SQUID GAME — COMPLETE CHARACTER & SEASON GUIDE (Seasons 1–3)

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0. STRUCTURE NOTE

Every character receives a full profile in the season where they first appear. Seasons 2 and 3 are populated by their own new characters plus a "returning characters" block for people who genuinely come back on screen: Gi-hun, In-ho/the Front Man, Jun-ho, the Recruiter, Mr. Kim, Jung-bae, Ga-yeong, Woo-seok, Captain Park, and in Season 3 a brief flashback of the games' founder (Il-nam). A person who exists in more than one season has their origin and backstory in the season where it is revealed on screen and their later actions in the later season's returning-characters block.

This is a formatting choice for the guide, not a canon rule. In canon, Il-nam (flashback), Jung-bae (corpse), the Recruiter, Mr. Kim and Ga-yeong all reappear after Season 1. Cross-season reference sections (Part IV) collect facts that span all three seasons.

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1. WORLD & HISTORY OF THE GAMES

• Item = Canon detail
• Prize = ₩45.6 billion in Season 1 (456 players); ₩100 million is added to the pool per eliminated player
• Core rules = 1) Players may not quit. 2) A player who refuses to play is eliminated. 3) Games can be ended by majority vote
• Guard symbols = Circle = workers (pink; logistics, cleaning, corpse handling). Triangle = soldiers (pink; armed). Square = managers/supervisors (black uniform). Any guard who reveals their face is executed
• Age of the games = Over 30 years (revealed in Season 1 via the Front Man's archive)
• 2015 = The 28th edition; won by Hwang In-ho (Player 132)
• Season 1 (2020; Tudum labels it "Squid Game 2020") = The 33rd Squid Game (held 2020); won by Seong Gi-hun (Player 456)
• Seasons 2 and 3 = One continuous game: the 37th Squid Game (held 2024), the last one held in South Korea. It is the only edition that lasted 7 days instead of 6
• Season 1 games = Red Light Green Light → Dalgona/Ppopgi → Tug of War → Marbles → Glass Stepping Stones → Squid Game
• 37th games (Season 2 + Season 3) = Ddakji (recruitment) → Red Light Green Light → Six-Legged Pentathlon → Mingle → (bathroom brawl and rebellion in Season 2) → Hide and Seek (Keys and Knives) → Jump Rope → Sky Squid Game
• Season 2 rule change = Players vote after every game (O = continue, X = stop). A majority for X ends the games and splits the pool equally

1.1 The three seasons at a glance

• Item = Season 1 = Season 2 = Season 3
• Episodes = 9 = 7 = 6
• Release = 17 Sep 2021 = 26 Dec 2024 = 27 Jun 2025
• In-universe game = 33rd (2020) = 37th (2024), first half = 37th (2024), second half
• Winner = Gi-hun (456) = none (game continues) = Baby 222

Seasons 2 and 3 were written and shot as one continuous story and depict one single game (the 37th). Note the difference between the release years above (real-world) and the in-universe years of the games (2015, 2020, 2024).

1.2 Prize and count mathematics

• Every eliminated player adds ₩100 million to the pool. Season 1: 456 players correspond to ₩45.6 billion.
• Season 2: pool = ₩100M × deaths. The 91 Red Light Green Light deaths = ₩9.1 billion. One recap reports about 356 dead, ₩35.6 billion, and roughly ₩356 million each for about 100 survivors after Mingle (456 − 100 = 356, so the arithmetic is internally consistent).
• Voting (Season 2): after every game players vote O or X; a majority for X ends the games.
• 37th games: because Jun-hee's baby becomes a second Player 222, this is the first edition to technically have more than 456 players. The baby, as winner, receives the accumulated ₩45.6 billion.

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PART I — SEASON 1 (9 episodes; 33rd Squid Game, 2020)

Episodes: 1 Red Light, Green Light · 2 Hell · 3 The Man with the Umbrella · 4 Stick to the Team · 5 A Fair World · 6 Gganbu · 7 VIPS · 8 Front Man · 9 One Lucky Day

1.3 Season 1 — Player count timeline

• Stage = Players alive = Notes
• Start = 456 = Everyone in numbered tracksuits
• After Game 1 (Red Light, Green Light) = 201 = 255 eliminated (Ep 1)
• Vote (Ep 2) = — = The vote ties 100–100; Player 001 (Il-nam) casts the deciding vote to stop (101–100); everyone is released
• Return = 187 = 187 of the 201 return; 14 do not (201 − 187)
• Game 2 (Dalgona) = 187 enter
• Night riot (Ep 4) = — = Dormitory riot kills many
• After Game 3 (Tug of War) = 40 = Teams of ten; 8 teams → 4 winners (80 → 40)
• After Game 4 (Marbles) = 17 = Tudum count; see gap note below
• Before Game 5 = 16 = Player 069 dies by suicide the night before
• After Game 5 (Glass Stepping Stones) = 3 = Gi-hun, Sang-woo, Sae-byeok
• After the night = 2 = Sae-byeok killed by Sang-woo
• Winner = 1 = Gi-hun

Gap note: 40 → 17 across the Tug of War night and Marbles means 23 deaths, while pairs alone would leave about 20. The three-player difference (night killings or other) is not explained in any retrieved source. Mi-nyeo is alive after Marbles (the player count was odd, so she had no partner and did not play).

1.4 Season 1 — Episode-by-episode (who, where, what, who died)

Ep 1 — Red Light, Green Light. Gi-hun is broke, divorced, gambling, and borrowing from his diabetic mother. At a train station the Recruiter plays ddakji with him for ₩100,000 per round and hands him a card. Gi-hun wakes up in a dormitory with 455 others. Pink guards explain the six-game structure; the Front Man oversees. Gi-hun befriends Player 001 (Il-nam) and recognises Sang-woo (childhood friend) and Player 067 (Sae-byeok, the pickpocket who robbed him). Game 1: anyone seen moving is shot. Ali stops Gi-hun's fall; Sang-woo explains the doll is a motion sensor. 456 → 201.

Ep 2 — Hell. The survivors use the third clause to vote and end the game. The vote ties 100–100, and Player 001 (Il-nam) casts the deciding vote to stop (101–100). Back in Seoul, Gi-hun asks the police for help; only Detective Hwang Jun-ho listens (his missing brother received the same card). The players are re-invited and many return from desperation (187 of 201). Jun-ho follows Gi-hun's pickup.

Ep 3 — The Man with the Umbrella. Jun-ho infiltrates as a masked worker and learns the venue is a remote island. Game 2: Dalgona. Sang-woo learns the shape-game beforehand and chooses the triangle; Sae-byeok follows him to the triangle; Ali chooses the circle; Gi-hun gets the umbrella and licks the back of the candy to finish. Mi-nyeo helps Deok-su cheat with a lighter. A player takes a guard hostage, unmasks him, finds he is just a young man, and takes his own life; the Front Man kills the unmasked guard.

Ep 4 — Stick to the Team. Player 111 (Byeong-gi) trades organs from dead players for leaked information. Deok-su kills a player (271) over extra food; the prize grows. The lights go out and a dormitory riot erupts. Gi-hun's group survives and exchanges names (Ali, Sae-byeok; Il-nam can't recall his name because of his tumor). Mi-nyeo sleeps with Deok-su. Game 3 is revealed: teams of ten in a tug of war over a drop. Deok-su, tipped off by 111, picks only strong men and rejects Mi-nyeo, who joins Gi-hun's team.

Ep 5 — A Fair World. Tug of War: Gi-hun's team beats a stronger team using Il-nam's strategy and Sang-woo's quick thinking. Flashback to Gi-hun's factory strike ten years earlier. Jun-ho witnesses the organ ring; everyone involved except Jun-ho is killed by the Front Man, including 111, and the bodies are hung up for the players to see. In the Front Man's office Jun-ho learns the games have run 30+ years and that his brother won in 2015. 40 players remain.

