The LEGO Group and The Pokémon Company International reveal the first-ever LEGO Pokémon sets coming out in February 2026.
For both LEGO and Pokémon enthusiasts, this a must-catch set. Today, the LEGO Group and The Pokémon Company International are unveiling the first-ever collection of highly anticipated LEGO Pokémon sets. This comes out as the brand celebrates its 30-year history, allowing fans to build and display their favorite Pokémon in LEGO brick form when they launch on February 27, 2026. Additionally, there will be prizes and rewards for a scavenger hunt starting today, January 12 to February 27.
These first three sets feature five fan favourite Pokémon: Pikachu, Eevee, Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise—recreated in LEGO brick form. From Pikachu leaping out of a Poké Ball to the original Kanto evolutions brought together in one large-scale build, these brand new sets are made for people who grew up with Pokémon and want to experience it in a new way—or for those who grew up on it and want to introduce their children to the world of Pokémon to create lasting memories.
The 2,050-piece LEGO Pokémon Pikachu and Poké Ball set ($269.99 CAD) encourages fans to recreate one of the most iconic scenes from the franchise: Pikachu jumping out of the Poké Ball ready for battle. It also includes two poses: a dynamic battle stance and a seated pose. The 587-piece LEGO Pokémon Eevee ($84.99 CAD) is made for every Eevee collector out there. Eevee’s expressive face, movable tail, head and limbs allow builders to pose the fan-favourite, either at rest or ready to jump into action.
Round off the three sets, the whopping LEGO Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise set ($899.99 CAD) contains over 6,838 pieces. This set is stunning, capturing the three big hitters in the Kanto region with their Pokémon evolutions. For the first time, they are now in LEGO form! The set allows the Pokémon to be displayed individually or together on a shared action base, each with a base incorporating designs reflecting each Pokémon’s biome and includes hidden easter eggs to discover throughout the build.
Chief Product & Marketing Officer of the LEGO Group, Julia Goldin, stated how “This partnership opens up a whole new range of possibilities for Trainers and builders alike, and we can’t wait for fans to experience these new LEGO Pokémon sets.” Design Director on LEGO Pokémon, Siddharth Muthyala, noted that they are a “lifelong Pokémon fan” and explained that their “team approached the design of these sets with immense care and passion, ensuring every detail and pose truly celebrates what makes these characters so beloved.” I can honestly say, they look amazing—as someone who grew up watching the show and collecting the trading cards.
Chief Product and Experience Officer at The Pokémon Company International, Gaku Susai added, “By combining Pokémon’s sense of adventure with the thoughtful design and attention to detail of the LEGO Group, we’re giving fans the chance to build, play, and tell their own stories in ways they’ve never experienced before—something we’re thrilled to see come to life.” I cannot wait to grab these three sets, but they may cost an arm, a leg, and then some.
In addition to the three-set release, fans can look for hidden LEGO Pokémon clues across many digital channels. Contenders will be challenged to find clues hidden throughout LEGO digital content and Pokémon digital content, to unlock exciting rewards and the chance to win The Grand Prize: experiencing PokémonXP and the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, including access to Championship Sunday at the Chase Center, as well as all three new LEGO Pokémon sets.
Those looking to get in on the LEGO Pokémon Scavenger Hunt can visit the official page. Preorders for the three sets are now available!
A banner for The Division: Definitive Edition was seen at the FPS Day X event in Japan recently, confirming some game rumours.
Coming hot off of last year’s success with Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Ubisoft could be looking to another franchise to focus its efforts this year. Recently, a banner at the FPS Day X event in Japan featured poster art for The Division: Definitive Edition, along withDivision 2 updates. While The Division 3 is still in development, the original game may still have a lot to offer its players.
Tom Clancy’s The Division is a 2016 online-only action RPG featuring multiplayer co-op and PvP. Some credit the game with pioneering and influencing the extraction shooter genre through core mechanics such as looting, crafting, PvPvE, survival elements (hunger, cold), and the tense goal of extracting a specific item. Although many would say Escape From Tarkovis the first true extraction shooter.
