The Most Manipulative Squid Game Characters

Home - Gaming - The Most Manipulative Squid Game Characters

Share Now:

Posted 1 days ago by inuno.ai

Category: Gaming

Summary

Strategic gameplay and manipulation are key to survival in Squid Game, with some characters using others for personal gain.
Seong Gi-Hun and Cho Sang-woo navigate moral dilemmas and manipulation to advance in the deadly games.
The Recruiter and The Frontman exhibit ruthless behavior in luring players and ensuring the games run smoothly.

Squid Game is one of the most successful modern limited series. It has shocked fans and critics with its thrilling story and intricate characters, and the show has already been renewed for its third season. A group of powerful individuals recruit downtrodden civilians and force them to play life-or-death games for their entertainment, with the promise of riches for whoever survives to the end. Squid Game focuses primarily on the players and the struggles they go through as they quickly end up in over their heads and must do the unthinkable to survive another moment.

8 Luckiest Squid Game Characters, Ranked

Luck often plays a vital role in the dangerous world of Squid Game. These characters are the proof.

Squid Game is not a simple test of physical ability or skill; sometimes, games can be manipulated or tested using the right strategy. The ability to see all the pieces in a game can give a player an advantage and help them move on to the next round. Not many players are capable of this, as the games can only be designed by the host and the VIPs. However, those who perform well under pressure and have no qualms about playing with people’s lives manipulate the system and their fellow players to win the game. Here are some of the most manipulative characters in Squid Game.

Spoilers Ahead for Squid Game

7

Seong Gi-Hun

The Star Of The Show

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

Seong Gi-hun may be the star of the show and dons a mission of redemption in season two of Squid Game. However, in season one, he was just like the other players in the first game and was lured in by The Recruiter for his greed and massive amount of debt.

A collage of three noteworthy sacrifices in Squid Game: Mr. Kim's, Ji-yeong's and Sang-woo's.

6 Best Sacrifices In Squid Game, Ranked

The brutal nature of Squid Game forces some tragic and heartbreaking sacrifices, none more brutal than these.

A main focal point of Squid Game‘s first season was Seong Gi-hun’s constant moral battle between wanting to win the game and his unwillingness to sacrifice those around him. While he tried to maintain his good-guy persona, from time to time, he would slip into a manipulative persona, like during the marbles game where he seemingly took advantage of Oh-Il-nam.

6

The Recruiter

Pied Piper Of The Game

The Recruiter looks at Gi-Hun with a mix of emotions.

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

The Recruiter’s job is one of the most insidious responsibilities in Squid Game. He is tasked with finding desperate and depraved individuals who would make for good entertainment for the VIPs. To do this, the Recruiter preys upon each individual’s weaknesses, debt, greed, or naivety to lure them into making a decision that will alter the rest of their life, and most likely end in them losing it.

What makes The Recruiter even worse is how much joy he takes in leading his victims to their doom. He takes pride in his job and the hundreds of people who have died because of it.

5

Han Mi-Nyeo

A Hellion With Her Eye On The Prize

a player whispering to another player on squid game season 1

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

Han Mi-nyeo was the queen of the Squid Game in season one after arriving like the other players and instantly understanding the stakes after the first game. Not out of desperation but as insurance for survival, Han Mi-Nyeo attached herself to the strongest player in the game, Jang Deok-su.

Using her charm and sexual prowess, she caught Jang Deok-su on a hook and rode him as far as she could. Unfortunately, two wrongs don’t make a right, and Jang Deok-su eventually turns on her, which is his most fatal mistake.

4

Oh-Il-Nam

The Player And The Host

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

Oh-Il-nam appeared to be a feeble old man who had no business being invited to the games, clearly suffering from diminished capacity. However, as the games went on, Oh-Il-nam seemed to have a slight edge, with his younger self coming to the surface to help him survive.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, as Oh-Il-nam was a facade, and he was a part of organizing the games all along. Never in any real danger, Player 001 was a benefactor of the games and wanted to experience them in person. This makes him one of the most sinister and manipulative characters, not only to the players, but also to the viewers.

3

Cho Sang-Woo

An Honorable Con Man

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

Cho Sang-woo appeared to be a decent human being who was tricked into joining the games just like countless others with hopes of fixing their life. In the beginning, he feigned remorse as players died and even campaigned to end the game.

Squid Game: Questions That Need To Be Answered In Season 3

Squid Game: 8 Questions That Need To Be Answered In Season 3

With Season 2 ending on a cliffhanger, Season 3 of Squid Game needs to give viewers the answers they’re desperate for.

On the surface, he imitated what a good man would do while hiding his alterior motives. Cho Sang-woo played behind the scenes and carefully positioned himself and others in positions that would increase his chances of survival, even going so far as to get his hands dirty when necessary. Cho Sang-woo had everyone fooled until the end, when he became one of the two remaining players along with Seong Gi-hun.

2

Thanos

Using His Fame As A Weapon

Gyeong-su being betrayed by Thanos in Squid Game

First Appearance: Season 2, Episode 3 “001”

Thanos was just as unsuspecting as everyone else when arriving at the secret facility and having the rules of the games explained, but when the bodies began to drop, Thanos took it in stride. He realized what type of situation he was in and instantly started looking out for himself.

Squid Game: 8 Most Cruel Deaths, Ranked

Squid Game is home to a vast array of characters who meet tragic ends. Some characters, however, face much crueller deaths than others.

Some of the other players recognized him as a famous rapper, so he used his fame to manipulate them, took them under his wing, and created a barrier for himself. He used people as tools to get ahead in the games and to strong-arm weaker players out of his way, and then tossed his own people aside without a second thought.

1

Front Man (Hwang In-Ho)

The Most Devious Of Them All

a close up of the frontman as a player on squid game season 2 — IMDb

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 1 “Red Light, Green Light”

Front Man, the Host, or Hwang In-ho, is the man behind the mask in season one of Squid Game. He is a cold and ruthless man who serves the VIPs and ensures that the game goes off without unseen complications.

In season two of Squid Game, his role expands as he mimics Oh-Il-nam’s ruse of joining the game so that he may witness Seong Gi-hun’s suffering in person. Portraying himself as a regular player, Front Man lets the mask slip occasionally and reveals a sinister smile when blood is spilled and Seong Gi-hun’s guilt increases.