Cho Sang-woo Explained | Squid Game Explained

Explaining Cho Sang-woo's approach to the games, and adding reasoning as to why he started acting like a little psychopath in Squid Game (2021). [Spoilers] In this video I analyze Cho Sang-woo's (Player 218 or The Man With The Triangle) upbringing and the societal pressure that was placed on him, which contributed to him taking on an extremely high-risk investment strategy. I translate (from Korean to English) every text Sang-woo receives, so you can understand how much trouble he is in. Discussing his relationship with Seong Gi-hun. Also, I sort of justify his strategy when playing the games. Oh, and I point out this really cool hidden derail about Number 1.
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This video was made by Bryce Edward Brown

[@kal5312]

Do I hate him? Yes. Do i think he's a well written character that allows for both hate and respect despite the bad actions taken? Honestly yes.

[@jamyabrice1450]

This ^^

[@mayven1556]

I couldn't agree more

[@mileskarsten5723]

Same

[@Anonymous-di4nb]

I dont hate him

[@Smthmotivation]

@@yeah1326 man that means I died in real life

[@yerakwon7431]

“This isn’t a Sangwoo did nothing wrong video, I haven’t lost my marbles, unlike Ali” DUDE😭😭😭

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

I appreciated that line so much. 😂😂😂😂

[@TheQuietTyper]

Too soon. That was too soon.

[@SimplyTypicalMe]

I laughed at that part and I feel terrible 💀

[@pac938]

Savage 💀

[@wr4th155]

Ali got his marbles back, there is a video if you look it up

[@JJBeauregard1]

Killing a defenseless Sae-byeok and betraying Ali sucked for sure but credit where credit is due: Along with all the panicking and simply dying characters, Sang-woo is the most realistic character of the show, hands down.

[@nice2253]

Can you explain why he didn't just kill gi hun instead of sae byeok when he had the chance?

[@FattyMcLangy]

@@nice2253 He didn't have a chance to kill gi hun, Sae Byeok was alone and weak, as he could clearly see, where as Gi Hun is very much healthy and awake smashing against the door, of course he'd kill Sae Byeok, who he knows is defenseless, rather than risk his ass to attack Gi Hun, when he would defend himself. Like the video said, he's a logical thinker

[@nice2253]

@@FattyMcLangy gi hun had his back towards sang woo, wouldn't it make more sense to kill the stronger person when he has the chance instead of killing the weaker person who would probably die before the 6th game?

[@FattyMcLangy]

@@nice2253 Gi hun was erratic and screaming at the door, which is what woke sang woo up, or if sang woo was faking it, he at least knew he was away from sae byeok, if sang woo snuck up behind gi hun and stabbed him, gi hun could still fight back, so Sang Woo took his chances, and killed the one he could basically guaranteedly kill with no risk

[@nice2253]

@@FattyMcLangy even if he could have only killed gi hun when he was banging at the door i would still say it's worth taking that risk over fighting gi hun in the last game

[@nataliesquire969]

The whole time while watching the show I couldn’t stop thinking how interesting of a character Sang-woo was. He did multiple good deeds earlier in the show but progressively lost his morality as the games called for it. He was already suicidal near the beginning so the fact that he essentially looses all morality until the very end (when he actually does go through with suicide) makes sense. He was at the end of his rope and the game was his very last chance to turn his life around. He was gonna do whatever he had to to win and that meant people would get hurt along the way because that’s the nature and entire point of the game.

[@andrewgarland329]

@Maryam Mahomed The records show 1 winner each game, Front Man literally tells Gi Hun they are horses, there is only 1 winner in a horse race. They are given knives and allowed to kill each other between games. It's not about yay teamwork, the point of the games is to entertain rich assholes. They only bet on one person, they don't have a pool of players they bet on.

[@bojackhorseman8251]

@Natalie Squire I agree with you. He was already a lost cause that is why he decided to commit suicide at the end even though he could walk away with Gi hun at the end. If he did, nothing would change at all. Also people who are arguing about multiple winners, thats just bullshit. The games are designed in such a way that there will always be one winner at the end. The rope tag game where half the people died. The marbles game where they killed half again and the glass game where almost everyone died. There was no way one multiple people were gonna win this game cause honestly speaking, it would be boring. For us and the VIPs.

[@nataliesquire969]

@@bojackhorseman8251 exactly. I was confused why the characters thought there could be multiple winners. No, the people who run the game never explicitly say that there can only be one winner, but as the games went on it’s obvious that they would only end with one winner. Maybe if all the games were like red light green light and honeycomb but they stopped being that kind of game after those two. And even if it was possible to have more than one winner, that wouldn’t change the brutal and deathly competitive nature of the game. The money literally comes from each player’s death.

[@lowlanz]

@@andrewgarland329 Squid game is a game usually played by teams. Even if there actually was only one winner for past games, Sangwoo never knew it and the square guy never said how many could win. Plus, it seems the game is designed differently every time. So even if there had been only one winner in the past, there could theoratically be more than one for this time considering the rules of the games.

[@Jammythewerewolf]

@@lowlanz Especially since there are way more players in that year's games than previous games.

[@rhinaeflores4165]

I never thought of Sang-Woo as a villain. I only saw him as someone who wanted to win the game, just like everyone else

[@joemann7971]

I think he's at least as much of a villian as the doctor (Byeong-gi). They both did very similar things. They knew what games were going to be ahead of time, with the doctor knowing about the tug of war, and Sang-Woo knew about the honeycomb game. The difference was that Byeong-gi used it to survive while Sang-Woo used it to betray his teammates even though he knew exactly what the game was. Those two characters actually had me confused for some time that I even thought they were the same guy. They both even wear glasses. Their hairstyle and the eyes is really the only thing that sets them apart, but since they both had glasses on, it threw me off. The entire time, I thought he was just changing his hairstyle. lol. It wasn't until he got killed that I realized he was a different character.

[@rhinaeflores4165]

@@joemann7971 Lol same, I kept mixing them up

[@joemann7971]

@@rhinaeflores4165 oh thank goodness it wasn't just me! Lol.

[@christopherlethe2997]

They literally willingly chose to go back to the game after witnessing the brutality of it. What fucking right do people have to criticize one of these people for being "selfish" and trying to win

[@christopherlethe2997]

@@joemann7971 no they are not the same at all. The doc is a cheater according to the code of the game as pointed by the front man , therefore he was rightfully executed. Whereas sang woo did not have extra information fed to him from the outside rather he tried to gain whatever intel available within the game that might have been "illegally" collected by the other cheeky players, thereby levelling the playing field with his competitors

[@Annika-fw4gj]

Sang woos details: Place of birth: *graduated* Time of birth: *top* Birth parents: *of* Hospital he was born in: *his* Current age: *class* Form of employment: *at* Amount of debt: *SNU* Weaknesses: *business* Strengths: *school*

[@smoklom3025]

That makes lots of sense

[@nzndana]

oh wait-

[@kissanangellottalove6945]

I'm done 🤣

[@kylie.hazelvibez3331]

Gi-Hun? That you?

[@Annika-fw4gj]

@@kylie.hazelvibez3331 how did you know 🤭

[@quintenbouwers3391]

People are really forgetting SangWoo saved the whole teams ass at Tug of War lmao

[@telmoxt]

He's my favorite character but he didnt save whole team in tug of war, at that moment his own survival was extended to his team, so he saved himself which also saved the team. For example: if there was a forest fire burning houses, Sang Woo would only stop the fire when his house was at risk and thus saving the reminder houses of the neighborhood, but he wouldn't leave his house to help other people's houses and while risking his own

[@yeah1326]

@@telmoxt Squid Game is a life or death game, only one person can win the prize money.

[@telmoxt]

@@yeah1326 no where in the show says only one can win the game.

[@an.d.m.a]

Only to save himself. I actually strategised the tactic he used as an option before I got to the part that he said it.

[@LoxieWasTaken]

@@telmoxt in the squid archives? Those show ONLY 1 WINNER.

[@ChiseledAdonis]

Let's be honest the vast majority of us would become his character. The mix between logic and emotion, The reality of life versus death & The acceptance of the situation at hand would make us do what he did. He's such a well-written character. Great breakdown man

[@MsMvsc]

Let’s be more honest: most of “us” would’ve died early on begging for our lives

[@wilfricbowknee9734]

I think most of us, IF we could, would go down his path. He was intelligent, competent and experienced in a way many of us are not. I saw him as the manifestation of the brain and its human condition. His ability to rationalize killing others to win was frighteningly convincing. He was ruthless too and played the game better than anyone not allowing the heart or emotion to cause him to waiver. To what you said, that ability is probably in all of us, but to a lesser extent.

