Ahn Hyo-Seop on KPop Demon Hunters' Success and Jinu's Possible Return

A Journey Through Animation and K-Pop

Actor Ahn Hyo-Seop has always had a soft spot for animation. As a child, he was captivated by the world of animated storytelling, which makes his involvement in Netflix's surprise hit "KPop Demon Hunters" a deeply personal achievement. The film, an animated adventure centered around a K-pop girl group that uses songs and swords to save the world, has become a cultural phenomenon, reaching the top of Netflix's charts shortly after its release.

Ahn, 30, shares how the story's unique energy resonated with him. “I thought the story had this very special energy that made me want to be part of the whole journey,” he tells USA TODAY. The film's success has been nothing short of meteoric. It quickly climbed to the Top 10 on Netflix, earning a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score (97%), a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and becoming one of the most-watched movies in Netflix history.

The Message Behind the Magic

For Ahn, who voices the male lead Jinu alongside female lead Rumi (Arden Cho), the film's message is central to its appeal. “Everyone makes mistakes; everyone has something they wish to hide or undo,” he explains. “Sometimes, the biggest obstacle isn't the world, it's ourselves, and Jinu and Rumi face that. Instead of running, they actually grow together, and I feel like that's something a lot of people can relate to.”

Beyond the emotional depth, Ahn credits the film’s K-pop vibe and original songs as a major factor in its global success. “The sounds are really amazing, and it was really cool to see K-pop songs that actually touched people worldwide.”

A New Challenge and a Personal Connection

“KPop Demon Hunters” marks Ahn's first animated film and biggest role yet. However, it’s not his first brush with fame. The Korean-born actor, who spent part of his youth in Canada, has built a global fan base over the past decade, both as a singer and as a lead actor in popular K-dramas such as “Dr. Romantic” Season 2, “Business Proposal,” and “A Time Called You.”

He was drawn to the project because the script “really grabbed me,” he says, and presented a new challenge. “Expressing everything through just my voice, without my facial expressions or body, it was honestly a challenge in the beginning. I had to try a lot of different tones and versions of Jinu to get there.”

Portraying a character like Jinu, a man-turned-demon haunted by his past, was particularly tricky. “Becoming a demon, it's not something you think of every day, right?” he laughs. “I wasn’t sure how to approach it, but as I got deeper into Jinu's backstory – his wounds, his doubts, the emotional weight he carries – I felt naturally connected to him.”

A New Language and a Long-Awaited Dream

“KPop Demon Hunters” also marked Ahn's first English-language project. “I haven't been using English for a long time (after) living in Korea for like a decade,” he says. “At first, I felt pretty rusty, but English was a language that I actually studied growing up, and I always had this dream of using it to act one day. Doing this project felt like finally unlocking something inside me, like opening a box I left untouched for years.”

Excited for the Future of the Franchise

Like many fans, Ahn is caught up in the will-they-won’t-they relationship between Jinu and Rumi. “I stan them too,” he says with a laugh. “I think it's about the pain and the agony that they had. I feel like it's about the company, like you can't solve your problems alone. You have to have somebody beside you, and they had the biggest connection.”

Though Netflix has yet to announce a sequel, the film's international success suggests a strong possibility of more stories. This week, Netflix announced that it will screen “KPop Demon Hunters” at select U.S. theaters Aug. 23-24, with some offering a sing-along experience.

If there is a second film, will Jinu and Rumi reunite? “I mean, Jinu gave his soul, so like I never really imagined how he would come back,” Ahn says. “As someone who loves Jinu as a fan, too, of course I would love to see him come back. But it's not up to me.”

Fans continue to show their love for Jinu. In South Korea, people have even left flowers at Namsan Tower where the character died. And no matter what happens to Jinu and Rumi, Ahn is excited for the future of “KPop Demon Hunters.” “I hope that this franchise continues to inspire people to embrace their shadows and their flaws and be able to still move forward. I'm a big fan too now, so I'll be waiting and cheering like everyone else.”