KPop Demon Hunters Review

Maggie Kang built the story from her Korean heritage, and she and co-director Chris Appelhans draw its look from concert lighting, music videos, anime and Korean dramas, so a fight can snap from sleek action to rubber-faced comedy in a beat. Huntrix sing to keep the Honmoon, a barrier against demons, standing, while their leader, Rumi, hides demon markings on her own skin and pins everything on one perfect song.

The songs do the plotting. "Golden" is staged as an opulent music video about wanting to be flawless, "Takedown" gets a songwriting montage, and the Saja Boys' "Your Idol" is catchy by design and hollow on purpose. Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami sing for Huntrix while Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo speak for them, and Ahn Hyo-seop makes Jinu, the demon who fronts the Saja Boys, more sympathetic than the plot strictly needs. The last act rushes its reconciliations, and Gwi-Ma, the demon king voiced by Lee Byung-hun, has menace and little else.

Sony Pictures Animation made it for Netflix under a 2021 deal that left Netflix owning it outright. It opened on June 20, 2025, became the most watched original title in Netflix history, and won Oscars for animated feature and for "Golden", the first K-pop song to win one.