[@loveissalvation7268]

You're the only one who would become like him . Stop seeking validation by using the word 'us' !

[@tijerinadiego]

@@loveissalvation7268 lol, so you actually believe most people would act in an ethical way in a life or death situation like that?

[@loveissalvation7268]

@@tijerinadiego I would . Remember Ali and Seung gi hun ?

[@nnzulu7684]

Great analysis, and something to really point out in case anyone missed it is that Sang Woo graduated top of his class at SNU

[@irl8796]

I would also like to point out sang woo is a genius that graduated at SNU and a famous prodigy of his neighborhood

[@flyinggmango]

LMAO

[@TruScorpio]

wait, because i heard that Sang Woo graduated top of class at SNU, so 💅

[@runjumpdie]

No matter how many times ppl say this, it makes me laugh 💀

[@Sunset553]

Oh really? I heard that, but it’s important to hear it again. Thank you.

[@proxypat21]

It’s a simple explanation, Sang-Woo was the most logical, practical and realistic character in the entire show. He wasn’t the typical bad guy since the start of the show, as everyone watched in the first 2 episodes he was helping almost everyone(for ex: Buying Ali food and giving him money for bus even tho he himself was crippling in debts) and was the most loved character. He started to change as the game progressed, as he learnt what actually was going on, he just did what it takes to survive, and that’s what the game was about. Other than that he is a very beautifully written character, a mother lover and also respectful friend(as he gives up I’m the end).

[@Henlak-]

Hes a depiction of what most of us would do in that situation. It's easy to say ur the selfless good guy when your life isnt in danger, I guarantee you that most of the deaths caused in the games irl would be from people fucking over their teammates to survive. Him pushing the glass maker to find out which one was safe to step on was a better choice than all of them dying for nothing INCLUDING the glass maker anyway. Not saying hes a good person but realistically hes a survivor and if everyone else in that room had his mentality there likely would've been more survivors. Use who you can while they're useful and if you need to make a sacrifice make sure it's not u lol

[@israelruiz8706]

@@Henlak- you're right but if you think about it. Its almost impossible to have more than one winner. The rich guys place bets on the players so that immediately tells you that the game is rigged. Like when they screwed over the glass guy by dimming the lights. The guy wasn't cheating, he was just using a skill he had that other players didn't. Well anyways there were two games where the players got eliminated in half. For example the tug of war game and marble game. Then they also do that night thing where everyone just starts killing each other at night. So they purposely do everything they can to try to have two players in the final game. Like what was the point of breaking the glass at the end of the second to last game if not to try to eliminate the people closest to the platform in case of a big group surviving.

[@naturallyamused]

I don't think he gave money to Ali out of the goodness of his heart, but because even though he was just as broke, he still had a feeling of superiority and social responsibility to Ali.

[@platonicbuu7454]

LOL he stole millions of dollars... dude was a scumbag from the gate

[@Henlak-]

@@israelruiz8706 Good point. The games are designed so one team has an advantage over the other. Especially the cookie game where anyone who got the umbrella had more chance of dying as appose to the circle or triangle. Then the tug of war game that ensured that if you had females or the elderly on ur team there is a good chance your team would lose against a team of grown men, and the game where they litterally made you kill your teammate. And as u said the glass game was simply luck based and when someone tried to use their skill they turn off the lights to shut it down. Red light Green light is the most fair of the bunch and even that was unfair as no one knew that it was life/death. The games are completely unfair and most of them depend on luck>actual skill and ability

[@Finally_in_reverse]

I personally loved Sang-Woo, especially when he started to turn more psychotic as the show went on. He was the most realistic in that scenario. He was going crazy there, desperate and killed one of his closest friends to survive. Honestly, who wouldn't have acted like him? He's not innocent, but he's not evil either. He's morally grey, and those are my favorite types of characters

[@TheStepmonkey]

He was in the game from his own will and killed people just to his advantage. He really is a monster.

[@Finally_in_reverse]

@@TheStepmonkey It was his own survival instinct. Obviously you are going to be selfish in a situation like this. Nearly everyone killed someone to their advantage in the game. Gi hun also killed the old man in the marble game by taking advantage of his dementia. Are you saying that wasn't wrong?

[@CanvasCreations123]

@@Finally_in_reverse Well he chose to enter the games on his own will instead of owning up to his crimes and going to prison to do time. Also the old man has lived longer than Gi hun and hasn't got to be a father like Gi hun.

[@Finally_in_reverse]

@@CanvasCreations123 Technically almost everyone were criminals. Gambling becomes illegal when it stretches to watery territories. Gi-hun owned money to shady people, Sae-beyok was a pickpocketer, and the gang guy and his whole....well, gang. Even Ali let his boss' arm get crushed, though he deserved it, it was still bad. Everyone had crimes to owe up to, but over 90% of them joined with their own free will. And Ali also got to be a father

[@Sunset553]

I didn’t see any crazy in him. He took steps to ensure his survival.

[@lowlanz]

Many people say that Sangwoo killed himself only for the sake of his mom, but I really think he did it also for Gihun. At the last moments, Gihun after getting almost killed by Sangwoo gave up his money for Sangwoo. This made Sangwoo realize how he and Gihun had been friends since they were young, which like he said himself, made him feel very sorry for all the things he had done to Gihun. That's why he decided to give Gihun his prize money back by killing himself. Gihun understood that and wrote on the memo in the carrier "It's the money I owe Sangwoo". He knew that Sangwoo tried to give the money to him as an expression of apology. If Sangwoo only cared about his mom, which he had been since he did not tell Gihun about the Dalgona game, he would have tried to kill Gihun for the last time. However, he instead killed himself. That's the proof that he regretted his actions at the last moment and tried to pay Gihun back. So I think we can't define him as good or bad. He gradually became what we call evil during the course of the game, but he wasn't a psychopath. He tried to justify some of his unnecessarily evil actions blaming it all to the game. However, if he didn't feel any guilt, he wouldn't have even tried to justify what he did. For example, Deoksu never bothered to talk about his evil actions. Killing Saebyeok was the point where Sangwoo went pure evil, because he admitted that he did it for money. It wasn't like he would have surely died if he didn't kill her first. However, he did regret all of that at his very last moments and did his best to make amends for it. He is a very dynamic and multi layered character I guess.

[@carmelcity9527]

Yes, in the end Sang Woo and Gi Hun were the real gganbu 😭

[@Redchinesestones]

Good analysis. Sangwoo we've see several times lose it at the prospect of leaving the game empty handed, in the marble game to Ali, when player 69 begged for a vote, and in his last conversation to gihun.That was the one thing he refused to compromise on because he knew if he walked away empty handed, his mother would have to pay for his mistakes and he couldn't live with that- his intents were good, but his methods of complying with the game was evil. It's was drastically wrong of him to have killed Sae-byoek just to avoid the majority vote to leave as he feared she and Gi-Hun would do. But SangWoo clearly wasn't a murderer before the game. Like you said, he kept on saying his justifications to try to buy into his own koolaid. But he couldn't do it at the end, not in the last game, he couldn't keep fighting Gi-Hun even though he was less injured then him. His conscience won, his shame and guilt won. He didn't see any future left for himself as a person. People talk about how SW blamed the game for his own actions, but he didn't in the end, he accepted the blame ("You killed them!") the only way left he knew how. That's what upsets Gi-Hun so much when he was talking to il-Nam last, their last bet is also on trust, but what grinds Gi-Hun's gears beyond everything that Il-Nam had done, was that the game had won against him in the worst way. He'd lost his trust in someone he genuinely cared about ("You killed them all!!"), and it cost his childhood friend his own life, horribly, suffocatingly, and painfully ("Sorry") . He'd given his trust to someone who he ultimately couldn't help but find underserving of it (Il-Nam), who gets to lie in his PJs, unrepentant for any of the things in he'd done in life and dying peacefully and painlessly with a smile of getting in his last round of fun with his 'Gganbu'. Of course that's going to make him angry. SangWoo did horrible things in the game, actions that are villain worthy, but he's ultimately the same as Gi-Hun. Just another participant in the game who died violently to it for blood money. Gi-Hun is full of rage at the end because he knows none of them, Sae-Byoek, Ali, even Sang Woo or majority of the players, none of them deserve to die as they did, worse then animals. Horses don't get slaughtered for losing Races at the track, it's not a death penalty if they don't come in first, but loosing in the squid game always was that.