Spotted by domen0204 on X, the banner featured the poster for the upcoming Definitive Edition, with many visitors hoping the developers would finally make an official announcement during its 10th Anniversary celebrations. Another image by the X user showed that The Division 2‘s devs confirmed a ‘Realism mode’ coming in March 2026. It also contains some merch of some kind for the game.
Here is what we already know about The Division 2’s Realism Mode: it will feature action-focused gameplay, reduced time to kill, and realistic weapon damage based on bullet calibre. These changes allow players to immerse themselves in the game in a brand new way. In game-changing fashion, the mode will also introduce a reduced user interface, a limited HUD, no health regeneration, reduced cooldowns, and more. Developers also confirmed this is only the “first glimpse of the celebrations ahead,” with “more surprises” still to come.
FPS Day X attendees were able to try the new Realism Mode, and the Ubisoft Japan channel also posted a video outlining the feature. Creative director Yannick Banchereau said in the video: “Realism Mode is your chance to experience The Division 2 like never before, raw and unforgiving.” The only catch is that the mode will be available only during a special anniversary mini-season beginning in March. Players must also own the Warlords of New York expansion to access it.
Something all players can enjoy is the new anniversary crossover taking place with three other Tom Clancy series. The outfits, based on characters from Rainbow Six Siege X, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon, can be unlocked through the Anniversary Pass, although full details have not yet been revealed. However, as with last year’s Payday collaboration, the content could be free and progression-based through the Anniversary Pass.
Ubisoft series such as Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, and Rainbow Six Siege have carried the publisher for some time. However, The Division series should not be overlooked. As noted earlier, the first game incorporated many extraction shooter elements, helping pave the way for more recent titles such as Escape From Tarkov and Arc Raiders.
My Hero Academia: All’s Justice launches on February 6th, 2026, a great way for the main series fans to play out the greatest battles from the final main series arc that just finished airing. This is a perfect drop time as it also coincides with the airing of the spin-off My Hero Academia: Vigilantes. Bandai Namco reached out to us to try out three specific parts of the upcoming game.
Like its predecessor games, My Hero One’s Justice 1 and 2, this is a 3D arena fighting game. However, the My Hero One’s Justice games are 1v1 battles; My Hero Academia: All’s Justice features a 3v3 tag-team format—containing free character swapping, dropping the assist system for a more dynamic, team-focused gameplay, building on the expanded roster and improved features of its predecessors. This upcoming game aims to do all this while covering the manga’s epic final arc with cinematic story elements.
Bandai Namco describes the game: “Smash through My Hero Academia’s final story arc and triumph over your foes in spectacular 3v3 battles! Follow Deku and the journeys of other characters in the Final War between Heroes and Villains, and experience the world-shaking, climactic clash between One For All and All For One in My Hero Academia: All’s Justice.”
This game features classic fighting game controls and special abilities. One key caveat, however, is the Rising gauge. Rising mode enhances a character for a limited time, allowing players to use special actions that are available only while Rising is activated. As in similar fighting games, Plus Ultra is a separate gauge beneath the Rising gauge, and it activates the character’s ultimate ability.
For this first look at My Hero Academia: All’s Justice, we were able to try Story mode, Team Up Mission mode and Hero’s Diary mode, along with extended time exploring characters and stages in Battle mode. Story mode lets players relive many of the anime’s major battles, including clashes such as Ochaco Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui versus Himiko Toga. A central hub ties the experience together, with players assuming the role of protagonist Izuku Midoriya.
“One of the cool things is how Present Mic announced a win with a knockout with the Ultimate ability.”
Set in a semi-open-world structure, the game allows players to move freely through the city and interact with familiar faces from the anime. Team Up Mission mode expands on this by focusing on navigation and exploration around town. One standout mechanic is swinging through the city using Black Whip, one of the One For All quirks Deku can use.
