Planet Anime Kansas City\u2019<\/a>s short history has brought together fans of the once-niche Japanese-based art form under one roof to celebrate its long history of characters and culture. It\u2019s only grown since its inception in 2022, and 2025\u2019s edition brought its biggest celebrity yet.<\/p>\n The Netflix original animated movie \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d has captivated the world, staying atop the streaming service\u2019s most-watched movie rankings since its release Aug. 23 and earning Grammy Award nominations for its original song \u201cGolden,\u201d which also topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for eight weeks and the Billboard Global 200 chart for 16 weeks<\/a>.<\/p>\n As a part of this year\u2019s convention, Planet Anime secured a visit from May Hong<\/a>, who provides the speaking voice of Mira, a member of HUNTR\/X, the star K-Pop girl group made for the film. Her impact reached the Midwest, drawing guests from all over Kansas and Missouri to the Kansas City Convention Center.<\/p>\n Staple animes like \u201cSailor Moon,\u201d \u201cOne Piece\u201d and \u201cNaruto,\u201d and modern favorites like \u201cDandadan,\u201d \u201cJujutsu Kaisen\u201d and \u201cMy Hero Academia\u201d were well represented on the showroom floor, but none had a greater presence than \u201cKPop Demon Hunters.\u201d<\/p>\n Scattered across Bartle Hall were vendors with drawings, keychains and other artwork featuring the characters. It was easy to lose count of how many people were wearing T-shirts or other merchandise from the movie.<\/p>\n The lines to meet Hong and get her autograph were some of the longest at the event, and her booth was nearly double the amount the other voice actors had in celebrity row. But fans just seemed happy to have the chance to celebrate their love for the movie.<\/p>\n The film has captured the hearts from people of all ages, inspiring family, friends and couples to dress up as characters from the movie, like Mira\u2019s bandmates, Zoey and Rumi; the enemy K-pop boy band Saja Boys; obsessed fans, or a cat. It\u2019s given them another way to strengthen their bonds with each other, which is one of the key themes from the movie.<\/p>\n Such was the case with Wichita native Cassandra Wheeler. She, her husband, Josh, and their children, Cortana, Meadow, Prudence and Persephone, wore costumes hand-made for Halloween, and they were able to break them it out one more time.<\/p>\n Cassandra Wheeler, left, and her husband, Josh, cosplay as characters from the movie \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters\u201d during Planet Anime at the Kansas City Convention Center on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n Cassandra Wheeler said it was the children\u2019s idea to dress up as characters from the movie. Persephone took the reigns of Derpy, the oversized demon cat in the movie, while Cortana, Meadow and Prudence took the stage as the K-pop group in their final performance during the movie. This left Mom and Dad with a fitting option \u2014 the demon form of the Saja Boys.<\/p>\n The popularity of the movie can be attributed to its relatability, Cassandra Wheeler said. Audiences of all ages can connect with it, and she said it helps that the music is catchy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt reaches young audiences, middle-aged audiences, older audiences, those that are into anime, those that are into K-pop,\u201d Cassandra Wheeler said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a broad thing, and it helps bring everybody together.\u201d<\/p>\n The movie\u2019s vibrant advertisements on Netflix also grabbed the attention of Olathe natives Jon and Anne McKim and their daughter, Emily.<\/p>\n The McKims placed the blame on the repeat watch parties on their daughter, but they were able to successfully convince friend Kylie Wilbur to watch, along with a bunch of their friends taking part in their Dungeons and Dragons strategy game.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize it was coming out, and then we were like \u2018oh this seems new and cool, we haven\u2019t watched this yet,\u2019\u201d Jon McKim said. \u201cNow, we haven\u2019t stopped watching it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilbur tagged along with the group costume as a fan, like Anne McKim, while Jon McKim was Abs Saja in his human form, and Emily McKim got to reuse her Rumi costume from Halloween.<\/p>\n Anne McKim, left, her husband, John, her daughter, Emily, and their friend, Kylie Wilbur, dress as characters from the movie \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters\u201d during Planet Anime at the Kansas City Convention Center on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n The journey the McKim family has went on with \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d inspired them to show their daughter some of the classic anime series they grew up watching, like \u201cPok\u00e9mon\u201d and \u201cDragon Ball Z.\u201d It\u2019s part of their goal to raise her right, Jon McKim said.<\/p>\n The stigma of being into anime has disappeared, like what the McKims and Wilbur noticed when they were in middle and high school. It certainly helps that animes like \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d have been embraced by celebrities and athletes across the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s cool to see it all come back out and come back around,\u201d Wilbur said. \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Ha, see, I told you guys this stuff was great,\u2019 and now we\u2019re adults, and you believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n They\u2019re also regulars to Planet Anime and Planet Comicon Kansas City, both of which are run by Planet Promotions. Seeing the anime-centered convention land big-name talent long Hong speaks to Planet Anime\u2019s growth in such a short time, Jon McKim said. They can\u2019t wait to see what next year brings.<\/p>\n Kansas City-area natives Kai Pugh and Ez McLaughlin met three years ago through dating app Tinder. How\u2019d they know they\u2019d match? They both had pictures of themselves in different cosplays on their profiles.<\/p>\n Fast-forward past numerous couples\u2019 costumes at other conventions, and the two are also dressed as the Saja Boys in demon form, with the demon markings and purple skin tone . The characters hit right in the middle of their interests, since McLaughlin has an affinity for attractive male anime characters and Pugh is a K-pop superfan (Pugh said she also finds the Saja Boys attractive).<\/p>\n Looks might\u2019ve been what led them in this direction, but they both fell in love with the story\u2019s message of being true to yourself and that embracing your inner \u201cdemon\u201d isn\u2019t always a bad thing. McLaughlin reiterated a point made by Cassandra Wheeler in that anyone can relate to it, as McLaughlin\u2019s trying to get her younger cousins to watch it.<\/p>\n Kai Pugh, left, and Ez McLaughlin cosplay as characters from the movie \u201cK-Pop Demon Hunters\u201d during Planet Anime at the Kansas City Convention Center on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a similar journey Kansas City native Mackenna Haney is on, although she said she was more successful with her 3-year-old nephew, who now sings \u201cGolden.\u201d Haney dressed as Rumi from the movie\u2019s opening scene, and was there with childhood friend Cyn Thompson, who\u2019s was dressed as Zoey from the same scene.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful, and there\u2019s a heartfelt story about accepting yourself and not feeling ashamed,\u201d Haney said.<\/p>\n Thompson, despite having a movie-accurate attire, has yet to watch it. She fell in love with the music and was able to convince Haney to join her after finding the costumes. While not having watched the movie, Thompson said she loves what the movie represents, and that it\u2019s another signifier of how Asian culture has planted its flag in the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
A diminishing stigma around the anime genre<\/h2>\n
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Music igniting the soul and bringing people together<\/h2>\n
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