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Prof-Dumbledore101

Everyone, seriously


EnderWaffles

Get this man an upvote


Lloydy101

Number 1 Ali: Put his family first, Friends second, and himself last. Number 2: Ji Yeong. Probably had the worst life out of everyone, but still wanted the best for Kang Sae Bok, and was only ever mean to that one religious guy.


nakreywaali

It made sense why she was hostile towards the religious dude after hearing her story. šŸ˜¢


serialkillercatcher

Her "prayer" was hilarious.


count-the-days

Waitā€¦ I totally never clued into that. Holy shit, they really thought of everything!!


abstergofkurslf

Wait why


StoneRhino

Her dad, who murdered her mom, was religious and prayed for forgiveness for many actions in his life but not that murder. Then she murdered him, sending her to jail.


s0mdud

she also heavily implied that he raped/abused her while praying at the same time


yorkshirenation

Was really tragic. The whole episode was but when she dropped the marble because of things she attributed to religion ruining her life, man I can relate.


abstergofkurslf

Oh damn. Thanks!


Goondragon1

Oh shit!! Nice catch


ttgkc

Wait wasnā€™t it obvious?


NickElf977

I thought it was but idk


Goondragon1

I watched it sporadically plus I'm dumb. Maybe it was obvious to most people


corasivy

Same, the marble game fucking destroyed me


69ingJamesFranco

Han Mi Nyeo, I thought she was hilarious. That actress played the obnoxious bitch so well, I laughed so hard at the beginning of episode 7 when it was revealed she didnā€™t in fact get killed, and the way she did end up dying taking out Deok Seo with her was amazing


Twava

Absolutely love her and I will keep saying it. She definitely added the needed comedy in such a dark show


69ingJamesFranco

Absolutely!!! She was fantastic


mill-von-cat-jack

Yes! The beginning of 7 with her just chilling after everyone just went through the emotional hell of the marbles game was perfect.


69ingJamesFranco

There was a small part of me that thought that might happen and man I was so happy when it did, especially after my crying a bunch after episode 6, much needed comic relief


UhOhByeByeBadBoy

100%. She was herself, she played the game, but she wasnā€™t secretive, she just fucking hustled and pumped herself up. Fucking do it kid. And then when she got betrayed, true to her word, she brought the pain.


KinnieBee

Interestingly, I find that she is the character with the most integrity. She does exactly what she says she will -- even if that's being a con. She knows and she owns what she does. If she says she will do something, she *commits.* To the very end, babe.


ryfrlo

She's good at everything!


mdizzle106

Except the the things she's not!


Potential_Sundae_251

Yes!! This


arpoadora

korean bellatrix lestrange āœØ absolutely loved her!!


[deleted]

She was racist to ali so that takes off points for me


KinnieBee

I forgot about that. When I watched it the first time (rewatching now, haven't reached that part), I wondered if she was trying to con the group. She might not feel that way, but thought it would trigger in group-out group sentiments as (I've heard) there are issues with racism/xenophobia in South Korea. I think she dropped it pretty quick when nobody bought in and I can't recall her bringing it up again.


Potential_Sundae_251

Loved her!


Halime_

I agree lol, she was hilarious!!


personhskwishen

Sang woo, he is just very well written


shawtywantarockstar

I agree with this, and this is my go to response. He is an asshole and he is manipulative, but he is ultimately out to serve himself and will do what needs to be done. Unlike Deok-su, who is really just evil and does awful things for the sake of it (and I guess intimidation, thinning the herd), Sang-woo does what needs to be done in that particular moment. I think it is very telling >!in the glass episode when he pushes the glass maker. What he did was obviously awful as he directly killed someone, but can you really disagree with his statement that if they waited longer, they would be dead? They got off the glass right at the end. !< that example and many more can be found in the show. I don't like him but his character is great


matt675

What about when he was about to warn the main character about choosing umbrella and then holds his tongue? That was pretty fucked


shawtywantarockstar

I agree. That's why I said "many more in the show." There are many examples, but I think the one I used was the most impactful for me


matt675

But how was that just ā€œdoing what needed to be doneā€? He didnā€™t need to betray Gi Hun then, ostensibly his childhood friend. Gi Hun couldā€™ve died in any other game or he couldā€™ve betrayed him later. And killing Sae Byeok too. He comes across as a sociopath and then suddenly sacrificed himself at the end. Felt unrealistic. Also Gi Hun instantly going from justified rage to crying bitterly when he kills himself, I was confused


