‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Twist Ending Explained – Who Is Player 001?

Season 2 of Play octopus is now streaming, delivering another chapter of Netflix’s hit South Korean drama. Among the season’s biggest twists is the true identity of Player 001, which sets the stage for the action-packed finale and the upcoming third and final season.

The second round brings back former winner Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who returns to the deadly competition a few years after winning the 45.6 billion won prize. Determined to end the twisted game once and for all, Gi-hun sets out to take down the mysterious frontman, the mastermind behind it all.

Forbes‘Squid Game’ season 2 premieres this week – here’s everything to knowBy Monica Mercury

After two years of weapons training, Gi-hun devises a plan to infiltrate Play octopus. Along with detective Hwang Jun-ho, they remain connected through a hidden tracker implanted in a false tooth, which the guards unfortunately remove when he enters the game.

Resuming his role as Player 456, he battles through familiar challenges like Red Light, Green Light alongside new games like pentathlon and mingle. However, Gi-hun is still unaware that one of his closest allies in the games is actually the person he hates the most.

Who is player 001 in Play octopus Season 2?

Plays 001 inches Play octopus Season 2 is actually Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), also known as The Front Man. Disguising himself as a gamer, The Front Man befriends Gi-hun by sharing his tragic backstory: his pregnant wife is seriously ill, and he entered the games to win the money needed to save her and their unborn child.

Fans may recall that In-ho is the older brother of Detective Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon). In Season 1, Jun-ho discovers that his missing brother has become the leader of Play octopus. Before taking control, In-ho previously competed in the games as Player 132, eventually taking over the role of Player 001 from the original creator, Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su).

In season 2, Gi-hun and Player 001 form an alliance with other competitors, including Gi-hun’s best friend from season 1, Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan) and an ex-marine named Dae-ho (Kang Ha) – neul).

Play octopus Season 2 ending explained

As Jun-ho searches for the island where the Squid Game takes place, it becomes clear that the boat captain helping him is sabotaging the mission. This ultimately prevents Jun-ho from finding the games and helping Gi-hun.

Meanwhile, tensions in the Squid Game reach a boiling point when Gi-hun and his allies clash with the guards and spark an armed rebellion. Among the 100 remaining players, half vote to stay in the competition, while the other half vote to leave. With another vote imminent, the players resort to violence and try to kill the contestants who didn’t vote their way.

Amidst the chaos, Gi-hun urges her allies to stay hidden and devises a plan to break into the Masked Spectators’ headquarters. Gi-hun and his friends pretend to be dead and launch a surprise attack, overpowering the guards and seizing their weapons, leaving only one guard alive.

The rebel group turns off the cameras and moves to capture the captain, who is secretly among them. Young-il separates from the group and claims to have found an alternate route to where the masked figures are shooting at Gi-hun and Jung-bae. But he betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death. Using a guard’s radio, Young-il informs his team to crush the rebellion. The frontman ditches his Player 001 tracksuit and replaces it with his signature black cape and mask.

One of the most heartbreaking moments in the finale is the death of Gi-hun’s best friend, Jung-bae. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk felt his death was the ideal way to end Season 2. “The audience will definitely be shocked and very sad to see Jung-bae go,” Hwang shared Tudum. “He’s also the only person in the games that Gi-hun can trust and completely rely on.”

Meanwhile, actor Jung-jae believes that Jung-bae’s death will transform his character in season 3. “How much pain can someone endure to achieve their goals?” he told the site. “Would the determination he had in the beginning still be intact? Would he still have that feeling inside him? Because now his best friend is dead.”

Unfortunately, by the end of season 2, Gi-hun is unaware that Front Man and Young-il are the same person. “I don’t think Gi-hun knows the truth yet,” Jung-jae added, noting that Gi-hun is too busy “blaming herself for everything that happened.”

The third and final season will explore the next chapter in Gi-hun and the frontman’s intense showdown, Hwang teased to the page.

Play octopus Season 2 is streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.