Best New Characters In Season 2 Of Squid Game

Squid Game Season 2 is here, and it brought a ton of new, dynamic characters. The writers and creators of the show keep raising the bar as they continue to ask more and more questions through the lenses of their characters.

Netflix doesn’t shy away from highlighting the Squid Game characters or show, and why would it? Squid Game Season 2 is Netflix’s biggest TV debut ever, and it doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down. The show is popular for a lot of reasons, but a very big reason is its characters. The show is captivating because we can relate to the characters and people, so here are the best new characters in Squid Game Season 2.

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Jang Geum-ja And Park Yong-sik

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Park Yong-sik and Jang Geum-ja have an emotional and touching story. Jang Geum-ja is the mother of Park Yong-sik, and early in the show they are both shocked and mad that the other is there at all.

They both tried to participate in the games because Park Yong-sik acquired a large gambling debt. Park Yong-sik is immature and still lives with his mother prior to the games. Later on, he changes his vote to blue in large part because of her. They aren’t exactly an ideal team for these games, but their love for each other and their big reuniting moment late in the games highlights how strong a mother and son’s bond can be.

8

Seon-nyeo

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Seon-nyeo used to be a very popular shaman, which seems to have helped her in the games. She has a large, and at times intimidating, dominating personality which probably kept her alive.

Right off the bat, when Seong Gi-hun wakes up and leaves his bed, Seon-nyeo says to him, “I sense you’re holding on to many things. You can’t leave or stay. You can’t fight it. It’s your destiny… If we get out of here let me perform a ritual. I can get rid of all your bad karma.” She is a strong character, seemingly full of wisdom and foresight. However, her arrogant and almost overconfident nature is also a detriment to her character.

7

Kang No-eul

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Prior to the games, Kang No-eul worked at an amusement park, wearing a bunny costume. She was confronted by security for sleeping in her car, and later she was approached by a recruiter for the games when she was clearly down on her luck, taking pills and drinking.

She was enlisted for the games as a sniper where she eventually killed many players. She’s a well-rounded character, and she represents how the game not only recruits people to play but also to facilitate the games. However, she ends up succumbing to the game creators and killing numerous people.

6

Choi Woo-seok

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Choi Woo-seok is the only character not to participate in the games. He was hired by Kim Jeong-rae (Mr. Kim), and they both end up finding The Recruiter. They chase him down in an effort to stop him; however, they get captured and tortured.

After Mr. Kim gets killed by the recruiter, Choi Woo-seok makes it his mission to avenge his friend and boss. Although his initial goal was money, after Mr. Kim dies, he says he is no longer motivated by money, and he just wants vengeance for what happened to him and Mr. Kim.

5

Myung-gi

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Myung-gi was successful in the crypto world, running a channel called MG Coin. He had a big following, and was very influential; however, he ended up losing a lot of money and acquiring a lot of debt.

He’s a great character in this season because his argument is really strong in that he was just trying to give advice. He tries to defend himself against other characters who are convinced that he led them astray. He represents how profitable yet risky the world of crypto truly can be.

4

Kim Jun-hee

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Kim Jun-hee is one of our best new characters because of how strong and independent she is. She displays a lot of care and loving instincts, which are in direct contrast to the brutality of the show. We first see her in a doctor’s office where she leaves before her appointment. She is clearly seen dealing with a lot, and so she joins the games for her and her baby.

She is a skilled Ddakji player, and in the end she convinces her ex-boyfriend, Myung-gi to change his vote to try to stop the games. In this world, the world of feverish competition, where people are killing each other, and lying to each other, and manipulating each other, Kim Jun-hee remains genuine and honest in that she is a struggling single mom, trying to look after her baby.

3

Kang Dae-ho

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Kang Dae-ho is a fascinating character this season because he is supposedly an ex-Marine. He has all the characteristics of a loud, eager soldier, seemingly suited extremely well for this world; however, when push comes to shove towards the end of the season, you see him panic and show possible sides of PTSD.

Many viewers are questioning if he was even in the Marines at all because of how almost cartoon-y and outlandish he can act. Like his confidence, his salutes can feel performative, and perhaps phony. He does, however, join the side of ending the games, and voted X. And his performance in Gong-gi saved his team their lives, so he definitely was not lying about his skill there. All in all, Kang Dae-ho makes for a truly well-rounded, interesting character.

2

Choi Su-bong a.k.a. Thanos

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Choi Su-bong, Thanos, is a wild ride of a character. He is in extremely high levels of debt for which he blames Myung-gi entirely. Thanos is a rapper, and he invested all of his money into MG Coin, which turned out to be a terrible idea.

Thanos is seen doing drugs to cope with the games, even seemingly helping him in the games. However, in South Korea, drugs such as marijuana are illegal. The actor portraying Thanos, T.O.P. (born Choi Seung-hyun) was arrested for using marijuana, and “was sentenced to ten months in jail and got a two-year suspension from his mandatory military service in 2017.” This real-life backstory plus Thanos’s Squid Game story make him a really great character.

1

Cho Hyun-ju

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A former special forces soldier and a transgender woman, Cho Hyun-ju ends up in the games in the first place because she needs money for her gender-affirming surgery. Soon after getting there, after one of the guards promises that the winner will make a lot of money, she says, “You said I’d be playing games, but you practically kidnapped me.” This already showed that she has a lot of confidence, being the first person to speak up, and that she is also leading from a good place.

She is an extremely skilled and disciplined teammate and fighter, and eventually she joins the rebellion in their plan to take down the Squid Game as a whole. Beyond her willingness to help others in the games, and beyond her moral compass shown, she represents trans people in South Korea who, according to the series creator and director, have a pretty rough time. Because of her combat skills, team work, LGBTQ+ representation, morality, and inspiring perseverance, Cho Hyun-ju is the best character in Squid Game Season 2.