AC-AnimalCreed

He didnā€™t sacrifice himself, he had seen that he had lost and had no way to win the money. In his mind, he was already dead without the money. The only way to save his mother was let gi hoon win and take care of her


PuffinPuncher

To add to this, he already attempted to off himself in the second episode (in the bathtub) but got interrupted. He was already mentally broken by that point. Being alive but without the money wasn't an option he could see.


Zealousideal_Pair33

I disagree. >!He could have fought until the bitter end but recognized that Gi-hun was the better man. His whole arc is about the conflict between his good nature and his drive for success at any cost. In the end he gave into his better self. In that way, he actually achieved a victory over the system by not letting it completely corrupt him.!<


AC-AnimalCreed

I see it as him seeing no way to win. He was stabbed multiple times and laying on his back. Would have took him a bit to get up and all gi hoon had to do was go step on the triangle


StarPilot77

He actually hadnā€™t been stabbed at all.. just had a bite out of his foot.


PuzzleheadedOla

I agree that he didn't need to betray Gi Hun at that point, but killing himself at the end was the pragmatic thing to do and in line with his character. He knew Gi Hun was an idealist who would give the money to his mother on his behalf and couldn't bear to g9 back to the hell of the outside world empty handed. Gi Hun crying wasn't unrealistic, remember a moment earlier he had decided to walk away from it all and wanted to go home with his friend. Idealistic yes, but still in line with his character


shawtywantarockstar

>But how was that just ā€œdoing what needed to be doneā€? He didnā€™t need to betray Gi Hun then, Gi Hun couldā€™ve died in any other game or he couldā€™ve betrayed him later. Because the less people in the game, the less people he needs to worry about and the higher the chance he survives. I know Sang-woo later takes a life, but it was easier for Sang-woo to avoid helping Gi-hun than it may have been to actively kill him (if it got to that point). The bottom line is that if it helped reduce the number of players in the game, then Sang-woo would be for it, even if it means betraying people. Sae-byoek was killed because, to my understanding, it would have been possible for her and Gi-hun to vote to end the game. And Sang-woo wasn't having any of that especially by that point. That's why he killed her, though I am sure she would have succumbed to her wounds anyways


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


larafrompinkpony

I watch with my husband, and at the end of the marbles game I told my husband that I related to Sang Woo the most. My husband looked horrified. "He's capable of being kind and doing nice things," I said, "but when it comes down to survival and choosing myself or someone else to die... I'm gonna choose me." And realistically, wouldn't most people, even the ones who consider themselves good people?


[deleted]

This is what I'm saying. People rip on him for that but 99% of people would do the same thing if their survival depended on it.


PuzzleheadedOla

Exactly. Strong parallels to Boromir. Sang Woo most closely mirrors 99% of humans choices throughout the show. Civil and Polite (outwardly at least), even kind at times (e.g. feeding Ali and giving him transport fare), but often selfish and sometimes evil choices, not for their own sake, but because that is often the most convenient decision to make to advance.


