KPop Demon Hunters director Maggie Kang described the characters as products of shared reference boards and familiar K-pop group archetypes—not one-to-one portraits of particular idols. She named several bands and individuals who informed the designs, while stressing that the creative team drew on many more influences than the interview could list.
How Maggie Kang and the team developed the characters
In a Forbes interview with Laura Sirikul, published June 19, 2025, Kang said she and co-director Chris Appelhans gathered reference images on a digital board and invited the art department to contribute. The process drew on patterns audiences may recognize across K-pop groups: members often occupy distinct roles or present a particular image. Kang said those archetypes help explain why viewers compare fictional group members with real performers, but the comparisons are not proof that a character was modeled directly on one person.
The examples below are the references Kang named, not a complete influence list. A June 24, 2025 update to the Forbes article clarifies that the director and creative team drew on many influences from K-pop and elsewhere, too many to name in full. Read the interview and its update at Forbes.
Which K-pop groups inspired the Saja Boys?
Kang named TOMORROW X TOGETHER, BTS, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BIGBANG, and Monsta X among the Korean groups that informed the Saja Boys. She spoke about recognizable member types rather than assigning each fictional member to one named idol: for example, a muscular member who shows off his abs, a romantic member, and the youngest member.
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Baby Saja and the maknae archetype
Kang identified Baby Saja as the “maknae,” or youngest member. She connected that archetype with a particular look and often with the rapper role. The point is a group-role reference, not a claim that Baby Saja represents a specific youngest member from one of the named bands.
Mystery’s reference was anime
Mystery was the exception Kang singled out: she could not recall comparing him with an artist and said he was inspired by anime. His face is largely concealed by long purple hair, a design choice Kang also said made animating the group easier.
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Who inspired Jinu’s design?
Kang said Jinu’s design drew mainly on K-drama actors. She named Cha Eun-woo and Nam Joo-hyuk as leading men on the team’s inspiration boards and said the creators wanted a classic Korean look.
Jinu’s design came before Ahn Hyo-seop was cast as the character’s voice performer. Kang said she could see a resemblance between the design and Ahn’s character in Business Proposal; that later casting connection should not be confused with the original design references. Netflix Tudum’s cast guide identifies Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu’s voice performer. See Netflix Tudum’s cast guide.
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Which groups and people inspired Huntrix?
Kang named ITZY, BLACKPINK, and TWICE as references for Huntrix, also known as HUNTR/X, and described the look as a mix rather than a single template. The Netflix Tudum cast guide identifies Rumi, Mira, and Zoey as HUNTR/X.
Mira’s fashion-forward look
Kang specifically named Korean model Ahn So Yeon as an inspiration for Mira, whom she described as fashion-forward.
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Zoey’s cutesy design
For Zoey, Kang said the team aimed for a cutesy look and drew on many K-pop idols, without naming one definitive source. She also said the characters were intended to look distinct from one another.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the references do—and do not—establish
- Named influence: Kang explicitly listed a group or person as part of the team’s references.
- Archetype: A character reflects a recognizable group role, such as the youngest member, without being identified as a portrait of a particular performer.
- Audience comparison: A resemblance noticed by viewers is interpretation unless Kang directly named the person or source.
That distinction matters because Kang described a collaborative process with a broad pool of influences, including references outside K-pop. The named artists and groups help show the design vocabulary behind the film, but they do not amount to a complete character-by-character key.
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