Zoey is easy to love.
She is energetic, funny and the adorable maknae of HUNTR/X. But some KPop Demon Hunters fans are already worried that the sequel could make a mistake with her:
turning Zoey into nothing more than “the cute one.”
That concern recently appeared in Reddit discussions about KPop Demon Hunters 2. Fans pointed out that Zoey may be bubbly, but she is also creative, emotionally complex and a powerful demon hunter.
Zoey Is More Than Comic Relief
Netflix describes Zoey as HUNTR/X’s rapper and lyricist. She fights with magical throwing knives and, beneath her cheerful personality, struggles with a feeling that she does not completely belong.
Growing up between the United States and Korea gives her an identity conflict that the first movie only had limited time to explore.
That could become one of the sequel’s strongest stories.
Is Zoey always cheerful because that is simply who she is?
Or does she sometimes use humor and optimism because she wants everyone around her to accept her?
Fans Want to See Her Grow
Some fans have gone much further than asking for additional screen time.
One Reddit proposal imagined Zoey becoming the central character of the sequel, investigating demons herself and discovering new information about the demon world.
She does not necessarily need to replace Rumi as the protagonist.
But she does need something that belongs to Zoey.
Her own conflict. Her own decisions. Her own mistakes.
Most importantly, her own growth.
The Sequel Has a Chance
Making Zoey funnier would be easy.
Making her cuter would be easy.
But KPop Demon Hunters has already hinted that there is much more underneath that cheerful personality.
The sequel now has the opportunity to show it.
Because Zoey does not need to stop being cute.
She just needs to be allowed to be more than cute.