[@krisjolt]

After all, you come too far to stop now.

[@samiyoqk]

I disagree. He tried to commit suicide before. And he finally did it. Some might argue but suicide is a selfish, albiet often sympathetic action. He cared more for the money than his own life. But I'm sure his mother and Gi Hun would have rather had him alive than the money. Sang Woo was obsessed with the money. He'd rather die than face the shame. The shame to not live up to his mother's idea of him. A cautionary tale of many in Korean society.

[@lowlanz]

@@samiyoqkWell we never know, but at least, Gihun thought like I did. There is no reason Gihun owes Sangwoo if he didn't think Sangwoo wanted to give him the money by commiting suicide. I don't think Gihun would feel like he owed Sangwoo the money just because Sangwoo said My mom before his death.

[@benshihadeh8561]

I love how quick people are to vilify him when those same people, if put in his situation, would do a hell of a lot more evil things to survive.

[@elamrani1449]

people dislike sangwoo a lot because they see themselves in him. hes the ugly part of themselves they dont want to see

[@TrentonF505]

@@elamrani1449 I didn’t think about it that way, but he did remind me of the more selfish aspects of myself. So I can see why it would make some people uncomfortable.

[@elamrani1449]

@@cae.thestinkyrat i mean ppl have diff reasons for disliking him. i wanst denying that im just saying that ONE of the main reasons ive noticed is that people see themselves in him

[@imane5819]

@@elamrani1449 damn, you stole the words from my fingers. I think we all see ourselves in him and decide to shun him. Let's be real, survival instincts are probably the strongest thing within humans ever. PS: I'm not even a Sang-Woo did nuthin wrong person lol. My fave is Sae-Byeok.

[@jenluvzya]

Exactly. He was one of the best characters on the show. Evil.. perhaps.. but more people are like Sang-woo than they'd like to believe and that's what made him so captivating in this show.

[@bojackhorseman8251]

I honestly never hated SangWoo. He did what he did to survive man. It was either him or Ali. And especially when its a life or death game, you cant play friends with anyone. Its every man for himself. He did what he had to do.

[@Nead_Dill_Dickersons_jr]

You sacrifice your morals to live. At what costs? Everyone dies eventually, so if Sangwoo behaved immorally to guarantee his survival in hopes of changing his life around, where’s the guarantee SangWoo’s life will actually get good? Some might even argue he’ll feel even more miserable after the games because his guilt will haunt him, and he’ll probably have sheer ptsd just from experiencing the games. If you’re gonna eventually die. Might as well die standing for something: beliefs, morals, convictions, etc. Thank you for taking the time to read my 2 cents.

[@notthedoctor8621]

Ali won fair and square. He took advantage of Ali. Horrible person.

[@Kai-pu2ix]

I hated sang woo but the glass platform made me realise that he is a survivor not a murderer until... well you know.

[@RavenAveira]

He didnt HAVE to do anything, Il Nam was absolutely right with the point that they all had a choice whether or not to return and play those awful games gambling on the chance of winning with their lives, that was THEIR choice. Sangwoo didnt HAVE to betray Ali, he rightfully lost the game they played and got petty about it so rather than accept his loss he CHOSE to betray Ali, he didnt have to do that at all no more than he had to play the games or gamble away his mothers buisiness. Everything that happened to him was the result of HIS choices, none of it he HAD to do but CHOSE to which is why the Ali scene is so heartbreaking because Ali genuinely trusted him and thought he was a good man for good reason since Sangwoo WAS very nice to him and they were supposed to be a team and Sangwoo chose to take advantage of that. So no, he didnt HAVE to betray Ali, he CHOSE to because he couldnt accept the fact that he lost. Yes I know his reasons but that doesnt justify what he did to Ali who ALSO needed to win to support his loved ones and it honestly makes him a hypocrite for what he said to Gi hun after pushing the glass maker. Sangwoo also got lucky that Ali was so naive and trusting of him, because had that been anyone else Sangwoo would've died, so Sangwoo didnt actually entirely make it because of his logic and lack of empathy, but because he got lucky af that Ali was so naive and never expected him to betray him. So he definitely didnt HAVE to do anything, everything he did and the consequences to his actions was by his own choice. He could've just gone home and faced his shame but chose to be a coward and runaway and hide from it. I get thats easier said than done but to say he HAD to do the things he did is being far too lenient. His actions are understandable, but not justifiable.

[@keniabonano]

Nah because Ali had won in the game and sang woo was begging him to figure out another way that he wouldn’t die. He took advantage of Ali (since he didn’t know how to play most games) so no.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

He’s far from a saint. He wasn’t a good person before or during the game. But he is probably the best character on the show due to how layered and complex he is. His character development is absolutely spectacular.

[@krabbykat9918]

I think he wasnt bad. he was good. the thing is these people come from a lower middle class background and are often greedy for money especially when you're smart you become all the more aware of your misfortune. he was just desperate to improve his and his mother's quality of life and to that end he committed fraud even putting his mothers house and store as collateral cause he thought he was sure to succeed. Even in real life situations take sportsmen for eg who engage in match fixing etc are not 'bad' people, they just value money more and abuse their talent because of their poor condition while growing up

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

It doesn’t change the fact that he stole from his clients and stole from his own mother. I’m more mad about the mother part because of how proud she was of him and how much she supported him. I know he desperately wanted to make that up to her but him getting in that spot was his own fault.

[@Finally_in_reverse]

He was morally grey. And those are my favorite type of characters

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

Oh I absolutely love his character. Not my favorite but definitely one of the best if not the best. His descent in full on madness is incredibly compelling and tragic.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

I figured as much.

[@atkim122]

Sang Woo's (and Gi Hun by association) socioeconomic upbringing plays a critical role in the tragically flawed decisions that ultimate seduce him into the games. Both grew up in a working class neighborhood to single mothers. That they're the product of single moms already stigmatizes them af in Korean society. Side note: when Sang Woo's mom brags to her customer that her son has high standards in women (and the woman that the customer might set him up with might not meet his standards), this is a MAJOR FLEX. A working class single-mom fishmonger is telling someone that her son is too good for some woman out there. But that's the tragedy. All his life Sang Woo was hyped up, by his mom, by Gi Hun, and likely many in his neighborhood that he was their golden child, their pride and joy. Boys who grow up there are supposed to have a future like Gi Hun - high school education followed by blue collar labor work at a factory (e.g. car factory). SW beat the odds and not only went to the "Harvard of SK", but finished 1st in his business school. That's a tremendous weight of expectations to live up to. I speculate that SW did not originally set out to become a billionaire through illegal means (he's not the Korean Wolf of Wall Street). He likely started making a few bad investments but was ashamed that the "golden child of samsandong" wasn't more successful, and doubled-down by making ever riskier investments to make up the early losses. When those investments also flopped, he grew desperate and began embezzling from clients to make even riskier gambles. He had to live up to others' expectations at any cost. Thus began the downward spiral toward his eventual debt, reaching rock bottom when he puts his mom's house and shop as collateral.

[@thatonkgau5221]

Sang Woo's story proves how dangerous and detrimental the weight of expectations can be.

[@ljlmuffin8669]

I bashing him during the whole season. But now I understand him better…

[@k2m90ps]

@@thatonkgau5221 Major problem with Asian culture/family ToT

[@stella_le]

sangwoo probably had to put his mother's house and shop as collateral from the beginning since he has no money of his own to buy shares, but that also kind of highlights the disparity between him and his wealthier peers: most investors would be able to afford monetary investments for loans from a broker or gamble on their own money, but sangwoo, who is distinctly lower-class and got into SNU business with a scholarship, never had that kind of cash and was forced to make a riskier choice. i'm sure in his mind it would have all worked out for him and his mother, but it likely adds to the pressure he felt from the beginning

[@hannahjohn2053]

Choi Sang Woo before join the squid game he had been going to commit suicide,himself, so end game he had to commit suicide

[@kamrang2]

Great analysis. One thing I think you missed though is the severity of Sang-Woo's blatant gambling addiction. Notice the only game he wasn't mentally capable of getting ahead in was actually the most mentally involved, and least physical, game in the tournament: Marbles. This should have been Song-Woo's jam given his intelligence and ability to calculate risk, but he bet his marbles away extremely recklessly like a professional degenerate. This makes it pretty easy to see how he could lose so much money in the stock market - which is essentially a high stakes gambling table. There's clearly a diagnosable illness in his addiction - something he also shared with Seong Gi-Hun.