In this preview build, we went hands-on with Katsuki Bakugo versus All For One in a climactic final battle. The matchup required focus and finesse, which is fitting given All For One’s role as one of the anime’s final bosses. Whether players are new to fighting games or seasoned veterans, there are still ways to deal consistent damage to All For One. These strategies rely heavily on long-range attacks, combined with well-timed, repeated strikes. A win is still a win, and the game’s control options help make that possible.
“My Hero Academia: All’s Justice appears to be shaping up as a well-crafted, expansive time capsule to the anime series.”
One of the standout control features in My Hero Academia: All’s Justice is the inclusion of two distinct control modes. Normal Control mode is described as allowing certain actions to activate automatically when attack commands are input. In this mode, the game can link Quirk skills, character swaps and Plus Ultra moves with a single button press. This setup is well-suited to beginners and players who do not regularly play action games. More experienced players can switch to Manual Control mode, which allows for greater freedom when chaining moves and executing combos. This option gives skilled players more precise control over timing and strategy.
Another memorable touch is how Present Mic announces a knockout achieved with an Ultimate ability. If an opponent is defeated with a Plus Ultra attack, he shouts “Plus Ultra!” on the victory screen. The 3v3 tag team battle mechanics also work well, with maximum damage possible when switching characters at the moment an enemy is locked in a damage animation. Not every fight follows a 3v3 format. Battles can also play out as 3v1, 2v1, 1v1 or 2v2 encounters.
For most of Story mode, the game relied on original-resolution footage, largely made up of still images, with original audio played over top. Given how Bandai Namco successfully recreated the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime in a refreshed form in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles and its sequel, I expected a similar level of care for My Hero Academia: All’s Justice. It is possible the final version of the game will present a cleaner, more polished look.
The game features dynamic camera work and action lines inspired by titles such as Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero and the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai games. Environmental destruction also helps sell the impact of each fight, reinforcing the sense of power behind every hit. Being able to play as members of Class 1-A or pro heroes who receive limited screen time in the anime is a major bonus, particularly since most characters are presented with near-maximum power levels. Team Up Mission mode and Hero’s Diary mode help expand on this appeal.
While we could not capture and check out everything the game has to offer, My Hero Academia: All’s Justice appears to be shaping up as a well-crafted, expansive time capsule to the anime series. The fights and attacks felt true to the show, given the current move sets available. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but I look forward to seeing what the final version will look like.
So, what do you have to do? Starting December 8th, players and learners can unlock the special quest in any course on the Duolingo app. Complete one unit lesson daily for three consecutive days to maintain your learning streak and ultimately sculpt a collectible in-app statue of Paimon and Duo — a token of your persistence (plus a little magic from Teyvat).
Popular Genshin Impact characters Tighnari and Cyno, along with Duo and Paimon, will show up to cheer on learners. Those who complete the quest will receive exclusive rewards, including the avatar “Diligent Study,” namecard “Celebration: Dream Reader,” and a unique Sumeru-style dish “Spiced Fried Chicken” along with its recipe. The reward redemption code can be claimed from the “Shop” page in the Duolingo app before December 30th, 2025, 23:59:59 (UTC) and redeemed in Genshin Impact before January 31, 2026, 15:59:59 (UTC).
The collaboration follows the recently released Genshin Impact Version Luna III, which introduced Durin, a new 5-Star Pyro character with dual battle forms, and a new story chapter set in Nod-Krai. The official collab quest will be available in select regions from December 8 to December 27. December 25 is the last day for learners to join the Quest and earn rewards. Event availability varies by region. Learners can check participation details for their region in the Duolingo app.