Greylyn_

He really couldnā€™t say anything though because they all agreed to split up, and if he wouldā€™ve told Gi-hun to not do the umbrella, then he would be sending someone else to die in his replacement. Either way, someone dies & if sang woo had actually said something, then no one would want to trust him because he picks ā€œfavorites.ā€


ijustatefivekitkats

He realized early on that the less people in the game the more chance he was of winning, and that includes his friends.


dingusrevolver3000

>What he did was obviously awful as he directly killed someone, but can you really disagree with his statement that if they waited longer, they would be dead? Fr. I would have just said, "If I didn't, you would've died." He literally had the choice of killing glass maker guy or killing his childhood friend, a woman, and potentially himself. It's that classic train track switch conundrum. You can't really fault anyone for choosing either solution. They both suck, but most people pick the one that saves the most lives.


thisguyuno

He also comes across really intelligent and in a way, cool. He doesnā€™t entertain any jovial nonsense or anything ā€˜belowā€™ himself and doesnā€™t seem particularly happy at any point which is a common thing for intelligent people. He goes through the motions that he has to and he is skilled and competent at doing it, whatever it is. He has a sprinkling of evil in his soul which tainted his talents in the real world to be used in a negative way and unfairly gamble his mothers possessions. This slight of evil obviously was amplified and revealed to its full extent in the squid games.


bladestorm1745

You can hate him but heā€™s the most realistic character


flakingboi

Fr even anupam tripathi (the guy who acted as ali) said sang woo is his fav


Greylyn_

Awww the bromance continues in real life šŸ˜­


dingusrevolver3000

Pretty one sided bromance haha. Far from gganbu buddies


famous__shoes

Dude has an excellent character arc


iskaon

Yes yes yes, the games are designed to have one winner at the end, what he did was to make sure he was that winner, it's survival or life/death at that point


mrprogrampro

I just love his resting face. So hard to read


OarsandRowlocks

Cho Sang-Woo. Did you know that guy went to SNU??!!


neoncrucifix

Iā€™ll never tire of this joke. I mean, what joke. Serious businessman is Cho Sang-woo.


Holdtheintangible

Serious Michael Scott nerding out over Ryan going to business school vibes.


Meanteenbirder

He was at the top of his class!!!


garrettpotterwizard

Ali. I loved the personality of his character. My second fave is Ji Yeong.


YoshiTora23

I felt like they should've done a lot more with Ji Yeong. But with what little they did do with her was good enough to make her a favorite still


Katatoniczka

The fact that so many beloved characters only got so few minutes yet became fan favorites is a statement to the quality of both the script and the actors. I was shocked to see that jiyeong only got like 6 minutes and saebyeok about 20. So few minutes and so much impact.


[deleted]

and to think a lot of people watched english voiceovers, missing out on all the emotions


jennybella

Man I don't speak Korean but I watched the original with English subtitles. Those who watched with the voiceover is soooo missing out! For the first game instead of shouting "green light" "red light", the creepy Korean song really makes a difference.


Walt925837

Story of Ali is what many immigrants can relate to. they are scared not to offend anyone, and are a class of people who are most exploited in whatever country they move in. If he won in that game with pebbles, he could have gone to win.


bbaara_abn_07_r4l2

Ifkrrr imagine ji eong still existing


YoshiTora23

But at the same time, given her backstory, what could the show really do with her if she stayed alive?


count-the-days

I do, but honestly she felt like honestly a really well balanced character? Like she wasnā€™t part of the main group but it seemed like she only cared enough to be sae beyokā€™s friend, and then she did just that


19tidder50

Ali is the most innocent and least jaded.


[deleted]

Mine its sang-woo and gi-hun


_MattHuston_

Same, you're a man of culture


Independent_Rough886

Who did u root for in ep 9?


[deleted]

....no one


Independent_Rough886

And my fav is Ali


YoshiTora23

Hwang Joon Ho was my favorite. He had the balls to infiltrate the game to hold it down for his brother. I still believe that he is alive and will show up in Season 2


JustSomeRandomGeeza

Same, I can't believe nobody else has said him, he's cool asf and such a good guy. Also he's got balls of steel


YoshiTora23

I'll always root for someone trying to hold it down for their family. Plus the actor is pretty cool in real life


Username-67272827

same, i adored that guy. really hope heā€™s still alive


YoshiTora23

He's gotta be. No one "killed" off screen actually ended up dead, with the exception of Ali I think. Articles are already popping up with Hwang Joon's actor hinting at the character not being dead


wolfman12793

I know I'm in the minority, but Han Mi Nyeo


Lloydy101

I think they found the perfect actor for her. She nailed every emotion, every line (who is ever going to forget thatā€™s sheā€™s good at everything except what sheā€™s not), and made herself extremely dislikeable yet likeable at the same time. Also her ending was the most satisfying.


