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List of Squid Game characters

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Two people cosplaying as guards from the series.

Squid Game (Korean오징어 게임; RROjing-eo Geim) is a South Korean survival drama series created for Netflix by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The first season of the series features an ensemble cast including Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, HoYeon Jung, Wi Ha-joon, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung.

Overview

Character Portrayed by
Main characters
Seong Gi-hun Lee Jung-jae
Cho Sang-woo Park Hae-soo
Kang Sae-byeok HoYeon Jung
Hwang Jun-ho Wi Ha-joon
Oh Il-nam O Yeong-su
Jang Deok-su Heo Sung-tae
Ali Abdul Anupam Tripathi
Han Mi-nyeo Kim Joo-ryoung
Supporting characters
Byeong-gi Yoo Sung-joo
Ji-yeong Lee Yoo-mi
Gi-hun's mother Kim Young-ok
Seong Ga-yeong Cho Ah-in
Gi-hun's ex-wife Kang Mal-geum
Sang-woo's mother Park Hye-jin
Kang Cheol Park Si-wan
The Salesman Gong Yoo
The Front Man / Hwang In-ho Lee Byung-hun

Main characters

Seong Gi-hun

Seong Gi-hun
Squid Game character
First appearance"Red Light, Green Light" (2021)
Last appearance"One Lucky Day" (2021)
Created byHwang Dong-hyuk
Portrayed byLee Jung-jae
Voiced byGreg Chun (English)[1]
In-universe information
AliasPlayer 456
OccupationChauffeur
FamilyOh Mal-soon (mother)
Seong Ga-yeong (daughter)
SpouseKang Eun-ji (ex-wife)

Seong Gi-hun, also known as Player 456, is the main protagonist of Squid Game. He is portrayed by South Korean actor, businessman and model, Lee Jung-jae. Gi-hun is a gambler down on his luck who gets recruited to play in the Squid Game, a series of deadly childhood games (including "Red Light, Green Light", "Marbles", "Tug of war" and the eponymous Squid game), for a high cash prize, which he ultimately wins.[2] Gi-hun was based on one of the childhood friends of series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk.[3] Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo were based on Hwang's own personal experiences and represented "two sides" of himself; Gi-hun shared the same aspects of being raised by an economically disadvantaged single mother in the Ssangmun district of Seoul, while Sang-woo reflected on Hwang having attended Seoul National University with high expectations from his family and neighborhood.[4][5]Hwang said he chose to cast Lee as Gi-hun as to "destroy his charismatic image portrayed in his previous roles".

Gi-hun is a resident from the Ssangmun-dong neighbourhood in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. He is a divorced father, who besides working as a chauffeur, continuously gambles for the purpose of earning money. Living with his diabetic mother, Gi-hun desperately tries to gain custody of his daughter Seong Ga-yeong, who now lives with her mother and stepdad.[6] Trying to be a custodial father, Gi-hun tries taking care of his daughter, but fails due to his lack of money, which he often lends from the bank as well as from loan sharks.[7] Due to his gambling, as well as other different factors, Gi-hun is millions of won in debt, and constantly evades paying back the money he owes to the bank and loan sharks.[8]

One day after winning 100.000 won playing Ddakji with a salesman, Gi-hun gets invited to the Squid Game, an offer he accepts in hopes of winning a large amount of money, paying back his large debts, paying his mother's hospital bills, gaining back custody of his daughter and overall securing a good life for him and his family.[9][10] Throughout the game, Gi-hun forms an alliance with Cho Sang-woo, Kang Sae-byeok, a childhood friend of his, Ali Abdul (who saved Gi-hun's life during "Red Light, Green Light") and Oh Il-nam. However, due to the former's willingness to let other players die to further advance in the game, Gi-hun and Sang-woo become rivals, and compete against each-other in the final game. Gi-hun beats Sang-woo in the final game but refuses to kill him, offering him a chance to use the game's third clause to save his friend's life. However, Sang-woo decided to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the neck, allowing Gi-hun to be winner of the competition. As a final request before his death, Sang-woo asked Gi-hun to use some of the prize winnings to help his mother. Gi-hun was left heartbroken at Sang-woo's death.

