As many fans know,Squid Gameis no stranger to hurting some of our favorite characters. In a show abouta life-or-death game, it makes sense that nobody is safe in this world. Each character has chosen to compete in the games due to a series of bad decisions or unfortunate circumstances.
The show does a great job of showcasing the background of each character, making it hit even harder when they are ultimately eliminated. It’s an emotional roller coaster that’s not stopping anytime soon. Out of the characters we’ve been introduced to, here are just some characters that deserved better in Squid Game.
10Kang Sae-byeok
Player 067
Fans quickly gained admiration for this character due to her heartbreaking storyline. Sae-byeok was dealt a bad hand after fleeing from North Korea with her brother, Kang Cheol, which resulted in the death of her father and her mother getting sent back to North Korea.
She was a cunning player, spying on the guards after going into an air duct shaft and toying with other players like Jang Deok-su. Although she had the chance to make it to the end, her life was ultimately ended by Cho Sang-woo in a brutal reveal that left us all speechless.
9Kang Cheol
Sae-byeok’s Younger Brother
Although Cheol is still alive and is arguably doing better than most people who end up in the Squid Game, we can’t help but feel heartache for him. After fleeing North Korea with his sister, Sae-byeok, Cheol was set up in an orphanage due to Sae-byok being unable to take care of him.
While Sae-byeok was participating in the games in the hopes of using the prize money to reunite the family together, Cheol was subjected to bullying by the other children. While he is now in the care of Sang-woo’s mother and seems to be doing well, it hurts to think that he thinks that he was abandoned by his family. He will never know of the sacrifices Sae-byok made for him.
8Cho Sang-woo
Player 218
Okay, put down those pitchforks. We’re well aware that this is going to be a controversial take. There’s no denying that Sang-woo is one of the main villains of Season 1. He’s done a lot of bad things. But the beauty of Squid Game is that each character has some nuance.
From the beginning, Sang-woo was forced to be the best of not only his family but his entire town, leading to a ton of pressure on him. And in a game of life-or-death, he unfortunately decided to do what he thought he needed to do. There’s no excuse for what he did but we do have some sympathy as to what led him to join the games.
7Oh Mal-soon
Gi-hun’s Mother
While we all love Gi-hun and sympathize with him, many forget the damage that he did to his mother, Oh Mal-soon. She is one of those characters you just ache over. Due to Gi-hun’s gambling activities, Mal-soon is forced to work multiple shifts to keep the family afloat.
Gi-hun joins the games to help pay for Mal-soon’s medical bills, as it’s revealed she has type-2 diabetes. But upon returning after winning, Gi-hun finds his mother dead in her room, succumbing to her illness. While Gi-hun has seen the error of his ways, unfortunately he realized too late and only after tormenting his poor mother.
6Ji-yeong
Player 240
After Ji-yeong’s sudden introduction halfway through Season 1, we weren’t expecting to get so attached to her so quickly. Like the other characters who deserve better, Ji-yeong came to the games after an unfortunate series of events.
Ji-yeong is more bubbly and chatty compared to Sae-byeok, which makes their dynamic sweet to witness. But during the Marbles game, Ji-yeong reveals she was released from prison after murdering her father. Unfortunately, this was in retaliation for the years of physical and sexual abuse from her father and the murder of her mother, at his hands. Although she ultimately sacrificed herself for Sae-byeok, we wish she was able to leave the games and indulge in her desired mojitos.
5Jang Geum-ja
Player 149
Another loving mother who unfortunately has to deal with the consequences of her son’s actions, Jang Geum-ja is one of the newest characters introduced in Season 2 and she shouldn’t even be in the games in the first place.
Similar to Mal-soon, Geum-ja is burdened with her son’s, Park Yong-sik, gambling debts. This is ultimately why she joins the games. It’s always unfortunate to see an older person in these games, but it’s even worse knowing that she’s doing this to help her son, making the ultimate mother’s sacrifice. Hopefully, she and Yong-sik somehow make it out of these upcoming games.
4Park Jung-bae
Player 390
Park Jung-bae was first introduced in Season 1 as Gi-hun’s best friend, frequenting the racetracks and other gambling events with him. After not hearing from Gi-hun for three years following the events of Season 1, it was revealed in Season 2 that he would be participating in the 2024 Squid Game.
Although Jung-bae joined the games due to his own gambling debts and divorce of his wife, he didn’t deserve to die the way he did. Following the failed revolt led by Gi-hun, Jung-bae was unfortunately shot in front of himby The Frontman. It’s a brutal death that’s made even more heart-wrenching knowing that he was one of Gi-hun’s best friends.
3Cho Hyun-ju
Player 120
Cho Hyun-ju quickly gained popularity after being introduced in Season 2. Due to her beingthe only openly trans character in the series, many fans have shared their admiration for the character. As previously mentioned, Hyun-ju is trans, which is extremely frowned upon in Korea. After coming out, she received hate for her decision and was cut off by friends, family, and work.
Ultimately, she joined the games in the hopes of raising money for her gender-affirming surgery. It’s unfortunate that Hyun-ju had to resort to something like this to fund her surgery and, like all trans people, she deserves better than the life she was dealt.
2Kim Young-mi
Player 095
Squid Game is known for killing fan-favorite characters and, unfortunately, in Season 2, one of them was Kim Young-mi. Young-mi served as a surrogate daughter to Hyun-ju, being one of the only people to call her ‘unnie.’
In case you’re unfamiliar with Korean terms, ‘unnie’ is a form of endearment towards older sisters, which is extremely gender-reaffirming for Hyun-ju.
While we don’t know why she joined the games, she clearly wanted to leave, breaking down during the vote to terminate the games after seeing how many people wanted to stay. She talks about what she wants to do after everybody leaves the games and insists that Hyun-ju stays with her. Unfortunately, during the Mingle game, she is locked out of the room and has to look into Hyun-ju’s as she is shot in the head. It’s a brutal death only made worse by the fact that all she wanted to do was leave the games.
1Abdul Ali
Player 199
Oh, Ali. What can be said about Ali that hasn’t already been said? Ali has been described as the ‘golden retriever’ character of Season 1, being extremely happy and go-lucky despite the hardships he and his family are forced to go through. Even during the games, he is always the one to keep the energy up and makes sure to take care of everybody else before himself.
Ultimately, that would lead to his demise at the hands of his friend Sang-woo in a brutal betrayal that still hurts three years later. It’s even worse that his family thinks Ali simply left them behind, never knowing of the sacrifices that were made for them.
