Tiger and Magpies (hojakdo), an unknown Korean painter, Joseon dynasty, 19th century. Honolulu Museum of Art 9502.1. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This folk-painting pair is where the film’s Derpy and Sussie come from. No free image of the film itself exists.
KPop Demon Hunters
What it took directly
- documentedKPop Demon Hunters took from Maggie Kang's 2018 pitch at Sony Pictures Animation, which began "dark, adult and very violent""Kang’s trajectory at Sony saw her grow from supervisor to director and then, in 2018, Sony put her pitch about a K-pop girl group set to save the world from a group of mythological demons into development." Diana Lodderhose, Deadline (May 17, 2026), from her interview with Kang
- statedRumi took from a character Kang and her partner first designed for his skateboard group, painted on a skate deck"she was actually created for a project that my partner was working on. He has this skate group that he created, and wanted to create a new character." Maggie Kang, co-director, to Crystal Bell, Mashable (July 9, 2025)
- statedthe film's songs took from early demos by the songwriter EJAE, which helped the film get greenlit"We found a K-pop songwriter named EJAE who did a few demos for us early on, and I think that was fundamental in getting the greenlight, because we could show cool artwork and do our pitch." Chris Appelhans, to Tara Bennett, Cartoon Brew (June 20, 2025)
- statedDerpy Tiger took from the tiger of Joseon minhwa folk painting, plus a little of the designer's own cat"I would say 90% based on the minhwa artwork, which was incredible to reference and 10% is our cat" Radford Sechrist, story artist who designed the tiger, to Hanh Nguyen, Salon (July 2, 2025)
- statedthe Saja Boys' final look took from the traditional image of the Korean grim reaper in his tall gat hat"And for the end, I really wanted them to look like the iconic Grim Reaper with the hat which is much more traditional." Maggie Kang, to Tara Bennett, Cartoon Brew (June 20, 2025)
- documentedthe "Golden" stage at the Idol Awards took from irworobongdo, the sun-moon-and-five-peaks screen that stood behind Joseon kings' thrones"At the Idol Awards, as girl group Huntrix belts out “Golden” — now a surprise soundtrack sensation — their stage is framed by a backdrop that evokes “Irworobongdo.”" Park Han-sol, The Korea Times (July 4, 2025)
What it learned to do
- statedKPop Demon Hunters learned from Bong Joon Ho's The Host (2006), and the way it juggles many tones at once"I was really inspired by the way he juggled many different tones in [The Host]." Maggie Kang, at the Busan International Film Festival, reported by David Opie, Screen International (September 2025)
- documentedMaggie Kang learned from her father, who introduced her to Bong Joon Ho's films"Just as Kang’s father introduced her to the work of director Bong" David Opie, Screen International (September 2025)
- statedthe film's animation learned from the K-drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, its "tonal blueprint" for going from silly to sincere"We actually referenced a lot of K-dramas, especially Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. We have so many clips of her on our animation board. The way she could go from over-the-top silly to heartbreaking sincerity in seconds? That was our tonal blueprint." Chris Appelhans, co-director, to Crystal Bell, Mashable (July 9, 2025)
- documentedMaggie Kang learned from classical animation at Sheridan College in Ontario"which ultimately led her to the prestigious Sheridan College in Ontario, where she studied classical animation." Diana Lodderhose, Deadline (May 17, 2026)
- documentedMaggie Kang learned from DreamWorks' story department, where she started as a trainee"After graduating she applied for a trainee role in the story department of DreamWorks." Diana Lodderhose, Deadline (May 17, 2026)
- statedChris Appelhans learned from making Wish Dragon in China, where he moved for two years to work with a Chinese crew"when he made Wish Dragon, which is culturally a Chinese movie, he knew he needed to go to China to make it, so he actually moved out there and worked there for two years with a full Chinese crew." Maggie Kang, on why she chose Appelhans as co-director, to Diana Lodderhose, Deadline (May 17, 2026)
- statedHUNTR/X learned from THEBLACKLABEL's producers and the YG girl groups 2NE1 and BLACKPINK, their early reference"With HUNTR/X, we were working closely with THEBLACKLABEL, so naturally, YG groups were an early reference — 2NE1 and BLACKPINK, of course." Maggie Kang, co-director, to Crystal Bell, Mashable (July 9, 2025)
- documentedthe film's Korean details learned from Mijeong Mimi Kim, a Korean linguistics professor at Washington University, brought on to correct the story"They brought on Korean linguistics professor Mijeong Mimi Kim from Washington University to be a course-corrector for their story." Diana Lodderhose, Deadline (May 17, 2026)
- statedthe film's color story (the Honmoon) learned from Helen Chen, its production designer for the first half of production"Helen Chen, who was our production designer for the first half of the show, really helped us crack this." Chris Appelhans, to Tara Bennett, Cartoon Brew (June 20, 2025)
The tradition it sits in
- statedHUNTR/X comes from mudang, the Korean shamans who used song and dance to ward off demons for their communities"Linking our Hunter mythology to ‘mudang’ (Korean shamans), it just felt very natural, because mudang used song and dance to ward off demons for their communities" Maggie Kang, at the Busan International Film Festival, reported by David Opie, Screen International (September 2025). Appelhans tells Mashable the same: mudang rituals were "kind of like the first concert"
- documentedthe Saja Boys comes from jeoseung saja, Korea's grim reapers, whose black hanbok and gat image was fixed by KBS's 1970s–80s series "Korean Ghost Stories""Their appearance has shifted over the centuries, but the most enduring image of them wearing black hanbok (traditional Korean attire) and a gat was cemented by the popular KBS anthology series “Korean Ghost Stories,” which aired throughout the 1970s and '80s." Park Han-sol, The Korea Times (July 4, 2025)
- statedKPop Demon Hunters comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style demon-hunting groups; the K-pop came last"And so it was like more of a Buffy, the Vampire Slayer-type of demon slayer group, and the K-pop of it came last." Maggie Kang, co-director, to Crystal Bell, Mashable (July 9, 2025)
- statedKPop Demon Hunters comes from the K-pop Kang grew up with from the genre's beginnings in the 1990s"Having been a fan of the genre since its beginnings in the ’90s, this film is my love letter to K-Pop and my Korean roots." Maggie Kang, statement to Variety (March 8, 2021)
Where the whole form comes from
- documentedDerpy and Sussie comes from the satire of Joseon folk painting: a foolish tiger for the yangban aristocracy, a clever magpie for ordinary people"the animal was meant to caricature the “yangban” aristocracy. By contrast, the bird, clever and quick-witted, stood as a symbol of the common people." Park Han-sol, The Korea Times (July 4, 2025)
- inferredDerpy's job as Jinu's messenger comes from the magpie's folk role as the bringer of good news"Traditionally, the tiger was seen as a guardian against evil spirits and the magpie as a harbinger of good news." inferred: the Korea Times notes the magpie's folk meaning, and Kang tells Salon the tiger became Jinu's way to send Rumi messages; neither connects the two
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