[@brianling2439]

marbles is literally a random guess though

[@asdzxcqwe6195]

Sorry but you just can’t compare the stock market to gambling because it really is not if you know what you’re investing in and what the market offers and calculate the current and future interest rates you will not fail.

[@commanderofkesariyaknights]

That was a stupid game to play, there r many other fair games to play with marbles. Even main character winner played, which was stupid. The game that gangster played in second stage was rather best.

[@ginsederp]

@@asdzxcqwe6195 the stock market _is_ gambling, but it is one where you're the house. As long as you don't take any stupid risks, you are going to take more from it than you lose (on average).

[@sk0205xx]

He was by far my favourite character, I actually changed my Netflix icon to him and my families’ icon to all the squid game characters 😂

[@coralfang12587]

This is the first series I've ever held my opinion of a character turned villain like, completely... If that makes sense? Like, yes, what he did was HORRIBLE, yet I still have the same (almost) amount of empathy for him in the end because I GET it.... To an extent. Luckily I don't have to think about it further. That's why these types of shows ARE SO IMPORTANT!!! also, instant subscribe! This is my first video, and you did such a wonderful, thorough job while also being engaging and entertaining! 10/10! A+!

[@everyrose3225]

hahha so nice

[@LegendarySparantus]

Same here but I chose Gi-Hun instead. I had to make a choice as well, should I put him or Sangwoo as an icon ? Fuck it, I loved Gi-Hun's smile, antics and his actor's acting which was top-notch.

[@stefanyiturrino6723]

@@coralfang12587 he’s not a villain tho, he does a lot of bad things but the villains of the series are il nam and the vips

[@skyreaperskyreaper6453]

Hate him all you want, but don’t deny you wouldn’t do the same thing he did in order to survive.

[@immabeabitinactiveonthisac6700]

Exactly, hating him is justified but most people would do the same

[@dejuanhickman3175]

Nah. I'll never cross my bf if he beats me

[@AesirUnlimited]

Would you though? Is it really worth corrupting yourself like he did just in order to survive? Ali is a good example. He was a good man, and died because of it. But he’s always going to be remembered as a kind and honest man, which nobody would ever dispute. He stayed good despite the world around him being cruel and unfair. Sang-Woo became a murderer who would even kill his own best friend for money. I’m not saying it isn’t understandable for him to want to survive, it’s human nature after all. But he lost who he was during those games, and his “survive at any costs” mindset is what did it.

[@Nyooomk]

@@dejuanhickman3175 uhhhh, the people there is not your friends or anything, they’re complete strangers.

[@Johsther]

@@Nyooomk Sangwoo and Ali became really close friends, that's what Dejuan is talking about

[@atkim122]

Here's my take on Sang Woo. He's not the villain but one of Squid Game's biggest victims. Il Nam and the VIPs are the villains, because more so than the "horse betting" I think they enjoy watching man descend down to their basest instincts. When most players die, they die rather pathetically - whimpering for their lives or dying after betraying their personal morals. Very few die with dignity intact. This is probably by design. Il Nam wins because he brought out the worst from within them. If Il Nam is Palpatine, Sang Woo (and Front Man before him) is his Vader. Front Man is more accurately a Vader because despite being a victim himself he deludes himself into adopting some bullshit fairness doctrine; justifying the existence of the games. I saw a video explaining that if Sang Woo is one of Il Nam's biggest victims, because there was no limit to how low he would go to win it all, Jiyeong was the opposite - she dies in game 4 not only with her dignity but sacrificing herself for another. She was the least corrupted by the games. Sorry if any of this was already mentioned in the video, I posted before hitting play.

[@atkim122]

@Cactus Juice Ah, true true.

[@SceneWins]

👌

[@devonjustsolos5265]

Yo I did not read this but it seems cool 👍👍👍👍

[@Jammythewerewolf]

Something just stuck out to me, isn't it interesting that Mi Nyeo is one of the few who dies with 'dignity intact.'

[@TurtleNutShell]

wadapak

[@technocore1591]

The thing I found interesting about Sang Woo is that his motivation (imo) was pride (compared to most others which was to save either themselves or someone else). Because of his pending arrests how was winning the game going to save him? Regardless of his ability to repay what he stole he was going to jail. His rage, which you can see burning in his eyes ALL the time (great acting), is partly because of the shame of failing to meet everyone’s expectations but I think the anger at not achieving the success he felt entitled to was a bigger driver. What I also find super interesting is how everyone hates Sang Woo for killing Ali and San-Beyok (which, yeah I get it) but Gi-Hun did the same thing to Oh-Il Nam and would have killed Sang Woo in his sleep if San-Beyok didn’t stop him. It’s all how the director/writer chooses to frame it.

[@NeoDarkling]

Yes, pride and ego are his defining character traits and he exhibited them years before the Game ever took place.

[@duvetz]

this comment right here

[@markasmaciulskas7831]

His motivation was to help his mum

[@freesuckerMCR]

Yes!! I also think it's pretty interesting how, as opposed to his peers (Sae-beyok, Al,i and Gi-hun), his financial situation was self-induced and wasn't the result of systematic injustice or any external factor. He was solely responsible for his detriment, which turned him suicidal. Like yes, he needed the money to (at least) save his mom's business, but his main drive through and through was proving to himself that he could get back on top, it was mostly a battle with his own pride and ego.

[@Oliana2012]

Agree, well spotted

[@photokeeper]

Sangwoo is the character in which I resonate the most with. I’m not going to go much into my situation, but I could feel every thought and emotion he experience, especially those relating to his graduation. Expectations were always high for me, and so I graduated at the top of my class, even a year early. I gave everything, and I didn’t mind it because I was given praise and that made me feel good about myself. Then, everything in my life started to go wrong, and now I feel like such a failure. I couldn’t handle the pressure anymore, and everything fell apart. Even the mention of my former success, and the success I’m “destined” to have in the future makes me ashamed, and guilty. I don’t want to live under the weight of my parent’s expectations anymore, and I hate it when people tell me they’re so proud and that I’m so smart and amazing for graduating under those circumstances. Nobody in my actual life knows about these struggles too, and I don’t want them to find out. Therefore, some of the most relatable scenes for me were when Gihun would talk about Sangwoo and SNU. All the anger, guilt, sadness, failure I feel - I could see that in Sangwoo. During the final game everything felt too real.. If I were in that situation, my ending would be the same as his. I probably should not be writing about this in a KZbin comment section, but I have no one to turn to right now. I can build my own future, one that I can choose. And I will make it work and get through this. To anyone reading this, I believe in you and you’re doing amazing, even if you can’t see it. Even basic things can be monumental tasks right now and I’m proud of you, no matter what. You’re not a failure, and whatever you’re doing - it’s enough. I wish you the best in your future

[@david50665]

you do not need other people's approval for validation....if you know what is right and wrong...the only validation you need comes from yourself

[@e.1067]

Oh this hit home. I could relate to sangwoo so bad because until now, i've operated heavily on saving my own ass and my mother's from where i came from, so even just imagining falling into sangwoo's position is unbearable to me. I..Just got into one of the top university's in my own country, but i'm just so worried that even with the boost of this school i'm not gonna make it. I never saw myself as smart or anything, but i know that my family and friends have their expectations and that is simply terrifying to me. I hope you made it tho. I hope you're feeling better and are more secure in yourself and your abilities.

[@elly.a4153]

@@david50665 Other people shapes your view of the world more than you thought.. Some wounds from your childhood never heals no matter how intelligent or lucky you are later in life.... These wounds will always hide behind biases/apathy/ideologies until the memories fade and you'll mistakenly think that you already have recovered.

[@everyrose3225]

A beautiful direction´s detail I noticed during the episodes was the postures of Sang-woo and Gi Hun, while Gi Hum was always looking fallen, shoulders down and gaze like sad or lost, Sang-woo, even in the intense moments, kept a straight and elegant posture.

[@tappingjunkie7819]

Shows how Gihun doesn't hide/fake things. Sangwoo on the other hand will do whatever possible to display a certain look of perfection. That's how he was brought up....

[@everyrose3225]

@@tappingjunkie7819 Exactly

[@vantaluex7701]

Another really cool detail is that sang woo graduated top of his class in SNU business school. Did u know that?

