Summary
Squid Game, the Netflix survival series that took the world by storm, aims to showcase the lengths that people will go towhen money is on the line. The rules are simple, but the games themselves are nothing short of horrific.
Though only one contestant can survive and claim the cash prize for themselves, several come close to doing so. These characters prove themselves to be incredibly tough contenders at several points throughout the story, and though only one of them emerged victorious, it really could have been anyone’s game.
5Han Mi-nyeo
Prioritizes Self-Preservation Via Relationships
This might be a surprising entry, but it’s one that makes sense when fans really think about it. Whilst the woman who says she is good at everything (except for the things she isn’t) is lacking in many basic skills, she is good at constantly putting herself in the right position to survive.
Mi-nyeo knows she cannot survive on her own, so she attaches herself to the strongest competitor she can to save her own skin. First, she forms a romantic and sexual partnership with Deok-su, allying herself with the toughest man in the toughest gang in the game. At a certain point, she briefly allies herself with Sae-byeok. Then, when Deok-su ditches her, she immediately attaches herself to Sang-woo, kissing up to an almost as ruthless but far more intelligent male competitor.
Mi-nyeo uses not-so-subtle yethighly effective seductive and manipulative tacticsthat allow her to win big. And at the end of the day, despite Deok-su’s betrayal, she got the last laugh.
4Jang Deok-su
The Vicious Gangster Of The Game
A gangster, a gambler, and a man far more violent than most, Deok-su is the contestant who assimilates to the brutal nature of the Squid Game the quickest.He’s a tough criminalwho is used to stabbing others in the back before games, in both a figurative and literal sense.
He has a strong will to betray, harm, and kill other people, traits that would be a negative in most other contexts. But in the Squid Game, these traits typically act as a positive and allow him to be one of the main players and biggest threats. And he enjoys it, too, with his sadism adding to his ability to bulldoze through the game like a violent force of nature. He is also one ofthe first few contestants to actually utilize teamwork, forming a group of thugs that help him dominate.
His one fault is he is very impulsive and short-sighted. If Deok-su was smarter, he would be the perfect ruthless Squid Game competitor. But, unfortunately, he wasn’t, and his ‘girlfriend’ Han Mi-Nyeo took him down with her in the most embarrassing way.
3Kang Sae-byeok
The Skilled Survivor From The North
With a mind and body as sharp as her hidden knives, Sae-byeok’s everyday life forces her to be a hardened survivor. Her tumultuous experiences present her as one of the most equipped contestants when it comes to a survival game of debt and depth.
Sae-byeok was born in North Hamgyong Province of North Korea and had to deal with famine, plague, andthe death of family members as a child. If anyone is ready for the awful Squid Games, it’s someone who has lived a life like hers. She is stoic, brave, and willing to get down and dirty without devolving into pure ruthlessness. In the first game, she is brave enough to throw down Deok-su, timing it perfectly so she can get one over on him without sacrificing herself. Before the second game starts, when she returns to the Squid Game, she sneaks in a knife using sleight of hand tricks on the Squid Game guards.
Throughout the games, Sae-byeok proves to be one of the most observant and effective contestants. If it weren’t for bad luck in the shape of a glass, she might have had a decent chance at getting into the final round.
2Seong Gi-hun
The Lucky Main Character
The luckiest unlucky contestant around, Seong Gi-Hun (aka Player #456) might not be the smartest or most skillful competitor, but he is one of the best, whether it be through his charisma or intuition. He may seem empty-headed, but he is a quick learner and often finds clever seat-of-his-pants strategies to ensure a last minute win that saves his life right before it would be lost.
It needs to be said thata lot of luck is involvedin some of Gi-Hun’s best moments. In the Red Light, Green Light game, he was lucky to have tripped and fallen next to Ali, a person strong and kind enough to hold him still before he was shot. However, in the cookie-cutter game, he chose the umbrella, which could be considered bad luck despite him figuring out how to beat the game in the end. And on the stepping stones, he was very lucky to have the front spot taken off of him. Still, Gi-Hun’s affinity for teamwork and willingness to never count himself out of the running are part of what made him the official winner of the Squid Game.
1Cho Sang-woo
The Ruthless Prodigy
The smartest contestant there is, the pride of his town, and the Golden Boy of both Gi-Hun’s family and his own,Cho Sangwoo is not the kindest or most moral of contestantsby any measure, but he is one of the most ruthless and intelligent. On top of that, he is also one of the most skilled.
High perceptiveness, predictive planning, asking the right questions, and following his ruthless business instincts are what allow Sang-woo to carry himself and Gi-Hun throughout most of the games and almost secure the win. Gi-Hun’s determination and luck prevented Sang-woo from securing the winning spot, having him settle for second. But throughout his run, the SNU prodigy proved to be the best of them all. His strategy helped Gi-Hun hide behind other players to save himself in Red Light, Green Light. His memory allowed him to pick the easiest cookie in the cutting game, his quick-draw plans secured a Tug of War victory, and his decision to go forward with one ruthless push allowed him and the others to complete the stepping stone game before the glass exploded.
A lot of bad things could be said about Sang-woo, but being a bad Squid Game player definitely isn’t one of them.
