I was in Tesco minding my own business last Tuesday, and this kid, no more than ten, almost knocked me into the middle aisle with his trolley. She’s wearing full demon makeup. Purple streaks in her hair. Mum is running after her, and she looks absolutely knackered. “Sorry!” the mum shouts. “She’s been Rumi all week. Won’t take the costume off.”
I had no idea what she was talking about. Rumi? Who’s Rumi?
It turns out I was living under a rock. My niece set me straight when I told her about it. “Auntie, how do you not know about Rumi KPop Demon Hunters?! It’s really the only show in town right now.” She said this in the kind of exasperation only a thirteen-year-old can muster with an adult being particularly dense.
Right, So What’s This All About Then?
I sat down and saw this one with her last weekend. Felt I probably ought to know what every kid in Britain’s obsessed over. And you know what? I get it now. Completely get it.
The film is called K-Pop Demon Hunters. Debuted on Netflix in June, and it’s gone completely barmy. Like, properly massive. It’s reportedly Netflix’s most-watched film of all time. Ever! That is insane when you think about it.
Rumi Kpop Demon Hunters is the main girl and the leader of this K-pop group called Huntr/x. During the daytime, she is a glamorous pop star. By night, she’s out battling the real demons. Except here’s the twist — she is half-demon herself. Her Rumi KPop Demon Hunters full name is Rumi Kang, and she’s spent her whole life hiding what she really is.
I’ll be honest: when my niece first told me about it, I honestly thought it sounded bonkers. But there is something about it that works. Perhaps I’m going soft in my old age, but I actually teared up a bit during one scene. Don’t tell anyone.
The Voice Thing’s Interesting
The Rumi KPop Demon Hunters voice actor is this actress called Arden Cho. She’s 39, which shocked me because Rumi appears a dozen years younger in the movie. But that’s voice acting for you, isn’t it? Naturally, Arden does the spoken bits with beautiful intonation where you can hear all the emotion and all the doubt Rumi is feeling.
Here’s something I did not realise happened in animation: speaking and singing are done by different people. The singing voice is provided by a person with the moniker EJAE. Two different people creating one character. It feels a bit like cheating at first, but on the screen, you’d never know. They blend together perfectly.
My niece put on some of EJAE’s other music. She’s actually quite good. It’s not my usual cup of tea; I tend to listen almost exclusively to Radio 2, but I’ve caught myself humming “Golden” whilst making dinner. That song’s been number one for eight weeks. Eight! Can’t remember the last time a song from an animated film did that.
Everyone’s Dressing Up As Her
Go to any high street at the moment and you’ll spot them. Kids with purple hair and demon patterns painted on their faces are doing these K-pop-style dance moves. It’s brilliant, actually. A bit chaotic, but brilliant.
The Rumi KPop Demon Hunters costume is popular. Spirit Halloween is selling official ones, and apparently, they can’t keep them in stock. My sister tried getting one for my niece three weeks ago. Sold out. Everywhere. Ended up having to make one ourselves.
That was an adventure, let me tell you. We spent Saturday afternoon watching YouTube tutorials on how to do the Rumi KPop Demon Hunters makeup. Made an absolute mess of my bathroom. Purple hair dye somehow ended up on the ceiling. Still not sure how that happened.
The makeup’s quite intricate if you want to do it properly. She’s got these demon patterns that start off pink and demonic, then turn silver by the end when she accepts who she is. Deep stuff for a kids’ film, really. We managed a simplified version using face paint from Poundland. Looked ace, if I say so myself. My niece was chuffed to bits.
They’ve done Rumi KPop Demon Hunters Costume Kids versions in loads of different sizes. Saw a tiny one on a toddler last week in the park. Couldn’t have been more than three years old, stomping around in a purple wig. Her parents looked exhausted but amused.
Why This Character Though?
I asked my niece what makes Rumi so special. Why not one of the other characters? She thought about it for a bit, then said something that actually made me stop and think.