[@everyrose3225]

@@vantaluex7701 Yes, it’s an important part of his whole character 👍🏼

[@coachleif]

Sang-woo was a great character, because he made perfect sense for the games, and played them to his logical fullest. Hes lived in this world his entire adult life, and his commitment to playing his truth in the games isn't debatable. He played to win and never waived in his commitment to that, taking the opportunity to it's logical fullest. He signed his life away to play for the money and meant it.

[@steelbeams468]

People don’t want to believe that deep down they’re continually slide into self preservation the same way Sang Woo did. People want to believe they’re like Gi-Hun and Ali

[@poorwhitepeoplearefailures2396]

Gi Hun betrayed (or at least thought he did) Il-Nam for the exact same reasons. The only difference is Sang Woo was open about it and the people he killed stayed dead.

[@TruScorpio]

@@poorwhitepeoplearefailures2396 yup

[@hamzamahmood9565]

Everyone: Returns to play a game where you will either win or die. Sang Woo: Ok. Lets play. Everyone: *pikachu face*

[@jgueroz71]

If we didn’t know each characters stories. He would be the best choice for the winner

[@iheartjbgccb]

He's a leader who took initiative and people mad

[@seg1912]

It was a toss between Sang-woo and Sae-byeok for me: he's a strategist but she's incredibly resourceful and she may have gone through worse to escape north korea. I hated the way they just got rid of her with a silly plot twist to make way for gi-hun vs Sang-woo. A Sae-byeok vs Sang-woo faceoff for final place would have been gruesome and epic

[@e.1067]

@@seg1912 i agree sooo much if the game was fair, a final match between saebyeok and sangwoo would definitely be a great finale. I do think that it wouldn't be as emotionally climactic as sangwoo-gihun's one but yeah, they definitely were the top players.

[@gabrielmachia3784]

@@seg1912 Erm, no... she was quite reckless, she wasn't anywhere near top player. I think you people confuse introversion and individualism with the illusion of actually being smart and resourceful. She put herself in unnecessary danger in many situations and didn't once had a good idea; unlike Sang-woo, who's the complete opposite of her in almost every way, so they're not quite at the same level.

[@seg1912]

@@gabrielmachia3784 she was reckless but she was also resourceful. Sang-woo wasn't quite as resourceful as her but he was a leader and a strategist. They would have made for a much more intense and smarter finale, and maybe even reverse the system if they'd learnt to trust each other. Since Gi-hun is supposed to be top player despite being crap at everything and not thinking through the implications of his actions, I think both saebyeok and sang-woo were done dirty. Either of them winning would have made much more sense but it would have meant bringing in nuance and grey ethics to the narrative

[@sophiemandese6989]

I think it's ridiculous that people take the moral high ground and claim they'd never do what Sang-woo did. Would you really die for a stranger after fighting tooth and nail to get this far? Would you really sacrifice the happiness of your loved ones for someone else's? Would you really except dying because a stranger got lucky and you didn't??? Hundreds of people have already been sacrificed for their survival, and everyone there knows that there will be more sacrifices. I'm sure many of the hundreds who are already dead had loved ones and even children as well. The family Ali left behind is only more painful for the viewer because we actually saw them and Ali's unfortunate circumstance. It sucks that Ali's son will grow up without his father, but if you think about it, Ali and the rest of them were leaving countless other children parentless by participating in the game anyway. So let's not kid ourselves here, everyone CHOSE to return for the money knowing that they would either 1. Survive thanks to the deaths of hundreds of people or 2. Die, Ali included. Killing other people for money was the choice they all made, so I doubt anyone who was actually in that situation would be feeling altruistic enough to give up a chance to survive (except for people like Ji-yeong who had nothing to live for). It's about survival instinct, not morals.

[@matthewtolentino5141]

I kinda feel bad for jiyeong who didn’t have friends I think that’s why she said *Kang saebyok! I’m honored that we were partners*

[@lemon2524]

Not going to lie but people who are desperate enough to play a game when they know they are going to die are not the best people around.

[@warren4033]

And yet ali had his morals throughout the entire thing. Whether people like to admit it or not there are always people who will hold tight to their morals. Just because you and a handful of other people would resort to manipulating and backstabbing people they've grown close to in a life or death scenario doesn't mean all of us would

[@eggman5436]

a well written character isn't always meant to be liked but to be understood

[@khosatralkel9491]

The great thing about Sang-Woo is he kept it real.

[@ktbecstasy]

Facts

[@poorwhitepeoplearefailures2396]

And he went to SNU

[@Wildfire4496]

Sang-woo is my favorite character because he is so complex and holds traits that I respect such as determination and doing whatever it takes. He reminds me of Katherine Pierce from TVD and I love her too!

[@vaccinatedanti-vaxxer2021]

"All is fair in love and war." From the pastor to Ali to Jiyeon, there is no innocent player. The only moral dilemma each player had to consider after joining the game the second time was to agree to play a game that requires all players to directly or indirectly kill others to win. Once that threshold has been passed there is no innocent player. Can a soldier at war blame his enemy for killing or trying to kill him, when he would have done the exact same thing? When a lover say she fell out of love, is it not better for her to confess the truth rather then lead on? The question of morality: is it more evil, sinful to kill someone known or stranger? Or both are equally wrong? When the main characters were winning tug of war and killing their opponents, we as the audience didn't question what had to be done. Sangwoo's loyalty to his mother was more important to him than his friendship with Ali and Gihun. If you can save only your own daughter or a stranger man, can anyone blame you for picking with your instincts (you would sacrifice the life of the stranger if it means you can save your daughter). Sangwoo was different simply because he understood the squid games is war, he has to do whatever it takes to win (i.e. survive). My guess sebyeok 0067 also had this war mentality also, being from north Korea and would have done the same thing as sangwoo given the chance. In times of desperation: war, famine, genocide, imprisonment, deserted, stranded, etc... humans will resort to animal instincts. There is no morality among animals, they do what they need to do to survive. A lion won't hesitate to chew on the bones of a baby zebra, doesnt contemplate if the zebra deserved it or not, just eats. Humans have a different standard for judgment. But in desperate times, the rules bend. "The best of us never made it out" Viktor Frankl (holocaust survivor)

[@royalpain9281]

Guys WAIT! Did you know that Sung Woo graduated from SNU?!

[@koalawithchaingun53]

Yeah bro he was like the smartest kid at our school

[@joesnow7018]

A prodigy

[@punknomad7995]

Wait, he graduated from SNU?

[@godmergiethemobilegamer]

Sung woo? Who is he? I only know sung gi hun

[@innadey952]

NO, Really?!?

[@maroberson74]

People say that Sang-Woo is the most realistic, but let’s be honest… *We all would’ve died from panicking at the first game*

[@matthewtolentino5141]

Ikr people tried to escape through the doors but unfortunately they were locked,

[@slow.and.hot717]

And where would they escape to? They do not even know where they are, they don't know the facility or the fact that they are on an island. So yeah, trying to escape is panicking and not thinking realistically. Thus, Sang-Woo is very realistic.

[@bottomtier3823]

No, I can say for certain I would of been fine on the first game. The honey comb is where I would be dead, that shits breaking 😂

[@pothead93]

As opposed to Gi-hun, Sang-woo understands that there is no point in making friends in the game as literally all of them will die in a few days. Did you notice that Gi-hun was happy to see Sang-woo in the first episode and Sang-woo was not? That's because he already knew they would have to fight against each other. He made all the right choices for himself to win the prize as without the money he wouldn't survive outside anyways. That's why he killed that girl right before the finale - if he hadn't done that Gi-hun would have voted for cancelling the games and the girl wouldn't have made it anyways, she would have died on the way back to the city. In my opinion Sang-woo showed her mercy by shortening the pain. Even though it might seem cruel or selfish it was a good decision for everyone.

[@aliceplayz7440]

this is real facts everybody!

[@matthewtolentino5141]

But like during the night brawls you have no one to lean to.

[@latresemilton6729]

I think Sang Woo wasn't happy to see him because he was embarrassed to be there. Someone who graduated from the top of their class from SNU is supposed to be successful right?

[@Nock_and_Bolt]

Definitely one of the most intriguing and tragic characters in the show-thanks for sharing such great analyses!

[@XavielYouTube]

He reminds me of Light Yagami, as an end justifies the means type character, he's willing to manipulate others and ain't too proud to beg. Also like Light he was at the top of his class. (Spoiler for those who haven't finshed Death Note) I'd also like to add, while Light Yagami feared death in his final moments and was killed by someone else, Sang-Woo fully accepted his death, and after attempting suicide earlier in the story, kills himself for good to ensure that Gi-Hun recieves the money. Sang Woo clearly loved his mother, whereas Light at times in the series pondered on whether he should kill his family members or not. But ultimately I believe Light loved his family.

