The global success of Netflix's animated series "K-Pop Demon Hunters" has unexpectedly brought international attention to the historical atrocities committed during Japan's colonial rule of Korea. A viral TikTok video about a tiger character from the show has sparked widespread discussions about Japanese imperialism, drawing over 1.2 million views and igniting conversations about forgotten historical crimes.
The controversy began when TikTok user Jay (merajorphosis) posted a video on September 15th expressing her shock after learning about the systematic extermination of Korean tigers during Japanese colonial rule. Her caption read: "Just found out Japan took out all the tigers Korea had for generations last century from watching and searching up the tigers history in kpop demon hunters..." The video quickly went viral, accumulating more than 1.2 million views and 190,000 likes as of Wednesday.
Jay's curiosity was sparked by a tiger character nicknamed "Derpy" who appears in the Netflix series alongside a magpie character named "Sussie." These characters were inspired by traditional Korean paintings from the Joseon era (1392-1910) known as "hojakdo," which depicted tigers and magpies together. In the animated series, Derpy and Sussie serve as spiritual guides who help the main characters Rumi and Jinu navigate between the world of the living and the afterlife.
During Japan's colonial occupation of Korea, tigers were officially classified as "harmful animals" and became targets of systematic hunting campaigns beginning in 1917. Japanese authorities mobilized large civilian hunting groups to eliminate the tigers, officially justifying these hunts as necessary measures to protect villages from tiger attacks. However, many historians argue that the tiger extermination campaign was actually part of Japan's broader strategy to erase Korean cultural identity and boost imperial morale among Japanese settlers.
The TikTok video quickly evolved from a discussion about tiger extinction into a much broader critique of Japanese imperialism and its lasting impacts. The post attracted more than 2,000 comments, with users condemning Japan's historical crimes and criticizing ongoing efforts to distort or minimize these atrocities. One highly popular comment that received approximately 27,000 likes stated: "They (Japan) also tried to eradicate the Mugunghwa (rose of Sharon), Korea's national flower, to suppress Korean national identity and it is now a symbol of Korean resilience."
Other commenters expanded the discussion to include various aspects of Japanese colonial brutality. Some wrote "The extinction of tigers is only a small part of what Japan did," while others noted that "Japan left war crimes out of textbooks, so many Japanese today do not know about their own country's brutality." Several users urged viewers to research information about wartime sexual slavery, known as the "comfort women" system, highlighting that many victims were as young as 14 years old when they were forced into sexual servitude.
The timing of this social media phenomenon is particularly striking given the commercial success of "K-Pop Demon Hunters." The series, which blends K-pop music with Korean mythology in a modern fantasy setting, has become Netflix's most-watched title worldwide. Additionally, the show's original soundtrack has topped the Billboard chart, demonstrating the global appeal of Korean cultural content.
The irony of the situation has not been lost on observers, as Sony Pictures Animation of Japan served as co-producer of the project that inadvertently sparked these discussions about Japanese colonial crimes. This collaboration between Korean and Japanese entertainment companies has created an unexpected platform for educating global audiences about historical injustices that remain sensitive topics in East Asian international relations.
The viral response to Jay's TikTok video demonstrates how popular entertainment can serve as an unexpected gateway to historical education, particularly for younger international audiences who may have limited knowledge of East Asian history. The butterfly effect created by curiosity about an animated tiger character has opened up conversations about cultural genocide, systematic oppression, and the importance of historical memory in contemporary international relations.
