After making its first appearance in Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters back in June 2025, demon K-pop boy band Saja Boys is scheduled to make its first real-world performance as part of McDonald’s Battle of the Bands collaboration on April 26. The performance will serve as the real-life version of the bands’ rivalry with girl group HUNTR/X as each act sings their hearts out to win over the fans’ hearts once and for all. With the film garnering both commercial and critical acclaim in just under a year, and the Saja Boys becoming a sensation practically overnight, there’s a lot to be said about the impact of fictional music groups in media.

On March 31, McDonald’s launched their limited-edition HUNTR/X and Saja Boys Happy Meals, encouraging fans to show their fandom and vote for their favorite group by buying their respective meals. Along with character-specific foods and drinks like HUNTR/X’s Ramyeon McShaker Fries, and Saja Boys’ Spicy Saja McMuffin, each meal comes with its own exclusive photocards — a collectible staple in K-pop fandom. 

However, with this special online performance coming up, fans will also receive a Derpy Tiger access card with a QR code to scan and access through the McDonald’s app. While the singing voices behind the demon-slaying girl group HUNTR/X (EJAE, Rei Ami, and Audrey Nuna) have already performed countless times on awards shows, late-night talk shows, and even Coachella, the same had yet to be said about Saja Boys — until now. 

Making their first stage appearance, Andrew Choi (Jinu), Samuil Lee (Romance Saja), Kevin Woo (Mystery Saja), SungWon Cho (Abby Saja), and Danny Chung (Baby Saja), will perform their hit song, “Soda Pop,” in what’s being called “The Battle for the Fans.” The event is a callback to when HUNTR/X declared war against the Saja Boys, with each group vowing to gain more supporters than the other, one to seal the Honmoon (the protective barrier to keep demons out), and the other to destroy it.

Not only is the McDonald’s collaboration a fun marketing tactic, but it’s also one of the most immersive we’ve seen yet, allowing fans to experience a fictional battle of the bands more tangibly. It all shows just how far the Saja Boys have come since their 2025 debut — at first, the group’s singing voices had only convened online with one karaoke performance of their darker single, “Your Idol,” and Kevin Woo performing “Soda Pop” solo at various events. Slowly but surely, though, the artists finally began making group appearances, with their first being at the 2026 Oscars to support the film’s nominations and subsequent wins.

The demand and popularity of both HUNTR/X and Saja Boys alike have been unlike anything pop culture has seen with fictional media. In fact, it only reinforces the argument that fictional music groups are just as valid and legitimate as real-life artists, especially considering that real people are coming together to bring these animated artists to life. Between the animators, VFX artists, voice actors, and of course, the singers, there are so many unique and diverse opportunities for fictional groups that could transcend media, like Kpop Demon Hunters already  has.

Now that the guys of Saja Boys are coming out of their shells and giving us a live performance, there could be so much potential for a full Kpop Demon Hunters tour somewhere down the line, potentially after the sequel. If that possibility eventually becomes a reality, it would be great to see a combination of the group’s animated forms beside their human counterparts — either as holograms or simply featuring new animation via jumbo trons to coincide with the performance. The possibilities are endless, but this McDonald’s collab is already off to an exciting start.

In addition to Saja Boys performing “Soda Pop,” McDonald’s has also teased HUNTR/X’s first-ever performance of “How It’s Done,” the opening song of the movie. After nearly a year of the girls singing “Golden,” it’ll be refreshing to finally hear one of the film’s other popular tracks live. If this pulls in the numbers and views that most expect it to, maybe this could be the start of more real-life Saja Boys in our world, as well as the animated one.