Becoming the winner, Gi-hun receives the prize money and returns to Seoul, but discovers his mother had died and lies next to her body, heartbroken. Gi-hun is left emotionally traumatised from what he went through during the game, living out his old life and not spending any of his winnings. A year later, in December 2021, Gi-hun received a card from "his gganbu" instructing him to visit a sky tower. Gi-hun does so, and is horrified and disgusted at Il-nam's reveal that he was the creator of the Squid Game, lying at his deathbed. After Gi-hun wins Il-nam's bet regarding a homeless man outside, Il-nam passed away. Following this, Gi-hun dyes his hair red, puts Sae-byeok's brother in the care of Sang-woo's mother and gives her a bag containing the prize money. Gi-hun then decides to board a flight to Los Angeles to see his daughter again, but notices the same salesman he encountered at the subway playing ddakji with another player, and runs to the platform. He takes the invitation card from the player, and calls the number himself, stating that he cannot forgive the organisers for everything they have done. After being told to "just get on that plane", Gi-hun turns around and walks away, presumably to try and take down the game's organisers.

Gi-hun and his portrayal by Lee Jung-jae received critical acclaim. The New York Times named him their breakout star of the year; stating: "As the protagonist Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict who is deeply in debt, he gives a wrenching and surprisingly subtle performance as he battles his way through unspeakable horrors."[11] For his performance, he was nominated for numerous accolades, including the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, making him the first male actor from Asia and Korea to receive individual nominations in those categories across all three awards shows.

Cho Sang-woo

Cho Sang-woo
Squid Game character
First appearance"Red Light, Green Light"
Last appearance"One Lucky Day"
Created byHwang Dong-hyuk
Portrayed byPark Hae-soo
In-universe information
FamilyUnnamed mother

Cho Sang-woo, also known as Player 218, was portrayed by Park Hae-soo.[12] Sang-woo is the childhood friend of series protagonist Seong Gi-hun, and the former leader of a investment team at a securities company. A graduate at Seoul National University, Sang-woo became millions of won in debt. To solve his financial problems, Sang-woo participated in the Squid Game. Initially allied with Gi-hun and several other players, he takes on a darker role as the series progresses, becoming willing to kill other players to ensure his own survival.[13] Sang-woo was based on one of the childhood friends of series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk.[14] Sang-woo and Gi-hun were based on Hwang's own personal experiences and represented "two sides" of himself; Gi-hun shared the same aspects of being raised by an economically disadvantaged single mother in the Ssangmun district of Seoul, while Sang-woo reflected on Hwang having attended Seoul National University with high expectations from his family and neighborhood.[15][16]

Sang-woo was childhood friends with Seong Gi-hun. The two friends would often play children's games, such as Squid. Sang-woo later attended Seoul National University, and graduated at the top of his class.[17] According to Gi-hun, Sang-woo's graduation from SNU caused him to became a famous prodigy in the Ssangmun-dong neighbourhood in the city of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. After graduating from SNU, Sang-woo became the leader of a investment team at the securities company Joy Investments. He illegally siphoned money from his client's balances, then invested it in derivatives and future options which failed, resulting in the loss of 6 billion won. He also used his mother's house and store as collateral for his illegal activities. He then gets recruited to play in a series of deadly childhood games, and is re-united with Gi-hun. After learning that participants who lose are killed, Sang-woo gave Gi-hun advise on how to survive "Red Light, Green Light" by informing him that the doll is a motion sensor. After both Sang-woo and Gi-hun survive the game, the majority of players want to quit, horrified at the revelation of players who loose being killed. When the masked staff members repeat the first two consent forms, Sang-woo took the initiative for conducting a vote among the contestants to end the Squid Game. However, he ultimately decided to continue participating when he learned that the prize money for winning was 45.6 billion won. After the games were stopped by the majority vote, his heavy debt almost led him to kill himself in his motel room before having being offered the chance to rejoin the Squid Game, which he accepts.

