KPop Demon Hunters revealed that Rumi, one of the main hunters tasked with eliminating demons, harbors a terrifying secret about her heritage that puts her in grave danger. Netflix's new animated movie follows the story of Huntrix, a K-pop trio that took the world by storm with their music while protecting humans from the emergence of demons. The trio, which consists of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), has been battling the forces of the demon king, Gwi-Ma, through the years, but things take a significant turn after the villain utilized a group of demons masquerading as a KPop boy band to take the girls down.
Directed by Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, KPop Demon Hunters highlights a stellar cast, which is headlined by Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Ahn Hyo-Seop, Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Yunjin Kim. KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix on June 20, 2025.
Is Rumi a Demon?
KPop Demon Hunters highlighted many twists and turns, and the biggest of them all involved Rumi's true heritage. After the movie revealed that Rumi was the daughter of a former demon hunter who died when she was a baby, her adopted mother, Celine, revealed a shocking bombshell: Rumi's father was actually an unnamed demon. This confirmation meant that Rumi is secretly a half-demon, but she is not as affected by the demon king's orders to take over the Earth and threaten humans.
Rumi tried to hide the fact that she is a half-demon from her fellow hunters, Mira and Zoey, concealing her demon marks with clothing every chance she gets. She believed that both of her loyal allies would leave her behind if they found out about her true heritage.
By being a hunter, Celine believed that Rumi could get rid of her demonic part if Huntrix could complete the Golden Honmoon (the magical barrier that would eliminate Gwi-Ma and his demonic influence once and for all).
Did Rumi Accept Her Demon Heritage in KPop Demon Hunters?
One of the central storylines of KPop Demon Hunters revolved around Rumi's struggle to accept her heritage. Still, she managed to get some unexpected assistance from Jinu, the leader of the demon boy band they are trying to defeat. Rumi and Jinu forged a strong bond because Jinu could relate to her struggles, as he was a former human himself. In turn, Rumi helped Jinu reawaken the humanity inside him, but it was too late.
Jinu betrayed Rumi by lying to her about his origin story. It turned out that Jinu abandoned his own family in the past after agreeing to a deal with Gwi-Ma for a better life. He even manipulated Rumi while she was performing, which led to the reveal of her demonic half to the public and both of her fellow hunters.
As a result, Mira and Zoey choose to leave Rumi behind out of fear, giving Rumi more reason to accept her demonic side. However, it was her pep talk with her adopted mother, Celine, who helped her realize that she needed to embrace her demonic side to live up to her potential.
While Celine wanted her to continue concealing her demon marks, Rumi realized that she needed to embrace her demon part, which she should not be ashamed of in the first place. Rumi's demonic side doesn't define her entirely, and exposing her true self to the public would allow her to have full control over her powers and herself.
Although Jinu initially betrayed Rumi to fulfill Gwi-Ma's influence, he eventually came around and helped Rumi stave off the demon king's attack by sacrificing himself to save her. Jinu's sacrifice helped Rumi defeat Gwi-Ma once and for all while creating a powerful new Honmoon to protect the Earth from demons.
While the demons are defeated (for now), a potential sequel for KPop Demon Hunters could further explore Rumi's heritage, such as doubling down on the identity of her father, which could impact her future as a hunter.
