Top 20 Most Tragic Moments in Squid Game

#20: The Red Light, Green Light Massacre(s)

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.

#19: Se-mi Is Betrayed

Friend or Foe

From the moment actress Won Ji-an walked into Squid Game as Se-mi, fans knew they were in the presence of a baddie. Se-mis unshakeable personality endeared her to the audience at once. She was steady as a rock and developed an unexpected bond with Min-su. Unfortunately, the boy hardly had a spine. Despite Se-mi asking Min-su to team up with her for the Mingle game, he goes with Thanos and Nam-gyu instead. Soon after, Nam-gyu ends up stabbing Se-mi to death right in front of Min-su. It was painful and downright offensive to see this brilliant character killed in such an unceremonious way. Unable to save Se-mi which, Min-su didnt really try to do either he is plagued by guilt until his last breath.

#18: Jun-hees Fear

One More Game

As a pregnant young woman facing near-certain death, Player 222 was arguably the most heartbreaking character in all of Squid Game. In a moment of deeply human vulnerability, Jun-hee isolates herself in a bathroom, sobbing quietly as the horror of her reality dawns on her. She is on the brink of bringing new life into the world, which itself is scary enough, but she could also lose her own life at any moment, thus failing to protect her child. When Geum-ja, an older lady, shows her genuine care in this moment, she cant help but break down. Geum-ja holds and comforts Jun-hee, promising that she and her baby would be okay, but all the mother-to-be can do is weep in fear.

#17: Sang-woo Exits Squid Game

One Lucky Day

When we finally come to the eponymous squid game, its 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 doesnt feel victorious.

#16: Jung-baes Death

Friend or Foe

When Seong Gi-hun joined the Game for the first time, seeing a familiar face, Sang-woo, seemed like a blessing. The second time around, he finds his good pal Jung-bae in the crowd and is instantly horrified at the implication. He tries to protect him, but when they ride into battle together, staging a coup against the guards, theyre betrayed by Oh Young-il, a.k.a the Front Man. Jung-bae is shot as a lesson to Gi-hun, a warning against playing hero, and the last word he utters is his friends name. That was the moment when things got personal for Player 456, who wailed in despair over yet another devastating loss. At this point, we were begging for the man to catch a break.

#15: Gi-hun Cant Stop the Games

001

If you thought watching hundreds of people foolishly put their lives on the line for money again in season two of Squid Game was frustrating, imagine how Gi-hun must have felt. Poor guy was in the trenches, trying to get the participants to follow his instructions for Red Light, Green Light 2.0. When he tried to convince them to end the Game during the first vote, he faced even greater opposition. First, they doubted him. Then, when he revealed he had won before and was the only one to survive out of 456 players, they wanted to use him to win. Not once did they heed his warnings, and so, what could have been a turning point became the gateway to yet another tragedy.

#14: The Night Riots

Stick to the Team

As if playing life-threatening games isnt 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 isnt against the rules, they plan an attack at night. What the players dont know is the food shortage was orchestrated to weed out the weakest. Theres another Special Game in the season 2 finale, except its the Os who voted to play another game attacking the Xs who voted to go home. More casualties mean more prize money AND theyll have a better chance of winning the next vote. Each riot is equally brutal and devastating.

#13: In-hos Reason for Competing

Six Legs

At the end of Season 1, Jun-ho finally comes face-to-face with his missing brother. However, its 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 wifes 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 wifes death. Sadly, the loss also hurt his familial relationships.

#12: Geum-ja Kills Yong-sik

The Starry Night

When this duo first appeared in Squid Game, we knew they were destined for tragedy. After Geum-ja helps Jun-hee give birth during the sinister Hide and Seek game, they acquire the keys to the exit and are steps away from escaping the bloodbath. Thats when Yong-sik finds them. As a seeker, he must kill a hider to survive, and his only options were Jun-hee or his mother, Geum-ja. The latter was ready to sacrifice herself for him, but Yong-sik targeted Jun-hee. In a last-ditch attempt to save the new mom, Geum-ja stabbed her son with her hairpin and took her own life afterward. In that dire moment, she chose her found family over her own blood, and it broke us into a million pieces.

#11: Hyun-jus Backstory

One More Game

One of Season 2s 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. Shes 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. But were relieved that she survived the season. Protect our girl at all costs.

