'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Was Not No. 1 Worldwide... The Most Searched Term on Google US Was This

Gemini, Google's AI Model, Tops Global Search Rankings

The Netflix animated film featuring K-pop, "K-Pop Demon Hunters," ranked second in Google's most-searched terms in the United States this year.

A scene from the Netflix series "K-Pop Demon Hunters." Netflix

According to "Year in Search 2025," released by Google on the 5th (local time), "K-Pop Demon Hunters" was the second most-searched term in the United States. It claimed the top spot in both the film and cast categories.

Additionally, the soundtrack songs from "K-Pop Demon Hunters"-"Golden" and "Takedown" by Huntrix-ranked third and tenth, respectively, in the song search category. "Sodapop" by Sajavoice came in seventh.

In the so-called "Hum to search" category, where users can hum a tune and the search engine identifies the song, "Golden" took the number one spot.

In the TV show category, the fifth most-searched term was the Netflix drama "Squid Game."

Globally, including the United States, Google's AI model "Gemini" was the most-searched term. This is interpreted as a result of many users attempting to access the Gemini chatbot site directly from the Google search bar.

Google commented, "2025 was the year an American became Pope, 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' dominated the charts, and new artificial intelligence (AI) captured people's imaginations."

Visitors are taking commemorative photos at the official Seoul pop-up store of the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," which opened on the 4th in Seongsu-dong. Photo by Yonhap News

The most-searched term in the United States this year was Charlie Kirk, a supporter of President Donald Trump who was killed in an assassination incident last September. The third most-searched term was "Labubu," a plush toy character created by a Hong Kong designer; fourth was the Apple iPhone; and fifth was "One Big Beautiful Act," a comprehensive tax and policy bill from President Trump's second administration.

Globally, "Golden" from "K-Pop Demon Hunters" ranked first in song searches, and "Sodapop" ranked tenth in the song lyrics category.

Additionally, "Squid Game 3" took second place in the global TV show category, and actress Song Jiwoo, a cast member of the series, ranked fourth among most-searched actors.