Debate Over: The Real Idols That Inspired The Saja Boys, From The “KPop Demon Hunters” Team

As Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters remains a hot topic, the characters have become just as popular, with viewers especially showing interest in the Saja Boys.

| Netflix

The movie is about K-Pop stars who are also demon hunters, and real-life comparisons have taken over the web. Many people have compared their favorite idols to members of the fictional group, resulting in some fun-spirited debates.

However, the team behind the film has specifically named several idols who inspired the group and its members!

1. Saja Boys

For the concept of the Saja Boys in general, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans had their ideas, but mentioned that the entire art team contributed a number of idols.

Saja Boys | Netflix

TXT, BTS, Stray Kids, ATEEZ, BIGBANG, and Monsta X were some groups named as direct inspiration for the group overall.

2. Mystery Saja

Mystery Saja was one of the characters that did not have a direct inspiration named, and was mentioned to have been inspired by anime characters with a similar “mystery” trope.

| Netflix

3. Abby Saja

In the case of Abby Saja, an actual idol has not been named so far, but based on the idols that generally inspired the group, many have guessed ATEEZ‘s San, Wonho, and Monsta X‘s Shownu as possibilities.

| Netflix

(left to right) ATEEZ’s San, Monsta X’s Shownu, and Wonho. | SBS

Additionally, one of the film’s animators mentioned that Stray Kids Hyunjin‘s “Artist Of The Month” performance inspired part of Abby’s dance in “Your Idol.”

for the first Abs shot I was mainly inspired by Hyunjin's Artist of the month performance video for the vibe so you're not wrong ahah

— Thibault Hormiere (@HormiereThibaul) June 24, 2025

Stray Kids’ Hyunjin | Studio Choom

4. Romance Saja

According to a post by fastpapermagazine, the romantic character was inspired by TXT‘s Yeonjun. The character features a hairstyle similar to the one that Yeonjun wore during the group’s promotions for “Blue Hour.”

Romance Saja | Netflix

TXT’s Yeonjun | SBS

An early sketch shared by Ami Thompson, the film’s art director, shows a character wearing one of Yeonjun’s outfits.

An early Saja boy design. Just playing with demon transitions and pushing poses. Maybe Jinu started with the abs#KPOPDEMONHUNTERS pic.twitter.com/j6hPt9M6Nn

— Ami Thompson (@AmiThompson_h) June 24, 2025

5. Baby Saja

The same post from fastpapermagazine also revealed that BTS‘s Jimin inspired Baby Saja‘s character.

Baby Saja | Netflix

BTS’s Jimin | Weverse Magazine

It is easy to see, with Baby Saja sporting cherubic features, something Jimin is famously known for. Jimin was used as a reference for concept art of Baby Saja (and Romance Saja) as shared by one of the film’s artists who mentioned that his cuteness inspired the character.

Jimin 🥹💗 https://t.co/O67BndrRNh pic.twitter.com/Wpt8ZBhdsn

— Mip (@oceankissea) June 21, 2025

6. Jinu

Jinu, the handsome and multi-faceted leader of the Saja Boys, was inspired by ASTRO‘s Cha Eunwoo and actor Nam Joo Hyuk.

ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo | SBS

Nam Joo Hyuk | IMDB

It is easy to see how this would apply visually, as both are incredibly handsome and are the typical idea of handsome, something that the directors wanted Jinu’s character to be.

Do you see inspiration from other idols in the characters?