Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Squid Game season 2, episodes 1-3.end of Squid Game season 1 — and even after he turns around and threatens the Front Man, there's no indication he wants to return to the Games. Squid Game season 2's premiere sees him searching for the Salesman rather than the island itself, suggesting he's hoping to bring down the tournament from the outside.
However, Gi-hun's mission inevitably leads him back to the tournament in Squid Game season 2, confronting him with the devastating effects of greed and desperation all over again. It's not an ideal situation for him to be in, especially since he still has so much trauma from his first time playing the Games. But ultimately, it's Gi-hun's decision to return to the deadly competition in Squid Game season 2. It's part of his plan to enact justice on those behind the Games, though it backfires from the moment he arrives on the island.
Gi-hun Asked To Play The Game Again To Track Down The Island’s Location
He Convinces The Front Man In The Hopes Of Getting The Upper Hand
Gi-hun attempts to find the Salesman and the other people behind the Games at the beginning of Squid Game season 2, but they're consistently one step ahead of him. The Salesman tracks him down, and it's only thanks to a lucky round of Russian roulette that Gi-hun survives his encounter with the tournament's recruiter. When Gi-hun, Jun-ho, and Woo-seok attempt to follow a lead to a Halloween party, they're ambushed by Masked Men. Gi-hun finds himself in a limousine, speaking to the Front Man, and his men are unable to tail them.
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In the limo, the Front Man expresses regret that Gi-hun went on to become obsessed with the Games rather than living a "happy" life. The two have a tense conversation, during which Gi-hun tells the Front Man to stop the Games. When he refuses, Gi-hun asks to be put in the tournament instead. This is part of his plan with Jun-ho, who intends to track him to find the mysterious island the Game is held on. Prior to Gi-hun's interaction with the Front Man, he has a tracker placed into a fake tooth, which should lead his friends straight to him.
Gi-hun Could Not Be Rescued After The Tracker Was Removed From His Tooth
Jun-ho & Woo-seok Spend Most Of Season 2 Looking For The Island
Gi-hun's plan to infiltrate the Games in Squid Game season 2 is meant to leave him an out, as the tracker in his tooth should allow Jun-ho and Woo-seok to find him. However, when Gi-hun arrives on the island, he realizes that the tracker has been removed. This makes it impossible for his friends to find him or call for backup. Gi-hun's on his own in the season 2 tournament, rendering him just as helpless as he was during the show's first outing.
Gi-hun underestimates the Game's organizers, and it results in him having to form a new plan.
It's not clear how the people behind the tournament know about his tracker, but they probably proceed with an abundance of caution, as Gi-hun asking to the Game is suspicious. Gi-hun is clear about his intentions leading up to this point, so the Front Man knows that he's planning something. Gi-hun underestimates the Game's organizers, and it results in him having to form a new plan. When he wakes up in the players' dormitory, donning the Player 456 jumpsuit once again, it's clear that his mission will be far harder than he expected.
Why Gi-hun Is Given The "Player 456" Designation Again
The Front Man Wants To Reduce Him To A Number
Gi-hun is put back into the Game as Player 456, and there's a good reason Squid Game season 2 keeps his number. First, it makes sense from a writing standpoint. There are many new characters introduced throughout Squid Game season 2, so the writers probably want to keep things simple for viewers. We already know Gi-hun as Player 456, so there's no reason to switch his number. This would only make things complicated for fans. That said, there's also an in-universe reason the show gives Gi-hun the same number.
To the Front Man and the others behind the Games, the players are barely people — and In-ho wants Gi-hun to know it.
The Front Man mocks Gi-hun for wanting to "save the world" during his limo ride, and it's obvious he wants to prove that winning the Games doesn't make him special. He even repeatedly refers to Gi-hun as Player 456 during their phone call, something that's obviously meant to dehumanize him. To the Front Man and the others behind the Games, the players are barely people — and In-ho wants Gi-hun to know it. By reducing him to a number in both the phone call and the Games themselves, he attempts to get that message across.
How Gi-hun’s Second Time Playing The Game Is Different From Season 1
Gi-hun Knows What To Expect & Has A Potential Way Out
Warning: This section contains minor spoilers for Squid Game season 2, episodes 1-4.Gi-hun's second time playing the Games is different from his first, as he's obviously aware of what he can expect. Unlike the other players, who are initially caught off-guard by the deadly nature of the tournament, Gi-hun knows what he's walking into. This allows him to warn his fellow players in Squid Game season 2, even if they don't believe him at first. However, once they realize he's telling the truth, Gi-hun successfully helps many of them survive Red Light Green Light because he's been there before and knows how the doll's motion sensor works.
The tournament itself is also a bit different from Gi-hun's initial experience, as the players are now allowed to vote to end the Games after every round.
The tournament itself is also a bit different from Gi-hun's initial experience, as the players are now allowed to vote to end the Games after every round. This change is clearly a challenge from the Front Man to Gi-hun: if the latter can prove that most players are more concerned with their lives than money, he'll allow them to leave unscathed. Of course, the Front Man also seems intent on manipulating the Games, so the odds are still against Gi-hun.
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In Squid Game season 2, episode 4, Gi-hun also realizes that some of the games themselves will be different this time around. While Red Light Green Light marks the beginning of both his tournaments, the subsequent challenges aren't identical to the ones he faced before.
Gi-hun’s Plan Changes After He Realizes He Can’t Be Rescued
Once Gi-hun realizes he won't be rescued, he's forced to form a new plan to beat the Front Man. Rather than waiting for backup to arrive, Gi-hun attempts to put an end to the tournament from within. His efforts to help his fellow players survive Red Light Green Light are part of that. Gi-hun isn't interested in the money, and he's intent on saving as many people as he can from the cruelty of the Games.
Gi-hun reveals that he's played the Games before, and he tells the other survivors that they will all die if they don't vote to leave.
However, the new setup of the Games also allows Gi-hun to end the tournament through a vote — something he tries to convince the other players to do immediately after Red Light Green Light. Gi-hun reveals that he's played the Games before, and he tells the other survivors that they will all die if they don't vote to leave. Squid Game season 2, episode 3 ends with him failing to convince them; while half of the room votes to go home, the other half want to keep playing.
Squid Game season 2 is now streaming on Netflix, and season 3 is confirmed for 2025.
The Front Man's arrival as Player 001 decides the matter, adding a new challenge to Gi-hun's mission. It seems like the Front Man is actually giving Gi-hun the opportunity to undermine the Games, but only if he can appeal to the rest of the players' humanity. Given the massive amount of debt some of them are in, he might need to get more creative if he actually hopes to take down the tournament in Squid Game season 2.
Squid Game
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast
Lee Jung-jaeSeong Gi-hun / 'No. 456'
Jeon Young-sooGame Guide
WHERE TO WATCH
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 about financially struggling individuals who are invited to participate in a series of children's games. The competition offers a lucrative prize but comes with perilous consequences, as the players soon discover the lethal stakes involved in each round.
- Directors
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Writers
- Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
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