We Can't Fix It if We Never Face It: Thoughts on K-Pop Demon Hunters from a Therapist/Musician

This post was originally published on my Substack in October 2025. 

So I finally watched K-Pop Demon Hunters a few weeks ago.

(If you’re totally unfamiliar- it’s the seemingly niche anime-style film that has completely taken the world by storm to become the #1 most watched Netflix movie of all time.)

I expected it to be fun, and it totally was. I was NOT expecting a 90 minute animated film to pack a huge emotional punch AND have incredibly well done music. Basically… I’m obsessed now.

Quick back story- I’ve talked about music on and off on my Substack. But for any new subscribers, I am a lifelong musician- specifically piano, percussion, and voice. Music and creativity feed my soul, and have often been my saving grace during times of exhaustion, burnout, and compassion fatigue in the mental health field. I love exploring the intersections of music, emotions and the human experience, therapy, and pop culture. So KPDH is right up my alley.

This post is half me indulging my music nerd side and analyzing the movie, and half exploring its therapeutic themes. Let’s dive in.

Lots of spoilers ahead... (but I assume you've seen it already)

There are so many lessons and themes to explore. 

When you hide who you are out of fear of being rejected, you rob yourself of the chance to be authentically loved.

Early on in the movie, it’s revealed that Rumi’s father was a demon. As a result, she has patterns on her skin that indicate a demon in human form. Like another braided heroine, Elsa, Rumi has been taught her whole life to “conceal, don’t feel,” and so even her bandmates, Mira and Zoey, don’t know the truth. Rumi’s secret and the shame she carries is one of the central themes of the story. You can see her struggling with the lies and the pressure throughout the movie. It’s lonely and painful.

It’s really important to note that Rumi, and her adoptive mother Celine’s, perspective on this is actually very understandable. In Korean culture, the good of others and the group comes before the good of the individual. Rumi has a very important and specific job to do: maintain and strengthen the Honmoon (the anti-demon forcefield that protects the world). Celine believes that Rumi’s patterns must be hidden in order for her to accomplish this task. That matters more than her feelings about it. And for most of her life, Rumi abides by that, even though she is increasingly conflicted. It’s a choice most others in her situation would make, especially when she’s been taught this way from a young age. But eventually, the toll is takes on her is no longer sustainable.

There is a really painful and poignant scene when Rumi, with her patterns blazing and one eye glowing like a demon, seeks out Celine. She has just been completely humiliated and devastated during the Idol Awards, and believes Mira and Zoey are permanently turned against her. She desperately needs hope, acceptance, and love.

But even in this moment, Celine is still functioning from what she’s always been taught. She’s still trying to fix. She doesn’t see or accept Rumi for all of who she is… she can’t. In fact, she can’t even look at her. It just confirms everything Rumi already believes about herself. This pain could have been a catalyst for her to go full-on demon. But she doesn’t. In her next scene, she embraces all of who she is and still fights for good. And Zoey and Mira embrace her too. They love her for all of who she is.

These scenes for every child who has faced parents who are ashamed of them. For every child who just wants to be loved and accepted for who they are. For the cycle breakers. It’s so powerful.

Our unhealthy/shame patterns don't have to define us. 

Rumi’s patterns are just patterns on her skin. She’s not actually a demon. Gwi-Ma, the lord of the underworld, has no control over her. The real damage that keeps her hiding is the shame and the messages about who she is. Like she sings in Free, it’s the secrets themselves that keep her in chains. It’s such a poignant example of how often our shame spirals far exceed the actual reality. Even when Mira and Zoey dramatically find out the truth, they are angry and hurt because she lied to them much more than the patterns.

We all have patterns we’d rather keep hidden. Some of them are shame messages, some of them are mistakes, some of them are past failures, some of them are addictions and harmful habits. If there’s anything I’ve learned in 10 years of being a therapist, it’s that people really can change if they choose to face those patterns.

People can still be and do good, even if they’ve made a lot of mistakes and think they’re beyond saving.

I’m talking about Jinu of course! Jinu’s internal system is totally at war throughout the story. Part of him is a demon who sold his soul to the devil hundreds of years ago, and only acts out of self-preservation. But another part of him is still human… a man who experienced a lot of suffering and made mistakes, but who has a good heart. The movie shows that some demons used to be humans, and that Gwi-Ma capitalizes on their failures, shame, and desperation to manipulate them into selling their souls to him for earthly gains. Unfortunately, that also comes with eternal servitude and punishment. That is Jinu’s story.

