If you’ve just spent 8 hours binge-watching Squid Game 2 only to be left frustrated by its massive cliffhanger, welcome to the club. While Squid Game 3 has already been confirmed to premiere this year, we can’t help but dwell on the abrupt ending this season left us with.
Whether you’re planning to rewatch the series or simply need some Squid Game content to tide you over to the release of the next season, we’ve got your back. Here are some Squid Game 2 facts that you might not know, which will only make the show even better.
If you haven’t watched Squid Game 2—spoilers ahead!
Squid Game’s director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that the series was not based on real-life events but was inspired by Japanese comics like Battle Royale and Liar Game. Both of these comics feature high-stakes games where contestants are forced to compete against each other. While these games were more complex, Dong-hyuk opted for simpler, traditional children’s games as the basis for Squid Game.
So if you’ve recently come across these eerie images resembling the iconic colourful Squid Game compound, with claims that they’re from a real-life Squid Game-like event at Brothers’ Home in 1986—we hate to be the bearer of bad news but, they’re AI-generated.
Despite this, the broader themes of modern capitalism, coupled with Dong-hyuk’s personal financial struggles, were depicted in the series. He aimed to capture the cutthroat competition between individuals from different walks of life. This is why season 2 introduces a diverse range of characters, including a mother-son duo, as well as transgender and pregnant contestants.
Netflix has accidentally let the cat out of the bag, revealing that the release of Squid Game 3 is closer than we expect it to be.
While posting a promotional video of Squid Game 3 on YouTube, the streaming site unintentionally included the exact release date—27 June 2025—in the video description. Although Netflix has yet to comment on the leak and the release date may still change, fans are taking this as a win, as it’s only a 6-month wait until the premiere—far shorter than the 3-year wait for Squid Game 2.
Squid Game 2 marks the return of BigBang’s T.O.P to showbiz after serving a 10-month jail sentence for marijuana use in 2017. He plays Thanos, aka, Player 230, a rapper who went into debt after falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam. Ironically, Thanos is also portrayed as struggling with a drug problem and is often seen high throughout the series.
In an effort to reshape his public image, T.O.P. took on the role in Squid Game 2 without pay, aiming to regain the public’s attention with his acting skills. The most surprising part? It was revealed that T.O.P. wasn’t given a script for his role and his lines were entirely improvised.
Unfortunately, Thanos meets a brutal end at the hands of another player in Squid Game 2. RIP Thanos—we will be remembering him by his iconic lines and quirky presence.
If T.O.P has caught your attention in Squid Game 2, here are some of the actor’s interesting side quests that you might not know about.
ICYMI, T.O.P was initially set to be a part of the dearMoon Project, the first civilian mission to the Moon. However, the project was cancelled in 2024 due to several setbacks. T.O.P and the crew, led by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, were supposed to embark on a week-long journey to the Moon and back aboard a rocket developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
That’s not all. T.O.P also has a wine label, T’SPOT, that he launched in 2022. Driven by his passion for wine, T.O.P wanted to share quality wines with as many people as possible at reasonable prices. To achieve this, he participated in curating the selection and collaborating with expert producers in Bordeaux.
The T’SPOT BORDEAUX RED, produced by Thunevin—a pioneer of garage wine in Bordeaux—comes highly recommended by sommelier Yang Yoon-ju, the winner of the 15th Best Sommelier for French Wines award in Korea.
For fellow wine lovers, you’ll be glad to know that T’SPOT ships to Singapore, and their best-selling BORDEAUX RED is priced affordably at 14€ (~S$20).
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You’d be lying if you said that Player 222 didn’t make you anxious in Squid Game 2.
Jo Yu-ri, who plays Player 222 or Kim Jun-hee, was seen battling through the games like a champ—while pregnant. We don’t know about you but watching her struggle while clutching her baby bump kept us on edge.
In case you didn’t know, Jo Yu-ri was a member of the K-pop girl group IZ*ONE and made her acting debut in 2022 in the teen web drama Mimicus. Her role in Squid Game 2 marks a 180-degree transformation from her innocent image and character in her earlier works, and we are all for it!
After gaining global attention in Squid Game 2, the actress is already in talks for a lead role in an upcoming thriller series Variety. And of course, she will be reprising her role as Player 222 in Squid Game 3—we can’t wait to see what she brings to the table next.
Amidst the chaos of the first season, many of us completely missed the fact that the games were revealed to us from the start. If you take a closer look, the walls of the bunker where the contestants slept featured all 5 games displayed.
This detail also made a comeback in Squid Game 2, where 2 new sets of games, resembling monkey bars and chess, are shown on the walls.
In this season, there are also mysterious letters on the walls, which many fans have deciphered to read: HODIE MIHI. The phrase “Hodie mihi, cras tibi” is Latin for “Today it’s me, tomorrow it will be you”. While we’re not entirely sure what the phrase is referencing, it definitely sends a chilling message, especially since many contestants are being killed off every day in the games.
For those who thought that the iconic Young-hee doll from Red Light, Green Light looked a little different in Squid Game 2—don’t worry, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.
In the first season, Young-hee had a round, full face which gave her an innocent, yet eerie vibe. However, after receiving feedback and critiques about her appearance, Dong-hyuk decided to give this global star a makeover for season 2. As a result, we see Young-hee making a comeback with sharper features this time around.
For those of you who stayed till the end of Squid Game 2, you may have spotted Young-hee in a brand-new red and pink outfit, alongside her boyfriend Cheol-su. Many viewers have also pointed out that Young-hee’s features appeared even more refined, and the colours of this scene are more vibrant—likely preparing her for the next game with Cheol-su.
If you didn’t stay till the end, however, you would have missed the post-credit scene that stirred up quite a ruckus among the Squid Game fans.
The scene shows 3 players: Player 096, Player 100, and Player 353, walking towards the giant Young-hee doll. Young-hee’s boyfriend Cheol-su makes his debut in the next scene, sporting a bowl cut and similar eerie features as his girlfriend. We then see a flashing green light before the scene abruptly cuts.
This has led fans to share various theories about what the next game involving Young-hee and Cheol-su might be. Many speculate that it could present contestants with an ethical dilemma similar to the infamous trolley problem.
In addition to other theories suggesting it might just be a more advanced version of Red Light, Green Light, some predictions have merged that the game could involve Dong, Dong, Dongdaemun, the Korean take on the childhood game London Bridge, with Young-hee and Cheol-su acting as the “bridge” for the contestants.
While nothing is confirmed just yet, we can’t wait for the release of Squid Game 3 to see if any of the fan theories turn out to be true.
The creators of the worldwide phenomenon Squid Game certainly know how to keep us on our toes for what’s to come next. With Squid Game 3 confirmed as the final season of the franchise, we can only hope it lives up to the immense hype. In the meantime, all we can do is join fellow fans to predict what’s to come for the remaining characters in the games.
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Cover image: Source
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