Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ was never built to give us comfort. From its very first episode, the series made it abundantly clear: this was not a fairy tale. It was a brutal, hyper-capitalist nightmare dressed up in the aesthetics of a children’s playground. However, few fans were prepared for the devastating, gut-wrenching finale that closed out its second chapter.
At the center of it all was Seong Gi-hun, known to players as 456, the unlikely hero who once survived the original ‘Squid Game‘ with his morals mostly intact. But this time, he didn’t win. In fact, he didn’t even make it out alive. The finale didn’t just kill off its main protagonist, it exposed the futility of his fight and hinted that the horrors of the Game are bigger than ever before.
How Did Gi-Hun Die In ‘Squid Game’ Finale?
After surviving several rounds of unspeakable violence and psychological torment, Gi-hun found himself facing the worst kind of opponent: a desperate father turned monster, and an innocent baby born into the nightmare. The final game, “Sky Squid Game,” forced contestants to push each other off tall columns. Jun-hee, whose quiet strength and defiance had inspired Gi-hun, died before the final round. Her infant child was left in the arms of her partner Myung-gi.
Myung-gi’s descent into madness was chilling. Believing Gi-hun and Jun-hee shared a romantic connection, and drunk on paranoia, he planned to murder his own child to win the prize money. Gi-hun, who had promised Jun-hee that he’d protect her baby, saw no way out. After a brutal knife fight with Myung-gi Gi-hun managed to win. However, he didn’t celebrate. He didn’t gloat. Instead, he walked to the edge of the final platform, looked into the cameras broadcasting his every move to the VIPs, and made his last stand.
His final words “We are not horses. We are human. Humans are…” were cut off by his fall. We never got to hear what he truly believed. Was it “…good”? Was it “…better than this”? The show leaves us with the agony of not knowing, and that silence speaks louder than any moralistic speech ever could. Gi-hun died on impact. The island blew up moments later. Nobody. No evidence. No justice. Only the baby survived as the winner.
The Aftermath Of Gi-Hun’s Sacrifice Confirmed Our Worst ‘Squid Game’ Fear
Following Gi-hun’s sacrifice, the story jumped forward six months. We got glimpses of resolution for a few secondary characters. Guard No-eul reunited Player 246 with his daughter. Woo-Seok was released from prison, still haunted by his unjust sentence. Jun-ho, the detective and estranged brother of the Front Man returned to a world that didn’t want to believe what he had seen. In a haunting twist of fate, the baby (the official “winner”) was delivered to Jun-ho’s apartment. Alongside the child was a credit card linked to 4.56 billion won. Gi-hun’s death wish to at least save this child had come true.
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However, that’s where the hope ends. The series closes with the most unsettling image of all: the Front Man, now back in civilization, riding through Los Angeles. He hears a familiar smacking sound and it’s ddakji, the game used to recruit new players. He looks out and sees a woman (played in a surprise cameo by Cate Blanchett) smiling back at him knowingly. She’s the American recruiter. The Game has gone global. Gi-hun’s mission to destroy the system failed. The system was bigger, deeper, and more entrenched than he had imagined.
Moreover, ‘Squid Game’ didn’t just kill off its hero. It buried hope beneath concrete towers and burning islands. It reminded us that we are powerless in the face of something as insidious as institutionalized cruelty. Yet, the show doesn’t end entirely in despair. That baby survived. Gi-hun’s last act was not just defiance; it was protection. He gave his life so that someone else could have a chance at a future.