Duolingo is the most downloaded education app worldwide, offering lessons for various subjects like math, music, and chess. Oh, and most importantly, the app offers learning over 250 total language courses from Spanish, French, German, and Japanese to Navajo and Yiddish. So, what better way to learn about one of these topics than with somefriends from Genshin Impact, led by the best guide in all of Teyvat.
There are a few ways to join the Quest, so be sure to double check the rules!
Veteran Tekken game developer Katsuhiro Harada announced his departure from Bandai Namco after spending 30 years with the company.
After many years and decades crafting the world of Tekken, the person behind it all is throwing in the towel. Well-known Tekken game developer Katsuhiro Harada announced he will be leaving Bandai Namco at the end of 2025. Harada issued a statement this morning with a heartfelt message about how much he thought about this decision. The Tekken 8 team also made a statement regarding the status of the game’s updates.
The Tekken franchise has been a genre-defining fighting game world, standing alongside Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Harada was the mastermind behind the game’s success over the years, becoming the face of the series at events. While Harada stepping away from Bandai Namco marks the end of an era, the Tekken 8 team said his exit will not impact ongoing development or the post-launch roadmap. They emphasized their commitment to continuing the series “with the vision and spirit built by Harada-san,” promising to keep community feedback at the core of their approach as the well-known fighting game franchise moves into its next era.
Harada explained that his decision to leave came after a period of personal and professional loss. He continued elaborating that the “loss of several close friends” and watching senior colleagues retire or pass away caused him to reflect deeply on “the time [he] has left as a creator.” After decades spent shaping the world, characters, and legacy of Tekken, he felt this was the most befitting time to cap off his own legacy.
He followed up with an outlined message, looking back on his time beginning at Bandai Namco. He recalled his humble beginnings at local Japanese arcade tournaments and traced his journey through the studio’s growth and Tekken’s global rise. He thanked fans for their unwavering support and said he will share details about his future plans in due course.
Harada left off on two final notes, involving two of the last upcoming related activities on his agenda. The first announcements he revealed was that “Bandai Namco has asked [him] to appear at the TWT Finals at the end of January 2026, so [he is] expect[ed] to attend as a guest.” For those of you have seen Harada at these tournaments, you know how great he is and and loves competing too.
The second announcement was a more funny one. His final message stated, “For 30 years I kept saying, “I’ll do it someday,” and never once performed as a DJ at a tournament event. So instead, I will be releasing—for the first and last time—a 60-minute TEKKEN DJ-style nonstop mix (DJ mix), personally edited by myself, together with this announcement. Listening to it brings back many memories. Thank you again, sincerely, for all these years.”
Let us know your favourite Tekken or favourite Katsuhiro Harada memory. While doing so, give a listen to Harada’s mix too.
Due to the recent RAM supply shortage, reports noted that Microsoft and Xbox may increase hardware prices again.
To support more AI data centers, the demand for DRAM has never been higher. With the recent RAM shortages, reports and videos indicate that Microsoft and Xbox may have to raise their hardware costs again. This could spell more price hikes on the Xbox Series X|S, which has already gone up twice in the last 12 months in the United States. Sources also shared that Sony avoided the shortage crisis by stockpiling RAM ahead of time.
Microsoft and Xbox already bumped up the cost of the Xbox Series X by $100 back in May, while the Series S had an $80 increase. Then, another price hike was announced in September within the US. The companies also raised the price of some of their Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers.
As PC gamers and PC enthusiasts are in pain and jockeying for reasonably priced RAM, the gaming industry is being hit too. According to Moore’s Law is Dead over on YouTube, as spotted by TGP, there are talks about Xbox warning its partners that the ongoing RAM shortage could force them to increase the cost of their consoles again. “[Microsoft] didn’t plan ahead at all, apparently,” Moore’s Law is Dead’s Tom said.
“If you still want an Xbox for some reason at their current pricing, those prices could go up soon, or supply could just entirely dry up because multiple sources of mine have apparently been warned by sales reps at Microsoft that this is going to affect the Xbox Series consoles very, very soon. Sooner rather than later.”