Ep 6 — Gganbu. Game 4: Marbles. Players must beat their partner at any game within 30 minutes, each starting with 10 marbles. Pairs include Gi-hun–Il-nam, Sang-woo–Ali, Sae-byeok–Ji-yeong and Deok-su–Player 278 (Ja-hyoung, his right-hand man). Ji-yeong deliberately loses to let Sae-byeok live and is shot. Sang-woo cheats Ali by swapping his marbles for pebbles; Ali is shot. Deok-su beats his partner 278, who is eliminated. Gi-hun exploits Il-nam's dementia; Il-nam gives him the win, calling Gi-hun his gganbu, and apparently dies. Mi-nyeo has no partner because the player count is odd, so she does not play Marbles and survives. Gi-hun, Sang-woo and Sae-byeok are traumatised. The survivors return to the dormitory to find Mi-nyeo alive. 17 players remain.

Ep 7 — VIPS. The foreign VIPs arrive in animal masks to watch and bet. Jun-ho, posing as a waiter, is propositioned by one VIP, forces a confession on camera, leaves him unconscious, and flees. Player 069 dies by suicide (hanging) the night before the game out of guilt over beating his wife (Player 070) in Marbles. Game 5: Glass Stepping Stones (16 players). Deok-su refuses to advance; Mi-nyeo drags him down with her to their deaths in revenge. The glassmaker (Player 017, Do Jeong-soo) identifies safe panes until the Front Man cuts the lights; Sang-woo pushes the glassmaker onto the last pane to reveal it. Only Gi-hun, Sang-woo and Sae-byeok finish; the remaining glass explodes and Sae-byeok is badly cut. 3 remain.

Ep 8 — Front Man. The three finalists get formal clothes and steak knives. Sae-byeok asks Gi-hun to look after her family if she dies. Gi-hun nearly kills a sleeping Sang-woo but Sae-byeok stops him. When Gi-hun goes for help, Sang-woo kills Sae-byeok. Jun-ho reaches another island; the Front Man unmasks as his brother In-ho, offers to recruit him, is refused, and shoots him; Jun-ho falls into the sea. 2 remain.

Ep 9 — One Lucky Day. Final game: Squid Game. Gi-hun wins the brutal fight but refuses to kill Sang-woo and invokes the third clause; Sang-woo stabs himself in the neck and asks Gi-hun to care for his mother. Gi-hun returns with a bank card, finds his mother dead, and about a year later answers a card from his "gganbu": Il-nam, dying, reveals he created the games. They bet on a collapsed man in the street; the man is saved; Il-nam dies. Gi-hun gives Sae-byeok's brother to Sang-woo's mother with a share of the money, dyes his hair red, heads to Los Angeles to see his daughter, spots the Recruiter at the station, takes the player's card, phones the number, and refuses the Front Man's order to "get on the plane." 1 winner: Gi-hun (winner of the 33rd Squid Game, 2020).

1.5 Season 1 — Who was on which team, game by game

• Game = Format = Known assignments
• Red Light, Green Light = Individual = Ali stops Gi-hun's fall; Sang-woo explains the doll's sensor
• Dalgona = Individual shape pick = Sang-woo → triangle; Sae-byeok follows → triangle; Ali → circle; Gi-hun → umbrella
• Tug of War = Teams of 10 = Gi-hun's team: Gi-hun 456, Il-nam 001, Sang-woo 218, Ali 199, Sae-byeok 067, Ji-yeong 240, Mi-nyeo 212 (Deok-su's reject), Player 276 (Ali's recruit); two further members unnamed. Deok-su's team: Deok-su 101 plus strong men; Mi-nyeo rejected
• Marbles = Pairs, 30 min, 10 marbles each = Gi-hun–Il-nam, Sang-woo–Ali, Sae-byeok–Ji-yeong, Deok-su–278 (Ja-hyoung). Mi-nyeo has no partner (odd player count) and does not play
• Glass Stepping Stones = Individual order = Deok-su and Mi-nyeo die together; glassmaker (017) pushed by Sang-woo; Gi-hun, Sang-woo, Sae-byeok survive
• Squid Game = 1 vs 1 = Gi-hun vs Sang-woo (Sae-byeok already dead)

1.6 Season 1 — Character profiles

Seong Gi-hun — Player 456 (Lee Jung-jae)

• Born: Oct 31, 1974, Ssangmun-dong, Seoul. Raised by a single mother.
• Past: Worked at Dragon Motors; took part in a strike against mass layoffs ten years before the story; the loss of that job started his decline. Later a chauffeur and compulsive gambler (horse racing).
• Personality: Warm, impulsive, naïve, loyal; believes in people.
• Look: Messy short hair, tracksuit 456; hair dyed red at the end of Season 1.
• Debts: Large bank and loan-shark debts; Mr. Kim threatened to sell his organs.
• Why he joined: Debts, his mother's medical bills (diabetes), and hope of regaining custody of his daughter before she moves to the US.
• Fate in S1: Wins the 33rd games; mother already dead; refuses the prize money; resolves to end the games.
• Family ties: Mother (diabetic; dies while he is in the games), ex-wife (never named in the show), ex-wife's new husband and stepson in Los Angeles, daughter Seong Ga-yeong (English name Jenny). Close friend Park Jung-bae (old friend from Dragon Motors/the racetrack).

Oh Il-nam — Player 001 (O Yeong-su)

• Elderly man with a brain tumor and dementia — in truth the creator and "Host" of the games.
• Why he joined: Boredom; he said he wanted to play the children's games once more. Genuinely enjoyed playing with Gi-hun.
• Fate: Seemingly dies in Marbles (gives Gi-hun his marble); revealed alive a year later; dies of cancer after the street wager.
• Vote: Casts the deciding vote (101–100) to stop the game in S1 Ep 2.
• Later appearance: A brief flashback in Season 3 (the 2015 meeting with In-ho). Player 001 is later reused by In-ho in Season 2 as a deliberate echo.

Cho Sang-woo — Player 218 (Park Hae-soo)

• Childhood friend of Gi-hun (same neighborhood); Seoul National University graduate; leader of an investment team at Joy Investments.
• Why he joined: He illegally used client money, lost about ₩6 billion, and put his mother's house and shop up as collateral; facing arrest.
• Arc: Ruthless — betrays Ali, murders the glassmaker (017) and Sae-byeok. Dies by suicide to leave the money to Gi-hun for his mother.
• Family: Mother (runs a fish shop later named after him).

Kang Sae-byeok — Player 067 (Jung Ho-yeon)

• North Korean defector and pickpocket; once worked for Deok-su and broke away.
• Family: Grandparents and older brother died of an epidemic; father shot at the border; mother captured and returned to a North Korean prison camp; younger brother Kang Cheol in an orphanage.
• Why she joined: Money to free her mother and get Cheol out of the orphanage.
• Fate: Wounded by the glass explosion, killed by Sang-woo in the night.
• Later fulfilment: Gi-hun places Cheol with Sang-woo's mother.

Abdul Ali — Player 199 (Anupam Tripathi)

• Pakistani migrant worker in Korea with a wife and child. His boss refused to pay wages; Ali injured him in anger.
• Why he joined: Back wages and money for his family.
• Fate: Dies in Marbles (Ep 6) after Sang-woo swaps his marbles for pebbles. Saves Gi-hun in Game 1. Recruits Player 276 for Tug of War.

Jang Deok-su — Player 101 (Heo Sung-tae)

• Gangster, deep in gambling debt, fallen out with his boss. Cowardly under the bluster. Former boss of Sae-byeok.
• Why he joined: Gambling debts and being on the run.
• Marbles: His partner is his right-hand man, Player 278 (Ja-hyoung); Deok-su beats him and 278 is eliminated.
• Fate: Killed with Mi-nyeo in the Glass Bridge game.