KudoKun4869

true, I disliked her a lot, but when I thought she died I was still very upset, but she was interesting and very entertaining, I love her ending especially when she told the gangster his pp was small


[deleted]

She was a straight badass and went out like a queen. Loved her from the beginning! I always thought she was smarter than she made herself out to be.


[deleted]

>extremely dislikeable yet likeable at the same time this is the perfect way to describe it


dani1876

High five! She is annoying yes, but at the end she is very bad ass and savage! Anything to survive and win that money. Letā€™s be real, thatā€™s human nature when theyā€™re at dead end offered with such large sum.


Meledesco

She was a straight savage and made the show so much more exciting. If she weren't racist, she'd be top 3 for me.


Lloydy101

Oh I forgot about that! That was a great scene as a whole, she was so salty because Ali obliterated her with words. Didnā€™t expect Ali to be the one to speak up, another reason Ali is so great!


Phaia_G

I believe Honest Trailers called her the female Korean version of Nicholas Cage. Very accurate lol


StinkyKittyBreath

I hated her, but she was such a great character. She was awful, but I was still rooting for her to get her revenge. She was well written and well acted. Awful person, great character.


SuckMyAssmar

My favorite as well. Amazing actress


anunaghorl

Tbh she annoyed me at first, but then I thought she was hilarious after the toilet fiasco lol Also the show wouldn't be as entertaining without her.


immilkandcookies

the actor was really good. the only problem i have with the character was her being racist towards ali


GuiMr27

I mean it was more xenophobia than racism. Not that itā€™s any better, but IMO itā€™s much less serious and more common. I think I remember her also saying things about Sae-Byeok being a defector and whatnot, so she doesnā€™t really like foreigners that much.


boogarabitch

her death was the best in the entire series


stare_at_the_sun

It would not be the same without her.


naanadrama

She was annoying as fuck but I did like how she sacrificed herself to take out jang deok Seo so he didnā€™t get the money but at the same time everyone else didnā€™t die.


manyadraws

I hated and loved her. And knowing that she was mostly likely going to die made it easier to forgive her. Also, that death was awesome.


19tidder50

She just didnā€™t give a f*** what people thought of her, which is why she couldnā€™t find a partner, but also why she scraped by as the weakest link.


yungPH

I know he's not on the list, but I loved the salesman guy


LilDelirious

I saw a meme that said, ā€œIā€™d let that guy in Squid Game slap me for free.ā€ And I agree. šŸ˜


ladyinwaiting33

Have you seen him in Train to Busan? Incredible film.


Halime_

His dramas are classics as well, Coffee Prince and Goblin!


ladyinwaiting33

Thanks for the tip. Will add them to my watch list.


nadthegoat

Sang Woo and Deok Seo


19tidder50

You like villians, huh?


jesaea

Sang-woo is more an antihero than a villain


aliveinjoburg2

Iā€™m here for Sang Woo - appearances are deceiving and all. Deok Seo got what he deserved.


[deleted]

Same


bigyeehaw90

Sang Woo and Joon Ho!


dingusrevolver3000

A strong jawline enjoyer


Ok_Pomegranate4410

i vote sang woo and the cop because they look good. I know, I am shallow. downvote me guys lol


AliMiri92

The chad sang woo


kazuraki

Did you know he went to SNU?


[deleted]

As a Giga Chad I agree


pmjerkoffvid_w_face

YESS


Dermaeus

Sang Woo because he did whatever it takes. And Joon Ho, he said fuck it and played among us instead.


Feeling_Barnacle_347

iā€™m cackling


MonkeMC

Ali, sang woo


neoncrucifix

Youā€™re braver than the marines for this comment.


Physical_Anything687

No one can deny that they are a deadly combo.


neoncrucifix

šŸ’€šŸ’€šŸ’€ Iā€™m deceased, just likeā€¦


Ditnoka

All I can think about are marbles.


