Squid Game Characters Who Didn’t Deserve To Die

WARNING! Major spoilers ahead for all three seasons of Squid Game.

Squid Game is infamous for its sudden and emotional character deaths, as almost every single person who gets involved in the titular games eventually meets their end in one way or another. Of course, a lot of people have died across the show’s three seasons, but some of them clearly deserved it more than others.

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While some Squid Game characters are cruel, evil, or violent, many others are surprisingly heroic and innocent, and yet they tragically perished in a gruesome and/or unexpected way, even though they clearly didn’t deserve it. This has happened many times throughout the series, but the following eight examples are the most tragic and memorable ones.

WARNING! Spoilers begin here!

8

Kang Sae-Byeok

She Just Wanted To Reunite With Her Family

Debut: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)
Died in: Front Man (Season 1, Episode 8)

Kang Sae-byeok quickly became one of the biggest fan favorite characters of season 1, mainly due to her cool attitude and tragic backstory. It turns out she was a North Korean defector who entered the games to earn enough money to reunite with her little brother, but, of course, she was not completely guilt-free, as this path led to her becoming a gangster and a pickpocket, even though her heart was clearly in the right place.

With her skills and personality, Sae-byeok was able to get really far into the games and became one of the three finalists, but unfortunately, a flying piece of glass left her with a lethal injury after Glass Stepping Stones. Her new friend Seong Gi-hun tried to protect her as much as possible, but Cho Sang-woo ended up taking advantage of her fragile state and killed her when he wasn’t looking. While Sae-byeok never reunited with her family, her words and actions at least had a huge impact on Seong Gi-hun.

7

Seong Gi-Hun

Sacrificed Himself To Prove The Value Of Human Life

Debut: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)
Died in: Humans Are… (Season 3, Episode 6)

Few character developments in television history have been as shocking and heartbreaking as Seong Gi-hun’s, the protagonist of Squid Game. Back in season 1, he was a lighthearted man who befriended everyone he met, but everything he experienced during the 2020 games slowly turned him into a more serious person with one goal in mind: to return to the games and put an end to them once and for all.

Sadly, Hwang In-ho almost succeeded in turning Gi-hun into a truly irredeemable person (especially when he killed Kang Dae-ho out of revenge) but everything changed when he decided to protect Jun-hee’s newborn baby with his own life, and thus, tried to ensure the safety of the only innocent human being who didn’t choose to be there. In the final game, he sadly decided to sacrifice himself, so the baby could win in his place, and thus successfully proved to his rival that humans are much more valuable than he thought. Gi-hun’s tragic death was incredibly emotional, but his actions will undoubtedly influence the future of the games.

6

Park Jung-Bae

His Sudden Death Was Just A Cruel Punishment For Gi-Hun

Debut: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)
Died in: Friend or Foe (Season 2, Episode 7)

Park Jung-bae was one of the few people Seong Gi-hun could call a friend. Of course, just like the main character, he had made some poor decisions in his life, but he was still quite friendly and kind. So, when the two men found each other in the 2024 edition of the games, Gi-hun instantly knew Jung-bae was someone he could trust.

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Due to his experience as a former Marine, Jung-bae was an essential ally during Gi-hun’s rebellion, and the two of them actually got pretty close to reaching the Front Man’s room, but In-ho (who had previously infiltrated the games as another player) got the upper hand and managed to put an end to their actions. Unfortunately, the villain decided to execute Jung-bae in front of Gi-hun just to punish him. This scene was very tragic because the poor man was just trying to help his friends by following his orders, and he ended up being murdered in cold blood as a result.

5

Kim Young-Mi

She Just Wanted To Go Home…

Debut: 001 (Season 2, Episode 3)
Died in: O X (Season 2, Episode 6)

Due to the violent and cruel nature of the games, Squid Game has naturally featured many cowardly characters who repeatedly stated that they just wanted to go home, and Kim Young-mi is one of the most memorable examples. This poor young girl was very anxious and immediately regretted her decision to attend the games, but at least she managed to befriend Cho Hyun-ju, who constantly tried to encourage her.

