Warning! This article mentions suicide.
Squid Gamehas no shortage of tragic deaths, but several have had a long-lasting impact on viewers. Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the series explores a tournament where players enter to earn a life-changing amount of money.Allthree seasons ofSquid Gamecenter on Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun.
Squid Gamefeatures twisted children’s gamesthat often have a fatal twist. All the while,the game is watched by wealthy VIP viewers, hoping to see desperate people do whatever they can to survive. As such, the majority of the series' roster of players have faced heartbreaking ends.
10Kim Young-mi
Portrayed by Kim Si-eun
Kim Young-mi was one of the more sympathetic players ofSquid Gameseason 2. Despite entering the games,it is clear that she feels out of her depth, wanting to step out of the games once the true cost dawns on her. Despite her fear, she gathers a strong team that promises to support her.
However, Kim Young-mi would lose her life during Mingle. Despite finding a supportive team, she is separated from her allies, leading to her death. As such, viewers are forced to watch her beg for help before losing her life.
9Park Min-su
Portrayed by Lee David
Introduced in season 2, Park Min-su was timid and nervous, entering the games in hopes he could clear his debts. While his anxiety made him prone to cowardice, he had a good heart and could find the strength to do good. However, he also became the victim of constant harassment and coercion by other players, such as Thanos (Choi Seung-hun)
As the games continue, Park Min-su becomes dependent on drugs to advance, giving him a boost in ambition. Ultimately, though, Lee Myung-gi (Im Si-wan) pushed Park Min-su to his death while he was under their influence.Park Min-su’s fate is tragic because he not only became dependent on substances, but this was taken advantage of by someonehe viewed as a friend.
8Ji-yeong
Portrayed by Lee Yoo-mi
A victim of abuse at the hands of her father, Ji-yeong did not enter the games to clear her debts, but because her incarceration left her with little to live for in her eyes. However, despite her hardships, Ji-yeong still maintained her laid-back attitude.Ji-yeong would also strike up a friendship with Sae-byouk, working with her throughout several games.
When the pair are pitted against each other during Marbles, neither wishes to face one another, instead choosing to open up to one another. When it came to deciding a winner,Ji-yeong sabotages any chances she has at succeeding, believing she had no future even if she won. Ultimately, she gives her life so Kang Sae-byeok can win, wishing her happiness.
7Ali Abdul
Portrayed by Anupam Tripathi
Entering the games in season 1 after his boss refused to pay him, sending him into debt, Ali Abdul quickly emerged as one of the more altruistic players. Saving Seong Gi-hun’s life during Red Light, Green Light, Ali Abdul joined his group.Despite being unfamiliar with the original games and at a disadvantage, he still tried to help where he could.
Throughout the games,Ali looked up to Cho Sang-woo, seeing him as an aspirational figure. However, Sang-woo would betray him, deceiving him and taking his marbles for himself. Ultimately, Ali’s tragedy comes from his kindness being taken advantage of by someone whom he believed he could rely on, making his death all the more painful.
Portrayed by Park Sung-hoon
Image via Netflix
Hoping to use her winnings to help complete her transition, Cho Hyun-ju stood out as one of the most beloved characters ofSquid Game’s later seasons. Despite the hardships she faced and would face,she was consistently kind-hearted, selfless, and willing to help fellow players. Ultimately, this kindness would cause her death.
During Hide and Seek,she, Jun-hee, and Jang Geum-ja possessed the keys necessary to safely make their way to the exit. However, when Hyun-Ju chooses to return and inform her allies, she is stabbed in the back by Myung-gi. Hyun-ju stood out as one of the most hopeful players in the game, making her death all the more painful.
5Kim Jun-hee
Portrayed by Jo Yu-ri
Kim Jun-hee entered the games hoping to give her unborn child a better life after her ex-boyfriend. left her in debt. Even with how they broke up her, she still defended him, showing a glimmer of humanity in the dark events of the games. As such,when her pregnancy becomes obvious, several players come to her assistance.