[@alyssapinon9670]

*sigh* well clearly I have a type when it comes to fictional men 😂 😭

[@stefanyiturrino6723]

I was thinking the same thing the other day. It’s like they both knew they were so smart that they felt they were meant for something bigger so yeah be kinda reminds me of Kira

[@stefanyiturrino6723]

@@alyssapinon9670 you’re not alone! Apparently I have a type too lmao

[@alyssapinon9670]

@@stefanyiturrino6723 yup. Cold, pragmatic, manipulative murderers have us whipped. 🥵Granted that they’re fictional. I also have a crush on Loki so I just think my taste in men is broken

[@stefanyiturrino6723]

@@alyssapinon9670 i feel you!! I have a crush on loki and bucky too lmao

[@TymeTraveling777]

Song woo literally saved lives ...when he brought up the voting rules.... because I'm pretty sure not everyone came back to play again...

[@alexvaughan1013]

At least with 'Squexit', they were allowed to undo their vote and come back to the games. With Brexit, the EU has given us a firm "fuck you".

[@blueyfilmzz]

14 out of 201 didn’t return so most of the players deaths is their own fault. They knew they would die and only 1 would make it

[@TymeTraveling777]

@@blueyfilmzz exactly 💯

[@ronnieiba9928]

He was my favorite character, the most interesting and real. And also I think that the reason he was so cold and distant to gi-hun, like letting him choose the umbrella or choosing to play with Ali in the marvels, is because he knew that eventually his childhood friend was going to die (and I do think they were really close; their moms seem to still get along and care for each other, sang woo’s mom knows gi-hun pretty well, the story on how they used to drive to school together, etc) and if I was in his position I would rather let the odds or someone else kill him than myself. And that’s the same reason why I think their last fight was so intense, they were both hurt, angry, betrayed, etc, and the worst part of all it’s that they were very close. And that’s why he lets Gi-hun wins, he knows they type of person he is (he even says it to him in the last battle, that he was willing to give up to save her) and knows that he cares for his mom and him. I even think that if he would have won he would kind of helped Gi-hun’s mom. He’s a really interesting character and he's whole relationship with Gi-hun made me really sad. In general I think the series is a ver sad story, but such a good show. Great vid!

[@princessxxramo]

Same here, favourite character. And yes you are spot on. It would have been much more cruel for him to personally kill Gi-Hun, his childhood friend, than to let him pick a shape of his own choosing in the dalgona game. At least this way Sang-Woo let Gi-Hun decide for himself what shape he was going to go for and whatever the outcome it would have been at the hand of Gi-Hun's own thinking, not at the very hands of Sang-Woo. This even shows in the last game when Sang-Woo ends his own life so that Gi-Hun wins, instead of agreeing to stop the game, but people love to bring up that he didn't tell Gi-Hun about the dalgona shape as a negative thing, when in reality it was the kinder thing to do.

[@carmelcity9527]

Agreed on all points! Some people say “Sang Woo didn’t care about Gi Hun,” that is not true for all the reasons you mentioned and something the subs miss is that Sang Woo calls Gi Hun “Hyung” from start to finish. As angry as Sang Woo got at him and crossing the line to try killing him, Sang Woo still thought of him as like family. If Sang Woo didn’t care, he would not have helped Gi Hun in the first game. He also seemed very conflicted about not telling him about Dalgona. I don’t think Sang Woo would have given up in the last game if he were playing anyone else, Sang Woo would have fought to his last breath but he trusted Gi Hun to help his mom so he made the logical choice.

[@carmelcity9527]

​@@munimunus6141 Great points! I saw Sang Woo's split up choice as him trying to get rid of Il Nam first. Sang Woo walked up to Gi Hun when they returned (the guy he initially avoided), agreed to form a team, didn't mind when Ali asked to join, then instantly looked upset when Il Nam asked to join. Sang Woo didn't want an old man dragging them down. Sang Woo looked over at Il Nam after he figures out the game, then suggested to split up. Sang Woo panicked when Gi Hun picked umbrella, I think Sang Woo was hoping Il Nam would pick the hardest one and get killed, and Gi Hun would be fine with the star. But Sang Woo decided to let Gi Hun go so he wouldn't tell the others and because of what you said. If GI Hun died, Sang Woo rationalized it was Gi Hun's choice, plus Sang Woo wouldn't have to kill him later. I also think Sang Woo told Gi Hun to focus because Sang Woo didn't want to waste time reminiscing and because Gi Hun was specifically talking about a coal oven to warm their food in class. It probably reminded Sang Woo of the charcoal he burned to attempt suicide, so he wanted to change the subject fast.

[@jackcarterog001]

He played Sang Woo perfectly. He always had a tense look at all times showing that the burden of his debts plagued him at all times

[@memeophobia394]

Sang woo understood the system: "Win or die"

[@seeyafornow2642]

Sang woo would be a scary frontman yikes

[@whichDude]

You defend him for wanting to continue the game since the money he owed made him desperate, but then you condemn him for killing Sae-byeok. He legit had to if he wanted the game to continue. Sae-byeok was telling Gi-Hun she wanted to go home. Both of them would have voted to leave. Sae-byeok seemed to be moments away from death, and seemed to be drifting away from her initial resolve to have Gi-Hun help her brother.

[@whichDude]

@KZbin are Snowflakes I know she would want to continue the game if she was in her right state of mind, but look and listen to her right before she dies. She is spaced out asking to go home. Her mind is gone at that point. Gi-Hun was getting the guards. We know they will come in if you are banging on the door. She would tell guards she wants to go home, and Gi-Hun would agree to save her.

[@LinuXillo]

@@whichDude Try to put yourself in situation of dying away from your loved ones bro. My last thoughts would be only about my family.

[@andrewgarland329]

@KZbin are Snowflakes Sang Woo didn't know Sae Byeok, he was so desperate to win that he did whatever he could to avoid a vote. He woke up to Gi Hun banging on the doors, he saw Sae Byeok injured, Sang Woo figured if Gi Hun called for a vote the guards would come in and they might give her medical attention so she can vote. It doesn't make sense to you, who thinks Sae Byeok deserved to win, but the game and Sang Woo does not care. What mattered was him ensuring his mother was financially secure. And he accomplished that.

[@Sc00by-d008]

@KZbin are Snowflakes lmao u sound mad af that ur getting destroyed in these comments 😭😭😭😂😂😂

[@whichDude]

@KZbin are Snowflakes LOOK AT HER HER FINAL MOMENTS. I am not making up some head cannon. She straight up goes delirious at the end, and then she starts talking about wanting to go home. The guards also open the door for Mi-Nyeo when she was banging on the doors for the bathroom, so yes THEY WILL OPEN THE DOORS if you bang on them enough.

[@duvetz]

sangwoo is my favorite character for being so well-written and complex. I honestly felt sad during his death because I was wishing for him to survive and see a redemption arc

[@turboteabag08]

He realized early on its going to be a lot more difficult keeping friends near the end...so seeing them go early was a good thing in his mind

[@silverspector9718]

Sang woo truly is the representation of stuck in between two extreme pictures of society like 001 and 456. He stood exactly in between them and both of their actions influenced him. Sang woo surely was ruthless, but that's what society made him into. Graduating from SNU and people only talking abt that builds up a pressure into his mind that now he HAS to achieve something big or else he would bring others down, especially his mom who didn't have a rich background either. And thrown into such a big place like SNU among yhe best of the best people it develops such a tension between what is right thing to do and what should be done to win. Hence making you ruthless.

[@TruScorpio]

i agree. many people can't imagine the internal pressure a scholarship kid has to face at a Very Prestigious University for the wealthy...its not about being smart. Its about being on Top, the Best at Everything....the pressure can be crippling....

[@silverspector9718]

@@TruScorpio exactly, being at the best university sounds cool but it creates such a mindset that "you are or HAVE TO BE the best". People were literally imposing their expectations from life on him, not even thinking what pressure he had at the college.

[@hazecliff7173]

He’s no villain tbh. He just wanted to win. They were all just too naive.

[@Sheriff_K]

But.. He DIDN'T do anything wrong.. He was literally playing the game EXACTLY how he should have been.

[@sgjo6493]

He's an angel in the dark burning his wings to sacrifice himself. He took all the heavy sins and guilt that someone must take those during the death game. What he did was making others remain as they were with humanity.( Like ali, he died with his pure soul without any sense of guilt or not corrupted which sangwoo sincerely didnt want to break) he was the one who carried all of those evil and sacrificed. Thats also the reason why he finally made his suicide not winning the game at last. Just my opinion.

