| “ | Demons have always haunted our world, stealing our souls and channeling strength back to their king, Gwi-Ma. Until heroes arose to defend us, born with voices that could drive back the darkness. Singing songs of courage and hope. But Hunters are more than warriors. Our music ignites the soul and brings people together. With this connection, the first Hunters created a shield to protect our world, the Honmoon. Every generation, a new trio of Hunters is chosen to fulfill our ultimate duty. A barrier so strong it is impenetrable, that will keep demons and Gwi-Ma from our world forever, the Golden Honmoon. And now, that duty falls to you. That victory is within your reach. It is your voices, your song, that will create the Golden Honmoon. | „ |
| ~ Celine's opening narration in the film; her speech to HUNTR/X. |
| “ | Our faults and fears must never be seen! That's the only way to protect the Honmoon! | „ |
| ~ Celine to Rumi; her most infamous quote. |
Celine is one of the titular overarching protagonists (alongside Mi-yeong Ryu) of Sony Pictures Animation's 29th full-length animated feature film KPop Demon Hunters.
She is a retired member of the Sunlight Sisters, a first generation K-Pop group that also operated as a team of demon hunters before HUNTR/X. Celine also serves as the maternal figure to Rumi, having adopted her following the death of her mother, Mi-yeong Ryu.
She is voiced by Yunjin Kim, while her singing voice is provided by Lea Salonga. In the Korean dub, Chung Sook-kyung did her, who also did Imelda Rivera.
Appearance[]
Celine is a tall, middle-aged woman with a fair complexion. She has long, flowing black hair interspersed with a few gray streaks. Her facial features are sharp, with high cheekbones, a straight nose, and thin arched eyebrows. She has brown, almond-shaped eyes and her lips are full with a natural pink tone.
While Celine has been depicted in various outfits in flashbacks, in the present day she is seen wearing a simple white tank top paired with a gray jacket and pants.
Personality[]
Celine is a kind-hearted person, only wanting the best for Rumi. She is an elegant and relatable mentor of HUNTR/X. She gives sharp but fair criticism, also leading by example. She gripped so tightly to the ideology and beliefs of the Hunters, until she unintentionally repressed Rumi's entire existence. Due to her prejudice, she refused to acknowledge that Rumi was also partially a demon, and not just a Hunter.
Because she had been raised to believe that demons were only dangerous and violent beings, it never occured to Celine, let alone those who imparted into her such view, that some demons chose not conform their darker habits and that Rumi was more than capable to do the same. In fact, she feared that Rumi's demonic heritage would lead to her transformation into a complete demon and therefore having her dark heritage concealed was the viable solution in addition of sparing her from being persecuted. Sadly, not only that ultimately caused more harm than good (more so considering Rumi's demonic heritage proved to be a crucial blessing against Saja Boys and Gwi-Ma), but it would take great effort to make Celine reconsider her views regarding demons and that Rumi and the rest of HUNTR/X's success in creating mightier Honmoon won't be enough.
Biography[]
Past[]
Celine was selected to join a generation of demon hunters active during the 1990s. Alongside Mi-yeong Ryu and another unnamed hunter, she performed as a member of the Sunlight Sisters, a first generation K-pop group. The group achieved popularity and won the Idol Awards in 1997.
However, in conflict with their duties as hunters, Mi-yeong entered a relationship with a demon, which resulted in the birth of her daughter, Rumi. Following Mi-yeong’s death, custody of Rumi was passed to Celine. Sometime afterwards, the Sunlight Sisters disbanded, and Celine retired from public life in order to raise Rumi.
While raising Rumi, Celine discovered that she inherited demonic markings from her father. Concerned that these traits would cause Rumi to be ostracized, she instructed her to conceal them from an early age. Celine emphasized that Rumi should identify as a hunter, like her mother, rather than as a demon. She also cautioned Rumi to keep her heritage secret until the creation of the golden Honmoon, a process Celine believed would erase the markings, although her intentions were good and she only wanted to help Rumi have a normal life, this caused her to develop a rejection towards herself due to her demonic heritage.
When it was time to debut a new trio of demon hunters, Celine formed HUNTR/X, selecting Rumi, Mira and Zoey as its members.
KPop Demon Hunters[]
When the Honmoon shattered due to the influence of Gwi-Ma and the Saja Boys, Celine is seen at Jeju Island standing in front of a large seonangdang shrine, looking horrified. Sensing a nearby presence, she turns around and draws a sickle, only to see that it was Rumi. However, Celine is startled to see Rumi in her true form, marked with glowing patterns and a bright orange eye.
Rumi confesses her despair to Celine, admitting she had tried, and failed, to fix herself. She reveals that everyone now knows about her secret, and that there is no use in hiding anymore. Convinced her very existence is a mistake, Rumi gives up her weapon and begs Celine to end her life before she causes more harm. Celine refuses, explaining that she once vowed to protect what remained of Rumi’s mother, even if it meant raising a child who defied everything she was taught as a hunter. She states that she tried her best to accept her, but Celine's words only deepen Rumi’s anguish, as she recalls years of being told to hide and cover up her true self.
Celine clings desperately to secrecy and denial, insisting there is still time to fix everything. She suggests they could tell Mira and Zoey that the patterns were nothing more than an illusion created by Gwi-Ma. But Rumi rejects the idea, refusing to live a life of lies. She demands to be seen and loved for who she truly is and questions why Celine couldn't accept all of her. When Celine reiterates that if he loves her but that a hunter's flaws must remain hidden to protect the Honmoon, Rumi’s sorrow turns to defiance. Declaring that she would rather see the Honmoon destroyed than continue living in shame, she uses her demon powers to teleport away, leaving Celine alone and devastated.
In the end however, Rumi changed her mind and created a better, stronger Honmoon after coming to terms with her demonic heritage and realizing it can be a blessing with help of her friends. Even so, it remained to be seen whether such unexpected miracle allowed Celine to have a second thought about the prejudice which led to her fallout with Rumi, let alone it took more than that given that she's not as understanding as Mira and Zoey.
External Links[]
- Celine on the K-pop Demon Hunters Wiki
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