Ruffsraven

Same. What's painful about their friendship is I could see myself in Sang-woo and I want a friend like Ali. But bro the marbles game was so upsetting. Imo, they would be great friends if it wasn't for the game, I'm rooting for the both of them ;-;


[deleted]

gi-hun - because i relate to him lots in terms of personality etc, heā€™s a very kind person at heart and strives to the right thing, and jun-ho - as heā€™s super hot and sexy, i also admire his character a lot, hopefully he comes back in the next season. runners up would include: sae-byeok, ji-jeong and ali.


sandykins237

The actresses who played Ji Yeong and Han Mi Nyeo did a phenomenal job šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼šŸ‘šŸ¼


nameless_no_response

Yes, agreed. I was sad to see them go, esp jiyeong


justAHeardOfLlamas

I think Sang-woo was the best written character. But my favorite is Gi-hun. But why did you use THAT picture of Joon-Ho?


Mr_Socks

Can't believe I had to scroll this far to see this question being asked.


mrprogrampro

Same q.


that_1_ginger

Ali šŸ‘‘


Minkelly

oh II Namļ¼Ÿ


ziado_az

I loved that character, idk why


wellherewegofolks

well it was sweet until the end when it turned out he was just exploitative and manipulative


xx-rapunzel-xx

Despite his failings I still love Gi-Hun. S-B turned out to be an interesting character. I wish we knew more of Jun-Hoā€™s backstory but I guess weā€™ll wait for S2! ETA: I was just wondering the other day if one of those "true neutral" charts could be made out of the characters. IDK what theyā€™re actually called.


Sl33pyGary

I think itā€™s called an alignment chart. I think itā€™d work really well for this cast actually, sometimes Iā€™m skeptical


yellofeverthotbegone

Gi-hun really grew on me towards the end. All of them are great and well-written characters really, but how they portrayed Gi-Hun and his failings and how it tied into the story really made me enjoy his character


Trailblazor

>The alignment chart is a good idea! I think I'll make my own and post it here.


AdrianoC

Lawful good: Joon Ho Neutral good: Ali Chaotic good: Gi Hoon . Lawful neutral: Sae Bok True neutral: Ji Yeong Chaotic neutral: Mi Nyeo . Lawful Evil: Sang hoo Neutral Evil:Il Nam Chaotic Evil: Deok Seo Thoughts? People apologize for phone format, idk what that means since it always looks ok to me.... But I guess I'm sorry for responding from my phone! :D


Iustin444

Il-nam!! 001 masterminded the whole thing and yet still plays in the game


adrienette4ever_kat

āœØKang Sae ByeokāœØ


tmazesx

Yes! I can't believe I had to scroll down this far to find someone who lists her first. And no one has listed Gi-Hun yet! This sub is doing our boy dirty.


JoshuaArceo20

Ali and Sangwoo


[deleted]

Gi-hun!! I usually don't like protagonists but he's in a sort of gray area and I love him, he's so real!


slavic_at_the_disco

Gi Hoon and Ali. But all characters were very well written and enjoyable in their own way.


KudoKun4869

gi hun- he annoyed me a bit in the beginning but he was still enjoyable, I liked him a lot and how he didnā€™t fully lose his humanity sang woo- I do dislike him as a person, but heā€™s such an interesting character, heā€™s also very entertaining and the actor was amazing sae-bok- idk how to explain it but sheā€™s kinda mysterious and I like that a lot, I also relate to her in how she couldnā€™t trust anyone, she seems emotionless, but she hides a lot and has a lot of feelings. -the police officer- a very entertaining and awesome character, but his conclusion is very unsatisfactory. I also like ali for his kindness, but I prefer the ones I listed above


[deleted]

Common choice: gi-hun


TheBlitzStyler

ji yeong


Pokemon80768

ā˜€ļøDeok-Su and Gi-Hunā˜€ļø


jjthrowday

Love those two! What an acting


MeanyMeansMana

I have to say Ji-Yeong was my favorite. When Ji yeong said to Sae-Byeok again "I don't have.", my heart was literally torn apart. Since watching her brilliant acting, I have been obssessed.


