By Rev. Ashley Updegraff
When my eight-year-old daughter watched Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters six times in six days, moving around the house and singing its songs constantly, I rolled my eyes and thought it was just her latest obsession. When my 13-year-old son finally caved and watched it with her, openly crying at the end, I was intrigued. When I watched it, I realized that it was, perhaps, the best depiction of Satan we’ve seen in a long, long time. I was surprised to find that this animated movie, filled with catchy songs, carbohydrates, and true friendship, provides such a fantastic opportunity to explore deeply spiritual themes.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is about the latest fictional K-Pop girl band, Huntrix. Its three members (Rumi, Mira, and Zoey) are the newest iteration of a phenomenon that has been around for generations: an all-girl K-Pop band whose real job is to slay demons. That’s right—there are holes in the Honmoon, the protective barrier between the Demon Realm and the real world. These holes enable demons to sneak in and steal souls for the demon-god Gwi-Ma. Huntrix’s job is to stop them, all while garnering enough love and adoration from their fans so that they can seal the barrier forever.
Huntrix are good at their job—both of them. They are fierce demon-slayers, fueled by sushi and ramen. They are also incredible singers, and have amassed a huge fanbase. They are so close to sealing the Honmoon and keeping the world safe from demons forever.
Because Huntrix have almost achieved their goal of sealing the Honmoon, the demon-god Gwi-Ma has sanctioned an all-demon K-Pop boy band (The Saja Boys) to infiltrate the real world and undo Huntrix’s success. Their goal is to feed Gwi-Ma as many souls as possible, and to prevent Huntrix from sealing the Honmoon.
At least, that’s the superficial plot line. That’s what’s happening on a level my 8-year-old can understand. The Huntrix are fighting demons. But there is a twist in this plot line that makes it much more complex.
Rumi, the main leader of The Huntrix, is part demon. Her father was a demon, and her mother was a demon-slayer in a band very similar to Rumi’s own. She has hidden her identity from everyone around her for her entire life. Rumi has patterns on her body—the tell-tale sign that you’re a demon—but keeps them hidden by wearing long sleeves and turning down visits to the bathhouse with her friends.
So while it appears that Huntrix are slaying demons, they are really fighting a different kind of evil altogether. An evil just as threatening, but that doesn’t have a physical body or show itself in patterned marks. Huntrix are wrestling with the demons they carry with them—perfectionism, loneliness, and shame. So, so, so much shame. They are fighting with the voices inside their own minds—the voices that tell them they aren’t good enough, they aren’t valuable, they aren’t worthy, they aren’t good. And it turns out that everyone has these voices. Everyone is walking around the world with voices that tell them flat-out lies about who they are and what they deserve.
Now, the creators of K-Pop Demon Hunters were certainly not intending to provide moving commentary about the Judeo-Christian idea of Satan, but they did. The movie, which is a beautiful glimpse into modern Korean culture, and the Confucian-Buddhist traditions therein, also enables Christians to think theologically about their own faith. The ubiquity of this kind of evil, that works through deceit and makes humans believe lies about themselves and others, aligns with the understanding of Satan in scripture.
The Hebrew word for “Satan,” is ha satan, which translated, means “the adversary” or “the accuser.” Ha satan becomes personified as Satan in later interpretations, but it isn’t a proper name so much as a title, office or function.
In the story of Balaam in Numbers 22, the Lord sends a messenger to stand in the road, keeping Balaam from traveling to see the Moabite King, Balak. Numbers 22:22 (NIV) says, “But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.” Here, “to oppose” comes from the root satan. Additionally, King David says in Psalm 38:21 (NIV), “Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good.” The translation of “accusations” once again comes from the root satan. Even Jesus uses the word in this sense. When Peter stands opposed to Jesus’s claim that he must suffer and die and rise again, Jesus cries out “get behind me, satan.” Peter has acted as the adversary here—he has acted as ha satan.
Ha satan, or the adversary, stands opposed to God and God’s dream for humanity. Ha satan moves, trying to get people to turn away from God and what God desires. Ha satan accuses, filling the minds of humans with lies.
Ha satan is at work in Rumi, and in all of the characters in K-Pop Demon Hunters. By the end of the film, you can see how everyone walking around has a voice of opposition in their mind. A voice of accusations. A voice of lies. The movie does a powerful job of showing the true work of ha satan in the world.
So what is the antidote? How does evil get defeated? For those living in the world of K-Pop Demon Hunters, the voice of ha satan is defeated through honesty, vulnerability, community, and acceptance. It’s only when Rumi refuses to hide her patterns and confesses to her friends that she finds peace. It’s only when each member of Huntrix sings about their own shortcomings and the lies that fill their minds, that they begin to heal. It’s in exposing our vulnerabilities and finding an empathetic community that embraces who we are—flaws and all—that the Honmoon is finally sealed and the world is safe from demons forever.
It’s a beautiful, powerful message, and the final song of the movie, “This is what it Sounds Like,” is an anthem for freedom, self-love, and beauty in the midst of brokenness.
For those of us who ascribe to a Christian worldview, we can take things a step further, using our faith-based imagination to imagine the role of Jesus in defeating evil. Yes, vulnerability, authenticity, and community are invaluable tools in fighting the voices and forces that accuse and oppose. But it takes Jesus, too. Jesus is the one who overcomes ha satan, once and for all. Jesus is the one whose love and grace overshadow the lies and shame we cling to. Jesus is the one who reminds us, over and over again, of our value and worth.
Jesus may not be mentioned in K-Pop Demon Hunters, but his power is clear. Jesus rewrites our stories, binds us together, and shows us love and forgiveness. Jesus transforms us and calls us to see ourselves and others differently.
This movie is not to be missed. Its spiritual themes are obvious and subtle, both. Kids and grownups of all ages will enjoy its humor, animation, and music. But beware—it may produce sudden dancing, and an immediate craving for ramen.
Rev. Ashley Updegraff is an ordained pastor in the ELCA, and currently serves a congregation in the Minneapolis area. She knows that life is messy, but she also knows that God shows up in the mess. Reminding herself and others of this truth is her full-time job. She also mothers her big blended family, loves adventures with her husband, Aaron, and reads whenever she can. She writes at flailingintodancing.wordpress.com.
Love this take!