Top 10 Most Tragic Moments in Squid Game

“Red Light, Green Light” & “001”

When “Squid Game” first hit Netflix in 2021, viewers were hooked by the complex characters and bizarre games, starting with the seemingly innocent Red Light, Green Light. But like the unwitting players, we were beyond shocked by the ruthless method of elimination and the number of casualties. We knew what to expect in season 2 and Gi-hun, aka Player 456, acted as their experienced leader and hype man. But a rogue bee sends people running and panicking, resulting in more carnage. To really drive home the cruelty, Gi-hun and Hyun-ju, aka Player 120, help an injured man across the finish line, only for one of the guards to kill him anyway. Both chaotic scenes are as harrowing as they are memorable.

“One Lucky Day”
When we finally come to the eponymous squid game, it’s down to Gi-hun and Sang-woo. The childhood friends were allies for much of the other games, though the latter was really only looking out for himself. Gi-hun overpowers him but tries to convince him to leave together, alive and empty-handed. After he betrayed Ali, pushed a guy off the glass bridge, and killed Sae-byeok, no one expected Sang-woo to make a sacrifice for someone else. Instead of trying to gain the upper hand or go back home, he takes his own life. Gi-hun wins the 45.6 billion won, but after the trauma he endured, including holding his dying friend, he doesn’t feel victorious.

“Stick to the Team”
As if playing life-threatening games isn’t scary enough, the players also have to survive a riot in their dormitory. It starts with Deok-su, Player 101, killing another contestant for rightfully accusing him of taking extra food. Once everyone realizes that taking each other out isn’t against the rules, they plan an attack at night. What the players don’t know is the food shortage was orchestrated to “weed out the weakest.” There’s another “Special Game” in the season 2 finale, except it’s the Os who voted to play another game attacking the Xs who voted to go home (xref). More casualties mean more prize money AND they’ll have a better chance of winning the next vote. Each riot is equally brutal and devastating.

“Six Legs”
At the end of Season 1, Jun-ho finally comes face-to-face with his missing brother (xref). However, it’s not a happy reunion. In-ho, aka the Front Man, shoots Jun-ho in the arm, sending him falling into the ocean. In Season 2, In-ho swaps his black mask for a teal tracksuit, entering the game as Player 001. He has a somewhat honest talk with Gi-hun, telling him about his wife’s acute cirrhosis, her pregnancy, and how he was fired for accepting a loan. In-ho played the games in hopes of winning enough money for a liver transplant. While this story is true, it happened years before the events of Season 1, along with his wife’s death. Sadly, the loss also hurt his familial relationships (xref).

“One More Game”
One of Season 2’s best new characters is Cho Hyun-ju, aka Player 120, a former Special Forces staff sergeant who immediately proves herself a skilled and essential player. She opens up to her small team, explaining why she joined the games and voted to play another one. After coming out as transgender, Hyun-ju lost family members, friends, and even her career — all just because she wanted to be her true self. She’s there to take home enough money for gender-affirming surgery and start a new life in Thailand. Watching Hyun-ju witness the death of her sister-like friend Young-mi is painful (xref). But we’re relieved that she survived the season. Protect our girl at all costs.

“Bread and Lottery”
In Season 2, we learn that Gi-hun pays the loan shark, Mr. Kim, to lead searches in the subway looking for the Salesman recruiting new players. Unfortunately, Mr. Kim and his associate Woo-seok are captured by the mystery man and forced to play rock, paper, scissors, minus one. However, the Salesman puts a deadly twist on the classic game by adding Russian roulette to the mix. It’s absolute torture for the two friends to play against each other, knowing one of them won’t survive. In the last round, Mr. Kim doesn’t make a move, disqualifying himself and saving Woo-seok’s life. Although we may not know these characters as well as others, this scene is no less cruel and gut-wrenching.

“Front Man”
Ask any “Squid Game” fan who their favorite character is and they’ll likely say Sae-byeok, which is why her death is so infuriating. After making it across the glass bridge with Gi-hun and Sang-woo, they are the last three contestants. But once they’re barely off the bridge, the glass explodes, hitting them with shards. Sae-byeok sustains a fatal injury but keeps it to herself. Later that evening, she and Gi-hun promise to take care of each other’s families if they win. In her last moments, she tells him she wants to go home. While Gi-hun pleads for help from the guards, Sang-woo decides to end her life as she’s already dying, shattering our hearts. We’re still not over it. Justice for Sae-byeok.

“Halloween Party”
Season 2 introduces No-eul, a North Korean defector currently working at an amusement park. Before we hear about her traumatic history, we see her brighten a little girl’s day, stopping to give her a lollipop during the parade. Later, she learns that Na-yeon, the young daughter of theme park artist, Gyeong-seok, is suffering from blood cancer. No-eul had to leave her own infant daughter behind when she left the North and all of her wages go toward finding her (xref). While she joins the game as one of the pink guards, Gyeong-seok becomes a player to pay for the treatment Na-yeon desperately needs. It’s heartbreaking to see these two parents risk their lives to save their children. Hopefully, both make it out alive.

“One Lucky Day”
When we first meet Gi-hun in season 1, he’s unemployed, living with his elderly mother, and gambling away all their money. After she ends up in the hospital, a doctor tells him that she has complications due to untreated type-2 diabetes and is at risk of needing her feet amputated. However, they don’t have health insurance or the money to afford medical care. This harsh reality motivates Gi-hun to go back to the games and he wins more than enough money to pay for treatment. But he comes home to find that his mother died alone while he was away. Being so close to finally helping his ailing mother only for her to be gone is a total gut punch for him AND us.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Gi-hun Is Forced to See Another Friend Perish

Gi-hun Learns the Dark Truth about His ‘Gganbu’

Season 2’s Adorable Duo That Had Us All Stressed & Crying

Geum-ja Lovingly Consoles the Terrified Mother-to-Be

“Gganbu”
Season one’s sixth episode is arguably the most emotional episode so far…and that goes for both seasons. In their 4th game, all participants get into teams of two and play a marbles game of their choice, but the pairs didn’t know that only one of them could survive. From the husband and wife duo to Ji-yeong’s sacrifice for Sae-byeok (xref), the entire episode is one devastating moment after another. Poor Gi-hun feels guilty that Il-nam was “eliminated,” though we find out the real story later. But perhaps the most tragic death of them all is Ali, the incredibly sweet man who actually won but was too trusting of his supposed friend, Sang-woo (xref). We understand Sang-woo wanted to live but his trickery was the ultimate betrayal.
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What moments left you devastated? Did they make the list? Let us know in the comments below.