Netflix’s new Korean animated flick K-Pop Demon Hunters is absolutely killing it, shooting to the top of the platform’s global charts with a killer 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. Dropping on June 20, 2025, it racked up 9.2 million views in just four days, landing in the Top 10 across 80 countries, from the U.S. to Asia, and even outshining big names like 28 Years Later and Plane. But not everyone’s vibing—some Chinese fans are throwing shade, accusing the movie of swiping cultural bits from China, stirring up a messy debate. A June 25, 2025, story from The Indian Express dives into why this K-pop-anime mashup is both a global crowd-pleaser and a hot-button issue.
Directed by Korean-American duo Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, K-Pop Demon Hunters follows Hunterix, a made-up K-pop girl group led by Celine, who moonlight as demon slayers, taking down baddies with the power of their tunes. They square off against the Saja Boys, a slick demonic boy band, in a 90-minute joyride full of dazzling visuals and earworm songs. Fans are obsessed, calling it a perfect mix of anime’s bold style and K-pop’s infectious energy. Critics are all in too, giving it a 94% score, while audiences are at 95%, hyping its fun vibe and banging soundtrack packed with fresh K-pop tracks and pop classics.
But things got spicy in China, where folks on sites like Douban are calling out the movie for allegedly jacking stuff like traditional knots, herbal medicine, tiger designs, and palace vibes from Chinese culture. Comments like “Korea’s just stealing” and “Why toss Chinese stuff into a Korean story?” are flying around, with some side-eyeing co-producer Sony Pictures Animation for letting it slide. Even though Netflix isn’t officially in China, tons of people there are watching—often through sketchy streams—which just makes the backlash louder.
The drama hasn’t dimmed its shine, though. K-Pop Demon Hunters is riding the Korean Wave hard, backed by Netflix’s $2.5 billion bet on Korean content since 2023. It’s a big moment for Korean animation, which has mostly been stuck doing behind-the-scenes work for global hits but is now stepping up. The movie’s pulling fans from Europe to Africa, showing it’s got legs way beyond the controversy. With Korean animation gaining steam—think Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming The Valley—this flick’s proving it’s got serious game. Hop on Netflix to check out why this demon-busting K-pop crew is stealing the show, even if it’s got some folks heated.