So, KPop Demon Hunters is voiced by a star-studded, all-Korean cast with a visual style and music that pays homage to popular Korean music, anime, and culture. It’s dope because it’s like one long, action-packed music video.
In the animated film, three present-day demon hunters are tasked with saving the world from an evil demon king — Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo).
The best part is that they’re not just demon hunters but also the super famous K-pop girl group Huntr/x.
The singing voices of the animated characters are…
…K-pop singer-songwriter and record producer Ejae for Rumi…
…Korean American R&B singer and rapper Audrey Nuna for Mira…
…and actor, singer-songwriter, and rapper Rei Ami for Zoey.
The movie features several songs that have become instant hits with fans, but the song “Golden,” which plays during an important part in the movie, has crossed over into the world as a chart-topping hit, making the virtual girl group Huntr/x one of the first girl groups to hit #1 since Destiny’s Child.
View this video on YouTube
Sony Pictures Animation / youtube.com
It is the second track from an animated film to occupy the top of the Hot 100 this decade since “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto.
Other tracks from animated characters have charted before, including Alvin and the Chipmunks’ “The Chipmunk Song” or the Archies’ “Sugar, Sugar,” and “Nobody Like U” from Pixar’s Turning Red boy band 4*TOWN.
The difference between these past groups is that they didn’t have to defend themselves against “artificial intelligence” accusations. A viral tweet with over 12 million views said, “Y’all realize this is one step towards AI completely taking over the music industry as well right?”
The tweet triggered a debate over whether or not the performance of “Golden” was AI-generated, prompting a response from one of the real-life artists behind the song.
On Aug. 12, Rei Ami shared an X post, writing, “EJAE, AUDREY NUNA AND I ARE NOT AI — ARE U BITCHES DUMB?!”
Like her character Zoey with the Shin-kal knives, she responded one more time against the accusations, sarcastically writing, “Yall I just found out I’ve been AI for 30 years omg help I’m just a code oopsie oh noooooooooo me so sad.”
Thanks to fans, KPop Demon Hunters has become Netflix’s second most-streamed movie ever and gave both Huntr/x and the fictional boyband Saja Boys chart-topping songs.
And these same loyal KPop Demon Hunters fans are hilariously ten-toes behind Rei Ami’s playful clapback, and they’re not pulling any punches.
No seriously. Why is Rei Ami so hilarious?
You can stream KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix.
Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!