KPop Demon Hunters combines the worlds of idol performance and supernatural action without treating them as separate parts of the story. The Netflix film turns choreography into combat, uses music as a source of power, and follows a team of characters who are constantly trying to balance who they are with the roles they are expected to play. The biggest on-screen battles are not about defeating demons, but about the connections, choices, and personal struggles that push the characters forward.
These movies fit alongside KPop Demon Hunters because they understand that the best action comes with an emotional reason behind it. Some bring music and performance into the action, while others focus on supernatural battles, found family, or heroes fighting to define themselves. Each film creates a world where the action is tied directly to the characters, making every fight feel like it has something bigger at stake than simply winning.
10 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train is a natural companion to KPop Demon Hunters because both stories turn supernatural battles into emotional performances. The film follows Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke as they board the Mugen Train to investigate a series of disappearances, only to find themselves trapped in a battle against Enmu, a demon who uses dreams to control his victims. Rather than using its demon battles as simple action sequences, Mugen Train connects each fight to the characters’ fears, hopes, and determination to protect the people around them.
Tanjiro’s Water Breathing techniques create graceful, flowing attacks, while the fiery movements of Hinokami Kagura show how much he has grown as a swordsman. Rengoku’s Flame Breathing gives his battle with Akaza a specific type of intensity, showing the character’s strength and unwavering resolve. The confrontation with Enmu also stands out because the demon transforms the entire Mugen Train into an extension of himself, turning the surrounding environment into one of the film’s most creative action sequences.
The emotional undertones of Mugen Train are also what connects it to KPop Demon Hunters. Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke bring completely different personalities and fighting styles to the team, but their loyalty to one another is what allows them to overcome challenges they could not face alone. Rengoku’s final battle against Akaza adds nuance to that dynamic, as his determination to protect others and encourage the next generation shares the same themes of perseverance and unity found in KPop Demon Hunters. His final message pushes Tanjiro forward, proving that the impact of a hero can continue long after the battle ends.
9 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Custom image by Debanjana ChowdhurySpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the few animated films that matches KPop Demon Hunters in how confidently it mixes action, emotion, and visual style. The film follows Miles Morales as he enters the Spider-Society, a group of Spider-People who believe certain events are unavoidable parts of every hero’s story. However, Miles refuses to accept that his future has already been decided and chooses to fight for the people he cares about.
The movie’s biggest achievement is the way every universe feels like its own piece of artwork. Gwen Stacy’s Earth-65 is painted with watercolor-inspired visuals that shift alongside her emotions, while Hobie Brown’s Spider-Punk world looks like a rebellious mix of torn posters, hand-drawn sketches, and punk collage art. The Spider-Society’s futuristic Nueva York takes the opposite approach, creating a rigid, controlled environment that shows Miguel O’Hara’s beliefs. Every location feels like an extension of the characters who inhabit it, using its visual style to reinforce the emotions and conflicts driving the story.
With a focus on defining your own identity, this is where Across the Spider-Verse connects most closely with KPop Demon Hunters. Miles is not fighting just to defeat an enemy; he is fighting against the belief that his life has already been decided for him. His conflict with Miguel O’Hara forces him to question what makes someone a hero, while Gwen’s decision to build her own team of Spider-heroes shows the importance of choosing the people who stand beside you. Like KPop Demon Hunters, it understands that the strongest characters are not defined by the roles others give them, but by the choices they make for themselves.
8 Belle (2021)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda
Belle turns music, technology, and personal identity into the foundation of its fantasy story, making it a strong companion to KPop Demon Hunters. Mamoru Hosoda’s 2021 animated film follows Suzu, a teenager who loses her ability to sing after the death of her mother. Inside the virtual world of “U,” she creates Belle, an avatar who transforms her from a withdrawn high school student into a global performer with millions of followers.
Inside “U,” Suzu’s rise as Belle gives her the confidence to express emotions she struggles to share in the real world. Her concerts become some of the film’s most visually striking sequences, combining massive virtual crowds, glowing backdrops, and dreamlike animation to capture the scale of a global pop phenomenon. That world also challenges the image Suzu has built, as her encounters with the Dragon force her to recognize the person behind the fear and rumors surrounding him.
