Popular Boy Group’s Extreme Lineup Change Sparks Heated Reactions

Lineup changes in K-Pop groups in not a stange phenomenon, but it isn’t routine either. Since fan loyalty is a key element of K-Pop culture, removing or replacing members of an already established group can be tricky business. If not handled in a balanced manner, it can trigger extreme backlash from fans, like it has recently for a popular boy group.

The group in question is “Saja Boys,” the globally beloved, fictional boy group from the animated Netflix hit, KPop Demon Hunters.

Saja Boys | Netflix

The fictional boy group consists of five members, namely Jinu, Abby, Mystery, Romance, and Baby. However, beyond their idol identity, the group hides a dark secret— all five of the members are demons in disguise, The movie explores a high tension conflict between the Saja Boys and their rival girl group, “HUNTR/X,” whose members are all demon hunters. By the end of the movie, all the demon members of Saja Boys are sealed away, leaving viewers with a bittersweet resolution.

Given the movie’s central focus on the character of Jinu, the rest of the Saja Boys members were more or less left as one-dimensional in the story. However, with the sustaining popularity of Kpop Demon Hunters and the growing demand for a sequel, fans have been fostering the hope for the return of Saja Boys with a chance to explore their characters more in depth.

In a recent online interaction between fans and Maggie Kang, the director who helmed Kpop Demon Hunters, one individual raised the question of the boy group’s full return. In response, however, Kang didn’t offer any such hope, clarifying that all members except Jinu were intended to be side characters with no further depth to offer.

This interaction was reposted by a Korean netizens on a forum, where they expressed their disappointment at Kang’s answer. The OP (original poster) also pointed out that the director had reportedly mentioned the possibility of introducing new characters instead of reviving the Saja Boys, aside from Jinu.

Jinu | Netflix

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Korean netizens are heartbroken over this revelation.

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• “Nooooo.”
• “Abby…TT”
• “So, they’re doing a season 2?”

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• “Baby…”
• “What an extreme member change…let’s just do season 2 as is.”
• “What do you mean they were extras?”

You can read more about the creation of Saja Boys and their discography here:

The Saja Boys’ “Your Idol” Was Written With These Two K-Pop Groups In Mind