[@i_am_thebatman]

Sang Woo is the perfect example of an Antihero

[@matthewtolentino5141]

More like a real man.

[@irl8796]

Did you also know he graduated from snu? He’s a famous prodigy of the neighborhood because he graduated top of his class at SNU Sang woo graduated top of his class at SNU He’s a famous prodigy in case you didn’t know this

[@amethyst4537]

Irl? Or in the series?

[@wkso]

@@amethyst4537 What do you think?

[@wkso]

It’s in the game btw

[@amethyst4537]

@@wkso Late reply, but yeah, obviously in the series, it's just sarcasm, my incureable disease caused by drinking immense glasses of a so called wine, Winocasm. (Name by me if you're somewhat confused due to my irresistable dumb behavior, I apologize in behalf of your will).

[@Zetzteno]

Sang-Wu did nothing wrong. Mans was just in too deep. His running strat in tug of war saved the day. If he didn’t push the glass maker everyone would have died. The only reason he didn’t warn Gi-Hun about the umbrella in the Honeycomb game is cause he felt it was the only way he wouldn’t directly cause his friends death. He never wanted to to hurt people he cared about. Kinda means he never really cared for Ali but hell they only knew each other for less than a week. Cutthroat? Yes. Immoral? Yes. Against the rules? I meaaaan.

[@unusualusername8847]

"Did nothing wrong" "Lied to his allies to avoid feeling guilt over getting them killed in Honeycomb".

[@immabeabitinactiveonthisac6700]

You could have gotten away with “less wrong then you think”, but not “nothing wrong”

[@andrewgarland329]

Facts, every time someone gets mad at him about Ali, I'm like, okay I know you would take a bullet for Ali, but Sang Woo would have been completely out of character if he just gave up and accepted his loss then. If Sang Woo died for Ali, he would have stayed stuck on the bridge behind the glass maker, and then everyone would have died.

[@TrentonF505]

He did everything wrong but that’s literally the point of the games lol you have to back stab and kill or you could be killled

[@ZyloYcuk]

His character is extremely realistic though. You can tell that he isn’t that cold hearted in the scene where he helped Ali by giving him some money. But when he’s in the Squid Game, he would do anything to win just like other people would do if they were in his situation. Sang-woo is a well written character, prove me wrong.

[@Vishakha._.707]

Sang woo is one of the most realistic character imo. Most of us would do similar things if it were us since our own survival comes before anything. I really loved this video! Please do Ali's analysis next

[@TrentonF505]

I agree. All these people are acting like they would put other people’s lives before their own and I don’t buy it. The only complete psychopath in the show was the dude with the neck tattoo.

[@indigoavakinn3067]

@@TrentonF505 we don’t give a shit it’s not real

[@lowlanz]

@@TrentonF505 Sangwoo admitted killing Saebyeok was only for money. It wasn't about survival. Not letting Gihun know about the dalgona game was also unnecessarily evil. You know, squid game is usually played in teams. They could've both won. So I think Sangwoo was actually just justifying his evil actions blaming it all to the game. Pushing glass worker or killing Ali is excused, but not dalgona and killing Saebyeok. He also knew how evil he had become, so he said he came to far to go back. At least he regreted it at the last moment, only after seeing Gihun giving up the prize money for him. That's why he killed himself.

[@cokoladnatortica]

So tricking your friends and team members who trust you even though you don't have to in the dalgona game is something realistic all of us would do??

[@morning7136]

@@cokoladnatortica Not that early on in the game no. But eventually in like the 4th or 5the game yes

[@Graenolf]

MY FAVORITE CHARACTER YES. At least he had that drive ya feel me

[@redacted4278]

Yup

[@mikel27180]

Foh

[@greeney6431]

It’s about drive it’s about power

[@ismaelmouhabofficial]

Huh? Yall justify everything. His driver, drove him to kill 2 people and was willing to kill the 3rd person but he lost to him in the final game. He probably would go broke again and try to join the vips.

[@Sir_Isaac_Newton_]

who u

[@BOMBCUBES]

Sang-woo did what he had to do to survive. The only reason Gi-Hun made it that far was because of Sang-Woo. He chose the smart way to play it, which was to eliminate other players.

[@chungjunwoo2426]

Thank you for mentioning how the "Graduated from top of his class in SNU" thing is not just a joke or a reference to the Korean obsession with prestigious universities, as most people seem to think. Both are true, but the fact that all anyone mentions about him is his time in SNU (likely more than 20 years ago) insinuates that he has not achieved anything else noteworthy afterwards (which might be why he was compelled to embezzle funds and take risky ventures - to become the success that he was expected to be) - and his annoyance is likely more due to the fact that it reminds him he has failed to live up to other's and his own expectations than simply because of the repetition.

[@ancientscumbag8135]

If you don't say "Sang Woo graduated in SNU business school and top of his class" within 5 minutes, you win Gi Hun: *Internal panick*

[@isaacxcheng]

i havent watched thie video yet BUT SANG-WOO IS A HUMAN CHARACTER dont act like yall wouldnt do the same things he did in the game :(

[@supernovaaaa16]

i 100% would

[@arayv3ia950]

I wouldn’t 💀

[@misimmini]

I would not kill, I'm too afriad to do that

[@TrentonF505]

@@misimmini but what if you would be killed if you didn’t?

[@misimmini]

@@TrentonF505 you got a point

[@seeyafornow2642]

Thank you for talking about the immense pressure and the shame. He was bright and had a bright future but went in the wrong way. That said, this doesn't justify his actions. I still feel bad when he sabotaged in the dalgona game though, he could've saved his childhood friend there. In the marble game, everyone kinda oversees gi hun doing the same thing as Sang woo, if not worse as he is taking advantage of someone's illness. If sang woo hadn't betrayed ali (which still makes me sad :')) he would've lost his life. I would he say he got desperate. To be fair, he did explain the games to ali and even tried playing. I think in a realistic situation, most would try to manipulate the rules to win directly there. I mean your opponent doesn't know the game 💀 In the glass game, obviously pushing someone to death is heinous but if he hadn't done that, gi hun would've not survived. Also, other than gi hun not getting enough time, I don't sang woo had a lot of worry given he was the very next person and without even pushing him, he could've easily survived that last tile. Part of why he pushed was to save gi hun, i feel and also we never know if the glass maker was stalling intentionally. (I mean we could see he wasn't but put yourself in sang woo's place) He didn't hesitate all other players dying, killing these last few just makes him the winner lol. I don't think he is a bad person. He never went out of his way to manipulate someone unless it meant his own survival, for which, we can't really blame him. I'm sure he would have killed gi hun at the end too if he could. But as seen in the last scene, the money was the most important thing to him and he even sacrificed his life for that.

[@FR-sz5uu]

tbh I agree with Sangwoo. he made the hardest decision of leaving his morals by pushing off the guy in front to save them all. Gi hun would have either killed them all if he was in that situation, or succumbed to his need for the prize money

[@blueyfilmzz]

Yes. The was the smarter choice because maybe Player 17 already knew but was waiting until the last second to jump

[@user-eg4zb8sp1w]

Nah, he would have pushed him. He was willing to trick an old man into killing himself. How is that any different from sang woo tricking ali. He was also willing to kill sang woo when his guard was down but didn't because of saebyok. Sang woo also tried to kill a person whose guard was down but the difference between them was that he succeeded in doing so. Its easy to preach morality when you are lucky as hell and have others do the dirty work for you. Gi hun would have died if sang woo didn't push the glass maker off the bridge

[@qazsurfer]

He's a terrifying character because he manages to be both evil and so relatable at the same time. his choices are both immoral yet always justifiable. he's a really well written villain, even more-so since he and gi-hun the "hero" are both sides of the same coin.

[@hamzamahmood9565]

Halfway through the video and Sang Woo already stole the job position I was applying for.

[@SmokeyMcPotProductions]

EEEeEeeEeEeeeEEE… so I just finished the season tonight and I can’t wait to go through all of your Squid Games uploads!! I adore your Black Mirror breakdowns, so this ought to be awesome!

[@katliit9442]

“We don't trust people because we want to, we do it to survive”

[@hungchoonghow5857]

The director obviously put a lot of effort into writing Sang Woo. I mean, the protagonist just seems like a lucky dumbass who managed to bumble through all the rounds by sheer luck (like Greece in the 2004 Euros) Sang Woo is an excellent written character...

