Squid Game Characters Who Are Irredeemable

Summary

• Squid Game explores themes of humanity through morally gray characters in deadly situations, but some of them are beyond redemption.
• Characters like Sang-Woo, Deok-Su, and Nam-Gyu demonstrate extreme cruelty and constant betrayal.
• The series features irredeemable monsters, including the villainous Front Man and the manipulative Oh Il-Nam.

One of the main themes of Squid Game is humanity. Netflix’s famous dystopian thriller focuses on several people who are trying to maintain their kindness, even if they’re put in deadly situations that will help them overcome their financial struggles. This dynamic has resulted in some fascinating morally gray characters.

But this isn’t always the case. Squid Game also features some irredeemable monsters that are willing to do anything to get money, like betraying or killing others, which includes the capitalist masterminds that organize the games themselves. The following Squid Game characters are so evil that they are beyond redemption.

8

Im Jeong-Dae

A Selfish Old Man Who Wants To Bring Everyone Down With Him

• First Appearance: 001 (Season 2, Episode 3)

Season 2 spiced up the formula by letting players vote on whether they want to stay or leave after every single game. This not only added a lot of tension and drama, but it also exposed some of the most selfish and cruel characters. Player 100, Im Jeong-dae, was one of the biggest standouts.

He’s an aggressive old man who has an astounding 10 billion won debt, so he keeps voting for everyone to stay in the games so he can pay it all off. But the worst thing about Jeong-dae is that he riles up other players so they vote to stay, and actively wishes for others to die during the games so he can get even more money faster. He doesn’t care about anybody else; he just wants to get out of the mess he got himself into.

7

Cho Sang-Woo

Gi-Hun’s Childhood Friend Killed Way Too Many People

• First Appearance: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)

At the beginning of Season 1, it seemed like Cho Sang-woo was going to become a fan favorite. The childhood friend of the main character, he proved to be quite intelligent, a quality that would be of great help during the games. However, his intelligence eventually caused him to commit some unforgivable actions.

Sang-woo infamously betrayed Ali Abdul during the game of Marbles, which led to the latter’s execution. He also killed another player during Glass Stepping Stones, and he stabbed Kang Sae-byeok to death the night before the final game. If that wasn’t enough, he also didn’t hesitate to fight Gi-Hun to death during Squid Game. The only redeeming thing about Sang-woo is that he ultimately tried to atone for his actions by killing himself and letting his friend win the final prize.

6

Jang Deok-Su

Killed And Betrayed Many Players, Even His Own Allies

• First Appearance: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)

Jang Deok-su was one of the most despicable antagonistic players of Season 1. This gangster debt killed multiple people throughout the games, especially during the sadistic special game. Even without accounting for his financial hurdles, it seemed like he just enjoyed murder.

The most irredeemable thing about Deok-su is that he didn’t even care about his own allies. Hee didn’t hesitate to betray his most loyal henchmen: Player 278 and Han Mi-nyeo, the woman with whom he had a physical relationship. This decision eventually led to his satisfying death during the fifth game, which revealed that he was also a spineless coward that couldn’t deal with the consequences of his own actions.

5

Nam-Gyu

Thanos’ Loyal Follower Is Even More Cruel And Violent Than Him

• First Appearance: 001 (Season 2, Episode 3)

Season 2 introduced Choi Su-bong, better known as Thanos, an antagonistic player who seemed like he was going to be the new Jang Deok-su. However, and much to the viewers’ surprise, he proved to be an entertaining figure with occasional moments of humanity. The real danger of the season was Thanos’ loyal follower, Nam-gyu.

Nam-gyu was much more cruel, violent and ruthless than his friend, bullying and torturing other players like Lee Myung-gi and Park Min-su. But he got even worse after Thanos died, and he got a hold of his drugs. He became a dangerous killing machine that murdered numerous players during the special game, including Se-mi. He’s shaping up to be one of the bigger threats of Season 3.

4

The Recruiter

A Cruel Game Maker That Hates Poor People

• First Appearance: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)

The Recruiter is one of the most iconic and memorable characters in all of Squid Game. Countless viewers fell in love with him due to his attractive appearance, elegant mannerisms, and playful personality. However, he has always been one of the most evil antagonists in the series, and this was even more evident in the first episode of Season 2.

The Recruiter used to work as a Pink Soldier before he was tasked with recruiting, but his personal philosophy never changed: he sees poor people as non-human trash. That’s why he plays sick games with them, both to recruit them for the games and for his own personal gain. He was a cold-blooded killer that fortunately died at the beginning of Season 2, before he could kill and torture even more people.

3

The Front Man

The Organizer Of The Games Is The Main Villain Of The Series

• First Appearance: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)

Hwang In-ho, better known as the Front Man, was already malicious in Season 1. He was the organizer of the deadly games, and he didn’t hesitate to shoot his brother when he discovered his real identity. Season 2 expanded on his tragic backstory, but this wasn’t enough to redeem him, as his actions in the 2024 edition of the games made him into a truly despicable villain.

Due to the grief of not being able to save his pregnant wife, the Front Man has grown to hate humanity. This is especially evident when he infiltrates the games as Player 001. He repeatedly tries to sabotage the other players and tests Gi-Hun’s morality, which concluded in his inevitable “betrayal” during the season finale. In-ho is still alive, so anything could happen to him in Season 2, but as the main villain of the series, he’s definitely beyond redemption.

2

Oh Il-Nam

The Creator Of The Games Tricked Everyone With His Old Man Persona

• First Appearance: Red Light, Green Light (Season 1, Episode 1)

The biggest plot twist in all of Squid Game was the reveal that Oh Il-nam – the feeble old man who befriended Gi-Hun and had apparently died during Marbles – was actually the creator and host of the games themselves. This revelation put him in an entirely new light and exposed how evil he was.

He created the games because he grew bored with his rich lifestyle, and he even began inviting other rich tycoons to watch and bet on its contestants. After he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Il-nam decided to participate in the games just for fun. Yet, he didn’t even agree to be killed when he lost during Marbles, which goes to show how cowardly and manipulative he was. While he eventually succumbs to his illness in the Season 1 finale, his evil spirit lives on in Hwang in-ho.

1

The VIPs

A Bunch Of Rich Guys Who See Poor People As Mere Entertainment

• ​​​​First Appearance: VIPS (Season 1, Episode 7)

While Squid Game goes out of its way to show the humanity in some of its villains, like In-ho and Il-nam, there is a particular group of people that are as despicable as they are one-dimensional: the infamous VIPs. They were originally rich clients of Il-nam’s financial firm that became the main spectators of the violent games.

The VIPs are caricatures of evil rich people who see those with financial struggles as inferiors. They enjoy seeing them die in the games, to the point that they often bet with each other on which contestants are going to die. They are gross, evil antagonists that are likely never going to be redeemed. Doing so would go against the main themes of the show.