I honestly appreciated that Jinu didn’t have a miraculous transformation to the good side and a happy ending with Rumi. After Gwi-Ma increased Jinu’s torture to remind him he can’t escape, he seemed to give up and fully embrace his demon side during Your Idol (we’ll get to that banger in a minute), seemingly giving up any hope of being different and embracing evil. But Rumi’s redemption seemed to bring him back to life. He did what he could to make it right, and it ultimately helped the trio defeat Gwi-Ma.

Love wins in the end, even when things seem hopeless.

I’m not just talking about the girls reuniting, although that is really beautiful. I love that the Honmoon is created and strengthened when people unite in love and (literal) harmony. Every person can contribute to the greater good. And it was the collective good that ultimately defeated the bad guys. The Golden Honmoon represents perfection. But the final Honmoon that the girls create during What It Sounds Like represents true harmony and authenticity. There is also a shift in the lyrics of their songs. In earlier parts of the film, HUNTR/X's music is more focused on destroying the demons from a place of hate and aggression. And while those songs are awesome, in the story they are not what actually defeat Gwi-Ma. What It Sounds Like has a totally different message, and that's what defeated evil in the end.

Another detail that’s so cool here…. in the earlier parts of the film, the hunters pull their weapons from the Honmoon. But at the end, they pull their weapons from within their own souls.

So many people suffer in silence.

The line that didn’t made it into Takedown was such a powerful contrast to the rest of the song: “when your patterns start to show, I see the pain that lies below.” Rumi tried to add that line to the song, but it got shut down, and Zoey even suggested much more violent lines than what ended up in the real song. It was basically a message of “go kill yourself or we’ll kill you.” Zoey and Mira had no idea, but ouch that had to be painful for Rumi. In the final version, Rumi is the one who sings “when your patterns start to show, it makes the hatred wanna grow outta my veins.” I honestly think she’s singing this toward herself.

We can’t fix it if we never face it.

Ahhh yes the therapy line, my favorite!

We can’t fix it if we never face it. Let the past be the past til it’s weightless.

This should be a trauma therapy mantra. We either face our demons willingly, or we’ll be forced to eventually. Letting the past be the past isn’t about burying or ignoring it. It’s about the healing process: everything from resetting the nervous system to adaptive processing to acceptance. When I engage clients in EMDR therapy, we are literally shifting neural pathways so that the past can actually feel like the past.

Ok, so the music

Now I get to indulge my music nerd side. I’m just gonna break down each main song in the movie.

K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack

How It’s Done

The first big song with our pop star demon hunters, How It’s Done, doesn’t necessarily have a bunch of psychological depth, but it sure is a fun scene. It’s giving “I love it when women…” vibes. Let’s go girls!

Heels, nails, blade, mascara. Fit check for my napalm era

Iconic. Also, easily my favorite song to blast in the car, as I love the play between each hunter's unique style. And I love mastering raps.

Musically, I love the intricate rhythms layered by the background track and the rap, the way they switch up the tempo from a straight rhythm to a syncopated one, and we get a first taste of EJAE’s high notes (!!!). Actually, EJAE's highest note in the soundtrack is in How It's Done, not Golden. It's in the background at the very end of the track.

Golden

They had to know this was going to be a hit immediately. It’s just so good. The 12/8 beat? It’s easy to groove too because it’s felt in the standard 4 beats per measure, but the triplets underneath feel fresh and fun. The impeccably clean production? Yes. EJAE *belting* several G5’s and even an A5? As a trained singer, I can tell you that doing that is HARD. I’m a soprano, and those are the kinds of notes that we typically have to sing in either a head voice or operatic style, and even then they’re relatively high. To belt them so effortlessly… omg. It’s just so darn catchy. And if any musically informed haters out there want to comment that many of the live performances have been in a lower key: 1. It's still a demanding song with some high belts. and 2. lowering the key means the lowest notes in the last pre-chorus are way down there. I can barely hit them in the original key. EJAE's range is truly impressive.

Lyrically… it’s so interesting to see Golden near the beginning of the film when Rumi sings about no more hiding, and yet is 100% hiding. It feels like an anthem that she can’t quite embody yet. But the message of Golden is fully realized by the end of the movie.

Soda Pop

Also so catchy. Not much to analyze here either, but as a Millennial raised in the boy band era, I can’t help but love it. The Saja Boys have two main songs in the film: this one and Your Idol. They are completely on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of mood, styling, and lyrics, and yet somehow still feel like a cohesive sound from the same group. Soda Pop is the Saja Boys’ first viral hit, making it a key part of their plan to destroy the Honmoon and the hunters. It intentionally serves up bubbly, irresistable, and slightly spicy lies.

