The Saddest Squid Game Deaths

Hundreds of people die in each season of Squid Game, yet some of these deaths are a lot more tragic than others. Whether due to the circumstances that lead to the characters competing in the games or the moments leading up to their untimely demise, the deaths of certain characters can really tug on the viewer’s heartstrings.

The saddest deaths in Squid Game typically belong to fan-favorite characters, but there are one or two minor characters whose deaths manage to hit almost as hard. Some are betrayed by the people closest to them, while others lay down their lives so that others can survive a little longer. As a result, many a tear has been shed as a result of their passing.

8

Player 069

Player 069 (33rd Squid Game)

Pretty much all of the saddest Squid Game deaths involve characters who have been heavily developed, yet there’s one big exception to this during the first season. Viewers never even get to learn Player 069’s name, nor do they really find out too much about him other than the fact that he and his wife are competing together in an attempt to clear their debt.

The pair are successfully able to navigate the first three games by working together, but it’s their decision to do so again in the fourth game that leads to both of their deaths. Player 069 beats his wife during Marbles, yet, in doing so, he loses his will to live. Consumed by the guilt and the pain of his loss, Player 069 ends up taking his own life, thus helping to emphasize the devastating emotional toll that a game like Marbles can have on players.

7

Ji-yeong

Player 240 (33rd Squid Game)

Like Player 069’s wife and so many others, Player 240 met her end while playing Marbles, though rather than competing and losing, Ji-yeong opted to sacrifice herself so that Sae-byeok could survive. Although, the latter’s death a few episodes later makes this sacrifice somewhat pointless, it doesn’t make it any less tragic.

The most popular Squid Game characters tend to be developed over the course of multiple episodes, but pretty much all of Ji-yeong’s character development can be found in the Season 1 episode Gganbu. Her conversation with Sae-byeok does a lot to explain her personality and almost feels like a dying confession. As a result, when she thanks Sae-byeok for playing with her, it can be hard not to shed a tear.

6

Oh Mal-soon

Gi-hun’s Mother

Most of the saddest deaths in Squid Game take place at the titular games. However, there are one or two hard-hitting deaths that happen back in the outside world, one of which belongs to Gi-hun’s elderly mother, Oh Mal-soon. Viewers don’t actually get to see her die, though her death happening offscreen arguably makes it more impactful.

Mal-soon worked her fingers to the bone to survive and support an ungrateful son who stole money from her on a regular basis, causing her constant heartache and worries. When she eventually got sick due to complications from diabetes, Gi-hun was nowhere to be found, resulting in Oh Mal-soon dying alone with no idea what had happened to her son.

5

Kim Jeong-rae

Gi-hun’s Loan Shark

In addition to hurting those who are closest to him, Gi-hun’s addiction to gambling sees him borrowing large sums of money from a loan shark named Mr. Kim, and it’s ultimately this debt that leads to his participation in the games. Being a loan shark, audiences are led to assume that Mr. Kim is a terrible person, yet while this may be true to a certain extent, he’s far from beyond redemption.

In Season 2 of Squid Game, Gi-hun is shown to be working with Mr. Kim in the hopes of tracking down the recruiter. The latter is eventually successful, although is soon captured by the Ddakji-playing psychopath and forced to participate in a deadly two-player game with one of his underlings, Choi Woo-seok. After panicking, Woo-seok ends up in a losing position, yet Mr. Kim decides to sacrifice himself by intentionally getting disqualified, showing that there was some good in him after all.

4

Park Jung-bae

Player 390 (2024 Squid Game)

Due both to its faster pacing and there being two fewer episodes, Season 2 of Squid Game didn’t have quite as many memorable characters as the one that preceded it. Technically, one of its best wasn’t even a Season 2 character, as Park Jung-bae’s first appearance actually came during the show’s pilot episode, Red Light, Green Light, in which Jung-bae is shown to be one of Gi-hun’s gambling buddies.

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This friendship is further explored throughout the show’s second season and is shown to be based on a lot more than just a mutual addiction. In a lot of ways, Jung-bae is the ultimate wingman who is willing to follow Gi-hun to the ends of the Earth if needed. Sadly, this is how he ends up meeting his maker, with Jung-bae being one of the many people who gets shot and killed during Gi-hun’s failed rebellion.

3

Kang Sae-byeok

Player 067 (33rd Squid Game)

Most of the players in Squid Game are there because of their poor life choices, but this isn’t always the case. After escaping from North Korea, Sae-byeok decided to take part in the games so that she could bring her younger brother safely across the border. Technically, this could be seen as a poor choice on her part, yet few could argue that it’s not a selfless one.

Although Gi-hun ends up honoring his promise and helps Sae-byeok’s brother, she dies not knowing whether he’ll be true to his word or even survive the final game. This in itself is tragic, but the biggest gutshot comes in Sae-byeok’s dying moments, during which the audience sees a young girl telling Gi-hun that she wants to go home.

2

Oh Il-nam

Player 001 (33rd Squid Game)

Granted, the old man ended up being one of the bad guys and didn’t actually die at the end of Gganbu, but that moment in which the audience is led to believe that he did is heartbreaking, to say the least. Although it was built upon a foundation of lies, his bond with Gi-hun was a strong one on the surface, making him a fan-favorite character up to that point.

Player 001 was basically the father figure that Gi-hun never had and always needed, which made their decision to team up in Marbles all the more hard-hitting. That Gi-hun then tried to trick Il-nam into giving him all of his marbles showed that everybody has a dark side, even if the old man was later revealed to be letting Gi-hun win. The audience learns a lot about Gi-hun through this encounter, just as he learns a lot about himself.

1

Abdul Ali

Player 199 (33rd Squid Game)

Without Ali, Gi-hun would have died in the very first episode of Squid Game. After saving his life, the gentle giant forms an alliance with the series’ protagonist and a few of the other players, which ultimately helps them to survive the next few games. Sadly, however, it’s this alliance that leads to Ali pairing up with Sang-woo during Marbles.

Ali is one of the kindest characters in Squid Game, yet his trusting nature makes him a target for Sang-woo’s deception. After losing to him fairly, the latter swaps out Ali’s marbles for pebbles to save his own skin in what is arguably one of the biggest television betrayals of all time. The look on Ali’s face when he realizes his mistake is enough to break many viewers’ hearts and helps to cement Sang-woo’s place as one of the most cowardly Squid Game characters to date.

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Squid Game

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Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

Netflix

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