Suzu’s journey reaches its most powerful moment when she stops separating Belle from who she truly is. Instead of relying on her avatar to be brave, she uses her own voice to reach Kei and stand up for someone who has been misunderstood. That internal shift from hiding behind an idealized version of herself to embracing her real identity is what makes Belle such a fitting companion to KPop Demon Hunters, where the characters also find strength through connection, vulnerability, and the people willing to fight alongside them.
7 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gives us martial arts, mythology, and supernatural conflict all through the story of a hero forced to confront the legacy he spent years running from. The 2021 Marvel film follows Shang-Chi, a skilled fighter who has built a quiet life away from his father Wenwu and the Ten Rings. When he is pulled back into his family’s world, he must face the choices that shaped him and decide what kind of person he wants to become.
The film’s action moves between precise martial arts choreography and full-scale fantasy battles. The opening bus sequence showcases Shang-Chi’s controlled fighting style as he uses the space around him to overcome his opponents, while his battle alongside Xialing in Macau turns a skyscraper’s scaffolding into a dangerous arena. The conflict later expands in Ta Lo, where warriors wield dragon-scale weapons and battle alongside the Great Protector against the Dweller-in-Darkness. The use of elemental powers, mythical creatures, and choreographed combat creates the same kind of visual appeal that makes KPop Demon Hunters so immersive.
Shang-Chi’s story also shares the same focus on identity and chosen family as KPop Demon Hunters. While Wenwu tries to pull him toward the legacy of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi chooses to define himself on his own terms. His bond with Katy and Xialing creates a team built on trust rather than obligation, proving that the people who stand beside him are just as important as the powers he inherits.
6 Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Directed by Travis Knight
Kubo and the Two Strings explores the connection between music, magic, and storytelling through a fantasy adventure where creativity becomes a source of power. The 2016 stop-motion film follows Kubo, a young storyteller in feudal Japan who uses his magical shamisen to bring origami creations to life. After awakening the dangerous Sisters and attracting the attention of the Moon King, Kubo must uncover the truth about his family while learning that the stories he carries are what make him powerful.
Kubo’s shamisen makes every battle feel different from a traditional fantasy adventure because music directly shapes the action. His performances create magical creatures, control objects, and help him face enemies like the Sisters and the Moon King. The Garden of Eyes sequence and the battle against the giant skeleton are perfects examples of how the film turns combat into a visual performance. Movement, music, and emotion all work together in a way that connects with KPop Demon Hunters’ approach to supernatural action.
Kubo and the Two Strings also shares KPop Demon Hunters’ focus on identity and the power found through connection. Kubo does not defeat his enemies by becoming more powerful than them, but by understanding the importance of his memories and the people who shaped him. His final battle against the Moon King becomes a celebration of his family’s love and the stories they left behind, creating a fantasy adventure where emotion is just as important as the magic on screen.
5 Nimona (2023)
Directed by Nick Bruno & Troy Quane
Nimona has shapeshifting action, rebellion, and an unlikely friendship between two characters who refuse to be defined by how others see them. The 2023 animated fantasy follows Ballister Boldheart, a knight framed for a crime he did not commit, and Nimona, a shapeshifter who joins his mission to clear his name. Their partnership becomes a fight against a kingdom built on fear and the belief that anything different must be dangerous.
Nimona’s shapeshifting abilities give the film an unpredictable plot points, with transformations into creatures like a rhino, whale, and giant monster turning every confrontation into a showcase of her personality. Its medieval-futuristic world also gives us castles and knights with neon technology, creating the same bold visual identity found in KPop Demon Hunters.
Both stories focus on characters who are misunderstood by the world around them. Ballister and Nimona find strength by rejecting the labels placed on them, with Nimona’s final transformation into a giant phoenix representing her acceptance of who she truly is.
4 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
Directed by Joel Crawford
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish fits alongside KPop Demon Hunters because both stories turn supernatural battles into personal struggles. The DreamWorks sequel follows Puss after he realizes he has already lost eight of his nine lives, forcing him to abandon the fearless persona that made him famous. As he searches for the Wishing Star with Kitty Softpaws and Perrito, Puss has to confront the difference between being seen as a legend and actually understanding his own worth.
