Who Is The Most Favored Player In Squid Game Season 1

Summary

Some side characters in Squid Game deserve more of a spotlight.
Short-lived characters like Kang Mi-na showed potential for development and fan favoritism.
Characters like Player 324 added comedic value, enhancing the dynamic of the main cast.

With over 400 contestants and several characters in the outside world, there are plenty of individuals in Squid Game who were only on-screen for a short time and, in some cases, only a single scene. For some, it would be nice to see them take on a larger role in the next season, while others met their fate too soon and could have been fan favorites were they to survive a bit longer.

For the viewer, a lot of attention is rightly placed on the main protagonists and their enemies, Gi-hun and the Front Man, for instance, while side characters who play a less important role are sidelined and often forgotten about. That said, there are certainly a few characters who deserved more of a spotlight. This would have given the actors a chance to shine and viewers the opportunity to enjoy a more diverse set of players and characters.

7. Kang Mi-na

The First To Fall

Appearance: Season 2, Episode 1: “001”

Player 196 to most and Senorita to, well, only Thanos, Kang Mi-na’s screen time is short and sweet in Season 2, starting loud and outspoken and going out with a bang in the very first game. It was a rather unexpected death, especially since she initially received a decent amount of attention and presence, being seen complaining about her uniform and requesting that she be allowed to wear the guard’s.

But all good things come to an end. In spite of looking like a potential love interest for Thanos and showing confidence and independence, she is the first to die in the game, with her death being caused by a bee landing on her neck, prompting her to move and get shot down. It would have been nice to see more back and forth between her and the other contestants, as she seems put off by the way Gi-hun acts, asking if he is drunk or high. She also would have made for a good comedic character for Thanos to play off of.

6. Park Na-yeon

An Unfair Start To Life

Appearance: Season 2, Episode 2: “Halloween Party”

Daughter of player 246 Park Gyeong-seok, Na-yeon is a happy and smiley girl, full of excitement and life, enjoying trips to the amusement park where her father works as a painter. But despite her happiness, she also suffers significantly, having severe blood cancer and requiring a bone marrow transplant, which her father enters the games in an attempt to pay for.

She grows attached to the bunny mascot, initially containing Kang No-eul, and is seen grinning with joy as she watches the fluffy suit approach her with a lollipop. It is nice to have a character who simply wants to live and be happy, despite her affliction twisting her fate in a negative direction. With her father dying in the games, her fate is unclear, but as Kang No-eul showed a lot of affection towards her, there is potential for the two to be reunited in a surprisingly happy ending for the series.

5. Player 324

Shot Down Too Soon

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

Player 324 is pretty much the Thanos of the first season. He strolls into the games with a care-free attitude and shows little to no concern for his whereabouts or anything other than making silly bets with his friend player 250. But things very quickly turn sour. The doll begins her calls, and 324 is shot down right at the start, with panic and mayhem following shortly after.

The short on-screen friendship between the two was amusing and a nice comedic beat, and he would have been a welcome addition to the main set of characters. Though being quite one-dimensional and simplistic, it was probably for the best that he was shot down so early so as to preserve some of the energy and joking around for the second season.

4. Do Jung-soo

Clever But Not Clever Enough

Appearance: Season 1, Episode 7: “VIPS”

A unique character and one who pretty much carried the top three to the end of the bridge game, Jung-soo appears in the “VIPS” episode. His main trick for the game came from his knowledge as a glassmaker, being able to tell the difference between the glass panels and could have crossed to the end if it weren’t for Sang-woo.

One of the returning players after the vote, he clearly had a lot of passion for his daughters and wanted to do right by them, making it all the way to the top four before losing his life. His role was incredibly interesting, as he chose to conceal the information regarding the glass until it was his turn, increasing his chances of victory and showing some extra dimension to his character.

3. Ali Abdul’s Family

Waiting For Their Hope To Return

Appearance: Season 1, Episode 2: “Hell”

Ali Abdul’s wife and son are shown in a flashback just before Ali enters the games. After migrating to South Korea in hopes of a better life, Ali failed to earn enough money to take care of his family and disappeared for a good amount of time, before returning with a blood-covered envelope of money.

Ali tells his wife to return to Pakistan and that he will see them again after he is finished with his work. However, he unfortunately died during the marble game, leaving his family to fend for themselves. It would be great to have some kind of update or another scene with the two, allowing viewers to see how their lives are now and whether they managed to survive without Ali.

2. The Banker

Small Favor From A Large Fortune

Appearance: Season 1, Episode 9: “One Lucky Day”

A quick scene with a curious character, the banker is never mentioned by name and is only seen in a single scene throughout the entire show. He is seen meeting with Gi-hun a year or so after the games have ended, and he consults with Gi-hun regarding his immense wealth and investment options for the future.

Gi-hun, still living with the trauma he has just endured, shows little to no interest in such a prospect. Instead, he asks for a simple favor of 10,000 won, roughly $8, to which the banker obliges. He doesn’t ask too many questions, mainly seeming jolly and cheerful. It would be interesting to see some more involvement from a Squid Game character like this who is aware of the money but unsure as to where it came from.

1. Human Furniture

Anyone Can Be An Object

Appearance: Season 1, Episode 7: “VIPS”

Barely considered humans by the other characters in the room, the people posing as human furniture exist in a strange position within the games. They are not participating or acting as guards or viewers; they are simply servants for the VIPs to use as stools and chairs, showing no concern for the happenings on the screens before them.

Their origin is unclear, their additional roles unknown, and whether they are still around after the first season is a mystery. Seeing more characters of a similar type who are in a kind of neutral zone when compared to the rest of the cast would provide some interesting moments with multiple different character perspectives.

2025-03-18 02:42