During the Squid Game, Sang-woo helped Gi-hun and others in their alliance, particularly befriending Ali Abdul. However, to ensure his own survival, he became frequently more ruthless and inconsiderate as the games progressed. Sang-woo resorted to manipulation to win the Marbles game, betraying Ali and leaving him to die.[18] He later murdered Player 017 in the Glass Stepping Stones game, and afterwards Kang Sae-byeok, to keep himself in the game. Sang-woo was one of the two players to make it into the final round of the competition, along with Gi-hun, who by then was his rival. The two faced off in the eponymous Squid game, in which, after an intense battle between the two, Gi-hun defeated him. Before claiming his victory, Gi-hun attempted to end the games prematurely by invoking clause 3 of the consent form, hoping to end the game and save his friend's life. However, Sang-woo decided to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the neck, allowing Gi-hun to be winner of the game. As a final request before his death, Sang-woo asked Gi-hun to use some of the prize winnings to help his mother. Sang-woo's request to Gi-hun is fulfilled after he gives all of his winnings to Sang-woo's mother, and also puts Kang Cheol (Sae-byeok's younger brother) in her care, offering a better life for both of them.

Park received international fame for his role as Sang-woo, and was able to gain over 800,000 Instagram followers in a single day due to the success of the series.[19]

Kang Sae-byeok

Kang Sae-byeok
Squid Game character
First appearance"Red Light, Green Light" (2021)
Last appearance"Front Man" (2021)
Created byHwang Dong-hyuk
Portrayed byHoYeon Jung
Voiced byVivian Lu (English)
In-universe information
OccupationPickpocket
FamilyKang Cheol (younger brother)

Kang Sae-byeok, also known as Player 067, was portrayed by model HoYeon Jung in her acting debut.[20][21] She studied for her role by practicing Hamgyŏng dialect with real North Korean defectors, watching documentaries about North Korean defectors, and learning martial arts. She also drew upon her own feelings of loneliness while modeling overseas to build the character, and wrote a daily diary from Sae-byeok's perspective.[22][23][24] Following the release of Squid Game, Sae-byeok became the show's breakout star.[25][26][27]

Sae-byeok is a North Korean defector and pickpocket. She originally had grandparents, parents and an older brother, but an epidemic at her native village killed her grandparents and older brother. Her father was shot by the North Korean guards while fleeing the border into China and her mother was captured somewhere in China and repatriated back to North Korea, where she was imprisoned in a prison camp. At one point, Sae-byeok worked for gangster Jang Deok-su, but later went independent from him, causing animosity between the two.

Sae-byeok agrees to participate in the Squid Game to raise enough money to help reunite her family, and get her brother Kang Cheol out of the orphanage. Initially entering the game as a lone wolf, she later allies herself with Seong Gi-hun and the other people on his team. She also forms an alliance with Ji-yeong, who sacrifices herself for Sae-byeok during the Marbles game. In the Glass Bridge game, Sae-byeok made it across safely but was impaled by a piece of the exploding glass. Sae-byeok becomes one of the three finalists, alongside Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo. Before the sixth and final game, Sae-byeok asks Gi-hun to look after her family if she does not make it out the game alive, and is killed by Sang-woo not long afterwards to prevent Gi-hun from ending the game just to save her life. After winning the game following Sang-woo's suicide, Gi-hun fulfils his promise to Sae-byeok by putting Kang Cheol in the care of Sang-woo's mother.

Jung was called Squid Game's breakout star by critics.[28][29][30] For her performance, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards, which made her the second actress of Asian as well as Korean descent to receive an individual SAG Award nomination. She was also nominated along with her costars for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.[31]

Hwang Jun-ho

Hwang Jun-ho
Squid Game character
First appearance"Hell"
Last appearance"Front Man"
Created byHwang Dong-hyuk
Portrayed byWi Ha-joon
In-universe information
FamilyHwang In-ho (brother)

Hwang Jun-ho is portrayed by Wi Ha-joon.[32]

Jun-ho is a South Korean police officer and detective who, by the beginning of the story, is searching for his missing brother. When Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) explains his experience in the first game to the police, Jun-ho is the only one who thinks he is telling the truth. After seeing the same invitation card in his brother's apartment, Jun-ho realises his brother took part in the games, and decides to infiltrate the game to search for his brother. He follows a car transporting players to the ferry to the island the games take place on, and sneaks in undetected by killing a Worker guard and stealing his uniform. He records several events of the game on his phone and also takes pictures, with the intent of sending them to the police at the end of his investigation. Later on, he takes on the role of a Manager and asks Gi-hun if he has heard of a player named In-ho, Gi-hun responds by saying the players do not know each-other's real names.

