It’s no secret that K-Pop is on the rise. Even so, the meteoric success of KPop Demon Hunters, released on Netflix on June 20, feels like a bigger beast altogether. In just over a month, it became the streamer’s most-watched original animated film. Now, barely two months after its release, the film is Netflix’s most-watched original film of all time.
KPop Demon Hunters predominately follows Rumi, Zoey, and Mira, three young women who are members of Huntr/x, a girl group chosen to carry the torch of protecting their world from demons that lurk in the shadows. As long as they top the charts and bring joy to their fans through their music, nothing will come between them and their ultimate purpose. That is, until a demon boy group threatens to steal their fans (and their souls).
It’s a wildly creative premise that became much more real than anyone involved, including directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, might’ve bargained for. Huntr/x is used to defending their honor and destroying demons, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise how they knocked 2021’s Red Notice out of Netflix’s top spot with 236 million views and counting.
What’s more surprising is the chart success that shows Huntr/x and Saja Boys, the charming demon boy group, battling it out in real time on the Billboard Hot 100. When Huntr/x’s “Golden” reached No. 1, it ended the 28-week reign of Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” and became the first girl group song to reach the top since Destiny’s Child released “Bootylicious” in 2001.
In a year when fans searched for the next big hit or breakout star, here are five reasons why KPop Demon Hunters dominated summer 2025 and became pop’s defining moment.
1.They pulled straight from K-pop’s biggest songs and stars
When creating a film centered around K-Pop, one must listen to their fair share of girl and boy groups in order to accurately portray the music’s effects on listeners. It’s incredibly evident that those involved in KPop Demon Hunters did their research and knew their K-Pop history, particularly in the subtle ways certain songs resemble existing melodies. For example, the chorus of “Free,” a stunning duet between Rumi and Jinu, sounds similar to “Butterfly” by BTS, while “Golden,” the empowering anthem by Huntr/x, resembles IVE’s “I AM” with its glass-shattering vocals.
Beyond the music, the characters themselves hold traits found in popular K-Pop idols. Rumi’s iconic dragon braid was worn by Blackpink’s Jennie in the “Kill This Love” music video, but her it girl appeal also ties her to the rapper. Jinu’s look was inspired by South Korean actors like Nam Joo-hyuk, but his voice and charm also fits Astro’s Cha Eunwoo and BTS’ Jungkook. Other comparisons can be made between Zoey and Twice’s Chaeyoung, Mira and Itzy’s Yeji, Abby and Ateez’s San or Monsta X’s Wonho, and Baby Saja and BTS’s Suga. Instead of taking away from the film’s goals, these comparisons allow seasoned K-Pop fans to gravitate towards songs or idols that resemble artists they already love. In contrast, new fans are provided with a solid foundation that points them in the direction of which real-life groups they might enjoy.
2.Introduced Korean culture in a very accessible way
One of the biggest ways in which the film continues to prove itself is in how it presents Korean culture to such a large audience. The music of KPop Demon Hunters is essential to pushing the plot forward, but so is the history woven into its fantastical storyline.
Huntr/x are unmistakably tied to the rich history of female shamans in Korea. A specific ritual called gut sees the shaman, or mudang, driving away evil spirits with music, dance, costume, and incantations, something viewers of the film might connect with the girl group’s performances. Another historical detail lies in the Saja Boys name and their final look. Korean viewers immediately recognized their black hanbok and wide-brimmed gat as the dressings of jeoseung saja, a sort of Korean grim reaper who, instead of battling against good with catchy tunes, guides the dead into the afterlife in Korean mythology.
Although their purpose was altered to fit the film, viewers can’t deny that they make for incredibly alluring villains. A smaller detail that stood out was the food. Huntr/x defeat an entire demon airplane staff while eating their instant ramyeon, but they’re also seen feasting on meals surrounded by small side dishes known as banchan, a staple in Korean cuisine. Each of these details added to the authenticity of the film, proving that Korean culture doesn’t have to reshape itself to fit the gaze of American audiences in order to tell a clear, enjoyable story.
3.We get to see Huntr/x and Saja Boys face off on the charts
K-Pop has spent years fighting to make it into the mainstream world of popular music. With the film dropping in June, it arrived at a time when nearly every K-Pop group was in the midst of releasing their next summer hit. Ateez had just earned their first Hot 100 entry with “Lemon Drop,” and BTS’ J-Hope had debuted his infectious confidence with the single “Killin’ It Girl.” It’s also becoming more common for K-Pop groups like BTS, Blackpink, and Stray Kids to consistently debut on the main Billboard charts, making the potential for the film’s soundtrack to do the same extremely possible. Within its first week, the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 before steadily rising to No. 1. Those keeping tabs on the Hot 100 are watching a real-life battle between Huntr/x and Saja Boys as “Golden” sits pretty at No. 1 with “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” trailing behind at No. 4 and 5.
Those who never saw themselves listening to music outside of their native language are humming along to “Golden” on the radio or streaming it every day. If there’s one thing not to be denied from the film’s success it’s the doors it’s kicked open for the future of K-Pop music.
4.Casuals in the West and K-Pop stans both love Demon Hunters
The hundreds of millions of viewers who pressed play on KPop Demon Hunters come from different backgrounds and geographical locations. Families in the United States put it on for their children or might’ve been curious about its placement in Netflix’s Top 10. Those outside of K-Pop’s grasp were likely intrigued by the film’s animation style or the buzz surfacing online or through word of mouth.
Alternatively, existing K-Pop fans are always looking for new content involving the genre or their favorite groups. Seeing a new film with “K-Pop” in the title is sometimes enough for people to click. It also allowed for endless discussions and social media threads about the characters, their decisions, and the similarities between them and existing K-Pop idols. Speaking of, some of these idols watched the film on their own and expressed their thoughts through chat rooms or livestreams. Wooyoung of Ateez acknowledged fan’s comparisons of “Your Idol” to their dystopian track “Halazia,” and hilariously stated, along with Seventeen’s Woozi, that certain details of the film’s portrayal of the idol profession were inaccurate. Additionally, idols have taken to YouTube, social media, or the KCON stage to share their own covers of tracks like “Golden,” “Free,” “Soda Pop,” and “Your Idol,” proving the widespread appeal of its music–even to those who live and breathe K-Pop.
5.The song of summer came as a full album
After the whirlwind that was the summer of 2024, it feels inevitable that 2025 wouldn’t quite reach the same heights. By last year’s mid-point, we’d already allowed Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Charli xcx’s Brat album, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” to take up most of our music consumption. Entering the summer of 2025 felt like a disappointing, barren wasteland for many pop music fans until the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack dropped alongside the film at the end of June.
Composed of catchy choruses, meaningful verses, and powerful vocal performances from EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and the rest of the talented vocalists, it’s no wonder viewers were so entranced by the music. In today’s music industry, longevity is something that isn’t always achieved. Songs go viral online and blow up for a week or two only to fade back into obscurity. The fact that these songs have lasted for over two
months on the charts, radio, and people’s everyday vernacular should say enough about why the film holds steady as the biggest moment in pop music to come out of the year so far.