Best Rivalries In Squid Game, Ranked

Squid Game introduced the world to some of the most vile, despicable, and evil characters the TV universe has ever seen. When their own lives and a tonne of cash are on the line, players are seen manipulating and assaulting others in ways only describable as barbaric.

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When pitted against over 400 contestants, there was bound to be some butting heads and forming of enemies, some building comradery against an opposing clan, while others alone caused so much disruption and anger that they put a target on themselves to become a mortal nemesis throughout the games.

8

Sang-Woo And Sae-byeok

Evil Eyes Right From The Start

Two teammates turned enemies, Sang-woo and Sae-byeok go through quite the arc in terms of friendship to enemies and everything in between. It is clear early on that Sae-byeok has some reservations, staring at Sang-woo during the Dalgona game as she clearly realizes something is up.

As the group is narrowed down to the final three, tensions reach an all-time high, as it is very obvious that in order to progress, murder must be committed whether the players like it or not. Sang-woo makes the first move and eventually overpowers her, confirming her initial suspicions and ending her time in the games.

7

Nam-gyu And Se-mi

The Thanos crew is a rag-tag bunch of miscreants and followers, some parading around like dogs behind the revered rapper, and others grouping up purely for survival. Se-mi falls into the latter category, being constantly harassed by others and called names, and putting up a verbal fight in return.

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She does her best to defend Min-su, who Nam-gyu picks on regularly, and the two clash over their opinions and the decisions in the games. This all culminates in Nam-gu stabbing Se-mi in the neck, as Min-su looks on defensively from above. She might have gotten the best of him in words, but in physical strength, she was no match.

6

Jun-ho And The VIPs

Infiltration Turned Interrogation

During the solo mission to take down the games, Jun-ho gets deep inside, seeing all the inner workings and the games from the other side of the camera. He gets several strings of good luck, managing to not only interrogate a VIP without being caught but also get away from the island virtually unscathed.

He remarks several times his disdain for the VIP onlookers at the games, stating that he wants to go back and destroy every single one of them for their presence in the spectacle. And it is very clear that the VIP he held at gunpoint will have a vendetta against him until one of them is in the grave.

5

Hyun-yu And Seon-nyeo

Remember The Loyalties

Initially, there wasn’t too much friction between the two. They both end up on the same team during the race game and while Hyun-yu threatens to kill Seon-nyeo if she doesn’t complete her step, it was purely as a burst of motivation and the two seemed mostly okay with one another upon completion.

But the shaman doesn’t take disloyalty well, as she is left behind during Mingle and is later found alive, having a new group of teammates and an anger towards Hyun-yu that is hard to match. The two exchange a few harsh words with one another, but it is yet to be seen whether the shaman will predict another death or fall to the games herself.

4

The Recruiter And Woo-seok

Vengeance For A Friend

A surprising encounter turned heartbreaking scene. The recruiter was known to be violent, sadistic, and with a mysterious backstory, but this was dialed to eleven during season two, as he is seen kidnapping the two friends and forcing them to play a twisted version of rock-paper-scissors that involved a sprinkle of Russian roulette.

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In the end, Woo-seok makes it out alive, but with a new rage-filled soul that wishes to enact revenge on the recruiter and the games themselves. It is never nice to lose a friend, let alone watch them die in front of you, so the fuel of witnessing Mr Kim’s death gives Woo-seok the motivation and determination to get back at the games for sending out such a despicable individual.

3

Deok-su And Mi-nyeo

Flirtatious Tension Turned Physical Violence

Some serious back-and-forth between these two, one-second lovers, the next murderous villains. Part of their disagreement stems from their own personal insecurities and rage towards others, so as Deok-su offers a hand to Mi-nyeo, he just as easily brushes her off and forces her to fend for herself.

After leaving her to survive on her own, she vows to end his life and very quickly follows up on that promise on the glass bridge game, jumping onto him and killing them both in the process. It is very poetic and a great ending to the betrayal, taking out two of the most arrogant and evil characters in one swoop.

2

In-ho And Gi-sun

One Knows More Than The Other

An interesting rivalry with an asymmetry in information. While In-ho, as the frontman, knows exactly who Gi-sun is and is aware of his presence in the first games even prior to him entering the second, Gi-hun is completely in the dark, only having a hatred towards the frontman without realizing his actual identity.

In-ho by entering the games himself, is able to get closer and closer to his rival, helping him in many ways but also playing with his food to an extent in a long drawn-out bluff that is as genius as it is torturous.

1

Players And Guards

Twisted Versions Of Cops And Robbers

The greatest rivalry of them all. The games begin with very little hostility other than some confusion, but after just one round of red light, green light, the entire cohort of players are in a fit of rage, directing all their abuse and anger towards the men and women in red.

While the first season showed the guards maintaining the upper hand throughout, the second pushed them to their limits, setting off a storming of the operation and resulting in plenty of bloodshed on both sides. There is no doubt that season three will see even more animosity and even more hatred between red and green, with the two colors fittingly paralleling good and evil, stop and run.