Later on, Jun-ho kills another guard and searches the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)'s apartment on the Island, where he finds out that his brother won the Squid Game in 2015. However, the Front Man had already become aware of an intruder on the island, and realised he is nearby from the Front Man's phone being placed the wrong way. Jun-ho avoids the Front Man by hiding underneath a table. Jun-ho then disguises himself as a Waiter after the VIPs arrive to watch the fifth game. One of the VIPs (Geoffrey Giuliano) begins flirting with Jun-ho and attempts to force Jun-ho to perform oral sex, but Jun-ho grabs his testicles and forces the VIP to tell him everything he knows about the game, recording the VIP's confession on his phone before knocking him unconscious. At this point, the Front Man and the other staff find out the intruder is a Korean police officer from an ID badge. Jun-ho also reveals his face to the Front Man for a split second, before continuing to try and escape.

From there, Jun-ho steals diving equipment and attempts to leave the island with the evidence of the games on his phone. Realising the Front Man and some soldiers are nearby, Jun-ho calls one of his co-workers in the police before attempting to send him the evidence. Jun-ho then attempts to escape, but reaches the edge of a cliff, where he is surrounded by several soldiers and the Front Man. Jun-ho informs them of the evidence he took and sent, but the Front Man responds that due to there being no signal, anything he took likely was not sent. He also offers Jun-ho the chance to live if he comes with them and deletes the evidence. Jun-ho refuses, shoots the Front Man in the chest and then asks him who he is. In response, the Front Man takes his mask off, revealing himself to be Hwang In-ho, Jun-ho's brother. In-ho reaches his hand out to Jun-ho, but Jun-ho refuses to come with them. In-ho then aims his gun at Jun-ho, who asks "In-ho.... why?" before being shot by In-ho in the shoulder and falls off the cliff into the water. Afterwards, In-ho is haunted by a vision of his brother in the mirror of his apartment, repeating the "why" question.

Jun-ho's ultimate fate is ambiguous. Wi and series creator Hwang have stated in interviews that they hope Jun-ho is still alive so the series can further develop the relationship of him and In-ho.[33][34]

Ali Abdul

Ali Abdul, also known as Player 199, was portrayed by Anupam Tripathi.[35]

Ali is a Pakistani immigrant that came to South Korea with his wife and child, and participated in the game to win the prize money for his family.[36] He saves Gi-hun's life during "Red Light, Green Light", and later forms an alliance with him and the other members of Gi-hun's team. Ali survives the first three games, and is killed during Marbles after being betrayed by Sang-woo, who replaces his pouch of marbles with a pouch of pebbles.

Oh Il-nam

Oh Il-nam, also known as Player 001, was portrayed by O Yeong-su.[35]

Il-nam is initially presented as an elderly man with a brain tumor, who prefers playing the game to waiting to die in the outside world. During the game, Il-nam formed a close alliance with Gi-hun, and survived the first three games before being seemingly killed off-screen during the Marbles game, voluntarily giving his final marble to Gi-hun.

However, a year after Gi-hun wins the game, it is revealed that Il-nam survived and that he was secretly the creator/host of the games, angering Gi-hun. Before dying, Il-nam explains his reasoning for creating the games to Gi-hun, and stated that he genuinely enjoyed playing the game with him.[37]

Supporting characters

Ji-yeong

Ji-yeong, also known as Player 240, was portrayed by Lee Yoo-mi.[38]

During the game, Ji-yeong formed an alliance with Kang Sae-byeok (HoYeon Jung). In the Marbles game, after a conversation about their pasts, Ji-yeong decides to sacrifice herself so Sae-byeok can advance further in the game, believing she has more of a reason to win than her.