Interestingly, Sony recently cut PlayStation 5 pricing for Black Friday. Reports pointed out that the reason Sony could do this was that they had already anticipated this RAM shortage fiasco. “From what I’ve heard, Sony planned ahead, bought up gobs of RAM near the bottom of the pricing, and thus they should be fine for months,” Tom continued.
As of writing, no one knows how much the Xbox price increase could be, due to the major RAM shortages. Neither Microsoft nor Xbox has addressed the issue yet, nor has it put out a statement. With the holiday season so close, they may hold back from raising prices until 2026. There is nothing worse than price hikes to sour the end of a year, especially since Xbox has been pushing the ROG Ally X and their many great games.
The RAM shortage scare began after OpenAI signed large, long-term memory supply deals with Samsung and SK Hynix. Because of these agreements, OpenAI could be using as much as 40 per cent of the world’s DRAM output. Other industries, including consoles, tablets, vehicle systems and traditional computers, must then compete for the remaining 60%. While the conversation in Moore’s Law is Dead focused heavily on Xbox, the issue could affect many technology companies and products this holiday season.
The video game industry has already faced sudden and unpredictable stress, and this is another layer of pressure. Data centres and companies that use AI consume large amounts of memory, leaving standard tech sectors scrambling for what remains. It is still unclear how long the shortage will last, or how its effects may extend well beyond gaming devices in the long run.
Famous acting legend and OD game actor Udo Kier has passed away; Hideo Kojima posted about being “at a loss for words.”
It is with sadness that we share the news that another acting legend has died. Veteran actor Udo Kier died on Nov. 23, 2025, at the age of 81. Video game CEO and game creator Hideo Kojima said he was shocked to hear the news. Kier had been slated to appear in Kojima’s upcoming Xbox horror game OD. His partner, artist Delbert McBride, shared the news of his death.
Kier was born as Udo Kierspe in Cologne, Germany, in October 1944. When he was 18, he moved to London, before going on to star in films including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Armageddon, and Blade. These were all of the first films I saw Kier in, along with Halloween (2007). Other than OD, the late star has left his mark playing the notable character Yuri in the Command & Conquer: Red Alertgames.
“It all happened far too suddenly,” Kojima wrote on social media. “Because of the strike, we weren’t able to shoot ‘OD’ for a long time, and we were forced to reschedule to next year. Even during that time, Udo and I exchanged emails frequently. We stayed in close contact. When we met in Milan at the end of September, he told me how much he was looking forward to the shoot starting up again next year. He was full of energy then too, making me laugh with his usual ‘Udo-isms’.
“I still can’t believe this. Udo wasn’t just an actor. He was truly an icon of his time. We’ve lost a great icon. There will never be another like him. Udo, rest in peace. I will never forget you.”
Kojima’s OD was meant to feature Kier alongside Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and director Jordan Peele (Get Out, Nope). With Kier’s passing, it is unclear whether he will be recast in the game or if his role will be removed from the project. Either way, Kojima will probably honour him in the best way possible, and with consent from his family.
Among the more than 200 films he starred in, Kier’s breakout collaborations with Andy Warhol are among his most celebrated. Kier starred in the titular roles in both 1973’s Flesh for Frankenstein and 1974’s Blood for Dracula. Both directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Warhol, the films are subversive, sultry reimaginings of the classic Hollywood monsters.
Rest in peace, Udo Kier, and thank you for all your hard work and art you have provided us.
The world of Sisu took fans by storm on Netflix; however, this was also a theatrical film that only grossed about $3.3 million domestically in Finland in January 2023. Surprisingly, the film did better internationally, grossing $14.3 million, including the United States and Canadian theatrical release in April 2023. The film also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.
