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The animated flick KPop Demon Hunters is at the center of a heated fan conversation since its release. It is mostly about how Jinu, the head of the Saja Boys crew, was written. This character is brought to life by Ahn Hyo-seop in his first-ever animated villain role.
Dropped by Sony Animation, the movie follows Huntrix, a girl gang that rules global stages by day and secretly chases monsters after dark. Their rival act, Saja Boys, isn’t just an idol band, but also are undercover demons, following the orders of their boss, Gwi-Ma (voiced by Lee Byung-hun).
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Jinu kicks off as one of the top threats from that group. However, as the story moves, he changes lanes. By the last stretch, he ends up catching feelings for Huntrix’s Rumi and throws himself in harm’s way to protect her.
That flip in his journey didn’t land the same for everyone. A chunk of the audience said they were hoping for a full-blown bad guy arc, not a soft switch.
"Finished Kpop demon hunters, I expected the demon to be a c*nty villian only for him to be a weak a*s misunderstood bad boy 😭 If you want to make boyband demons pls just commit to it what a waste potential for a great design," an X user commented.
With Jinu’s sharp look and his intense intro, fans on Reddit were geared up for a classic evil path. But the sudden love angle and his emotional sacrifice surprised many, clashing with how he was initially shown.
"To me the whole plot of some demons actually not being so bad or turns out to being victims, is a bit over used these days...," a fan remarked.
"I also hate how often characters are shown to only be redeemable by dying to save the "objectively morally correct" character. Jinu should have survived in some way......," a user mentioned.
"Calling him pure evil is a bit of a stretch, considering his main motive was to forget the memories of him betraying his family which have been clearly been haunting him for centuries. I agree that he still wasn’t that well-developed....," a person shared.
As the 29th big-screen project from Sony Animation, KPop Demon Hunters is being hailed by fans for other good reasons as well.
"Guys watch this! it's honestly a good watch, not too heavy not too light. songs are great, love the humor, girl power, embrace your flaws, friendship wins, and a great message overall about demons," a person shared.
"Kpop demon hunters was SOOO GOOD!! I rlly went in with 0 expectations and was so pleasantly and happily surprised! the art style is mesmerising and the score was PERFECT. the whole kpop culture represented was spot on too! i loved every second of it!!! 10000/10," a viewer noted.
"I loved everything about this movie 😭 the plot, the characters, the songs... everything was just so good ✨ it made me even emotional and i was not exepting this, definitely worth the watch for me is 5/5!," another fan added.
Why is Jinu's death the ultimate redemption arc in KPop Demon Hunters?
In the final stretch of KPop Demon Hunters, Jinu bows out during a high-stakes face-off against the shadowy entity Gwi-ma. His last move, trading himself to keep Rumi safe and fuel a wave of unity among her backers, ends up flipping the game. That moment kicked off a larger fan-driven crescendo that follows.
Director Kang told Cartoon Brew that the crew mapped out multiple wrap-up paths during early edits. After trying out various conclusions, the team settled on the one where Jinu doesn’t stay alive by the curtain call.
"He really needed to listen and learn from Rumi’s message, be inspired by it and sacrifice himself for the better good. He gives his soul to the big battle, and ultimately saves her, but he’s also the catalyst for all the other fans to sing with Rumi. He was the first domino to fall. And he’s the bad guy. He has regrets, but he redeems himself by owning up to it," director Maggie Kang said.
So, according to the filmmaker, Jinu's exit also works like a plot lever. While he’s gone from the frame, his choice becomes the first move others follow.
Catch KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix, with language options beyond just English and Korean!