The Front Man / Hwang In-ho

Hwang In-ho
Squid Game character
First appearance"Red Light, Green Light"
Last appearance"One Lucky Day"
Created byHwang Dong-hyuk
Portrayed byLee Byung-hun
In-universe information
AliasThe Front Man
FamilyHwang Jun-ho (brother)

Hwang In-ho, also known as the Front Man, is portrayed by Lee Byung-hun.[39]

In-ho is the brother of Jun-ho, with both men serving in the Korean National Police. In 2015, In-ho took part in the Squid Game that year and won, later returning to the game as a staff member and, by the 2020 games, had become the front man and overseer of the game. During the first game of the 2020 games, In-ho has a drink while watching the game unfold, listening to a cover of "Fly Me to the Moon" play in the background. In the second game, he executes a guard after revealing his mask. Before the fourth game, he shoots another guard and Player 111 (Yoo Sung-joo) for cheating. Around this time, In-ho is alerted of the presence of an intruder, later discovering the intruder is a police officer. He begins searching for the intruder after noticing that his phone had been placed the wrong way. He searches all the rooms, but is unable to find the intruder, who hid underneath a table.

When the VIPs arrive on the island to watch the fifth game, In-ho informed them that the Host will be unable to watch the game with them, and said that the Host asked him to apologise on his behalf. During the game, the intruder takes the identity of a waiter, who a VIP (Geoffrey Giuliano) begins flirting with, with the intruder requesting the VIP take them somewhere where they can be alone. The VIP does so, taking the intruder back to his room, where he is subsequently held at gunpoint and forced to reveal everything he knows about the game, before being knocked unconscious. After a while, In-ho notices the absence of this VIP, and informs a guard to search for him. The guard finds the VIP unconscious in his room and informs In-ho. Later, during the climax of the fifth game, several of the VIPs begin questioning one of the final four players of the game, who is constantly inspecting the glass panels and claiming to be able tell the difference. Checking the player's report, In-ho tells the VIPs of his backstory as a glassmaker, and makes the game more challenging for him and the other players by turning the lights off.

Immediately after the fifth game's conclusion, In-ho continues his search for the intruder, getting a brief glimpse of him and realising that he is Jun-ho. After Jun-ho steals diving gear and swims away, In-ho and a group of soldiers leave on a boat to try and find him. They eventually find Jun-ho after he is concerned on a cliffside. After Jun-ho informs them of the evidence he took and sent of the game, In-ho reminds Jun-ho of the weak signal on the island and that, although unaware of what exactly Jun-ho took, says that it was likely not sent. He also offers Jun-ho the chance to live if he comes with them and deletes the evidence. Jun-ho refuses, and In-ho is shot in the chest and asked who he is. In response, In-ho takes his mask off, revealing himself to be Jun-ho's brother. In-ho reaches his hand out to Jun-ho, but Jun-ho refuses to come with them. In-ho then aims his gun at Jun-ho, who asks "In-ho.... why?" before being shot by In-ho in the shoulder and falls off the cliff into the water. Afterwards, In-ho is haunted by a vision of his brother in the mirror of his apartment, repeating the "why" question.

When Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) wins the game after the voluntary death of Cho Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), In-ho congratulates GI-hun on his victory and compares the players of the game to horses, and also tells Gi-hun to think of the game like a dream. On December 25, 2021, following the death of Il-nam, In-ho pays his respects and likely takes over his role as the Host. Sometime later, during a phone call with Gi-hun, In-ho tells him to get on the plane for his own good.

The Salesman

The Salesman is portrayed by Gong Yoo.[40]

He is a former staff member of the game, who has the role of recruiting players. He does so by approaching people who are down on their luck and playing Ddakji with them, offering them 100,000 won if they win but stating he will get the 100,000 won if he wins. However, he gives players the option to play again if they lose, in exchange for being slapped. When a player wins the game, the salesman gives them their winnings, and later offers them a chance to participate in the game by giving them an invitation card with a phone number on the back. If a player decides to accept his offer and rings the number, the salesman tells them if they wish to participate, to state their name and birthdate.

References

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