However, despite successfully giving birth in the harsh environment and having support, Jun-he meets her end in Jump Rope. Recognizing that her child’s chances of survival were low in her injured and fatigued state,she entrusts Gi-hun with the baby.Jun-hee ultimately sacrificed her lifeto ensure that her child could live.
Portrayed by Kang Ae-shim
In one ofSquid Gameseason 2’s most surprising additions, the 37th games featured Jang Geum-ja and Park Yong-sik, a mother and son duo. When Yong-sik racked up insurmountable debt, he entered the games to try and clear it, only to learn his mother did the same. Despite an unhappy reunion, the pair were close during the ordeal.
However, even with her faith in and protectiveness of her son, Geum-ja was forced into a difficult position during Hide and Seek. After helping deliver Jun-hee’s baby,she is brought face to face with her son, with Yong-sik facing death for not being able to kill any blue team players. In desperation, he turned his sights on Jun-hee.
Geum-ja tried to convince Yong-sik to take her life instead, but was forced to ultimately incapacitate her son, leading to his death. She also failed to convince the other players to stop, despite Jun-hee’s child being at risk. After entrusting Jun-hee to Gi-hun’s care,Geum-ja takes her life, as the games have taken everything from her.
3Cho Sang-woo
Portrayed by Park Hae-soo
WithinSquid Gameseason 1’s roster of players, Cho Sang-woo is one viewers immediately care for.A friend of Gi-hun before the games, the pair were incredibly close, and he quickly became a key part of his friend’s group. And while he was looking to clear his own debts, he also hoped to pay those he had wronged back.
However,the games bring out a darker side to Sang-woo, as despite having a noble goal to help his mother, he was willing to do anything to succeed. To Gi-hun’s shock, he employs more cutthroat tactics, betraying Ali, Sae-byeok, and even Gi-hun to win. Ultimately, Sang-woo takes his own life out of remorse, knowing Gi-hun would care for his mother.
Sang-woo may have descended into villainy across season 1, but audiences still grew attached to him in its earlier moments. Viewers spent the season hoping that he could turn away and do the right thing,with his final moments providing some hope. However, ultimately, the chance to change is taken away, leaving viewers and Gi-hun without hope.
2Seong Gi-Hun
Portrayed by Lee Jung-jae
Winner of the 33rd Squid Games, Gi-hun was determined to bring down the cruel games by any means necessary. Despite having the opportunity,he forfeited a happy ending and reunion with his daughter to prove that humanity can rise above the games' cruelty. As such, he threw himself back into the games.
Despite his belief, seasons 2 and 3 nevertheless found new ways to challenge Gi-hun. Alongside new games and rules, he failed to lead an uprising against the games' organizers successfully, was betrayed,and pushed to embrace his darker side. However, Jun-hee’s child offered him a chance to rise again.
When given the choice between his happiness and the child, he took a defiant stand and sacrificed himself to prove humanity’s potential.Gi-hun’s death is heartbreaking, but there is also a pyrrhic element to it.He proved In-ho wrong and broke his colder beliefs, showing humanity can be better, while his actions ultimately ended the South Korean games.
1Kang Sae-byeok
Portrayed by Jung Ho-yeon
North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok hoped that entering the games could allow her to reunite with her mother and younger brother, and for a time,Sae-byeok seemed like a likely winner. Not only was she able to find out which games would be played, but formed close bonds with fellow players. However, her chances would turn in the fifth game.
Towards the end of Glass Stepping Stones,Sae-byeok is impaled by a shard of glass in an explosion, leaving her with a fatal wound. Despite mounting desperation, Sae-byeok urges Gi-hun not to kill Sang-woo, knowing it is not in his nature. While Gi-hun attempts to get help for his newfound friend, Sang-woo stabs her in the neck.
Sae-byeok’s death is tragic because she holds one of the more sympathetic motivations ofSquid Gameseason 1, her desire to see her family, which allows her to bond with Gi-hun. Furthermore, despite the circumstances, the games bring out the better side of Sae-byeok, as she opens up to others. As such, it is heartbreaking to see this progress and growth cut short.
Squid Game
Cast
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.
