KPop Demon Hunters is a cultural phenomenon. It’s an incredibly popular animated film on Netflix, and at the time of this writing, its song Golden tops the music charts worldwide. Although the movie and music weren’t created with the Gospel in mind, there are a lot of parallels between their themes. If you’re strategic, you can use these parallels to help teens identify spiritual messages in media and, in turn, use pop culture to engage their friends in Gospel conversations.
Here we outline three spiritual truths evident in the movie, along with questions you can ask your students to draw out these Gospel themes.
Satan doesn’t overpower—he seduces.
KPop Demon Hunters features a form of spiritual warfare. The martial arts and musical battle of Huntr/x (pronounced Huntrix) against the demonic forces of the movie’s villain, Gwi-Ma, reflect the spiritual battle constantly waged around us.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
Themes such as temptation and redemption are central to the movie’s plot. Gwi-Ma works with his demonic henchmen to seduce the city of Seoul with an appealing boy band named the Saja Boys. If the Saja Boys get enough fans to support their music, Gwi-Ma can freely feed on the souls of their fans.
Often Christians — especially young ones — believe that real demonic forces appear monstrous, like the demons at the beginning of the movie. But Scripture tells us that Satan is more like the Saja Boys, masquerading as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). He doesn’t overpower us with strength; he deceives and seduces us.
When discussing these themes with your students, ask questions such as:
- Why does Satan tempt us rather than overpower us?
- Why does sin seem so appealing?
Confession brings freedom.
The main character, Rumi, is half-demon and hides it from her fellow hunters, Mira and Zoey, because she’s afraid. She avoids social situations and vulnerability with them because of her shame. When the Saja Boys discover the truth Rumi has been hiding, they reveal her dishonesty to her friends. This broken trust widens the relational chasm between them, and the band falls apart.
Satan uses guilt and shame as tactics to prevent us from confessing. But when we confess our doubts, fears, and temptations to God and to others, these things are stripped of their power.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Inviting Christ-centered community into the darkest places of our hearts creates opportunities for healing and forgiveness. It hurts less to willingly confess than it does to be exposed unwillingly.
When discussing this with your students, ask questions such as:
- Why does Satan want us to struggle in private?
- Are you afraid to confess your fears, doubts, and sins?
- Is there anyone in your life you can trust and confess to?
Self-denial brings redemption.
Rumi eventually reconciles with her fellow hunters after reaching a point of self-acceptance and apologizing to Mira and Zoey. After receiving their forgiveness, what leads to Gwi-Ma’s defeat is Rumi accepting her demonic heritage as part of who she was “born to be.”
While stories of self-acceptance feel good, Scripture calls us to do something different: to deny ourselves.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ Matthew 16:24
The Gospel tells us that salvation comes not when we embrace our demons but when we deny ourselves, confess our sins, and receive the free gift of grace from Jesus Christ. Then, we can say the same thing as Paul:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
When discussing these ideas with your students, ask questions such as:
- Why doesn’t accepting the “dark parts” of ourselves bring true freedom?
- Why does Jesus ask His followers to deny themselves?
- What does it mean to “take up your cross and follow Jesus”?
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As you talk with your students about spiritual messages in KPop Demon Hunter and other media they consume, encourage them to do the same with their friends. In time, they’ll learn to use nearly anything as a springboard for a Gospel conversation.