Even though Netflix is where Sisu really got it’s traction, director Jalmari Helander is pushing for a theatrical release for the sequel film: Sisu: Road to Revenge. In my opinion, this Finnish John Wick-esque film deserves some cinematic love. CGMagazine chatted about the upcoming second film with Helander and lead actor Jorma Tommila. They both discussed what it was like working with a Hollywood actor like Stephen Lang (Don’t Breathe, the Avatar films), inspirations behind this film, and video games.
(To Helander) You’ve mentioned that Sisu was inspired by the worlds of Rambo, James Bond, and Buster Keaton films. I even felt some Mad Max vibes from Sisu: Road to Revenge. What other influences went into this film, both as a revenge story and a historical fiction one?
Jalmari Helander: The easiest way to explain is that I wanted to have speed on this one. It’s something that I’ve always liked to have, like a lot of movement, which I haven’t had in any of our films yet. So I wanted to be on the move and basically do like a road movie. And I think one of the biggest inspirations is the Indiana Jones films.
They have the same kind of entertaining playfulness, but it was also important to me to tell a serious story about Aatami and him trying to get his house back. I think it’s a never-before-seen compilation of styles because it’s very serious and also really not serious, and how it works together. I think that’s interesting.
Yes. Visuals are very important. Now, I know you’re working on a passion project of yours—John Rambo. I was curious if revenge and those similar themes found in Sisu: Road to Revenge are a genre you’ve always been fascinated by?
Jalmari Helander: Yeah, I love films that are about somebody that you shouldn’t be f****** with. I always love that, and I think a lot of people do too. It’s an underdog story about someone who was just minding his own business, and bad guys are coming, and they get what they deserve.
And for you, Jorma, you’re an amazing actor—bringing so much physicality and visual acting. We’ve seen this from Rare Exports, Big Game, and the Sisu franchise. Where do you get your style of acting from? Any inspiration from other actors?
Jorma Tommila: The foundation of my acting career comes from the Helsinki Theatre Academy, where I studied from 1985 to 1989. At that time, the acting education emphasized physical expression and making the character’s mental state tangible. I’ve been inspired by a lot of great actors my entire life.
You’ve been in a few action films now. What about this genre keeps you coming back to action films like the Sisu films?
Jorma Tomilla: It’s not about the genre, it’s about working with the director Jalmari Helander. Whenever he asks me to join a project, I know that something unique is going to happen.
Makes sense. And for both of you, what was it like working with actors like Stephen Lang on this film?
Jalmari Helander: There was a lot of thinking, and I don’t even remember the process anymore. But when the idea of Stephen Lang came in, I immediately knew he was the perfect bad guy. I went to have a chat with him, and I instantly knew that he would be the right guy for me. He was so respectful of what I was trying to do, and he was a big fan of the first Sisu. So, it worked out really well.
Jorma Tommila: [Stephen Lang] is a consummate professional and a great, inspiring colleague.
Definitely. Knowing now that Sisu: Road to Revenge is one of the biggest budget Finnish films ever, having about an 11-million dollar budget, what does that mean to both of you and for Finnish cinema?
Jalmari Helander: I don’t know what it means for Finnish cinema, but I do know what it means to me, because that’s been my dream. No one else is doing action films in Finland. No one has done action films in Finland [because] it’s a really weird concept. Even when I started saying that I want to do action films, and I’m from Finland, and there were a lot of people who were laughing at me, saying, “That’s a very stupid idea,” and “maybe you should concentrate on something else.” So being here now feels f****** good.
Jorma Tommila: Well, at least a large budget increases the pressure to be successful at your job. [It means] a lot. Working with Jalmari and on his films are the most important works in my career. And I feel that in the films Sisu and Sisu 2, my art of acting come out naturally.
Lastly, as we cover plenty of gaming content too, there’s a lot of great Finnish game studios out there—such as Remedy Entertainment with the Alan Wake and Control games, and the Supercell mobile games like Brawl Stars and Clash Royale. Even Hideo Kojima praised Sisu when it came out! Would either of you be eager to work on a video game?
