“KPop Demon Hunters” Director’s Mention of BLACKPINK’s Jennie Sparks Severe Backlash

The movie has been wildly successful.

The recently released KPop Demon Hunters has been a smash success, remaining a hot topic even more than a week after its release.

As with all media, fans have taken extra steps to learn what is beyond the film, including the voices behind the characters. This has also extended to the characters’ inspiration, with fans tracking down mentions of specific idols as inspiration for the film.

In particular, the topic of the inspiration behind the movie’s lead character, Rumi, has been hotly discussed, with many comparisons to BLACKPINK‘s Jennie arising. This was only further fueled by rumors that Jennie was most often mentioned when talking about the character’s design by the team behind the film.

The film’s director, Maggie Kang, recently addressed the discussion of Rumi’s inspiration and earned criticism.

On a tweet that attributed Rumi’s inspiration solely to Jennie, Kang stated that numerous female leading ladies, both inside and outside K-Pop, had influenced the character. She also noted that the inspiration for both HUNTR/X and Saja Boys was “endless.” She also understood why viewers ran with what was mentioned in interviews.

Many fans of Jennie saw this in a negative light, accusing the film of using Jennie’s name (and other idols’) for clout.

On the other hand, many did not find issues with what Director Kang said, defending her from the criticism.

KPop Demon Hunters is available for streaming on Netflix.