Using KPop Demon Hunters to Spark Everyday Conversations With Your Kids
It’s not often that a pop-infused animated film becomes a springboard for deep spiritual conversations—but KPop Demon Hunters does exactly that. Topping streaming charts and dominating the Billboard Top 10, this unlikely cultural phenomenon introduces demons, virtue, and sacrificial love to a generation more familiar with dance challenges than discernment. As a parent and educational psychologist, I see in this film a surprising opportunity: a chance to talk with our children about the reality of evil, the power of community, and the battle for goodness happening all around us.
Demons lie, trick, distract, divide, whisper falsehoods, and separate us from others. Ultimately, their goal is to separate us from God and His goodness present here on Earth. This is the truth of invisible evil—something even the most devout Catholic mother or father may struggle to bring up in everyday conversation with their children. That is, until KPop Demon Hunters was released. For a secular movie, it gets a lot right about the spiritual world. More importantly, it makes conversations about the demonic realm appropriate dinner conversation—even for the youngest members of the family.
In a world that has flipped the script on good and evil, KPop Demon Hunters offers a refreshing restoration: Goodness is clearly good, and Evil is clearly evil. Courage and hope are presented as virtues to pursue. Some characters are clearly good, others clearly evil, and in between are characters who struggle and ultimately choose goodness and sacrificial love—exemplifying John 15:13:
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
The primary characters in KPop Demon Hunters, are three female KPop stars, Rumi, Zoey, and Mira, who make up the band Huntrix. The goal of the Huntrix is to protect the world from evil by maintaining the Honmoon—a web of protection separating Earth from Hell. This invisible force has been maintained over centuries by the voices of a trio of women in each generation, spreading goodness through music. As in generations past, when not singing the girls are fighting demons who have snuck past the Honmoon.
The portrayal of evil in KPop Demon Hunters isn’t gory or terrifying like a Halloween movie. Instead, it’s catchy, fun, and attractive. Evil is inviting and seductive, yet, the film keeps evil clearly marked as the antagonist at all times. And this evil wants to keep humanity distracted from goodness, keep friendships fractured and communities divided, and focus us on our pain and shame.
DISTRACTION
Humanity is rightly portrayed in the film as easily swayed, pulled from one message to another. Evil tries to consume our attention with trivialities, distracting us from pursuit of the good. It also seeks to trap us in our emotions, disconnected from our intellect.
Keeping you in check, keeping you obsessed
Play me on repeat, endlessly in your head
Anytime it hurts, play another verse
(Idol)
As parents, we should be teaching our children that when they experience pain, the answer is not distraction—not picking up the iPad, gaming controller, or throwing on a pop song. Instead, we should stop, pray, process the emotion, and find a way through it. Distraction should not be a tool we use to soothe our souls from pain.
FRIENDSHIP
Friendship is hard—for everyone—but especially for tweens and teens. Discussing the friendships, the flaws of individual characters, and the importance of healing and reconciliation is a wonderful way to open conversations with your children about the grace needed for friendships to flourish.
Perfection isn’t expected within the Huntrix. Each girl has her own imperfections, highlighted early on when they try to help Rumi with her failing voice. The team is supportive of her struggle, showing compassion and patience with her inability to perform. When Rumi releases their song early, the group shows resilience and flexibility, despite clearly wanting a break.
Later, the girls openly discuss their own faults and how grateful they are for the acceptance they’ve found as a group. However, they also challenge Rumi when they uncover her deception. The group isn’t so much shocked by what they discover about Rumi, but by the deception itself. Honesty is essential for trust in friendship. Zoey says, “How can we be together if we can’t tell your lies from your truths?”
Honesty, charity, and a willingness to forgive are all essential elements of friendship. It is often easier to find fault in others than it is to recognize our own lack of charity of unwillingness to forgive when hurt. Encouraging our children to love when they are tempted to judge, and to be honest with their friends, can be a path towards healthier friendships.
DIVISION
Another truth the film touches on is that demons seek to divide. When the Huntrix face competition, they write the song Takedown—but it’s fueled by hate and fear, not love or hope. It doesn’t work for their band. Instead, it causes division within the group, nearly destroying their bond. They come to understand that only love and teamwork will defeat the enemy.
