Summary
Squid Gameis one such show that continues to captivate and shock audiences with a brutal display of ruthless survival games. These games target vulnerable people who have nothing else to lose, making them even more desperate, and willing to do the unthinkable for a shot at earning the prize money. For this reason, throughout theSquid Gameseries, manipulation, abandonment, and death have all been recurring themes.
Among the various characters who have wound up tied to the games by their participation as a player or guard (or even one of the higher ups tasked with overseeing the process), many of them have left loved ones behind. Whether it is through separation while fleeing their country, ora tragic death throughout the games, these sixSquid Gamecharacters stepped out of their loved ones lives and were never seen again.
Unemployment & gambling debts
Alive
Prior to his entry into the games, Gi-hun was introduced to viewers as a lousy father, to say the least. He has remained unemployed and developed such a significant gambling addiction that he wound up in severe debt. Then, after beating all odds and winning the prize money that could enable him to begin a fresh start where he is involved in his daughter’s life, he becomes obsessed with the games all over again.
Gi-hun doesn’t make a single trip to visit his daughter during the time skip held between games. Heck, viewers have pretty much only witnessed a single phone call in which he failed to say a word to her. The fact thatGi-hunhas remained a deadbeat throughout the entire series is rather disappointing for many viewers, who hold out hope that he’ll be able to reconnect with his daughter by the time the series wraps up for good
To financially support his family
Deceased - Marbles game
Ali was one of those characters who was just far too wholesome for his own good. An immigrant from Pakistan, Ali struggles to support his family after his employer refuses to pay him for work. As this continues to become an ongoing issue, Ali becomes increasingly desperate to finance living costs for his family to survive and therefore enters the games for a shot at winning the prize money. Unfortunately for his family, they would never see him again.
What makes this even more heartbreaking is that Ali was one of the most gentle, genuine souls in the game, and his death was a twisted act of broken trust, betrayal, and manipulation. During the marbles game, Sang-woo tricked Ali into giving up his marbles, with Ali blindly trusting him -resulting in his elimination. If anyone deserved to talk away from the games and see their loved ones again, Ali is certainly one of the top contenders. Furthermore, because he appeared to be one of, if not the main breadwinners for his family, his death would likely go on to drastically affect them and force them deeper into poverty.
Debts & arrest warrants for financial fraud
Deceased - Squid Game
Sang-Woo was a rather interesting character not only for his ties to Gi-hun but also as a reminder that even those who are among the most well-off in life can fall into financial ruin. After attending a prestigious University and becoming an investment banker, Sang-Woo eventually failed in his investments, resulting in heavy debt. Following this, a warrant was put out for his arrest involving financial fraud crimes. Sadly, it appearsSang-Wooabandoned his mother from his life well before he was to perish, or even step foot in the games.
After Gi-hun ran into her, it was shown she was still under the impression that he was highly successful, and had simply become less involved in her life due to how busy his own had become. Rather, the truth was that he had fallen off the grid completely after losing everything that had made him successful, wound up in the games in an attempt to save himself from his situation, and then passed away in the final stretch. The most emotional part of his story was that even in his last moments he was still thinking of this very mother he had disappeared from, begging Gi-hun to ensure she was taken care of.
Player 067
Earn money to pay a broker
(Bring her mother to South Korea / free her brother from the shelter)
Deceased - murdered by Sang-woo following injuries from the Glass Bridge game.
Kang Sae-byeok is yet another well-loved character who pulled on the heartstrings of many. One of the youngest competitors in the games, Sae-byeok fled from North Korea with her family, causing her father to be killed and her mother to be caught. Leaving her and her younger brother alone in South Korea, she was desperately in need of money not only for her own survival but also to bring her mother safely over to join them and free her younger brother from the shelter.
In a heartbreaking series of events, Sae-beyok visits her younger brother, with the latter having no idea that it would be the last time he sees her before she vanishes mysteriously without a trace - leaving him now fully alone for the foreseeable future. What makes Sae-byeok leaving her brother behind so tragic is that they have already been through much trauma, and ripped apart from their parents. That poor boy essentially lost his entire family one by one, and despite him likely never finding out what happened, Sae was still thinking of him throughout the entire time she was in the games, meaningGi-hunswore that he would ensure he was looked after in the case that she passes away.
Earn money to find her lost daughter
Kang No-eul is a character introduced inSeason 2 of Squid Game, showcasing the perspective of the games from a guard’s point of view. Prior to her involvement in the games, No-eul was an ex-soldier who defected from North Korea by killing her superior officer - at the cost of leaving her newborn baby behind for freedom. As you can imagine, this was not a decision No-eul has taken lightly, and the memory of her infant child has continued to follow her.
Her baby is still a high priority to Kang No-eul, and the idea of earning money to help find her lost daughter appears to be No-eul’s main, if not only priority for entering the games. In fact, she has even been shown in flashbacks visiting the same broker that Sae-byeok previously visited with hopes of helping her mother to cross the border. Fans of the show have been eager to see what the future may hold for Kang No-eul and if she will have an opportunity to reunite with her long-lost child before the story reaches an endpoint.
To pay for his pregnant wife’s liver transplant
The Front Man is a notorious character, tasked with overseeing Gi-hun’s first games and ensuring they all run smoothly. However, he is also a previous victor of the games, originally entering with hopes of winning the prize money to pay for his pregnant wife’s liver transplant. Sadly, upon his winning, he discovered it was too late to save her.
Following this, he abandoned his old life to become the frontman, leaving behind a younger brother, Hwang Jun-ho. While In-ho originally abandoned his life and left all connections behind, Jun-ho was able to use his skills as a police officer to infiltrate the games as a guard. In Season 2, In-ho returns to the games, but as a player rather than The Front Man, much likeOh Il-nam in Season 1. For this reason, it is likely fans will find out more about him and if resolution will be found between him and his brother before the conclusion of the series.