Han Mi-nyeo — Player 212 (Kim Joo-ryoung)

• Loud, manipulative, implied con artist. Claims to have a newborn child (doubtful).
• Arc: Helps Deok-su cheat, sleeps with him, is rejected from his team, joins Gi-hun's team, survives Marbles (odd player count: she has no partner and does not play), takes revenge by dragging Deok-su down on the bridge.

Ji-yeong — Player 240 (Lee Yoo-mi)

• Ex-convict who killed her abusive pastor father (who had killed her mother). Bonds with Sae-byeok. Sacrifices herself in Marbles.

Byeong-gi — Player 111 "The Doctor" (Yoo Sung-joo)

• Disgraced doctor running the organ trade with guards in exchange for game information. Executed by the Front Man and hung up for display. (Reason for joining: financial ruin.)

Do Jeong-soo — Player 017 "The Glassmaker"

• Experienced glass worker (tall; takes the lead in the Glass Stepping Stones game). Can tell which panes are safe until the Front Man cuts the lights. Pushed onto the last pane by Sang-woo to reveal it. His number is 017; Player 016 is a different person.

Other named players

• Player = Notes
• 017 = Do Jeong-soo, the glassmaker; pushed to his death by Sang-woo on the bridge
• 069 = Dies by suicide the night before Game 5 out of guilt over beating his wife (Player 070) in Marbles
• 271 = Killed by Deok-su over extra food
• 276 = Recruited by Ali for Tug of War
• 278 = Ja-hyoung, Deok-su's right-hand man; Deok-su's partner in Marbles; eliminated when Deok-su beats him
• 132 = Hwang In-ho in the 28th games (2015)

Recruiter / Salesman (Gong Yoo)

Suit, briefcase, ddakji tiles, ₩100,000 per round, slaps losers who can't pay. Never named in the show; credited only as "Recruiter." Appears again in Season 2 (see 2.3).

Mr. Kim — Loan Shark Leader (Kim Pub-lae)

Gi-hun's creditor. Returns in Season 2 (see 2.3).

Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon)

• Born: Sep 16, 1992. Police detective searching for his missing half-brother.
• Family: Half-brother Hwang In-ho (the Front Man); mother Park Mal-soon (In-ho's stepmother). In-ho once gave him a kidney.
• S1 arc: Stows away, disguises himself as a guard, finds the organ ring, finds his brother's name in the 2015 winners' archive, films a VIP's confession, is shot by In-ho and falls into the sea. (Survival revealed in Season 2.)

Hwang In-ho — The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun)

• Masked in black, listens to "Fly Me to the Moon," executes any guard who reveals a face, personally kills the rogue organ-trade guards.
• Identity reveal (S1 Ep 8): He is Jun-ho's older half-brother, winner of the 2015 (28th) games.
• S1 end: Tells Gi-hun to "get on the plane."

Gi-hun's mother

Diabetic; urgently needs surgery; dies before Gi-hun returns home.

Seong Ga-yeong / Jenny (Cho Ah-in as the older Ga-yeong)

Gi-hun's daughter; lives in Los Angeles with her mother (Gi-hun's ex-wife, never named in the show), stepfather and stepbrother. Reappears in Season 2 (voice on a call) and in the Season 3 epilogue.

Sang-woo's mother

Runs a fish shop; receives a large share of the prize money and cares for Kang Cheol.

The VIPs

Wealthy foreign spectators who bet on players; arrive in Episode 7 in animal masks. Return in Season 3.

Pink Guards / Soldiers / Managers

Masked staff under the Front Man; strict symbol hierarchy (see Part IV); numbered and anonymous.

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PART II — SEASON 2 (7 episodes; first half of the 37th Squid Game, 2024)

Episodes: 1 Bread and Lottery · 2 Halloween Party · 3 001 · 4 Six Legs · 5 One More Game · 6 O X · 7 Friend or Foe

2.1 Season 2 — Player count timeline

• Stage = Players alive = Notes
• Start = 456 = Gi-hun wakes up with 455 others
• After Red Light Green Light (Ep 3) = 365 = 91 die; first death is Player 196 Mi-na
• Vote 1 = 365 = 182 X vs 182 O; Player 001 breaks the tie, O wins 183–182 (derived from 365 total)
• Pentathlon (Eps 4–5) = — = Many die
• After Mingle (Ep 6) = about 100 = One outlet only; consistent with ₩35.6 billion
• Bathroom brawl (Eps 6–7) = about 95 = 5 die (3 from O, 2 from X)
• End of season = about 95 (one outlet says about 60) = Rebellion kills dozens

2.2 Season 2 — New characters (full profiles)

Lee Myung-gi — Player 333 "MG Coin" (Im Si-wan)

• Former crypto YouTuber whose recommended coin collapsed; ex-boyfriend of Jun-hee and (unknown to him) father of her child.
• Why he joined: Ruin after the crash, hunted by followers he ruined.
• S2 arc: Hounded by Thanos and Nam-gyu, shielded by Jung-bae and Dae-ho, switches his vote to X, kills Thanos with a fork in the bathroom brawl; held back from the rebellion by Jun-hee.

Kim Jun-hee — Player 222 (Jo Yu-ri)

• Pregnant; lost her savings on Myung-gi's coin; says she has no family left.
• Why she joined: Money to raise h r child.
• Agile, resourceful, protected by many players.

Choi Su-bong "Thanos" — Player 230 (Choi Seung-hyun)

• Rapper with a drug problem, necklace cross filled with pills; ₩1.19 billion in debt; was about to jump from a bridge when he received his card.
• Fate S2: Killed by Myung-gi in the bathroom brawl.

Nam-gyu — Player 124 (Roh Jae-won)

• Thanos's right-hand; lost millions on Myung-gi's advice; shares his drugs.
• S2: Kills Se-mi in the O-team revenge riot.

Minor Players — 096, 163, 192 & 377

Player 096: A minor male player appearing in Season 3. He has no officially established name, detailed background, or extensive personality profile. He is shown wearing the standard green player uniform and participates in the games, including Hide and Seek and Jump Rope. He survives until the fifth stage of Jump Rope, where he is eliminated.

Player 163: A minor female player appearing in Season 3. Her name and personal background are not established. She is portrayed as a background/minor contestant and wears the standard green player uniform. She participates in Jump Rope and is eliminated during the fifth stage.

Player 192: A minor male player who appears in Seasons 2 and 3. He is bald and has a more aggressive appearance than many of the other background players. Some sources describe him as having a criminal/gang-related background and a gambling addiction, although these details are not extensively developed in the show. He participates in the games and is eliminated during the fifth stage of Jump Rope in Season 3.

Player 377: A minor male player appearing in Seasons 2 and 3. His name, personality, and personal background are not established in detail. He is primarily a background/minor contestant wearing the standard green player uniform. He participates in the Season 3 Jump Rope game and is eliminated during the fifth stage.

Player 096 Player 163 Player 192 Player 377

Park Min-su — Player 125 (Lee David)

• Timid young man; initially follows Se-mi and Thanos's crew; eventually votes to end the games and stands up to Thanos.

Se-mi — Player 380 (Won Ji-an)

• Tomboyish, gentle with the weak, firm with the strong. Killed by Nam-gyu.

Gyeong-su — Player 256 (Kang Sung-wook)

• Thanos's superfan; kicked out of the team in Mingle (room limit) and killed.

Kang Dae-ho — Player 388 (Kang Ha-neul)

• Claims to be an ex-Marine and even has a Marine tattoo; only son among four sisters; his father fought in Vietnam; freezes in the rebellion, which contributes to its failure. In truth he never served in the Marine Corps: he did his mandatory service as a social service agent (South Korea's alternative to active military duty). So his "Marine" past is a lie that is revealed in Season 3.

