KPop Demon Hunters came out of nowhere to become a Netflix hit. The colorful, action-packed, animated musical film marries the popularity of KPop with the growing army of animation fans looking for new releases on the platform. And thanks to the compelling lead characters – Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) who make up the KPop girl group “HUNTR/X” – there is already call for more stories in this universe.
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Made by Sony Pictures Animation and released on Netflix at the end of June, KPop Demon Hunters smashed its way into the #1 spot on the Top 10 Movies in the U.S. on Netflix, while the soundtrack skyrocketed to the #1 and #2 spots on Billboard’s Top 100, a feat that not even real life KPop groups have achieved. After seemingly replaying it many times, fans are demanding a sequel and answers to some lingering questions. We’ll take a look at some of those questions and how a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters could answer them. Spoilers for KPop Demon Hunters somewhat inevitably follow.
1) How Powerful Was Rumi’s Father?
In a surprising twist, Rumi, the lead singer of HUNTR/X, turns out to be part demon. Her mother was a demon hunter and girl group member who died when she was young. Rumi doesn’t know much about her family other than her mother’s fate and her father’s origins. She spends her entire life covering up her demon patterns for fear that no one would accept her.
But the shame she feels after years of lying eventually destroys her voice. As her emotions become increasingly hostile, she gains the ability to cause ripples and rifts in the Honmoon protective barrier, letting demons through. She is the only character shown with the ability to disrupt the structure of the Honmoon, suggesting how powerful her demon father might have been. Now that she has come to accept herself, she may want to go on a search for the truth about her parents and the love they may have had for each other. A love between humans and demons that Rumi knows is possible.
2) Are the Demons Forced to Serve Gwi-Ma?
As Rumi gets to know more about the Saja Boys lead demon singer Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), she learns that Gwi-Ma tricked him into becoming a demon. Four hundred years ago, Jinu and his family lived in squalor, and Jinu used his singing talents to busk the streets, but he was not successful in aiding his family. His helplessness and shame made him a perfect target for Gwi-Ma’s lies. While everything started well for Jinu, soon Gwi-Ma consumed him, overtaking his body with patterns and trapping his soul in servitude. This narrative goes against everything Rumi was taught, and she begins to doubt if all the demons are purely evil, or if they’re simply victims of Gwi-Ma’s greed. A sequel could potentially see Rumi make a journey down to the demon realm to find out more about Gwi-Ma’s powers and a way to help some of the demons who no longer want to suffer under Gwi-Ma’s reign.
3) Where Did the Bracelet Rumi Gave Jinu Go?
One thing fans adored the most in KPop Demon Hunters was the relationship between Rumi and Jinu. When Jinu learns that Rumi is part demon, he asks her to meet. They go on a couple of dates as they learn more about each other. On one of these dates, Rumi is given a bracelet, and in a sweet moment, decides to give it to Jinu. Jinu keeps this bracelet until he betrays Rumi and gets ready for the last part of Gwi-Ma’s plan.
The last we see of the bracelet is in the mouth of Jinu’s adorably dopey demon tiger when they come to comfort him before the final show. This tiger is a messenger who keeps letters and all sorts of things in their mouth, so maybe Jinu gave it to the tiger to keep safe, as it seemed to be the most treasured thing he owned. The tiger is seen at the end of the movie on top of a billboard for the new HUNTR/X album “Comeback,” something fans speculate is a hint at a sequel. Maybe we’ll find out if the tiger gave the bracelet back to Rumi, or if they’re guarding it in hopes of Jinu’s return.
4) Is Jinu Still Alive?
Rumi and Jinu (or as their fans call them, Rujinu) were part of an intense and classic enemies-to-lovers story that audiences found charming. Rumi was never able to share her secret demon side before, and Jinu gave her a safe space to be herself. Jinu, in turn, has always been plagued by the voices of shame fueled by Gwi-Ma, but with Rumi, he doesn’t hear them. In what is the most heartbreaking part of the film, Jinu sacrifices himself to save Rumi.
As she is getting overwhelmed by Gwi-Ma’s powers, Jinu shields her from the blast and thanks her for having given him his soul back, which he now gives to her. This moment is tragic, but beautiful as she binds his soul in hers, and together they create an even more powerful soul weapon that cuts through Gwi-Ma, weakening him. While this means the end of Jinu, fans think there may be a way to bring his soul out from inside the weapon and back into a tangible form. While fans have enjoyed their strolls, unreleased concept designs from the original story featured Rumi and Jinu going on a date to an aquarium and sharing a kiss. Now, fans are hoping for Jinu to be brought back to make that happen.
Be sure to stream KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix, and comment below if you have any questions of your own after watching.
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