KPop Demon Hunters has recently wrapped a special collaboration with McDonald’s that resulted in some cool animated shorts released a year after the film’s original Netflix debut, so it’s time to rank them all. KPop Demon Hunters is the most successful feature film released with Netflix in the streamer’s history, and it’s impressively done so in just the first year of being available with the platform. As fans eagerly wait for the sequel, McDonald’s brought the film back for a few animated shorts starring HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys for the promotion.
Earlier this Spring, McDonald’s launched a new team-up with KPop Demon Hunters that saw two special meals added to the menu inspired by the film. With one focusing on HUNTR/X and the other focusing on Saja Boys, fans were asked to vote for which of the meals was their favorite in a “Battle for the Fans.” In the lead up to this event we got some fun KPop Demon Hunters shorts in the process, and you can find them all below ranked by how fun they actually were.
Jinu’s supernatural tiger partner Derpy was an important part of this KPop Demon Hunters and McDonald’s team up as it was featured on one of the cards you needed to unlock the finale (which are going for major money online), but unfortunately didn’t get to shine in these shorts. The one featuring Derpy is the shortest of the batch, so it’s at the bottom of this list by default. Derpy doesn’t really get to do much other than spin the McDonald’s meal box around, and that’s probably not great for fans who can’t wait to see much more from the film’s mascot.
Speaking of Jinu, the Saja Boys short promoting their breakfast meal is a fun one. Utilizing the core group of older women seen in the original film, the Saja Boys essentially seduce them while thanking them for supporting their meal. It’s a fun showcase of why the demonic boy band was such a fun villain group in KPop Demon Hunters, and it’s a quick way to highlight how they stood out compared to HUNTR/X. It’s a completely different vibe than the other shorts we’d get from this collaboration overall.
Leave it to HUNTR/X to have much more fun with their short promoting the HUNTR/X meal, however. Because they don’t have to act as outwardly cool as the Saja Boys, the trio is able to be a lot more personable during their short. Sneaking into a McDonald’s so they can try out the meal (with a fun cameo from Bobby), there’s a lot packed into this one. You not only get a shout out to Mira’s “Nice” from the original film, but also get a fun moment where Zoey is once again charmed by the “Soda Pop” song. It just feels so much more alive, and that is perfect for HUNTR/X.
Everything kicked off in a perfect fashion with Battle For The Fans as we got to see both HUNTR/X and Saja Boys’ rivalry heat up in a hilarious new way. Mirroring the original film, the HUNTR/X trio proudly announce their new deal with McDonald’s only to be quickly undercut by the Saja Boys revealing they have one too. There are some fun callbacks in such a short time such as Abby’s abdominal muscles gag coming back as hash browns this time around, and there’s even a great joke to cap it off calling out all the fans who would prefer Rumi and Jinu just become a romantic couple instead. It’s just packed with funs.
This team-up between KPop Demon Hunters and McDonald’s ended with a bang too as they really went all out for the Battle For The Fans Finale. The animated short not only gave HUNTR/X a much deserved victory over the Saja Boys (which even allowed Rumi to brush off her shoulder as a fun callback), but it was the perfect ending to the series of shorts as well. When you put together all of them leading into the finale, it feels like a fun return for KPop Demon Hunters as a whole while we wait for the sequel.
And even if that’s not your thing, we get two new performances from the singing voices behind both groups. It’s not only the first live-action Saja Boys performance, but we also get “How It’s Done” for the first time from HUNTR/X after a year of “Golden” dominating the awards scene. It was a great way to bring all of this to an end.
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