Jorma Tommila: I would be open to it.
Jalmari Helander: It’s hard for me to think about that, but sure, why not? I don’t know. I myself like games like The Last of Us or Uncharted. I don’t like open-world games. I like to be entertained [in a similar way as] a movie.
Oh, nice! Those are great story-driven, cinematic games for sure. Thank you both again for your time!
There is no doubt that Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters have taken the globe in 2025, since its release on the streamer. In general, K-pop has been entering the more mainstream music scene around the world, closer to the 2010s when PSY’s Gangnam Style went viral in 2012. This was also the peak time of music videos on YouTube. As the 2010s progressed, BTS (aka the Bangtan Boys) debuted in 2013 and really won the hearts of many people everywhere. I would argue Big Bang laid the foundations in the early 2000s to appeal to a more Western audience. But BTS skyrocketed the genre globally, doing various collabs from Fortniteto McDonald’s.
Now, a fictional K-pop group called HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Huntershas been blowing up since this past summer. I say fictional, but there are real voices behind these characters. Real voices that can act and sing. Arden Cho (Rumi), May Hong (Mira), and Ji-young Yoo (Zoey) brought the emotions and story to these characters, while EJAE (Rumi), Andrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey) brought their beautiful vocal talents to the trio’s voices. Recently, the three music artists performed live for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. All to say, HUNTR/X can be as real as the voices behind them.
CGMagazine had the amazing opportunity to sit down and talk with one of the visionaries behind KPop Demon Hunters, co-director Chris Appelhans, at SCAD AnimationFest 2025. We discussed Appelhans’ favourite K-pop groups, and delved deeper into assembling the powerhouse voices behind the animated, iconic female K-pop girl group. While a second chapter has not been officially announced by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, Appelhans stated how much he loved working with these spectacular women who bring HUNTR/X to life—including his wonderful co-director Maggie Kang.
With Kpop Demon Hunters being a fantastic genre mashup of supernatural, fantasy with music, I’m curious if you were a K-pop enjoyer before working on this project, or did you become one during the making of this film?
Chris Appelhans: Yeah, Rain was my first K-pop crush. That was around 2007-2008. And then over the years, I watched it grow, and I watched the musicianship and the production get more high-level. The last four or five years, artists like Sunmi really blew me away, like there’s just so much rawness and personality in her music. And then, obviously, BTS. I think BTS galvanized both Maggie and me because we were suffering through the pandemic, and they were doing all those virtual concerts.
[Meanwhile], the whole time we’re talking, ‘we’re making this movie about the power of music, but it’s cheesy. Is this going to work?’ And then we’re like, ‘Wait, it’s literally happening right now.’ Everyone around the world is happy because these seven guys are dancing and singing their great music. So yeah, I think it’s about 20 years or so [of enjoying K-pop]. But I’ve been a lifelong musician, so I think my deeper connection to the movie is as a musician and as a person who’s written songs and lived music as long as I can remember.
Yes, and I read a bit about how creating KPop Demon Hunters’soundtrack took around three years.
Chris Appelhans: Four years, actually. Yeah, it was four years from the first demo that EJAE did.
Wow, four years, sorry!When HUNRT/X is trying to write their final, big song in the film. I was curious if that was a reflection of both of your processes and everyone’s process on the music for this film, before or after writing the initial story?
Chris Appelhans:One of the things we really wanted to use the songs for was always to advance the story, and that included the relationship of the girls. So the songs that the girls sing represent the stages of their thinking. The first song, How It’s Done, is this declarative banger—like, we’re here; we’re badass; you can’t touch us; we’re going to protect the world, right?
Golden is a little bit more about how we have fears and insecurities; we started as zeros, and now we’re heroes. It’s more vulnerable and a little more like, we’re so close to our dream. Then, Takedown is really a misfire in their growth as people. It’s very one-dimensional, black and white, and it’s everything that they’ve been taught that’s maybe overly harsh. It’s obviously targeted at the Saja Boys, but really, it’s written to sort of target Rumi, right?