Park Jung-bae — Player 390 (Lee Seo-hwan)

• Gi-hun's old friend (first seen at the racetrack in Season 1, Ep 1) and former Marine; recently divorced; plays baseball well (Biseokchigi). Bonds with Dae-ho; bonds with Gi-hun over the Dragon Motors strike; saved by In-ho in Mingle (who kills another player to fit the room). Executed by the Front Man after the failed rebellion; his hanged body is displayed in Season 3.

Cho Hyun-ju — Player 120 (Park Sung-hoon)

• Former special-forces sergeant and transgender woman; joined to fund gender-affirming surgery (debt ₩330 million); lost her job, friends, and her parents' support after coming out.
• S2: Trains the rebels with stolen submachine guns; one of three rebels to survive.

Kim Young-mi — Player 095 (Kim Si-eun)

• Timid; first to befriend Hyun-ju; injured in Mingle and executed when Myung-gi closes the door.

Park Yong-sik — Player 007 (Yang Dong-geun)

• Gambling addict, trusting; had been financially exploited; had attempted suicide before the games.

Jang Geum-ja — Player 149 (Kang Ae-shim)

• Yong-sik's elderly mother; Korean War survivor; single mother after leaving an abusive husband; enters to pay her son's debts, not knowing he is also a player.

Im Jeong-dae — Player 100 (Song Young-chang)

• Brash, greedy; owes ₩10 billion; leader of the "O" (continue) camp.

Kim Yeong-sam — Player 226

• Jeong-dae's friend; ₩1.9 billion in debt; clashes with Dae-ho.

Seon-nyeo — Player 044 (Chae Kook-hee)

• Self-proclaimed shaman; talks about people's destined deaths; rival of Hyun-ju.

Park Gyeong-seok — Player 246 (Lee Jin-wook)

• Struggling artist; daughter has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant; formerly worked at an amusement park with No-eul.

Kang No-eul — Guard 011 (Park Gyu-young)

• Former North Korean soldier who defected after killing her abusive commander; searching for her infant daughter. Worked at an amusement park in a costume, struggling with alcohol. Joins the games as a pink guard; protective of Gyeong-seok.

Kang Mi-na — Player 196 (Song Ji-woo)

• ₩45 million in debt; first player to die this season (panics when Thanos says there is a bee on her).

Choi Woo-seok (Jeon Seok-ho)

• Member of Mr. Kim's loan-shark crew; assists Gi-hun and later Jun-ho's search.

Captain Park (Oh Dal-su)

• Fisherman who rescued Jun-ho; secretly a Pink Guard working for the Front Man.

Park Mal-soon (Lee Joo-sil)

• Jun-ho's mother and In-ho's stepmother; wept that she could not help In-ho save his pregnant wife.

Masked Officer

• Square-masked supervisor in black; In-ho's stand-in while he plays Player 001; also a North Korean defector.

Other players listed with debts

• Player = Debt
• 196 Mi-na = ₩45 million
• 120 Hyun-ju = ₩330 million
• 230 Thanos = ₩1.19 billion
• 198 Jang Do-yeong = ₩1.4 billion
• 226 Kim Yeong-sam = ₩1.9 billion
• 444 Kim Nam-du = ₩2.02 billion
• 343 Sim Jae-seok = ₩2.89 billion
• 006 Park Mi-hwa = ₩3.1 billion
• 283 Lee Eun-ju = ₩4.02 billion (Season 2–3 only; Season 1 Player 283 remains unnamed)
• 100 Jeong-dae = ₩10 billion

2.3 Season 2 — Returning characters (only those who truly return)

• Seong Gi-hun (456). Turns around at the airport; two years of searching with Mr. Kim and Woo-seok's crew. Plays Russian roulette with the Recruiter, who kills himself on the final turn; finds an invitation card; reaches the Front Man in a limousine after a Halloween-party pickup; returns as Player 456 with a tracking tooth. Warns players in Game 1 so most survive; fails to win the votes; leads the rebellion; is captured; watches Jung-bae die.
• Hwang In-ho (Front Man / Player 001 "Oh Young-il"). Accepts Gi-hun's challenge, hands daily control to the Masked Officer, joins as a fake elderly player with a pregnant-wife story that is partly his own true story. Casts the deciding vote to continue, later urges players to vote against continuing (a larger majority still proceeds), helps Gi-hun, then betrays the rebellion, shoots two allies in the back, fakes his death, returns as the Front Man and executes Jung-bae.
• Hwang Jun-ho. Revealed alive after his fall; given a boat by Captain Park; two years of failed island searches; downgraded to a traffic cop; allies with Gi-hun; leads mercenaries; discovers an explosive trap at the entrance; the season ends with the team still lost at sea.
• The Recruiter (unnamed in the show). Overpowers Mr. Kim and Woo-seok, forces them to play rock-paper-scissors Russian roulette; claims to have been a worker and soldier and to have executed his own father; dies by his own hand in Gi-hun's roulette round.
• Mr. Kim. Dies in Episode 1 by sacrificing himself to save Woo-seok.
• Seong Ga-yeong. Gi-hun calls her before returning; she hangs up before he can speak.
• Park Jung-bae. See profile above; first appeared in Season 1.

2.4 Season 2 — Episode summaries

• Ep 1 Bread and Lottery. Gi-hun's U-turn; the hunt for the Recruiter; Mr. Kim dies; Recruiter dies; Gi-hun finds the card.
• Ep 2 Halloween Party. Gi-hun meets Jun-ho; talks with the Front Man; tooth tracker implanted; Gi-hun joins and wakes among 455 others (456 players).
• Ep 3 001. New players arrive; Red Light Green Light: Mi-na dies first; 91 die in total (456 → 365); Gi-hun's warnings save most; first vote — 182 vs 182, with the Front Man as Player 001 casting the deciding vote to continue (O wins 183–182).
• Ep 4 Six Legs. Six-legged pentathlon (gonggi, Biseokchigi and top-spinning among the mini-games); teams form: Gi-hun's group (the "five") vs. Hyun-ju's group and Thanos's crew.
• Ep 5 One More Game. No-eul's unruly actions; more votes; tensions peak.
• Ep 6 O X. Mingle (carousel, room-fitting game, rooms by called number); Young-mi and Gyeong-su die; two factions form (about 100 survivors); In-ho kills a player to save Jung-bae.
• Ep 7 Friend or Foe. Bathroom brawl: Thanos is killed; five die. Gi-hun's rebellion: Hyun-ju trains rebels with stolen guns; the O-team riot kills X-team members including Se-mi; Dae-ho freezes; In-ho betrays them; Jung-bae executed; Gi-hun captured; No-eul helps Gyeong-seok survive and starts eliminating the organ-trade crew; Jun-ho's team finds an explosive entrance; Captain Park sabotages them.

2.5 Season 2 — Teams and vote factions

• Game = Format = Known assignments
• Red Light Green Light = Individual = Gi-hun warns the field; 91 die; Mi-na (196) first to die
• Pentathlon = Teams = Gi-hun's team: Gi-hun, Player 001 "Young-il", Jung-bae 390, Dae-ho 388, plus a fifth member (possibly Myung-gi 333). Hyun-ju's group: Hyun-ju 120, Young-mi 095, Se-mi 380. Thanos's crew: Thanos 230, Nam-gyu 124, Gyeong-su 256
• Mingle = Rooms by called number = No fixed teams; Gyeong-su (256) kicked from Thanos's room and dies; Young-mi (095) injured and executed
• Vote factions = O vs X = O (continue): Jeong-dae 100 (leader), Yeong-sam 226, Nam-gyu 124, Thanos 230, Gyeong-su 256, Seon-nyeo. X (stop): Gi-hun 456, Jung-bae 390, Dae-ho 388, Hyun-ju 120, Jun-hee 222, Se-mi 380, Geum-ja 149, Min-su 125 (eventually), Myung-gi 333 (switches to X); Yong-sik 007
• Rebellion = Not a game = Rebels: Gi-hun, Hyun-ju (trainer), Jung-bae. Dae-ho freezes

2.6 Season 2 — Who is alive at the end

Gi-hun, Dae-ho, Hyun-ju, Myung-gi, Jun-hee (pregnant), Geum-ja, Yong-sik, Min-su, Nam-gyu, Seon-nyeo, Jeong-dae, Yeong-sam, Gyeong-seok (officially "executed" but secretly saved by No-eul), No-eul, the Front Man, Jun-ho and his crew, and Captain Park (a traitor on the boat).

