Christian metal band Demon Hunter is suing KPop Demon Hunters streamer Netflix.
In a trademark lawsuit, the Seattle-based musicians alleged that the similarity between their group name and that of the globally-renowned animated movie had caused "substantial confusion," particularly as Netflix mounts plans for a worldwide KPop concert tour.
According to legal documentation seen by BBC News, Demon Hunter (the band) claim that their "carefully built" musical identity established over more than 25 years now faces an "existential crisis" due to the recent surge in popularity for the Huntr/X trio.
To illustrate their claim, Demon Hunter's litigation points to an incident where a KPop Demon Hunters fan allegedly spent $500 on tickets to one of their shows, only to discover it was a metal concert and not the family-friendly animated extravaganza they were expecting.
Other examples of a few people getting the two entities confused reportedly include incidents where Demon Hunter has been erroneously tagged on social media in KPop-related discussions, and when a TV producer contacted the group thinking they were something to do with Netflix.
Formed in 2000, Demon Hunter have released 13 albums to date, featuring songs such as "My Throat Is an Open Grave," "Dead Flowers," and "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck." Popular songs from Kpop Demon Hunters include "Golden," "Takedown," and "Soda Pop."
Released in 2025, KPop Demon Hunters is now the most-watched original title in Netflix history, beating even Squid Game, Wednesday, and Stranger Things. It is also now the winner of both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the most recent Golden Globes and Academy Awards. A sequel is also in the works, though will likely not arrive before 2029.
Demon Hunters have asked the court to stop Netflix using the KPop Demon Hunters name for recorded music, live shows and merchandise, and to award unspecified damages.
Image credit: Stephen J. Cohen/Getty, Netflix.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social