During their time of separation, each main character experiences spiritual attack, exemplifying another spiritual truth. When we’re isolated, we’re more vulnerable to spiritual attack. Evil thrives in separation. The demons whisper lies tailored to their deepest insecurities:
You are too much—and not enough.
You will never belong.
You don’t deserve a family.
You can’t do it.
You are all alone.
Throughout the story, Rumi lives with shame that isolates her from her friends. As the doctor observes, “You have lots of walls up. So many walls… separated, isolated… emotionally closed off.” As her fear grows and the threat of exposure looms, she begins to lose her voice—her weapon against evil and her very purpose in life.
Our children will choose their own friends, but as parents we have a huge influence over those choices. We should be careful to help them navigate their social life in such a way that they are cultivating healthy relationships within the family, friends, and larger community. Loneliness is a real problem for today’s youth and it will have a lasting impact on their developing minds, bodies, and spiritual lives.
SHAME
Shame is a primary theme throughout the film. Rumi’s voice is healed when she finally shares the secret she’s been hiding. Keeping it in the dark—along with her lies—led to division and loneliness.
The notion of shame is ingrained in the group. In fact, the Huntrix have a misguided mantra
“We are hunters, voices strong.
Your faults and fears must never be seen.”
Demons want us trapped in fear and shame. But these emotions isolate us. When we bring them into the light, we grow in our relationships and begin to heal. As the song Freedom proclaims:
“We can’t fix what we don’t face.”
In the finale, Rumi rejects the idea that faults and fear should be hidden. She steps forward without pride or fear, allowing her faults to be fully seen. Vulnerable and humble, she presents herself honestly to her friends, her fans, and her foes. It’s not a trick—it is transparency. She knows she can’t do anything alone. Her selfless act awakens the hearts of the other Huntrix, and they join her. Together, singing honestly about their imperfections (What It Sounds Like), they unite with their community and defeat the evil that threatened them all.
Our children need to know that we are here for them, ready to accept them, and help them bring those fears into the light. Taking time to listen to what they say–and what they don’t say–asking questions and giving them time to answer is vital. Parents are busy, but it is important that we provide time for our children to share their thoughts and fears.
As Catholics, we can recognize that the film doesn’t get everything right. For instance, demons don’t take physical form, or feed on your soul sucking it from your body. But they do want to separate us from God. There’s no invisible barrier, like the Honmoon, keeping Hell at bay. Demons are already here—since the Fall—tempting humanity, dividing us, distracting us, and trying to harm us because of God’s love for us. And our invisible shield is made up our our own guardian angels and the church militant here on earth working for God’s Glory.
We fight demons differently than the KPop Demon Hunters. We primarily resist evil by learning to discern between the voices of the demonic, good angels, and God Himself, striving each day to align our will to the will of God.
God isn’t mentioned in the film and that makes sense given that it is a PG movie targeted at a young age. Secular stories often wrongly anthropomorphize God—portraying Him as an old man in a white robe on a cloud. What some may see as a failure to cast God as a part of the show, is a beautiful opening for parents to talk about faith. There is an invisible goodness throughout the story. That’s because God is present—He is the source of all goodness.
For a PG family film, it does an excellent job introducing the realities of demons and evil to an audience that may have never considered them. In a culture that often blurs the lines between good and evil, KPop Demon Hunters offers a rare and timely moment of clarity. It doesn’t get everything right theologically, but it opens the door to conversations that truly matter—about truth, virtue, friendship, and the very real spiritual battles we all face. As parents, this is our invitation: to step into those moments, guide our children with wisdom, and remind them that even in a pop song, goodness can still shine through.
🗣️Points for Parents:
What is the true source of the Huntrix’s power?
Who created the Huntrix and gave them their purpose, strength, courage, and hope?
Demons can sound persuasive—but they are never kind or trustworthy. Don’t ever talk to them.
You can resist negative voices or thoughts by bringing them into the light. Ask them what negative thoughts they struggle with.
Evil wants to keep us trapped in sin, but every one struggles. There is no shame in the struggle. When you make mistakes or notice imperfections, freedom is found in the sacrament of reconciliation. Invite your child to join you at confession this week.
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