Died this season: Mi-na, Young-mi, Gyeong-su, Se-mi, Thanos, Jung-bae, Mr. Kim, the Recruiter, many rebels and X-team players, a Masked Officer subordinate, and the drone pilot (stabbed by Captain Park).

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PART III — SEASON 3 (6 episodes; second half of the 37th Squid Game, 2024)

Episodes: 1 Keys and Knives · 2 The Starry Night · 3 It's Not Your Fault · 4 222 · 5 ○△□ · 6 Humans Are...

3.1 Season 3 — Player count and deaths

Exactly nine finalists enter the final game, Sky Squid Game (the baby included).

• Ep = Event = Notes
• 1 = Hide and Seek: dozens die
• 2 = Baby 222 born
• 3 = Jump Rope begins; Nam-gyu (124) first, falls
• 4 = Jun-hee steps off; baby transferred number 222 by the VIPs
• 5 = Sky Squid Game; Min-su sacrificed first = 9 finalists
• 6 = Final three: Myung-gi, Gi-hun, baby = 1 winner: Baby 222

The nine Sky Squid Game finalists: Player 039 ("Lunchbox"), Im Jeong-dae 100, Park Min-su 125, Kim Gi-min 203, Player 222 (the baby), Lee Myung-gi 333, Lee Seung-won 336, Kim Yun-tae 353, Seong Gi-hun 456. Eight were eliminated (including Gi-hun, who eliminated himself). Players 100, 333 and 456 are the only players who played all six games on screen.

Named deaths from TV Insider:

• Hide and Seek, killed by Nam-gyu and Myung-gi: 235, 411, 006, 447, plus Hyun-ju.
• Other Hide and Seek deaths: 009, 024, 172, 197, 232, 334, 339, 350, 394, 400, 440, and "dozens" more.
• Jump Rope deaths: 096, 163, 192, 270, 276, 306, 312, 349, 377, 435, 442, 448.

3.2 Season 3 — New characters

• Player 222 — Jun-hee's baby girl. Daughter of Jun-hee and Myung-gi; born during Hide and Seek; her mother's number is transferred to her by the VIPs; sole winner of the 37th games. First eliminated player to "survive" the games in effect, and the youngest and final winner of the Korean games.
• Player 039 "Lunchbox." Finalist in Sky Squid Game; on the side that wanted the baby eliminated. Player 039 also appears in the Season 2 Ep 7 cast list.
• Kim Gi-min (203), Lee Seung-won (336), Kim Yun-tae (353). The other three finalists in Sky Squid Game.
• The VIPs. Return and decide the baby may enter the game; some wanted her dead.
• The American Recruiter (Cate Blanchett; unnamed in the show, credited only as "Recruiter"). Final scene: plays ddakji with a homeless man in Los Angeles; In-ho's limousine watches.

3.3 Season 3 — Returning characters (new arcs)

• Seong Gi-hun. Starts chained to a bunk bed; blames Dae-ho; as a seeker in Hide and Seek he strangles Dae-ho and immediately tries to take his own life but is restrained. Geum-ja asks him to protect Jun-hee and her baby before she hangs herself. In Jump Rope he crosses second (after Nam-gyu, who falls) carrying the baby. Jun-hee refuses to be rescued. Night before the final: the Front Man offers him a knife and asks if he still has faith in people; a hallucination stops him from harming anyone. In Sky Squid Game he protects the baby until only Myung-gi, the baby and he remain. Myung-gi falls and dies without anyone pressing the button, so the round has no elimination; Gi-hun then presses the button and jumps, sacrificing himself so the baby becomes the sole winner. (Gi-hun does not kill Myung-gi: the elimination only counts once the button is pressed, and Gi-hun is the one who presses it, for himself.)
• Hwang In-ho (Front Man). Resumes control; welcomes the VIPs; sets the island's self-destruct; picks up the baby after Gi-hun's death; confronted by Jun-ho and leaves; six months later gives the baby and her prize money to Jun-ho, delivers Gi-hun's bloodied tracksuit and remaining winnings to his daughter in Los Angeles, and sees the American Recruiter at a traffic light.
• Hwang Jun-ho. Kills Captain Park with a harpoon; rescues Gyeong-seok; arrives after the game; confronts In-ho; leaves the police; becomes the baby's guardian.
• Seong Ga-yeong. Receives her father's tracksuit and debit card.
• Oh Il-nam (flashback guest). Appears in a 2015 flashback meeting with In-ho.
• Park Jung-bae. Appears only as a hanged corpse used to intimidate players.
• Kang Dae-ho. His claim to be an ex-Marine is exposed as false: he did his mandatory service as a social service agent, not in the Marine Corps. Killed by Gi-hun in Hide and Seek.

3.4 Season 3 — Episode-by-episode

• Ep 1 Keys and Knives. Aftermath of the rebellion; Hide and Seek begins (red = seekers with knives, blue = hiders with keys); Jung-bae's body displayed; Gi-hun becomes a seeker; Dae-ho killed.
• Ep 2 The Starry Night. Jun-hee goes into labor, Hyun-ju helps; Yong-sik is stabbed by his mother and allows himself to be eliminated; Myung-gi kills Hyun-ju; Jun-hee gives birth to a girl and sprains her ankle. Hyun-ju kills Yeong-sam in defense.
• Ep 3 It's Not Your Fault. Geum-ja hangs herself; Jump Rope begins; Nam-gyu goes first and falls.
• Ep 4 222. Gi-hun crosses with the baby; Jun-hee steps off the platform; the VIPs transfer 222 to the baby; Gi-hun summoned to the Front Man.
• Ep 5 ○△□. The Front Man's knife; Sky Squid Game begins (push-off on circle, triangle and square structures); Min-su voted out and pushed by Myung-gi; Jeong-dae killed by Myung-gi; flashback to the 2015 game.
• Ep 6 Humans Are... Final three: Myung-gi, Gi-hun, baby; Myung-gi falls; Gi-hun jumps; baby wins; island destroyed; six-month epilogue.

