New KPop Demon Hunters art book confirms a tragic theory about Rumi's mom

Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters may have its fair share of fist-pumping anthems, but there's plenty of hidden gut-punches bubbling away under the surface.

While the grief and trauma of Huntr/x's past may not always be front and centre, the new free KPop Demon Hunters art book has revealed that the history of Rumi's parentage is even more tragic than the movie let on.

The early pages confirm that lead singer Rumi's friendship with her bandmates fills a gap "that was ripped open when her warrior mother was killed, at a time when Rumi was just a baby."

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In KPop Demon Hunters itself, all we know is that Rumi's mother died when she was young, with her mother's bandmate in the Sunlight Sisters, Celine, stepping in to raise Rumi and guide the rest of Huntr/x through their goal of protecting the Honmoon.

The mystery deepens, however. As pointed out by CBR, concept art posted to Instagram by visual designer Simon Baek closely matches the one found in the art book. Intriguingly, the one on the artist's Instagram profile features a line from Rumi asking why Celine killed her mother. That, it seems, was a plot thread cut from the final version.

“There is so much unsaid and untold history between Celine and Rumi that finding the right balance of how much to reveal on screen became one of the toughest challenges,” editor Nathan Schauf said in the art book.

Might the fractured relationship between Celine and Rumi – plus the death of Rumi's human mother while Celine presumably fought Rumi's demonic father – be explored in a sequel? We wouldn't bet against it.

Unfortunately for those eagerly anticipating answers, KPop Demon Hunters 2 isn't releasing until 2029.

For more, check out our picks for best Netflix movies, plus everything that's new on Netflix in December.