Every Friday evening, we have a family pizza and movie night and recently my kids insisted on watching KPop Demon Hunters. Yeah, I thought, this will be some throwaway anime nonsense with mediocre pop music, but it’s time spent as a family, and we’ve watched a lot of nonsense (Wonka, anyone?), so let’s do it. And, boy, were we surprised at what we actually encountered!
There has been a lot of hype about this movie in the Christian blogosphere, with some commentators condemning it as—well—demonic and others praising it as one of the best movies of 2025. The truth lies somewhere closer to the middle, with it falling on the positive side in my estimation. Of course, de gustibus non disputandum est.
KPop Demon Hunters is certainly a well-done movie with a delightful story and great characters, both good and evil (and finally an irredeemable evil character!). The music is catchy and enjoyable. But what stands out is the subtext, which is a wonderful exposition on shame and transparency and their effects on humans. The demons shackle the humans by playing on their shame and it is only when the cause of the shame is faced, brought out into the open, and dealt with that freedom is found. Is that not a profound Christian truth? It echoes the John’s statement, “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn 1:8-9 – HCSB). The main characters Rumi and Ji-noo sing about this in the song “Free”,
Why does it feel right every time I let you in?
Why does it feel like I can tell you anything?
All the secrets that keep me in chains and
All the damage that might make me dangerous
You got a dark side, guess you're not the only one
What if we both tried fighting what we're running from?
We can't fix it if we never face it
What if we find a way to escape it?
And the way to escape it is found in the next important song “This is What it Sounds Like”:
Why did we cover up the colors stuck inside our head?
Get up and let the jagged edges meet the light instead
Show me what's underneath, I'll find your harmony
Fearless and undefined, this is what it sounds like
Exposing our shame and embracing forgiveness results in freedom, the ability to sing in harmony with one another. This is the message of the K-Pop Demon Hunters, and it is a good one. The movie can and should be a conversation starter, as we as Christians can use it as a springboard to talk about where the forgiveness and covering for our shame comes from, pointing to the cross of Christ. No, there is no cross in the movie, but there is a self-sacrifice. K-Pop Demon Hunters is a fairy tale, and not all fairy tails need to be as rife with Christian allegory as The Chronicles of Narnia are.
Whatever you think about anime and Korean mythology, the movie is worth a watch. It is a good example of how Christian truth can be wrapped in a medium that is not preachy but makes its point clearly. Make sure you put the subtitles on when the songs come so you can follow along, because even the bad guys’ main song has points in it that resonate with Truth and can be excellent conversation starters. And let me know what you think.