Consider This: 11/10/2025

The Covert Operations of Shame in K-Pop Demon Hunters

K-Pop Demon Hunters is not a kids’ movie. Well, of course it is—but it’s also very much for adults. In just 100 minutes, the narrative explores four main characters who each embody different forms of shame: Rumi as secrecy, Zoey as inadequacy, Mira as unworthiness, and Jinu as guilt. Through each character, the story reveals the origins of their shame, how it animates their personal choices, the shortcomings of their various coping strategies, and the true path forward to healing—what we might call four stages.

What makes this seemingly lightweight feature remarkable is how it maps shame across three domains: a character’s internal world, their close relationships, and society at large. Laid out as a matrix of 4 stages × 3 domains, shame is explored in no fewer than 12 different ways. I challenge you to identify at least one instance of each (Shame Analysis Matrix Worksheet).
 

I am not ashamed to call K-Pop Demon Hunters one of the most brilliant movies of our time.