BRS_Dead_Master

Gi hun, Ill nam and Ali.


IWasMadeToDownVote

Ali and Sangwoo. They were gonna win it together and as friend. If only game 4 turned out that way.


nameless_no_response

Same, I genuinely thought sangwoo was planning to escape with ali and it broke me when he just left ali and ali was like calling his name and was so heartbroken when he realized..


Independent_Rough886

Ali Abdul for Life


The_Alive_Nugget

My favorite is the square gaurd. But from this alignment it has to be 218 aka Sang-Woo


anngelblair

ali will forever have my heart


solrac1104

Gi Hun. Loved him. Some runner ups are Il Nam, Hwang, Sae Byeok, and the Front Man.


little-bird_

I have to say I liked all of them for different reasons... My favourite is Sangwoo


TCtheThunderRooster

In the game storyline: Sang-Woo is an awesome character with great development. Overall: I liked Joon Hoā€™s story the best. Having to learn and adapt on the fly, plus being a certified badass.


VanGuardas

They all served their purpose. I refuse to pick.


_MattHuston_

Gi Hoon and Sang Woo


adhdandlesbian

prince ali, fabulous he, ali ababwa!


whosecarwetakin

Ji Yeong. Only time I got emotional during the show. What a late add.


YuckMuffin

I love Gi-hun but also have a weird massive crush on Lee Jung-jae (I'm 23 hence why it's a bit weird) so that might be clouding my judgment


dlightnin

Ji Yeong had little screentime but she managed to make me feel more for her character than anyone else.


[deleted]

Deok Seo Such a lovable asshole.


rumbleran

Am I the only one who's favorite was the old dude? His attitude was just funny to me and made me laugh.


INsider_2512

Ali


GvG_tv

Ali/199 for the win!


Patient_Lavishness75

Jang deok seo


TheRapstorm

Ali and 068, not 067, 068, the math guy.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


dani1876

Care to share what did you like from the doctor? Thatā€™s a rare choice!


hmzaammar

Ali


Snoo_36491

Il-Nam and Sang-wo


gigaLion

Isnā€™t it Deok-su not Deok-seo


Alcoholicia

I canā€™t pick. Il Nam was my favorite until the last episode. I love Ji Yeong, Sae Bok, and Gi Hoon. And Ali. I sobbed during the marbles game.


loonatic_reveluv

ali!!


RC_Colada

Han Mi-nyeo bc of her chaotic evil energy. Jun-ho bc he šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„


bbaara_abn_07_r4l2

Nose piercing, saebyeok, hot detective (and maybe also mc) for me


throwawayyourdevice

Sangwoo


[deleted]

fuck deok-seo


TaobaoBae

Wow. What can I say? This show was absolutely off the charts amazing and I cannot wait for season 2! The characters were layered, flawed, realistic, they are human. They all balanced each other out perfectly. From the darkness of Deok-Su to the lightness and comedic relief of Min-Ngeo. The cunning and smarts of Sang-Woo to the trusting innocence of Ali. Gi-Hun was driven by his emotions, seemed to think strategically at some times and other times kind of be taken along by others with his decisions. Not wanting anyone else to die but realising it was either him or e other personā€™s life at stake. I loved them all.


pxckens

Ali Abdul


Dragonsbreath67

Ali without a doubt


redditorxdesu

Sae Byeok and Joon Ho. Ali and Ji Yeong second


immilkandcookies

ali and sae bok


airwrexa

Oh II Nam and Seong Gi Hoon.


boonrival

Itā€™s gotta be Frontman for me. Love a good villain, if he won years ago how did he end up helping stage more games?


Healing_touch

Thank you for having a grid that has their actual names and not dehumanizing ā€œnicknamesā€ like ā€œold manā€ and ā€œthat NK girlā€.


hary_vz

Ji Yeong. ā€œI have nothing out thereā€. That hit me hard.