Anime and nerd conventions have plenty of ingrained traditions that transcend any one gathering. From artist alleys to yaoi paddles, most veteran attendees know what to expect when they show up to their annual event, and now KPop Demon Hunters is adding a new tradition to the mix. The Netflix musical has only been out for two months, but it’s already leaving an imprint on conventions around the world, as fans are using them to pay their respects to their favorite demon boy band heartthrob.
Jinu is the lead vocalist of the Saja Boys, Huntr/x vocalist Rumi’s beau, and also a demon with a tortured past he longs to forget. He leads the boy band in a battle for hearts and minds against Huntr/x, but is slowly won over to the light side by his connection to Rumi. Progress isn’t linear, though, as he does end up betraying her in the lead-up to the final showdown and nearly feeds all of Seoul’s kpop fans to Gwi-ma, the demon king. As Huntr/x faces the demons in one last musical battle, Gwi-ma nearly defeats Rumi with a massive, soul-powered energy blast, only for Jinu to stand between them and take the blast himself. As he dies, he tells Rumi that she set him free and gave him his soul back, which he leaves to her to finish the fight.
Yeah, redemption arcs are great and all, but my babies didn’t even get to kiss. “Are they lovers? Worse. They never got to be.” The rest of the KPop Demon Hunters fandom is also feeling this grief, because memorials for Jinu are popping up at conventions all around the world. The anchor of these displays is usually a memorial photo of Jinu, which is then surrounded by offerings such as stickers, notes, and even empty soda cans and bottles as a reference to Saja Boys’ breakout hit “Soda Pop.”
R.I.P. to a real one, but even as fans mourn Jinu, there’s another subset of them who believe the demon diva may come back in the inevitable sequel, as the film implies his soul lives within Rumi’s sword which she uses to defeat Gwi-ma. But until I see him fully re-materialize and give Rumi a kiss on the forehead, I’d better keep seeing memorials for him at every convention.