Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game season 2.
By the timeSquid Gameseason 2 reaches its conclusion, many major characters end up on their deathbeds. While some of these characters seem to deserve their fates, others become victims of the ruthless systems that drive the games. Even inSquid Gameseason 1, Gi-hun and the others arrived at the game’s venue without realizing that only one of them would eventually survive and win the promised 45.6 billion won cash prize.
However, after the first round itself, they realized that the games were a setup to exploit them and surviving them would require physical strength, wit, and a willingness to compromise on their morality. Witheach new game inSquid Game season 1, the body count steadily rose, ultimately leaving Gi-hun as the sole guilty survivor. Owing to this, when Gi-hun ends up in the games again in season 2, he takes it as an opportunity to save as many lives as he can. Unfortunately, to his dismay, despite his best efforts to shut down the games, many players lose their lives both in and out of the playing fields.
10Mr. Kim (Kim Pub-lae)
Dies In Episode 1
InSquid Gameseason 2’s opening arc, Gi-hun hires Mr. Kim, his previous loan shark, to help him find the Salesman. After looking for the mysterious figure for two years, Mr. Kim and his right-hand man, Choi Woo-seok, finally find the mysterious figure. However, even though Gi-hun warns them not to approach him, they make the mistake of confronting him upfront. After tying them up in his home, the Salesman makes the two play a twisted game that combines Russian roulette with rock, paper, and scissors.
Why Squid Game Season 2 Only Has 7 Episodes
Squid Game season 2 has two episodes less than the first season, but after the finale, it’s clear why that was director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s choice.
Although Mr. Kim eventually finds himself in the position to win the game, he intentionally gets disqualified to save Woo-seok. As a result, he loses the game and gets shot in the head by the Salesman. With this,Mr. Kim becomes the first character to die inSquid Gameseason 2after he sacrifices his life to save Woo-seok.
9The Salesman (Gong Yoo)
When the Salesman and Gi-hun finally come face-to-face, the Salesman tries to spice things up by offering Gi-hun the opportunity to play Russian roulette with him. It is hard to tell whether the Salesman has nothing to lose or is too confident about his luck. Regardless of what drives his actions, the Salesman seems sure that he will win the game. He loads one round into his revolver and spins the cylinder before he and Gi-hun alternate between pointing the muzzle at their heads and pulling the trigger.
The Salesman finds himself cornered when Gi-hun survives all his turns, and only one round remains in the gun.
The luck that helped Gi-hun win the games inSquid Gameseason 1 seems to stay with him as the gun clicks harmlessly each time he pulls the trigger. The Salesman finds himself cornered when Gi-hun survives all his turns, and only one round remains in the gun. Instead of backing off or using the gun to kill Gi-hun,Gong Yoo’sSquid Gamecharacteraccepts his fate and shoots himself dead.
8Player 196 (Song Ji Woo)
Dies In Episode 3
As soon as the “Red Light, Green Light” game begins inSquid Gameseason 2, Gi-hun takes it upon himself to lead the pack as he guides everyone to stay still. While some people take him seriously, others, like Thanos and Player 196, wonder what is wrong with him. Owing to this, when a bee sits on Player 196’s neck, she moves and jokes about it, without realizing what she has done. Seconds later, after the doll detects her movement, a sniper shoots her dead, making her the first contestant to die in the games.
7Young-mi (Kim Shi Eun)
Dies In Episode 6
Many players die as the games progress, but most main characters manage to survive up tillSquid Gameseason 2’s episode 6. All seems to be going well for the heroes as they survive one level after another in episode 6’s Mingle game. However, things take a grim turn when Young-mi collides with someone and falls to the ground, while Hyun Ju leads the group to a door. By the time Hyun Ju realizes Young-mi has been left behind, it is already too late to save her. Before Hyun Ju can react, Player 333, Lee Myeong Gi, enters the room and shuts the door.
With this, Young-mi gets locked out and, moments later, the guards shoot her and the other losers of the game.Hyun Ju is deeply affected by Young-mi’s demiseand even blames Myeong Gi for her fate. However, other players defend Myeong Gi, claiming they did not have enough time to rescue Young-mi.
6Thanos (T.O.P)
After Hyun Ju switches teams and joins the contestants who wish to end the game, Thanos and Nam Gyu confront him for quitting before having enough money to pay them back. Hyun Ju stands his ground and calls out other players who voted for the games to stop. The confrontation escalates quickly, and an all-out battle breaks between the ones who voted for the games to continue and the others who opted for the opposite. As Thanos attempts to choke Hyun Ju during this fight,Hyun Ju pulls out a fork from his pocket and stabs Thanos in the neck.