3.5 Season 3 — Teams by game

• Game = Format = Known assignments
• Hide and Seek = Red = seekers (knives), Blue = hiders (keys) = Red: Nam-gyu 124, Myung-gi 333 (they killed 235, 411, 006, 447 and Hyun-ju), Gi-hun 456 (strangles Dae-ho), Yong-sik 007. Blue (hiders): Jun-hee 222, Hyun-ju 120, Geum-ja 149, Dae-ho 388, Jeong-dae 100, Seon-nyeo 044
• Jump Rope = Single crossing order = Nam-gyu first, falls; Gi-hun second carrying the baby; Jun-hee steps off. Players who pass include Gi-hun, the baby, Jeong-dae, Min-su, Myung-gi, Player 039 and others
• Sky Squid Game = Push-off on circle, triangle and square structures = Nine finalists: 039, 100, 125, 203, 222, 333, 336, 353, 456. Min-su sacrificed first; Jeong-dae pushed by Myung-gi. Myung-gi falls, Gi-hun jumps, baby wins

3.6 Season 3 — Final status of everyone

• Character = Status
• Gi-hun = Dead (self-sacrifice)
• Jun-hee = Dead (steps off in Jump Rope)
• Jun-hee's baby = Alive — winner
• Myung-gi = Dead (falls in the final round)
• Hyun-ju = Dead (killed by Myung-gi)
• Geum-ja = Dead (suicide)
• Yong-sik = Dead (eliminated)
• Dae-ho = Dead (killed by Gi-hun)
• Nam-gyu = Dead (falls during Jump Rope)
• Min-su = Dead (pushed)
• Jeong-dae = Dead (pushed)
• Seon-nyeo = Dead (killed by Min-su)
• Yeong-sam = Dead (killed by Hyun-ju)
• Gyeong-seok = Alive, reunited with his daughter
• No-eul = Alive; learns her daughter is alive in China; flies to find her
• Masked Officer = Dead (killed by No-eul)
• In-ho = Alive
• Jun-ho = Alive; guardian of the baby
• Captain Park = Dead (harpooned by Jun-ho)
• Woo-seok = Arrested for break-in and loan-shark history; freed after the games

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PART IV — CROSS-SEASON REFERENCE

4.1 Player numbers are reused across editions

Numbers are reused between editions. Player 067 is Sae-byeok in Season 1, but Player 067 also appears in the Season 2 Ep 7 cast list as a different person. Likewise 276 (Ali's recruit in Season 1; a Jump Rope death in Season 3), 006 (Mi-hwa in Season 2 notes; a Hide and Seek death in Season 3), 222 (a different woman in the 33rd games, who passed Dalgona; then Jun-hee and her baby in the 37th) and 016 (a Season 2 cast-list player; not the Season 1 glassmaker, who is 017). Never assume the same number means the same person across seasons. Exceptions: 456 (Gi-hun) and 001 (Il-nam, then In-ho as a deliberate echo).

Season 1 — named numbers

001 Il-nam · 456 Gi-hun · 218 Sang-woo · 067 Sae-byeok · 199 Ali · 101 Deok-su · 212 Mi-nyeo · 240 Ji-yeong · 111 Byeong-gi · 017 glassmaker (Do Jeong-soo) · 069 Marbles husband (suicide) · 070 his wife · 271 killed by Deok-su · 276 Ali's recruit · 278 Ja-hyoung (Deok-su's right-hand man) · 132 In-ho (28th games, 2015).

Season 2 — named numbers

456 Gi-hun · 001 In-ho as "Oh Young-il" · 333 Myung-gi · 388 Dae-ho · 246 Gyeong-seok · 120 Hyun-ju · 007 Yong-sik · 149 Geum-ja · 390 Jung-bae · 222 Jun-hee · 230 Thanos · 124 Nam-gyu · 125 Min-su · 380 Se-mi · 196 Mi-na · 100 Jeong-dae · 095 Young-mi · 256 Gyeong-su · 226 Kim Yeong-sam · 044 Seon-nyeo · 198 Jang Do-yeong · 444 Kim Nam-du · 343 Sim Jae-seok · 006 Park Mi-hwa · 283 Lee Eun-ju.

Season 2 — additional numbers seen in episode cast lists

• Ep 3 "001": 400, 066, 454, 004, 009, 020, 031, 036, 043, 135, 144, 158, 184, 188, 189, 205, 214, 216, 217, 237, 239, 263, 285, 293, 308, 341, 391, 394, 401, 411, 412, 415, 419.
• Ep 4 "Six Legs": 096, 016, 178, 416, 045, 254, 395, 004, 009, 023, 031, 050, 135, 140, 144, 158, 167, 184, 189, 197, 204, 239, 241, 249, 263, 285, 313, 328, 341, 394.
• Ep 7 "Friend or Foe": 039, 192, 377, 296, 172, 235, 182, 324, 206, 072, 400, 096, 015, 009, 056, 067, 084, 094, 102, 140, 158, 163, 185, 191, 197, 202, 209, 220, 232, 241, 260, 276.
• Cross-links: 096 survives Season 2 (post-credit hint) and dies in Season 3 Jump Rope. 009, 172, 197, 232, 394 and 400 die in Season 3 Hide and Seek. 163, 192, 276 and 377 die in Season 3 Jump Rope. 039 survives to the Season 3 final game.

Season 3

• 222: Jun-hee (S2–S3 Ep 4) → transferred to her baby → winner.
• Sky Squid Game finalists: 039, 100, 125, 203, 222, 333, 336, 353, 456.
• Other named: 456, 333, 125, 100, 124, 120, 007, 149, 388 (all Season 2 holdovers).

4.2 Guard / soldier / manager hierarchy

• Tier = Role = Identification

• 0 = VIPs (foreign spectators/bettors) = Animal masks; Season 1 Ep 7 and Season 3

• 0 = Host / Founder = Oh Il-nam (001, Season 1); Season 3 flashback

• 1 = Front Man (Hwang In-ho) = Black uniform and black mask; runs operations; executes guards who reveal faces

• 2 = Masked Officer / Managers = Black uniform, square mask. The Season 2 Masked Officer stands in for In-ho while he plays 001

• 3 = Soldiers = Pink, triangle mask; armed

• 4 = Workers = Pink, circle mask; logistics, cleaning, corpse handling

• — = Game Guide = Voice announcer

• — = Recruiters = Korea: Salesman/Recruiter (Gong Yoo). USA: American Recruiter (Cate Blanchett, Season 3 final scene). Neither is named in the show; both are credited only as "Recruiter"

• Unmasking = death: In S1 Ep 3 a player unmasks a guard; the Front Man kills the unmasked guard.

• Organ ring: Player 111 plus guards; executed by the Front Man, bodies hung (S1 Ep 5).

• Infiltrators: Jun-ho (Season 1, as worker/soldier); No-eul (Guard 011, Season 2); Captain Park (traitor, Season 2).

4.3 Front Man — decisions chronology

Season 1 (Hwang In-ho)

1. Ep 1: Oversees the games; players do not know his identity.
2. Ep 2: Honors the vote (third clause; decided 101–100 by Player 001): sends players home; later lets them be re-recruited.
3. Ep 3: Kills the guard who was unmasked by the hostage-taking player.
4. Ep 5: Executes Byeong-gi 111 and the guards in the organ ring; hangs the bodies as a warning.
5. Ep 5: Jun-ho enters his office and learns the 30+ year history.
6. Ep 7: Cuts the lights in the Glass Bridge when the glassmaker (017) is leading.
7. Ep 8: Unmasks to Jun-ho, offers recruitment, is refused, shoots Jun-ho.
8. Ep 9: Tells Gi-hun on the phone to "get on the plane."

Season 2

1. Ep 2: Limousine meeting; accepts Gi-hun's challenge.
2. Eps 2–3: Hands daily control to the Masked Officer; enters as Player 001 "Oh Young-il."
3. Ep 3: Casts the deciding vote to continue (tie 182–182; 001 votes O).
4. Eps 4–6: Joins Gi-hun's group, urges players to vote against continuing; a larger majority still proceeds.
5. Ep 6: Saves Jung-bae in Mingle (by killing another player to fit the room).
6. Ep 7: Betrays the rebellion; fakes death; reappears as the Front Man; executes Jung-bae.

Season 3

1. Ep 1: Aftermath; Jung-bae's hanged body displayed.
2. Ep 4: Summons Gi-hun; lets the VIPs decide on the baby's entry (he says a baby makes the game more interesting).
3. Ep 5: Offers Gi-hun a knife; asks if he still has faith in people; flashback to 2015 with Il-nam.
4. Ep 6: Island self-destruct; picks up the baby after Gi-hun's death; Jun-ho confronts him; he leaves.
5. Epilogue (six months later): Gives the baby and prize to Jun-ho; delivers Gi-hun's tracksuit and winnings to Ga-yeong; sees the American Recruiter at a traffic light.

