KPop Demon Hunters Should Get Its Own Series — Here’s How and Why

When KPop Demon Hunters dropped on Netflix a few weeks ago, it was released to an enormous amount of fanfare, both online and in real life. From Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, this fun family movie garnered so much attention that its soundtrack is breaking real records.

In fact, since its release, fans of the film have been calling on Sony Animation and Netflix to greenlight a sequel to the animated film. Whether it would be a series or an actual second movie, the uproar for another installment still continues to this day.

While a second film would be fun, a series has the potential to do much more. Sure, there are some elements from KPop Demon Hunters that warrant a sequel given its open-ended conclusion.

However, there are also other elements from this movie that would be better put into an episodic format.

KPop Demon Hunters follows Huntrix, a group of pop stars — Rumi, Mira, and Zoey — who are also trained in the art of protecting the Earth from demonic dangers. When the tyrannical Gwi-Ma sends up a boy band of demons known as the Saja Boys, Huntrix gets tested to a new extreme due to Rumi hiding her own curse.

However, there have been several K-pop groups in the film before Huntrix, one of which involved Rumi’s human mother before she was sent to Celine.

While this is briefly explained in the opening, it actually leaves potential to be explored. In fact, it could make an intriguing episode to witness the origins of these groups in an anthological way across multiple timeframes.

From the first protectors leading up to the formation of Huntrix, it would be fun to see how the lessons of their predecessors were passed down. A better concept for the series overall, though, would be to see Huntrix on their world tour before and after the events of the film.

Also briefly shown in KPop Demon Hunters‘ opening was the origin story for Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. While viewers were treated to a brief introduction to each member of Huntrix, they only gave us a glimpse into their lives before they came together as one.

Given this, it would also be interesting to see a series addressing both the backgrounds of each Huntrix member before the events of the film and the tour stops that Huntrix has been on since the movie.

The series could be spliced together, with one episode focusing on something that Huntrix faces after the movie and the next looking back on how each Huntrix member became who they are.

Specifically, two of these spliced episodes could see Mira’s conflicted familial upbringing and Zoey’s move from America to South Korea. Such episodes could present the challenges of familial expectations, which are common in Asian communities, and adapting to a new culture.

As for Rumi, her upbringing with Celine was somewhat touched upon in the film, which explained that she was under her care for quite some time. However, when Celine revealed her true colors in wanting to keep Rumi’s curse hidden, it presented a unique problem that could be explored.

Watching Celine trying to keep a young Rumi protected from the rest of the world can highlight the struggles of out-casting oneself and the expectations placed by an authoritative figure.

These concepts could be useful in teaching important lessons while maintaining the action and musical charms from the original movie. Perhaps by having an overarching narrative where Huntrix is still dealing with problems from the Honmoon can a series work.

Speaking of Honmoon problems, one of the biggest parts of KPop Demon Hunters that fans latched onto was the involvement of the Saja Boys. Specifically, the blossoming relationship between Rumi and Jinu felt short-lived given the literal sacrifices made during that sparkling climax.

Upon the film’s release, it was revealed, through concept art, that there would have been more sweet moments between Rumi and Jinu that highlighted their deeper love. One of these moments saw the two bringing their date to an aquarium and even share their first kiss together.

While it may be unlikely that Jinu somehow gets resurrected, there’s a strong desire to bring back “RuJinu” by any means necessary. Due to the fact that the Honmoon wasn’t necessarily completed, it’s likely that the series could conjure the Saja Boys for one more go.

Should Jinu return in such a series, it’s a no-brainer to unite Rumi and Jinu again since their dynamic was perhaps the film’s biggest highlight.

If he does manage to join Huntrix in a supporting (or, to Rumi, supportive!) role, the moments fans could get between the two would be adorable to watch. Plus, it would also generally be hilarious for him to butt heads with Bobby, Huntrix’s enigmatic manager, for some comic relief.

In any case, whether it be a series or a sequel film, KPop Demon Hunters has left an undeniable impact on the animation industry. Its soundtrack has become one of Netflix’s, and K-pop’s as a whole, most popular hits, and its characters and world have resonated with many.

Kang, Appelhans, and the amazing cast, which includes Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo, put so much effort into making such an incredible film. The result is not just exciting and fun, but sincere to a somewhat personal degree for its entire team.

With all of the hype from its fans and care from the creative team, it should come as no surprise that KPop Demon Hunters deserves something more in the future. However, we may all hope that Sony Animation and Netflix can hear our voices because this is what it sounds like.

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KPop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

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