Every major Squid Game 2 player confirmed to return in season 3

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The teaser for Squid Game season 3 promises even more horrors in the aftermath of the season 2 finale, where a Gi-Hun-led team of players rose in rebellion against the Front Man and the guards. What followed was a complete bloodbath, with a horrific climax that might have exceeded the actual games. While the fate of many characters remains unanswered, the trailer offers glimpses of what's to come.

Some fan favorites, like Thanos (Choi Seung-Hyun, AKA T.O.P. of BigBang), didn't make it to the finale, meeting a gruesome end involving a fork. Others, like Detective Hwang Jun-Ho, clung to life by a thread, only to be murdered by the Front Man (Player 001, In-ho) right in front of Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae).

Here's a who's who of the survivors from Squid Game season 2.

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead.


Who are the survivors of Squid Game season 2 finale?

1) Gi-Hun (Lee Jung-Jae)

Lee Jung-Jae in season 3 (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Lee Jung-Jae in season 3 (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Gi-Hun survives the mayhem of season 2, but the teaser for Squid Game season 3 offers little consolation. He is brought into the dorm by the Pink Guards in a large black casket, eerily wrapped in a pink bow. This power move by the Front Man and the organization shows who is in control right away.

Gi-Hun survives horrors in season 1 and re-enters the game in season 2 to stop them once and for all. He builds momentum throughout the season by being a guide to the games for the newcomers and reducing casualties until the rebellion. He almost succeeds in reaching the control room, only to be overpowered by the soldiers and In-Ho, disguised as the Front Man.

This prompts the question: What's in store for Gi-Hun in season 3 of Squid Game?


2) Dae-Ho (Kang Ha-Neul)

Dae-Ho survives the rebellion (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Dae-Ho survives the rebellion (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Dae-Ho is introduced in season 2 as a former Navy officer who allies with Gi-Hun early on. His upbringing with sisters made him skilled in childhood games, but the horrors of war made him freeze in clutch situations, likely a symptom of PTSD. This plotline becomes key in the season finale, where Dae-Ho attempts to fight the soldiers but does not have the mental capability to follow through.

He volunteers to return to the dorm to get more ammunition for the team but never returns. The Squid Game season 3 teaser shows him back in the dorm, watching Gi-Hun's arrival. He will likely be a key ally for Gi-Hun in the new season.


3) Geum-Ja (Kang Ae-Shim)

Geum-ja from the teaser (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Geum-ja from the teaser (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

In one of season 2's most heartbreaking storylines, Jang Geum-Ja enters the games in a desperate attempt to save her son from a gambling debt. She highlights the loyalty and pride of a traditional Korean mother, who would go to any lengths to protect her son.

In a twist of fate, her son, Yong-Sik, also enters the game, forcing the duo to work together and face their pasts as they advance in the game. She almost dies during the "Mingle" game as she watches Yong-Sik get dragged away, but Gi-Hun saves her. She does not participate in the uprising and manages to make it out alive in season 3 of Squid Game.


4) Yong-Sik (Yang Dong-Geun)

Yong-sik in the season 3 teaser (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Yong-sik in the season 3 teaser (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Geum-Ja's son ultimately survives and enters season 3 unscathed, despite his selfishness and lack of a moral compass. While he is ashamed to see his mother enter the games to protect him, he is unable to do anything substantial to win or save her from harm.

In the season 2 finale of Squid Game, Geum-ja forbids him from participating in the rebellion, and he stays back at the dorm. However, the season 3 teaser reveals further horrors for the mother-son duo, who are forced onto opposite teams. This promises a certain heartbreak for one of the players.


5) Hyun-Ju (Park Sung-Hoon)

Park Sung-Hoon plays Hyun-Ju (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Park Sung-Hoon plays Hyun-Ju (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Hyun-Ju was an interesting addition to the season 2 cast as a transgender woman who entered the games to win enough money for a gender-affirming surgery. She turns out to be a lethal ally to Gi-Hun as a former special forces soldier who faced discrimination and dismissal after coming out as a transgender woman.

In the season 2 finale of Squid Game, Hyun-Ju is on the front lines of the rebellion alongside Gi-Hun, taking soldiers out with her military expertise, damaging cameras, and teaching the others how to use the weapons they stole from the dead soldiers. She returns to the dorm looking for Dae-Ho and more ammunition and survives to face the music in season 3.


6) Seon-Nyeo (Chae Kook-Hee)

Kook-Hee in season 2 (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
Kook-Hee in season 2 (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

As one of the most mysterious players in Squid Game, Seon-Nyeo displayed calculated caution and extreme arrogance throughout season 2. A shaman who entered the games for unknown reasons, she created chaos in the games by turning her back on her allies and changing her vote from X to O, becoming one of the main reasons for the bathroom brawl and the eventual uprising.

She did not participate in the rebellion and stayed back in the dorm, surviving into season 3 of the show.


7) Myung-Gi (Im Si-Wan)

A still of Myung-Gi from the show (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
A still of Myung-Gi from the show (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Myung-Gi enters the games to earn more money after being on the run for violating telecom laws through his cryptocurrency YouTube channel. He runs into his pregnant ex-girlfriend Jun-Hee in the games. While he ghosted her in the past to protect her from his issues, he shows silent compassion and empathy by protecting her in all the games, even sacrificing Young-Mi to save Jun-Hee.

Myung-Gi survives because Jun-Hee convinces him not to join the rebellion, making him one of the survivors entering season 3 of Squid Game. His intelligence and bravery will make him a formidable ally to Gi-Hun.


8) Jun-Hee (Shim Eun-Kyung)

A still of Jun-Hee from the show (Image via YouTube/Netflix)
A still of Jun-Hee from the show (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Jun-Hee is introduced in season 2 of Squid Game as a pregnant woman who wants to make money after getting scammed by Myung-Gi's cryptocurrency investment. She refuses his help in the games initially, but the duo warms up to each other and eventually hides together to save themselves from the guards.

Jun-Hee's fate will be an interesting twist in season 3, given her pregnancy. The teaser hints at a baby crying, which could mean she gives birth within the game. This could make things more complicated for the players.


Stay tuned for more Squid Game season 3 updates. Stream all episodes of the show on Netflix.