4.4 Hwang Jun-ho — investigation chain

• Stage = Event
• S1 Ep 2 = Only detective who listens to Gi-hun; his missing brother (In-ho) received the same card
• S1 Ep 3 = Infiltrates the island disguised as a worker
• S1 Ep 5 = Sees the organ ring; in the Front Man's office learns of 30+ years of games and that his brother won in 2015
• S1 Ep 7 = Poses as a waiter at the VIP event; records a VIP's confession
• S1 Ep 8 = Meets the Front Man = In-ho; refuses recruitment; shot; falls in the sea
• S2 = Rescued by Captain Park (a traitor); about two years of searching; downgraded to a traffic cop; meets Gi-hun at the Halloween party; leads mercenaries to the island; explosive trap at the entrance; ends lost at sea
• S3 = Kills Captain Park with a harpoon; rescues Gyeong-seok; arrives after the game; confronts In-ho; leaves the police; guardian of Baby 222

4.5 Hwang In-ho — backstory and chronology (2015 → Season 3)

• Occupation: Police officer. Fired after being suspected of taking a bribe from loan sharks.

• Brother: Jun-ho (half-brother). In-ho donated a kidney to him years earlier — which meant he could not sell a kidney to pay for his wife's treatment.

• Wife: Pregnant and terminally ill with acute cirrhosis/liver failure; she needed a liver transplant and no donor could be found in time. Her name is never given in the show.

• The child: Unborn; lost with her. The child's sex is never given in the show.

• The games: In 2015 In-ho entered the 28th edition as Player 132 to raise money. He won — but too late: his wife and unborn child had already died before he won. Left without direction, he was recruited by the games' founder to become the Front Man. He avoided his family and his wife's grave.

• S2 cover story: His "Young-il" persona borrowed his real story (pregnant sick wife, medical debt).

• Family contact: Jun-ho tells his mother that his brother had once been a police officer; she grieves that she could not help In-ho save his wife.

• Date/Stage = Event

• Before 2015 = Police officer; fired on suspicion of taking loan-shark bribes; donates a kidney to Jun-ho

• 2015 = Enters the 28th games as Player 132; wins; wife already dead

• After 2015 = Recruited by the founder; becomes the Front Man

• 2020 (33rd games) = Season 1: executes guards; shoots Jun-ho; tells Gi-hun to "get on the plane"

• 2024 (37th games) = Season 2: plays Player 001 "Young-il" with a partly true wife story; casts the deciding vote; betrays the rebellion. Season 3: offers the knife; confronts Jun-ho; returns baby and prize; tracksuit to Ga-yeong

4.6 Character first / last appearance

"SxEy" = Season x, Episode y. Ranges (e.g., "S2E2–3") mean the first on-screen scene falls somewhere in that range.

• Character = First = Last
• Seong Gi-hun (456) = S1E1 = S3E6 (death + epilogue tracksuit)
• Oh Il-nam (001) = S1E1 = S3 flashback (last alive on screen in the present: S1E9, where he dies)
• Cho Sang-woo (218) = S1E1 = S1E9
• Kang Sae-byeok (067) = S1E1 = S1E8
• Abdul Ali (199) = S1E1 = S1E6 (killed in Marbles)
• Jang Deok-su (101) = S1E1 = S1E7
• Han Mi-nyeo (212) = S1E1 = S1E7
• Ji-yeong (240) = S1E1–2 = S1E6
• Byeong-gi (111) = S1E3–4 = S1E5
• Do Jeong-soo (017) = S1E1–7 = S1E7
• Hwang Jun-ho = S1E2 = S3E6 (epilogue as baby's guardian)
• Hwang In-ho / Front Man = S1E1 (masked) = S3E6 (traffic light)
• Recruiter = S1E1 = S2E1 (dies)
• Mr. Kim = S1E1 = S2E1 (dies)
• Park Jung-bae (390) = S1E1 (racetrack) = S3E1 (corpse)
• Seong Ga-yeong = S1E1 = S3E6
• Gi-hun's mother = S1E1 = S1E9
• Lee Myung-gi (333) = S2E1–2 = S3E6
• Kim Jun-hee (222) = S2E1–3 = S3E4
• Choi Su-bong "Thanos" (230) = S2E2–3 = S2E7
• Nam-gyu (124) = S2E3 = S3E3
• Park Min-su (125) = S2E3 = S3E5
• Se-mi (380) = S2E3 = S2E7
• Gyeong-su (256) = S2E3–4 = S2E6
• Kang Dae-ho (388) = S2E3 = S3E1
• Cho Hyun-ju (120) = S2E3 = S3E2
• Young-mi (095) = S2E3 = S2E6
• Park Yong-sik (007) = S2E2–3 = S3E2
• Jang Geum-ja (149) = S2E2–3 = S3E3
• Im Jeong-dae (100) = S2E3 = S3E5–6
• Yeong-sam (226) = S2E3 = S3E2
• Seon-nyeo (044) = S2E3 = S3
• Gyeong-seok (246) = S2E1–3 = S3 epilogue (alive)
• No-eul (Guard 011) = S2E1–3 = S3 epilogue
• Captain Park = S2E1 = S3E6 (harpooned)
• Woo-seok = S2E1 = S3 epilogue
• Mi-na (196) = S2E3 = S2E3 (first to die in S2)
• Baby 222 = S3E2 = S3E6

4.7 Relationships

• Pair = Relationship
• Gi-hun and Sang-woo = Childhood friends (same neighborhood); Sang-woo becomes the Season 1 antagonist
• Gi-hun and Il-nam = "Gganbu" (marble partner); Il-nam is the founder
• Gi-hun and Sae-byeok = Allies; she asks him to look after her brother
• Gi-hun and Ali = Ali saves him in Red Light Green Light
• Gi-hun and Jung-bae = Old friends from Dragon Motors/the racetrack
• Gi-hun and Ga-yeong = Father and daughter; she lives in LA with her mother (Gi-hun's ex-wife, unnamed in the show) and stepfather
• Sang-woo and his mother = He leaves her the money by dying
• Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong = Bonded in the dorm; Ji-yeong sacrifices herself
• Sae-byeok and Kang Cheol = Younger brother in an orphanage
• Deok-su and Mi-nyeo = Temporary allies/lovers; she drags him down at the glass bridge
• Deok-su and Sae-byeok = Former boss and defector
• Deok-su and 278 (Ja-hyoung) = Boss and right-hand man; paired in Marbles, Deok-su wins
• In-ho and Jun-ho = Half-brothers; In-ho was the kidney donor
• In-ho and Il-nam = Founder recruits the winner as Front Man
• Jun-hee and Myung-gi = Ex-couple; unknown to him he is the baby's father (confirmed at the end of Season 3)
• Yong-sik and Geum-ja = Son and mother
• Hyun-ju and Young-mi / Se-mi = Protective group in Season 2
• Thanos and Nam-gyu / Gyeong-su = Crew; hunt Myung-gi
• No-eul and Gyeong-seok = Former amusement-park coworkers; she protects him
• Jun-ho and Captain Park = Rescuer turned traitor