Takedown

A complex one in terms of the lyrics and what’s happening in the characters. Takedown is a diss track on the surface, but a conflicted song with self-hatred underneath. Rumi, feeling shame about being part demon and conflicted about telling her friends, tries to engage with the song writing, but clearly struggles. She knows that the “patterns” of demons are not just black and white, but defending them would be a huge red flag for Zoey and Mira. Rumi later pushes back about performing the song, and all 3 of them agree that they want to perform a song that will truly unite their fans.

Later, demons masquerading as Mira and Zoey use Takedown to torment Rumi on stage, causing her to expose her demon patterns, which the real Mira and Zoey see. It’s Rumi’s worst nightmare, come to life.

So while the song content is actually against the core values of the film, it’s still a great track. Again, the production makes it so fun. These writers and sound engineers are truly experts at what makes a song catchy: the way the beats drop out during the pre-chorus, the multiple hooks, and using different rhythms to highlight either the rap or the vocal parts. I love the shift to a sort of Reggaeton beat during the last chorus.

Free

Probably my favorite, both lyrically and in terms of emotional expression. It’s such a beautiful ballad. The voices fit together so well during the duet. I love the softness and vulnerability of Rumi’s part set against Jinu’s edgier pseudo-rap in the second verse. And those harmonies… chef’s kiss. Again with the fantastic belts from EJAE, and I loved the layering of her bridge part with Andrew Choi’s “Free” hook. This is a turning point in the movie, during which both Jinu and Rumi realize they can be something different. While the romantic connection doesn’t get to fully materialize in the film, we see how deep their bond really has become.

Your Idol

And then there’s Your Idol. It’s a dark point in the film, shortly after Gwi-Ma taunts and tortures Jinu for believing he could be free. We realize that Jinu doesn’t have the strength to resist his master, and leads the Saja Boys in attempting a mass soul stealing (and murder) of all the fans.

After my first listen, I was struck by how well this song depicts addiction. At first, it’s an obsessive love song. The Saja Boys promise not to just love you, but remind you that they will be the only one who will truly love you for all your flaws. It’s immediately controlling. Addictions make those same promises, using shame against you from the very beginning. As the song goes on, the mask comes off. By the last verse, the Saja Boys are blatantly stating they have taken control. Did you catch how the words change from “don’t you know I’m here to save you?” to “no one is coming to save you.” It’s powerful and painful.

Musically, it’s one of my favorites. The choral part and chanting in the beginning is giving Carmina Burana, and the Latin? Perfect touch. I sing a lot of Latin in choral music, so I could translate some of it and looked up the rest. It’s dark my friends… the perfect foreshadowing to the demons’ real purpose.

Dies irae illa (that day of wrath)

vos solve in favillam (turn you into ashes)

maledictus erus (cursed master)

in flammas aeternum (into eternal flames)

They tell us right at the beginning that they’re planning to drag everyone to hell. Meanwhile, the chanting is repeatedly saying “pray for me now.” I love the spiritual, medieval imagery for the demon takeover.

They layer all of this over really interesting effects and almost completely minor chords. It’s the complete opposite of Soda Pop.

What It Sounds Like

Ok, maybe this one is my favorite actually. The raw emotion at the beginning, Rumi standing tall in the truth and the reconciliation with Zoey and Mira… it’s really beautiful.

We broke into a million pieces and we can’t go back

But now we’re seeing all the beauty in the broken glass

The scars are part of me

Darkness and harmony

My voice without the lies

This is what it sounds like

Again, the production. They gradually build and match the emotion of what’s happening in the film so beautifully. The harmonies are so juicy too. I get goosebumps! I can’t watch this scene without crying. This song is about truth, redemption, and standing together for what’s right. It’s a fantastic culmination scene.

Real Life Redemption

One of my favorite parts about the whole film is EJAE (Rumi’s singing voice)’s story. She spent years training with the biggest entertainment groups in the K-pop industry, only to be rejected multiple times and eventually told she was too old to debut as a K-pop artist. So she reinvented herself as a songwriter, writing hits for other artists behind the scenes. She originally signed on to K-pop Demon Hunters as a songwriter too, until others on the production team realized how talented she really was and insisted she voice Rumi.

HOW in the world was her voice not out in the world before? It’s awesome to see her, and all of the incredible artists involved in KPDH, getting the recognitions they deserve. And now, a few months after I originally wrote this post, we are seeing the HUNTR/X girls everywhere! I'm so happy for them. 

Final Thoughts

I’m absolutely on the K-Pop Demon Hunters train. Fun animation, amazingly well-produced music with infectious melodies, and a story that has some incredible lessons, all in a package that even my toddler can enjoy.

HUNTR/X DON’T MISS.

What are your thoughts on KPDH? I’d love to hear them!