity in this case. KPop Demon Hunters strikes a balance between charismatic but irredeemable villains and the morally gray figure of Jinu, so that the story can explore both scenarios.

Our Take On The Other Saja Boys As Characters

Straightforward Villains Are Great In Their Own Way

The Saja Boys are a lot of fun as uncomplicated villains, there to show off a certain facet of K-pop before they reveal their true selves for the final battle. The distinction between their charming stage personas and their (still sort of charming) demon selves is one of the many ways KPop Demon Hunters is such a unique movie, relying heavily on K-pop culture.

However, it does feel like a KPop Demon Hunters sequel is naturally set up to explore more of the demons’ psyches, especially when Jinu may be gone after KPop Demon Hunters’ ending. No matter the future of KPop Demon Hunters, it sounds like some of the demons are simply villains — but we enjoy their presence nonetheless.

Source: Reddit