Choi Seung Hyun, who plays Thanos inSquid Gameseason 2, goes by the stage name T.O.P and is best known for being a part of the Korean boy band Big Bang.
Moments later, Thanos falls to the ground and bleeds to death. Even though Thanos gradually becomes one of the most unlikable characters in the series, his death seems surprising becauseSquid Gameseason 2 turns him into one of the leading villains. His sudden demise establishes that no matter how important a character may seem in the show’s overarching narrative, his fate is always uncertain in the ruthless world ofSquid Game.
5Se Mi (Won Ji An)
Dies In Episode 7
Player 380, Se Mi, initially teams up with Thanos, Nam Gyu, and Min Su in the first few games, believing that joining forces with less intelligent players would allow her to manipulate them and have an edge. However, she drifts away from the group when they leave her behind during a round of the Mingle game. InSquid Gameseason 2’s episode 6, she, too, decides to call it quits by voting in favor of stopping the games. Unfortunately, this puts her in Nam Gyu’s crosshairs, who sets out to kill her after the lights go out in episode 6.
With a seven-episode runtime,Squid Gameseason 2 is shorter than season 1.
Min Su attempts to save Se Miby throwing a glass bottle towards Nam Gyu’s head. However, the bottle misses, and Min Su refuses to step down to directly confront Nam Gyu to save Se Mi. As a result, even though Se Mi attempts to attack Nam Gyu with the broken glass bottle, she eventually gets overpowered and killed.
4Players 047 & 015
Die In Episode 7
While Gi-hun and Jung-bae keep the guards around the Control Room distracted, the Front Man, Hwang In Ho, takes Players 047 and 015 with him, claiming he will find a way to attack the guards from behind. When he and the players finally get the opportunity to attack the guards, he asks them to lead the way. Before they can fire their guns, the Front Man shoots them from behind and successfully manages to extinguish the rebellion Gi-hun had started. He then uses Player 015’s walkie-talkie to talk to Gi-hun and pretends that he and Players 047 and 015 got caught in the crossfire.
3Players 324 & 145
When Dae Ho and Hyun Ju do not return with ammunition, Kyung Seok and Players 324 and 145 realize they are fighting a losing battle. They soon run out of bullets while the guards close in on them. Player 324 decides to take his fate into his own hands and uses his last bullet to shoot himself. Player 145 tries to surrender and stands before the guards with his arms raised. However, they do not think twice before killing him on the spot.
2Kyung Seok (Lee Jin Wook)
Unlike most other players, who are drowning in debt when they arrive at the games, Kyung Seok only shows up to win enough money for his daughter’s cancer treatment. Since his intentions were always in the right place, he remains one of the most morally righteous characters throughout the series and also helps many characters survive the Mingle game. InSquid Gameseason 2’s ending arc, he even joins forces with Gi-hun and the team to take down the guards and attack the ones who run the games.
Kyung-seok might still be alive because it looks likePark Gyu-young’s No-eul(Guard 011), who knows about his daughter’s condition and empathizes with him, fires her gun at him. She might have intentionally shot him with a dummy round to ensure he lived to see his daughter again.
All seemingly goes well for the team after they kill many guards and acquire their guns and ammunition. However, their plan starts going downhill when Dae Ho leaves to get them more loaded magazines but never returns. In the end, Kyung Seok and two other men run out of bullets, preventing them from continuing their fight against the guards. After the guards finally surround them,Kyung Seok begs for mercy by telling them he has a sick daughter. However, they ruthlessly shoot him dead, highlighting how their unwavering loyalty to the system has made them emotionless.
1Jeong Bae (Lee Seo Hwan)
After pretending to be a player in the games throughout the season, the Front Man, Hwang In Ho, finally reveals his true colors inSquid Gameseason 2’s finale. He promises to help Gi-hun and Jung-bae overpower the guards around the Control Room by claiming he will sneak up on them from behind. However, when the opportunity arrives, he secretly kills two of Gi-hun’s allies to ensure he does not stand a chance against the guards. Soon, Gi-hun and Jung-bae also run out of bullets, forcing them to surrender.
16
2
Budget
US $21.4 million in season 1 and ₩100 billion in season 2
Streaming On
Netflix
The Front Man then puts on his mask and approaches them to deliver one final blow.To make Gi-hun understand the consequences of his actions, the Front Man kills Jung-bae. With this, Gi-hun is left completely devastated inSquid Gameseason 2’s final moments as the games seemingly snag away his last bits of humanity.
Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