[@skugo9542]

That's exactly what Gi-Hun is but at least he kicked Sang-Woo's ass during the final game

[@i_havethe_highground3955]

@@skugo9542 that was very satisfying to me

[@alessandraaaa_]

I guess Greece hurt someone's feelings, Sorry Not Sorry😅 Are you gonna cry too, like Ronaldo?? Get over it already 😘

[@brucegilbert625]

@@alessandraaaa_ lmao

[@commanderofkesariyaknights]

@@alessandraaaa_ never knew Greece played football. What was ur standing in recent Euros?

[@greenbanana1001]

Thank you for listening and making this video sang woo is easily my favourite character

[@melissas7980]

I am enjoying your Squid Games deep dives immensely! Wish I had known of your channel when I was watching the show the first two times, but now i'm thinking I'll watch a third time. I surely hope you will make videos for Season 2, as well. Thank you! Also, I really enjoy the comments sections here. You have many intelligent, thoughtful subscribers who always make me see things I hadn't previously considered. So thanks, to all of you!

[@stormplaat5910]

I always thought that he let Gi-hun choose the umbrella bc he didnt want to kill his best friend and rather had him gone first then killing his childhood friends

[@thomascolasante6280]

I really liked Sae-byeok's character, but there's absolutely no way that Sangwoo killing her as she's bleeding out already makes him "irredeemable". Didn't he just stop the pain for her?

[@Kodanz456]

Respect your video man!! You can't find such detailed breakdown about this character elsewhere💪

[@feritye767]

I think the reason glass bridge was the only one that 1. required complete luck and 2. wasn't an old children's game is because the frontman wanted to impress the VIPS with a more intense cool game

[@feritye767]

@Marvel'sDoctorEd 2 I've seen so many videos saying it isn't based on a real game and this just proved them all wrong, I feel so stupid

[@shellolechello]

Gi-hun: HEY, DID YOU KNOW THAT SANG WOO WENT TO SNU-? Sang-woo: Im gonna scream if you dont stop-

[@leikfroakies]

One really interesting detail about him that the show didnt really explore is that he actually graduated from SNU buisiness school and was TOP of his class

[@commanderofkesariyaknights]

U can do that by mugging good notes, not a big achievement. Its not like he discovered pencillin

[@meinenklinke]

Oh wow, I hadn’t thought of how the numbers were applied and your interpretation that it correlates to their position in society is AWESOME. I had taken it at face value that it was the order in which they were recruited.

[@stephenochosiete9869]

Each character has so much to offer. Well written!

[@xCaptainChloex]

Maybe he already knew he lost, and he killed Sae-Byeok to be able to play the game with Gi-Hun alone and trust him with caring of his mother

[@aliceplayz7440]

true though

[@carmelcity9527]

Yes, my favorite character! I thought he was the most interesting player.

[@muhammedabugosh1177]

Thank you for making this deep dive! They all knew the competition was life or death at that point and people will do anything for their own survival.

[@dallascopp4798]

Sang Woo's mentality - "Current objective: Survive"

[@Grivian]

No wonder he did so well in the squid game since he graduated from Seoul university with honors

[@tornado_1348]

Everyone talks about how evil and awful he was. Yet I bet most people in this type of situation would do the same he did

[@krabbykat9918]

yeah I dont get what people expect when signing up for a literal game of death. You go in acutely aware that it's an obvious kill or be killed deal.

[@lowlanz]

Sangwoo admitted killing Saebyeok was only for money. It wasn't about survival. Not letting Gihun know about the dalgona game was also unnecessarily evil. You know, squid game is usually played in teams. They could've both won. So I think Sangwoo was actually just justifying his evil actions blaming it all to the game. Pushing glass worker or killing Ali is excused, but not dalgona and killing Saebyeok. He also knew how evil he had become, so he said he came to far to go back. At least he regreted it at the last moment, only after seeing Gihun giving up the prize money for him. That's why he killed himself.

[@tornado_1348]

@@lowlanz Well yeah his actions are evil just he does it it for survival. He pushed the glass worker because time was about to run out and they all would have died. He tricked Ali cause he was gonna lose and die if he didnt. yes he killed Say byeok so they wouldnt vote to end the games but if you had literally sacrificed everything just to win and their gonna end it you stop it. Also it's never actually said more than 1 person can win squid game i think they form teams so they can advance through the games but not win. And yes he knew what he was doing was evil and he knew he couldnt stop. It was killed or be killed

[@yeah1326]

@@tornado_1348 Well if you were in the same situation you'd do the same

[@tornado_1348]

@@yeah1326 yeah thats the point anyone would

[@edwardsanchez5350]

At 9:00 Player 17 would have never had the opportunity to save everyone. As soon as he would have started to check the glass, the Front Man would have turned off the lights. Player 17 would have effectively killed himself by going first. Moreover, look what happened when he did offer his services: he was pushed off the glass and died. Moreover, let us assume the Front Man would not have turned off the lights. The amount of time it would have taken him to confidentally determine which glass was which would have have taken too long and cost the lives of many. Maybe Deoksu might have gotten impatient and pushed Player 17 to his death. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

[@e.1067]

I agree with this, i also think the reason sangwoo pushed him at the end was not only because he got impatient but he knew if the man didn't move right then, gihun and saebyeok had little chances of going through since there were only 20 seconds left. Sangwoo would've passed the game even if the man made the choice at the last 5 seconds, but as we saw anything shorter than 20 seconds and gihun would not be able to pass.

[@Marklovesdrama]

A very interesting analysis. I did not know that “to the moon” was a term used in finance. I also have not thought about the pressure of being a prodigy, from a relatively poor family.

[@tonyhou9246]

I honestly think that Sang-woo is actually a great character.

[@dimethyltryptamine8610]

Not sure if you knew but sang woo has a business degree from snu

[@emilyczech1597]

this video is such a good evaluation of sang-woo's character

[@TTIOttio]

It’s also worth going into futures a little more. In regular investing, you buy x and hope the value goes up. The maximum you can lose is your initial investment (and you’re investing in success). But with futures, you borrow shares and hope the value goes *down*. What you get paid is the initial value, and what you pay is the final. If you’re wrong and the value increases significantly, you can lose many times your initial investment. Also, much like the way Sang-Woo plays the games, you’re betting that people fail, unlike Gi-Han who bets that people will succeed (his friends and also the horses). This is why gamestop was such a big deal - those shares were borrowed at the value of around ~$5/share, but during the short squeeze they were valued at ~$300+, meaning that the firms investing owed in the region of *60x* what they gained during the initial investment. Futures, and specifically shorts, have no theoretical upper bound on the amount you can lose.

[@e.1067]

Damn thank you for this it was actually more helpful than literally all the articles i read about gamestop....

[@user-kb1mc8xk6p]

I don’t want to worry about anything else, he is super handsome, I like uncle glasses haha🤣

[@billyboybillyboybillyboy]

Eventhough there’s less screen time for Ji-Yeong in comparison to the likes of Gi-Hun, Sang-Woo and Il-Nam, a deep dive into her would be really interesting.

[@victoriar9728]

interesting discussions. the show is well written and it allows complete character study of some of the charaters, which represents a microcosm of humanity. I see how this movie/drama became so popular.

[@royal8133]

Sang-Woo is my favourite character, thank you for doing him justice!

[@kahinaharrache5026]

I don't know why i never hated him. I have to say that he was my favourite character from the start. He's extremely attractive and smart. Whatever he had done, it's what most people would have done if they were in his place.

[@dawnhankins9534]

I loved him! I understood why he did everything, Gi Hun acted like it wasn't life and death, Sang Woo acted like the stakes mattered. I loved it!

[@CyberScoundrel]

A hidden easter egg about Sang-woo that I think a lot of people have missed, is the fact that he actually graduated top of his class at SNU

[@thickchip2694]

Im glad i watched your video man. I had no idea he graduated top of his class at SNU

[@firstnamelastname-zi4mq]

Fun fact about Sang-Woo but he graduated top of his class in BUSINESS at SNU?

[@FireEggplant]

I love your videos so much, I’m your biggest fan from New Jersey, keep doing what you do you’re amazing :)

[@BryceEdwardBrown]

Thank you so much for the support FireEggplant!

[@Ma-cd3fz]

That was really good explanation 😄good job

[@BryceEdwardBrown]

Thank you so much!

[@rosannaa]

Do a SAEBYEOK analysis next ! :D