The film has the same dramatic energy often found in fantasy, especially when Puss faces the wolf Death throughout his journey. Their first duel at the bar immediately changes the tone of the movie, showing that Puss’s greatest enemy is not just a powerful fighter but the fear he has avoided for years. The Dark Forest sequence, where each character faces illusions based on their desires, and the final battle over the Wishing Star also give the movie a surreal, storybook quality that matches the visual imagination of KPop Demon Hunters.
Like the heroes of KPop Demon Hunters, Puss discovers that his greatest power comes from the people who stand beside him. Perrito helps him through his panic attack, while Kitty challenges him to stop hiding behind his reputation. By the final confrontation with Death, Puss is no longer trying to prove he is the greatest swordsman in the world. He is fighting because he finally understands the value of the life he has.
3 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World takes the idea of music-powered battles and turns it into a chaotic video game-inspired adventure. Edgar Wright’s 2010 action comedy follows Scott Pilgrim, the bassist for Sex Bob-Omb, as he discovers that dating Ramona Flowers means facing her seven evil exes. Each opponent feels like a new stage in a boss battle, complete with their own abilities, visual style, and exaggerated personalities.
The connection to KPop Demon Hunters comes from how the film treats music as part of the action itself. Scott’s battles are built around performance, from Matthew Patel arriving with fireballs and demon hipster girls during a Bollywood-inspired showdown to the Katayanagi Twins summoning animated dragons through a battle of the bands. The film’s comic-book visuals, pixel effects, and video game references give every fight the energy of a music video where the next move could be a guitar riff or a finishing attack.
Underneath all the style, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is still a story about confronting personal flaws. Scott spends much of the film chasing the image of being a cool, fearless hero while avoiding responsibility for the people he hurts. His journey only changes when he earns the “Power of Self-Respect” and accepts that becoming a better person matters more than winning a fight. The explosive action, music, and emotional growth make it a fitting match for KPop Demon Hunters.
2 Ne Zha (2019)
Directed by Jiaozi
Ne Zha shares the same themes as KPop Demon Hunters by focusing on characters who are feared because of their powers but refuse to let that define them. The 2019 Chinese animated fantasy follows Ne Zha, a boy born from the Demon Orb who is destined to die young and bring destruction according to prophecy. Instead of accepting the role everyone expects him to play, Ne Zha fights against the belief that he is nothing more than a threat.
The film’s supernatural battles are focused on the contrast between Ne Zha and Ao Bing, two characters born from opposing forces who carry the weight of expectations placed on them. Ne Zha’s explosive fire abilities create unpredictable, destructive attacks, while Ao Bing’s ice powers are precise and controlled. Their battles with the sea yaksha and the forces threatening their home show the film’s mix of Chinese mythology, elemental combat, and emotional stakes, especially during the final battle where they face heavenly lightning together.
What connects Ne Zha most strongly to KPop Demon Hunters is its focus on characters reclaiming identities that others tried to take from them. Ne Zha is constantly treated as a monster because of the Demon Orb inside him, while Ao Bing struggles under the responsibility placed on him as the Dragon King’s son. Their friendship forces both characters to question the paths chosen for them.
1 The Book of Life (2014)
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
The Book of Life believes that music can be a force powerful enough to change the outcome of a battle. The 2014 animated fantasy follows Manolo Sánchez, a young man raised in a family of bullfighters who feels more connected to his guitar than a sword. When the gods La Muerte and Xibalba make a wager over his future, Manolo is pulled into the afterlife and forced to prove that his life should be defined by his own choices.
Manolo’s guitar is the focal point of the film’s most important moments, turning his music into a mirror of his courage and compassion. That concept is best shown during his confrontation with the giant skeletal bull, where he refuses to fight the creature the way his family would expect. Instead of using violence, Manolo plays a song that recognizes the bull’s suffering, transforming a dangerous battle into a moment of connection. Like KPop Demon Hunters, the film uses performance as a way for its characters to overcome supernatural threats.
The film’s visual style also makes it a strong companion piece, creating a fantasy world inspired by Día de los Muertos traditions and Mexican folk art. The Land of the Remembered is filled with glowing candles, marigolds, and vibrant celebrations, while the Land of the Forgotten reflects the fear of being erased from memory. At its core, The Book of Life is about Manolo rejecting the role his family and society created for him and discovering that his greatest strength comes from staying true to himself.
Release Date June 20, 2025
Runtime 96 minutes
Director Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang
Writers Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez
Producers Michelle Wong
English (US) ·