“She’s trying to be perfect for everyone else, but she’s scared they won’t like the real her. That’s basically everyone at school.”
Christ, that hit home. She’s thirteen, dealing with all that teenage angst and pressure. And here’s this animated character going through the same thing, just with added demons and K-pop choreography.
The Rumi KPop Demon Hunters’ age isn’t specifically mentioned in the film, but she seems early twenties, maybe? Old enough to be a successful performer, young enough to still be figuring herself out. That in-between stage where you’re supposed to have it all sorted, but you absolutely don’t.
There are other characters too. Mira KPop Demon Hunters is Rumi’s bandmate and best mate. She’s from a wealthy family with massive expectations. Uses a polearm to fight demons, which looks dead cool in the action sequences. The film touches on her story but doesn’t go deep into it. Apparently, the creator had to cut loads of stuff about the other characters because the film’s only 85 minutes long.
They’re talking about making a sequel, which my niece is already counting down to. She wants more backstory on Mira and Zoey, the third member. I’d actually watch it too, which is saying something because I generally can’t stand animated films. They’re usually too saccharine for my taste.
The Music’s Actually Good
This surprised me most. The soundtrack’s genuinely good. Not just good-for-a-kids-film good. Actually good. Four songs in the Billboard top ten at the same time. That’s never happened before with an animated film soundtrack.
They released a sing-along version in cinemas in August. Made $18 million in one weekend. For a film that had already been on Netflix for months! People are paying actual money to go sing along in a cinema. That’s how you know something’s really captured people’s imagination.
My niece knows all the words to every song. Every. Single. Song. She’ll just burst into them randomly. In the car. At the dinner table. At half past seven in the morning. It’s simultaneously adorable and slightly annoying.
The Creator’s Standing Her Ground
Something I respect about this whole thing is the woman who created it, Maggie Kang; she’s been really firm about not wanting a live-action version. In a BBC interview, she said it wouldn’t work. It needs to be animated to capture the magic.
And you know what? She’s spot on. Can you imagine trying to film someone doing a spinning back-kick whilst singing and then free-falling through the sky? In live-action, that would look ridiculous. In animation, it’s gorgeous. It flows.
Too many things get turned into live-action remakes these days because that’s where the big money is. Nice to see someone protecting their creation, saying no to what’s probably a massive payday because it would compromise the art. That takes guts.
Why It Matters
I’ve been thinking about this a lot since watching the film. Why has it become such a phenomenon? Why are kids absolutely obsessed with it?
Part of it’s timing. The music’s catchy, the animation’s stunning, and the story’s engaging. But I think it’s more than that. This film gives kids, especially Asian kids, a hero who looks like them. Who’s dealing with identity stuff they can relate to? Who’s not a sidekick or comic relief? Who’s the actual main character saving the day?
That eleven-year-old girl, Ella Pereyra, who’s the model for the Spirit Halloween costume? Imagine being her age and seeing yourself on costume packages all over the country. When I was eleven, there weren’t characters like this. The options were princess or witch, basically.
My niece is half-Korean. Watching her watch this film, seeing her completely absorbed in it, and seeing her feel represented means something. She’s got a poster of Rumi on her bedroom wall now. Right next to her BTS posters.
Halloween’s Going to Be Interesting
I’m genuinely curious to see how many Rumis we get trick-or-treating this year. My sister’s already stocked up on extra sweets because she reckons we’ll have loads.
The Rumi K-pop demon hunters trend is real. Walk past any primary school at home time and you’ll hear kids singing the songs, making the dance moves, and discussing the film. It has carved out a niche for itself in popular culture in a way that’s quite rare.
And honestly? Good. It’s a cracking film, with a great message about self-acceptance. If kids are going to be obsessed with something, this is as good a choice as any. Better than half the stuff I was into at that age, anyway.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go practise more makeup techniques. My niece wants to do the silver demon patterns for an upcoming party, and apparently, I’m the designated makeup artist. Wish me luck.