#10: Russian Roulette

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. Its absolute torture for the two friends to play against each other, knowing one of them wont survive. In the last round, Mr. Kim doesnt make a move, disqualifying himself and saving Woo-seoks life. Although we may not know these characters as well as others, this scene is no less cruel and gut-wrenching.

#9: Myung-gis Death

Humans Are

Give it up for the winner of the deadbeat dad Olympics! During Sky Squid Game, Myung-gi chooses to sacrifice his daughter to survive. However, director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that he intended to save her, if only the lunchbox hadnt eliminated himself. He was even willing to die at Jun-hees hands during Hide and Seek to protect her. However, Myung-gi cant trust Gi-hun, who attacks him, seemingly proving his suspicions right. So, the younger man resorts to delusional ideas like doubting Gi-hun and Jun-hees relationship to justify his wicked decision to himself. Ultimately, Myung-gi dies in vain. Actor Im Si-wan does such a phenomenal job of portraying Myung-gis pathos that you cant help but pity him. The blood sport corrupted him, but he was no supervillain.

#8: The Death of Sae-byeok

Front Man

Ask any Squid Game fan who their favorite character is and theyll 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 theyre 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 others 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 shes already dying, shattering our hearts. Were still not over it. Justice for Sae-byeok.

#7: Hyun-jus Death

The Starry Night

If she had been half as selfish as some of the other players, she would have left a winner. However, her courage made her a fan favorite. Despite finding the exit during Hide and Seek, she goes back to save Jun-hee, who had just given birth, and Geum-ja. Before they can walk away, Myung-gi stabs Hyun-ju in the back like the coward he is, seduced by greed. No one had expected one of the strongest characters on the show to die so abruptly, but it proved once again that in the Game, humans are just numbers, no matter how strong. Hyun-ju isnt grieved for longer than a few moments because the show must go on, and thats what broke our hearts the most.

#6: Jun-hee Gives Up

222

During Jump Rope, Player 222s baby is turned into a participant and must cross the bridge. Gi-hun holds her and crosses over, planning on going back to help an injured Jun-hee. However, because hes surrounded by narcissists who sold their souls to a piggy bank, he cant. Myung-gi, being the terrible father he is, couldnt be bothered to carry the literal mother of his child across either. Not seeing a way out, Jun-hee gives up on the game and falls straight down to her death. What is truly miserable about this scene is how Jun-hee doesnt try to make it through on her own. Sure, logic says she would have died anyway, but giving up wasnt noble. It was human, and thats why it hurts.

#5: Gyeong-seoks Daughters Illness

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 girls 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. 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. Its heartbreaking to see these two parents risk their lives to save their children.

#4: Gi-huns Mother Dies Alone

One Lucky Day

When we first meet Gi-hun in season 1, hes 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 dont 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.

#3: Turning on Baby 222

Just when you think youve seen the worst of humankind, director Hwang Dong-hyuk takes his Squid Game characters deeper into hell. In the final round of the bloody Game, players must sacrifice at least three contestants to win. With Jun-hees baby now taking on her player number, 222, the participants target the child at once. Gi-hun is the only one defending her with his life, while Myung-gi tries to strategically divert attention from her. Meanwhile, the other contestants offer the most diabolical arguments for why the infant doesnt deserve to live. These people are the embodiment of evil desperation, with malice thats nothing short of sociopathic. However, they would probably hopefully never act this way in real life, and thats precisely why its tragic.

#2: The Marble Game

Gganbu

In their 4th game, all participants get into teams of two and play a marbles game of their choice, but the pairs didnt know that only one of them could survive. From the husband and wife duo to Ji-yeongs sacrifice for Sae-byeok, 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. We understand Sang-woo wanted to live but his trickery was the ultimate betrayal.

#1: Seong Gi-Hun Dies

Humans Are

The curtain falls on Squid Game with the ultimate sacrifice. Player 456, Seong Gi-hun, exits stage, leaving Jun-hees baby alive and victorious. Not even for a second did he waver in his resolve. He couldnt be there for his own daughter, for Sae-byeok, for Jun-hee, but he was going to protect the baby even if it cost him his life. That was the moment his entire existence had been leading up to. Rather than fear, his eyes shone with purpose, defiance, and conviction. Right before plunging to his death from the final Sky Squid Game tower, Seong Gi-hun illuminates the central truth of the story to the Front Man. He can play God all he wants, but humanity, flawed and glorious, will always prevail.

Which Squid Game moment do you wish you could unsee? Tell us in the comments!