During Mingle, Young-mi was suddenly pushed by a player right when she was about to enter one of the safe rooms, and Lee Myung-gi quickly closed the door, leaving her outside in the process. As a result, the poor girl looked at her good friend in the eyes while the Pink Soldiers shot her in the back. This was overall a very unfortunate situation, because Young-mi was just too innocent and soft for these violent games, and her sudden death definitely had a huge impact on Hyun-ju and the others.

4

Cho Hyun-Ju

The Most Heroic Character In Seasons 2 And 3

Debut: 001 (Season 2, Episode 3)
Died in: The Starry Night (Season 3, Episode 2)

There’s no denying that Cho Hyun-ju is one of the most likable characters in all of Squid Game. She was kind and friendly, but also very strong and brave, not to mention that her backstory was quite tragic and relatable. She heavily encouraged her team and led them to victory in the Six-Legged Pentathlon. She played a key role in Gi-hun’s attempted rebellion, and she successfully protected her friends on more than one occasion, especially during Hide and Seek.

To the surprise of most viewers, Hyun-ju really had high chances of winning the 2024 games, until she was abruptly stabbed to death by an unhinged and bloodthirsty Myung-gi. She was a kind soul who just wanted to be accepted for who she really was, and she perished just when she had found a group of people who did so, which is why her sudden death was so heartbreaking for both the other players and the audience.

3

Kim Jun-Hee

She Just Wanted The Best For Her Baby

Debut: Bread and Lottery (Season 2, Episode 1)
Died in: 222 (Season 3, Episode 4)

One of the biggest surprises of Season 2 was the addition of a pregnant girl named Kim Jun-hee to the games. She was a single mother who had entered just to earn enough money to take care of her child, and she was lucky enough to make many friends and allies who repeatedly helped her. Unfortunately, Jun-hee abruptly gave birth to her daughter during the fourth game, Hide and Seek, which sealed her fate, because the safety of that baby was her #1 priority from that point onwards.

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She received help from both Jang Geum-ja and Seong Gi-hun, and the latter even carried the baby to the other side of the bridge during Jump Rope. However, when Jun-hee realized that she was never going to be able to cross with her broken ankle, she asked Gi-hun to keep protecting her baby and threw herself into the abyss. Her story was incredibly tragic, but at least she made sure that her daughter would be able to survive before sacrificing herself for her.

2

Ali Abdul

He Was Just Too Kind For These Ruthless Games

Debut: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)
Died in: Gganbu (Season 1, Episode 6)

Ali Abdul had quite a tragic life: he was a Pakistani immigrant who was constantly discriminated against for his appearance, and he was unfairly exploited by his boss, yet he still remained an incredibly friendly, kind, and grateful man who just wanted to support his poor family. Throughout season 1, he came off as a really nice person on more than one occasion, which led to him becoming a major fan favorite among viewers.

But it could also be said that Ali was just way too nice for these ruthless games, which was especially evident during the fourth game, Marbles. He teamed up with Cho Sang-woo and made the huge mistake of trusting who he believed was his friend, which allowed Sang-woo to trick and betray him right before the game ended. Ali Abdul was just so likable that his tragic death broke the hearts of viewers all around the world, and it was the moment that cemented Sang-woo as a truly irredeemable villain.

1

Jang Geum-Ja

She Was Just A Nice Old Lady Who Made One Huge Mistake

Debut: 001 (Season 2, Episode 3)
Died in: It’s Not Your Fault (Season 3, Episode 3)

Another noteworthy addition to the main cast of Season 2 was Jang Geum-ja, an old lady who coincidentally participated in the games alongside her son, Park Yong-sik. Similarly to Ali, she had a pretty tragic life, but she remained cheerful and kind to others to the very end: Geum-ja had survived the Korean War, her ex-husband was unfaithful and physically abusive towards her and her son had a huge gambling addiction, and she had only joined in hopes of paying his debt.

She did surprisingly well during the 2024 edition and passed many of the games with the assistance of her new friends and allies. Furthermore, she was repeatedly shown to be a very kind and caring person who begged the other participants to vote against continuing. However, she tragically had to murder her own son when he tried to kill Jun-hee and her newborn daughter during Hide and Seek. This moment had an enormous impact on Geum-ja’s psyche, and after ensuring that Gi-hun would help Jun-hee out with her new baby, she decided to take her own life while everybody else was sleeping. She was just a nice old lady who was trying to make up for her son’s mistakes, and she definitely deserved much better.