4.8 Deaths of main characters (cause · episode · condition)

• Character = Cause = Episode = Condition
• Ali (199) = Shot after losing = S1E6 = Sang-woo swaps marbles for pebbles
• Ji-yeong (240) = Shot = S1E6 = Deliberately loses to let Sae-byeok live
• Player 278 (Ja-hyoung) = Eliminated = S1E6 = Loses Marbles to his boss Deok-su
• Il-nam (001) = Shot (staged) / later cancer = S1E6 (apparent) / S1E9 (real) = Marbles; later dies after the street wager
• Byeong-gi (111) = Executed = S1E5 = Organ trade; Front Man shoots him
• Deok-su (101) = Fall = S1E7 = Mi-nyeo drags him down on the glass bridge
• Mi-nyeo (212) = Fall = S1E7 = Same event
• Glassmaker (017) = Pushed = S1E7 = Sang-woo pushes him; Front Man cut the lights
• Sae-byeok (067) = Stabbed = S1E8 = Sang-woo kills her; she was wounded by glass shards
• Sang-woo (218) = Self-stab = S1E9 = After Gi-hun refuses to kill him
• Jun-ho (S1) = Shot, fell in sea = S1E8 = Survived (revealed S2)
• Gi-hun's mother = Illness = Before S1E9 = Diabetes
• Mr. Kim = Shot = S2E1 = Sacrifices himself for Woo-seok
• Recruiter = Suicide shot = S2E1 = Russian-roulette round with Gi-hun
• Mi-na (196) = Shot = S2E3 = Panics in Red Light Green Light (bee prank by Thanos)
• Young-mi (095) = Executed = S2E6 = Mingle, door closed
• Gyeong-su (256) = Executed = S2E6 = Kicked out of the room
• Se-mi (380) = Killed by Nam-gyu = S2E7 = During the rebellion/riot
• Thanos (230) = Killed by Myung-gi = S2E7 = Bathroom brawl
• Jung-bae (390) = Executed by Front Man = S2E7 = After the failed rebellion; body displayed S3E1
• Dae-ho (388) = Strangled by Gi-hun = S3E1 = Hide and Seek
• Hyun-ju (120) = Killed by Myung-gi = S3E2 = Hide and Seek
• Yong-sik (007) = Stabbed by Geum-ja = S3E2 = Hide and Seek
• Yeong-sam (226) = Killed by Hyun-ju = S3E2 = Hide and Seek (Hyun-ju in self-defense)
• Geum-ja (149) = Suicide (hanging) = S3E3 = After asking Gi-hun to protect Jun-hee
• Nam-gyu (124) = Fall = S3E3 = Jump Rope, first to cross
• Jun-hee (222) = Steps off = S3E4 = Jump Rope; refuses rescue
• Min-su (125) = Pushed = S3E5 = Sky Squid Game; first sacrificed
• Jeong-dae (100) = Pushed = S3E5–6 = Pushed by Myung-gi
• Seon-nyeo (044) = Killed by Min-su = S3 = Hide and Seek
• Myung-gi (333) = Fall = S3E6 = Final round; no one presses the button until Gi-hun does
• Gi-hun (456) = Self-sacrifice (jump) = S3E6 = Baby becomes sole winner
• Captain Park = Harpooned by Jun-ho = S3
• Masked Officer = Killed by No-eul = S3

4.9 Master timeline

• Date/Period = Event
• About 1974 = Gi-hun born (Oct 31)
• About 10 years before Season 1 = Dragon Motors strike
• 2015 = 28th games; In-ho (132) wins; wife dead; becomes Front Man
• 2020 = 33rd games = Season 1; Gi-hun (456) wins (Tudum labels it "Squid Game 2020")
• Days 1–6 = Six games, six days
• About 1 year later = Gi-hun answers Il-nam's card; Il-nam dies; Gi-hun refuses the plane
• Between 2020 and 2024 = Gi-hun searches for the organisation; Recruiter dies; Gi-hun re-enters. Gap length: the synopsis says "three years after winning"; the in-show search takes about two years; the in-universe years 2020 → 2024 differ
• 2024, Day 1 = 37th games begin: Red Light Green Light (456 → 365); vote tie broken by 001
• 2024, S2 later days = Pentathlon, Mingle (about 100 left), bathroom brawl (about 95), rebellion
• 2024, Season 3 days = Hide and Seek, Jump Rope, Sky Squid Game; baby (222) wins the 37th games; the 37th is the only edition lasting 7 days
• Six months later = Epilogue: baby with Jun-ho; tracksuit to Ga-yeong; Recruiter on the street

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APPENDIX A — WHY EVERY NAMED PLAYER JOINED

Season 1: Gi-hun (debts, mother, custody), Il-nam (boredom/dying), Sang-woo (₩6 billion fraud), Sae-byeok (free her mother, rescue her brother), Ali (unpaid wages, family), Deok-su (gambling debts, gangster), Ji-yeong (ex-convict), Byeong-gi (financial ruin).

Seasons 2–3 (37th games): Gi-hun (end the games), Jung-bae (divorce/ruin), Jun-hee (child), Myung-gi (crypto collapse), Thanos (₩1.19 billion debt, crypto), Nam-gyu (crypto loss), Hyun-ju (surgery), Yong-sik (gambling debts), Geum-ja (her son's debts), Jeong-dae (₩10 billion), Yeong-sam (₩1.9 billion), Gyeong-seok (daughter's leukemia), No-eul (infiltrated to find her daughter).

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APPENDIX B — GI-HUN'S FAMILY TIES (SUMMARY)

• Mother: Diabetic, poor, dies while he is in the games.
• Ex-wife: Never named in the show. Takes Ga-yeong to Los Angeles with her new husband and stepson.
• Daughter: Seong Ga-yeong / Jenny. Receives his tracksuit and money after Season 3.
• Close friend: Park Jung-bae.
• Childhood friend: Cho Sang-woo.

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REVISION NOTES (what changed from the previous version)

1. Glassmaker = Player 017 (Do Jeong-soo). The 016/017 ambiguity is removed everywhere; Player 016 is a different person (it appears only in the Season 2 Ep 4 cast list).
2. Season 1 = the 33rd Squid Game (2020), won by Gi-hun (456).
3. Seasons 2 and 3 are one game, the 37th (2024). The earlier "Season 2 = 36th" was wrong; Season 2 and Season 3 are listed under the same 37th Squid Game (Ddakji → … → Sky Squid Game, 7 days). The release years (2021, 26 Dec 2024, 27 Jun 2025) are real-world dates and stay as they are; the in-universe years are 2015, 2020, 2024.
4. Season 3 Hide and Seek: Jeong-dae (100) and Seon-nyeo (044) added to the Blue/Hider side alongside Hyun-ju, Jun-hee, Geum-ja and Dae-ho.
5. Sky Squid Game finalists: "about 9" replaced by the exact nine: 039, 100, 125, 203, 222, 333, 336, 353, 456.
6. Player 039 confirmed as a Sky Squid Game finalist; the nickname "Lunchbox" is kept.
7. Baby's father = Myung-gi stated as confirmed (end of Season 3).
8. Gi-hun does not kill Myung-gi in the final; his own button press and jump make the baby the winner (wording clarified).
9. Player 070 (his wife) added.
10. Season 1 Ep 2 vote: the vague "narrow majority" is replaced by the confirmed result: a 100–100 tie, broken by Player 001 (Il-nam), final 101–100 to stop.
11. Marbles: Mi-nyeo had no partner because the player count was odd; she did not play and survived. Deok-su's partner was his right-hand man Player 278 (Ja-hyoung), whom he beat; the old "about 278 (number approximate)" is now exactly 278.
12. Tug of War: 8 teams × 10 = 80 players, 4 winning teams = 40 survivors (confirmed).
13. In-ho's wife: pregnant, terminally ill with acute cirrhosis, needed a liver transplant; both she and the unborn child died before he won the 2015 games. Her name and the child's sex are not given in the show.
14. Gi-hun's ex-wife is never named in the show.
15. Both Recruiters (Gong Yoo's and Cate Blanchett's) are unnamed in the show, credited only as "Recruiter."
16. Kang Dae-ho: he did his mandatory service as a social service agent (South Korea's alternative to active military duty), not in the Marine Corps. He presented himself as an ex-Marine and got a Marine tattoo; the Season 2 "Marine" past is revealed as false in Season 3.