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Squid Game Season 2 Introduced The Show’s Gi-Hun Replacement, And They’re More Likely To Survive Season 3 Than Player 456
Squid Game initially made it look like Gi-hun would be the hero who takes down the brutal competition, but season 2 set up the perfect character as a replacement. After winning the games in Squid Game season 1, Gi-hun dedicated himself to putting an end to Oh Il-nam’s terrible event. Season 2 saw him go as far as to join up with the games again, where he did all he could to save the other 455 players. Things didn’t go how he had expected, however. While Gi-hun successfully led a handful of players in an attack against the guards in Squid Game season 2, he didn’t make it far.
The ending of Squid Game season 2 saw the Front Man, who had been posing as Player 001 Oh Young-il, squash Gi-hun’s attempted rebellion. Since wealthy VIPs from around the world have invested money in the games, things are sure to get swinging again in season 3. It’s unlikely that Gi-hun will get another opportunity to overthrow the guards, and winning the games again seems out of reach at this point as well. It will be a miracle if Gi-hun survives the upcoming final season of Squid Game. However, another character is all set up to succeed where Gi-hun failed.
Squid Game Season 2 Teased That No-eul Will Be The Show’s Ultimate Hero
She Is In A Much Better Position Than Gi-Hun
Squid Game season 2 introduced Kang No-eul, a North Korean defector desperate to reclaim the daughter she was forced to leave behind. While it was initially implied that No-eul would sign on to participate as a player in the games, a surprise twist saw her instead join the ranks of guards. While this should have made her a villain, No-eul’s complicated motivations made her more sympathetic. She had become a guard thinking that she was saving the players from returning to a desperate life and a likely even worse death. However, the corrupt nature of the games gave No-eul pause.
Just as in Squid Game season 1, season 2 revealed that a handful of guards were part of an organ-harvesting operation. They would keep players alive and suffering as long as possible to take their organs and sell them on the black market. No-eul was disturbed by this. She could only stomach the games if the players were killed instantly and as painlessly as possible. No-eul began interfering with the corrupt guards, earning her some new enemies. As of the end of Squid Game season 2, it certainly seems that No-eul is only moments away from changing sides.
Why No-eul Is More Likely To Survive Squid Game Season 3 Than Gi-hun
Gi-Hun’s Failed Rebellion Is A Problem
As a guard, No-eul is at an advantage in Squid Game. Gi-hun is only a player, which means he is at the mercy of the Front Man. This is especially true after the events of Squid Game season 2 since Gi-hun’s attempted rebellion has essentially ensured that he will never be allowed to win. He now has an even greater target on his back, and the other players may even begin to turn on him since he led them in a doomed effort to overthrow the games. No-eul, on the other hand, is only being targeted by the corrupt guards who have forced her to stop interfering in their operation.
No-eul was beaten up by the corrupt guards in Squid Game season 2, leading her to finally stand down in her efforts to put the players out of their misery. The finale didn’t reveal what No-eul was doing during the rebellion or how she felt about the whole thing. However, from what we know about No-eul, she will have difficulty continuing as a guard now that she knows just how desperate many of these players are to escape the games. No one else will know this, so No-eul has a chance to begin working against the games from behind the scenes with far less risk to her personal safety.
As One Of The Pink Guards, No-eul Can Destroy The Games From The Inside
A Guard Has Always Been The Answer
A major theory going into Squid Game season 2 was that Gi-hun would become a guard and take the games down from the inside. However, the character took a far more surprising turn when he reentered as a player. It was shocking that he was even allowed to join again since the Front Man knew he intended to sabotage the games. However, the villain of Squid Game recognized that nothing Gi-hun did or said would change the desperate desires of those fighting for the cash prize. The Front Man was right, to an extent. Gi-hun couldn’t end the games, but he at least revealed that some players would choose life over money in the end.
No-eul can take on the role we initially expected of Gi-hun.
Now, No-eul can take on the role we initially expected of Gi-hun. She may have become a guard without any intention of putting a stop to the games, but everything that she has seen is sure to change her approach. Now, as a pink masked guard, No-eul is in the perfect position to help Gi-hun in his mission. She has access to the higher-level guards and the Front Man, which Gi-hun will likely never have. No-eul may even have access to the VIPs at some point in Squid Game season 3. It certainly won’t be easy, but as a man on the inside, No-eul is Gi-hun’s best hope (though he doesn’t know it).
Squid Game Casting Park Gyu-young As Guard 011 Means She Must Be Important
Squid Game Can’t Waste This Actor
No-eul’s story in Squid Game season 2 seems to imply that she will have a major role in the series ending in season 3. However, this isn’t the only indicator that this character will be a power player. Actor Park Gyu-young is easily the biggest name among the cast of Squid Game season 2. She is a rising star in South Korea, with prominent projects that include It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), Sweet Home (2020 – 2024), Celebrity (2023 – present), and A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023 – 2024). A prominent actor like Park wouldn’t have been cast for a nothing role, so we can expect big things.
It’s hard to say whether anyone in Squid Game could actually get a happy ending, but we can at least cross our fingers that No-eul will carry Gi-hun’s hero role forward.
Of course, Park’s character’s big moment could come in a variety of ways in Squid Game season 3. Perhaps she will appear to be a sympathetic ally but turn out to be a nefarious villain instead. Gi-hun could put his faith in No-eul, only to be betrayed yet again. However, this feels unlikely. No-eul’s arc is guaranteed to be important to the ending of Squid Game, and it appears that this will follow along a path of redemption for her character. It’s hard to say whether anyone in Squid Game could actually get a happy ending, but we can at least cross our fingers that No-eul will carry Gi-hun’s hero role forward.
