In a world where everyone’s playing to win, some are just playing to survive. And that’s where we find ourselves in Squid Game Season 2—struggling through a high-stakes game that’s as cruel as it is addictive. After a three-year hiatus, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s game of deadly survival returns with more shocking revelations, including a game-changing twist: the real identity of Player 001.
What makes a story unforgettable? It’s the raw intensity, the shock, the gut-wrenching moments that leave you questioning everything. Squid Game, with its haunting blend of innocence and savagery, has enchanted us, but as the story unfolds in season 2, it gets darker, bloodier, and even more intense than before.
Fans had been eagerly speculating for years about what would come next, but none could have predicted how the plot would unfold. Hold on tight because season 2’s conclusion isn’t just a finale—it’s a seismic shift in the game itself.
Spoiler Alert !!!
Warning! This article is packed with MAJOR SPOILERS for Squid Game Season 2. Proceed at your own risk!
Who is Player 001 in Squid Game Season 2?
It’s not every day that a character you thought was untouchable reveals themselves as part of the very system they’ve been trying to destroy. That’s exactly what happens in Squid Game Season 2. The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), a character cloaked in mystery and control, becomes one of the players, assuming the false identity of In-ho, known to the others as Player 001. A simple guise, really, but a masterstroke to manipulate the players and avoid suspicion.
Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), the reluctant hero of the first season, finds himself right back where he started—reentering the game after pleading with the Front Man to give him another chance. He wakes up, donning the familiar uniform, this time as Player 456, but alongside a fresh batch of players. The tension builds with every move, but the true shocker comes after the Red Light, Green Light game, the game that has become the symbol of Squid Game’s terrifying stakes.
As Gi-hun and the others face the critical decision of whether to stay or leave the game, it’s Player 001 who ultimately holds the power. With the votes locked at 182 each, the suspense is almost unbearable. When it’s his turn to cast his vote, the world watches as In-ho’s decision reveals more than anyone could have expected. In a move that feels both cold and calculated, he chooses to keep the game going. But what really has the audience reeling is the moment that follows—the unmasking of his true identity.
In-ho’s actions don’t just stop at voting. With a devious master plan brewing, he befriends Gi-hun, using the bond to manipulate and derail Gi-hun’s mission to bring the games to a halt. Alongside Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), In-ho plays a dangerous game of double-cross, hiding his true intentions under the guise of camaraderie.
Gi-hun’s Fate: What Happens to Player 456?
Season 2 kicks off with a familiar face in the worst possible place: Seong Gi-hun, now Player 456, steps back into the deadly games—not as a contestant, but as a man on a mission. His goal? To end the bloodshed once and for all. Yet, no matter how many precautions he takes, he can never seem to outsmart the orchestrators behind the game.
Despite his best intentions, his efforts to help his fellow players only breed suspicion. Every ally is a potential foe, every plan a ticking time bomb. Amidst the chaos, Gi-hun’s plan to fight back unfolds. But even the most well-laid plans often go awry. Every step he takes, every move he makes, draws him deeper into the web.
But the true shock comes not from the firefights, nor the gunshots. It’s when the frontman, Oh Young-il, reveals himself as the one pulling the strings. The very man Gi-hun trusted to help bring down the game turns out to be its architect all along.
Gi-hun, still blind to Young-il’s true role as the Front Man, sacrifices his allies, only to have it all come crashing down. At that moment, Gi-hun realizes the harshest truth: even the best intentions can’t save you when the system is rigged from the start.
This is where Squid Game Season 2 takes a sharp, heart-wrenching turn.
A shocking death: Who falls victim next?
In the midst of a game where life and death are separated by the thinnest of margins, every choice, and every action weighs heavily on the players’ fates. The latest round of Squid Game Season 2 was no exception.
As the rebellion kicks off, Gi-hun is blindsided by the truth: his closest ally, Young-il, is not just another player. He’s the Front Man, the puppet master pulling the strings behind the whole operation. When he steps in to take control, his ruthless efficiency ensures that any hope of victory is extinguished. He brutally ends the lives of two rebels, then deceives everyone by faking Young-il’s death, all while keeping the real power firmly in his hands.
When Gi-hun and Jung-bae finally surrender, it’s too late. Front Man, now fully cloaked in his identity, takes this moment to prove a cruel point to Gi-hun. In his cold, calculating way, he shoots Jung-bae dead, showing Gi-hun that no amount of resistance or hope will change the inevitable.
Watching Gi-hun suffer through the emotional wreckage of his best friend’s death is far more satisfying.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk knows that Jung-bae’s death will devastate the audience, as he explains (via Netflix):
Lee Jung-jae, who portrays Gi-hun, knows that his character’s death will fundamentally alter the course of his journey. The actor asks:
The death of Jung-bae is a loss of everything Gi-hun has fought for. It’s a breaking point, one that will force Gi-hun to confront his deepest doubts and fears.
So, what will happen to Gi-hun?
A lot of theories are swirling around, and honestly, it feels like we’re all hanging by a thread, waiting for that one last turn of the game’s cruel wheel. Will Gi-hun be executed, his story snuffed out in a tragic and unceremonious end? Seems unlikely. After all, the man has been through more than enough hell to earn a shot at redemption.
The second option—Gi-hun forced back into the deadly game—feels almost like a given.
But then again, what if Squid Game offers us something darker—what if Gi-hun becomes one of the very monsters he fought against? Could the show really flip the script and have him become a guard, pulling the strings on the next set of desperate players? Now that would be something to chew on.
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk gave us a bit of clarity about this looming end when he shared (via THR):
It’s clear—Season 3 isn’t just about wrapping up the chaos of the game. It’s Gi-hun’s final act, the conclusion of his character arc, a chance to finally put an end to the games that have haunted him since Season 1. His story has reached its natural end, and Hwang Dong-hyuk is determined to bring it all to a close.
He also spoke to Entertainment Weekly, diving deeper into what motivated him as the creator.
Gi-hun’s saga has been an emotional rollercoaster—one where each decision he made and each person he trusted, ultimately shaped the man he is today. But there’s no escaping the weight of the past, and as Season 3 approaches,
Season 2 leaves us in the midst of a storm, unsure of what’s to come but eagerly anticipating the next chapter. Will Gi-hun defeat the game? Will In-ho emerge victorious? But as the game continues, you can’t help but wonder—is anyone ever truly free?
Well….the game’s never over; only the players change.
Squid Game Season 2 is streaming on Netflix.