Inadvertently, [Rumi’s] realizing that Mira and Zoey have a really harsh and simple view of demons, [not good and bad demons, just demons]. So, the fact that they were writing the song together was a good plot point because I got to write a song to fight the Saja Boys, but it was also a vessel for us to show the audience how Rumi was questioning everyone’s worldview, and Mira and Zoe weren’t in that same headspace. It was a way of showing the audience this group that seems so together actually aren’t on the same page in some big ways.
Definitely. And on mentioning Mira and Zoey, we get a lot more of Rumi’s backstory in KPop Demon Hunters compared to Mira and Zoey. I know you probably have all the ideas already, but is that something that could be further explored down the line?
Chris Appelhans: I think it totally could. Nobody’s made any decisions about the next chapter. But I think one of the things that I love about their story, if you’ve seen any interviews with Rei Ami or Ji-Young Yoo, all the voice actresses and singers really relate to their fictional character. They each have really interesting individual backstories that kind of mirror the fictional ones.
So there’s always value in knowing more about the specifics. But sometimes the beautiful thing about a story is giving people a little bit of the details they want, without getting too specific; they can inhabit the idea a little bit. I know Zoey’s backstory, but when Rei Ami told me her backstory, I’m like, ‘This is amazing too,’ and it’s about the same thing.
It’s always this dance when you’re writing characters, to tell everybody exactly who they are and where they came from. [But you can] also withhold some stuff, so that people can put themselves in there and just relate to that universal thing that the character is going through.
Yeah, and I thought it was such a huge process blending the singers with actresses. It’s very interesting hearing about how you wanted to bridge that gap.
Chris Appelhans: I think the reason each character feels seamless, even though it’s two different women, is that both the actress and singer are really related to the character, and the way they inhabited them was personal. Somehow, that creates the illusion that it’s all one soul inside these characters. But I would say that Maggie deserves a lot of credit for dreaming up this idea when she did. Without the platform of this story and this film, EJAE, Rei, Audrey, and all these women [wouldn’t] have had this place to show who they are.
That’s one of the things about making films is if you are doing the right film at the right time, the universe tends to provide you with the necessary pieces. How crazy is it that these amazing women showed up and all had the talents necessary to pull this off? It’s a credit to the fact that finally, somebody planted a flag and said, ‘Let’s make a movie like this.’ And they all said, ‘I will be in that movie’. I love that. I think it’s why it’s important to keep doing original stuff in film and animation because the world is changing, and so our artwork should be changing too.
That’s amazingly put. Last question, I was hoping you could speak more on what went on behind one of my favourite scenes, the opening fight sequence on the plane.
Chris Appelhans: It was really collaborative. We had some great board artists on the show who boarded different passes of that and allowed us to figure out the structure. We also had some really comedic through lines in terms of the girls loving food. As much as they wanted to fight demons, what they really cared about was their dang ramyeon. The idea that they’re so badass that being attacked in an airplane at 30,000 feet by a bunch of demons that want to kill them is mostly a nuisance.
It’s really just like, ‘Can I just eat, damn it? ‘ So I think that conceit was really fun and playful, and then writing the song, like I said, is kind of just a catharsis, of like, let’s make a banger that’s basically ‘don’t get in our way.’ And then the choreography of the animation was a very carefully figured-out thing. With our amazing animation team, [there were] lots of reference videos.
We have some animators who would do the blocking pass, where they would draw in 2D some of those crazy continuous shots where it’s here, and then the camera is here, and then people overlap. They would do a 2D pass at that—to get it visually working—and then we’d sort that out in 3D. [For] the airplane, we have two airplanes. One is the first half of the scene, and when the song starts, it gets twice as big, but you don’t notice because it’s just hidden in the cut. So yeah, so many shenanigans.
