Which Death in Squid Game Season 3 Hit You Hardest?

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for Squid Game Season 3.]

Squid Game Season 3 delivered a fresh wave of emotional devastation, building on the foundation laid in Season 2. While the second season introduced compelling new players for fans to connect with – including a mother-son duo, a transgender character with a military background, and a woman in her final trimester of pregnancy – Season 3 ensured that many of these newfound favorites met tragic ends.

These characters, who had formed a crucial alliance within the game, managed to survive Seong Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) failed rebellion attempt at the start of Season 3, even as other allies perished. However, their survival was temporary. The season systematically eliminated them through increasingly brutal and heartbreaking games, leading to some of the most gut-wrenching moments the series has ever produced.

But among the many casualties, which specific deaths cut the deepest? Let’s revisit four of Season 3’s most profoundly tragic losses and explore why they were so impactful.

The Weight of Selflessness: Hyun-ju’s Sacrifice

Cho Hyun-ju (Player 120), a character with a notable military background, emerged as fiercely protective. During a tense hide-and-seek style game, she bravely defended two of the most vulnerable participants: Kim Jun-hee (Player 222), who was heavily pregnant, and the elderly Jang Geum-ja (Player 149). Despite sustaining injuries herself while fighting off aggressors, Hyun-ju pushed through to keep her allies safe.

The ultimate tragedy of Hyun-ju’s fate came after Jun-hee gave birth. Hyun-ju ventured out and incredibly found the fabled exit route from the game, even holding the keys. She could have escaped alone. Yet, hearing the congratulatory song meant for escapees, she made the impossible choice to turn back and try to help her friends. This selfless act cost her everything, leading to her death at the hands of the deranged Lee Myung-gi (Player 333) during a drug-fueled rampage. Her death was a stark reminder that even finding a way out didn’t guarantee survival if you weren’t willing to abandon those you cared for.

An Impossible Choice: Geum-ja’s Heartbreak

Following Hyun-ju’s sacrifice, Jang Geum-ja (Player 149), the elderly mother, was left to protect the injured and newly postpartum Jun-hee and her baby. Their game team was tasked simply with hiding to survive, while the opposing team, including Geum-ja’s son, Park Yong-sik (Player 007), was armed and required to kill someone.

Yong-sik initially promised to protect his mother, but desperation in the deadly game pushed him to the brink. When he located his mother, Jun-hee, and the baby just as they neared an exit, he became a threat, intent on killing Jun-hee or the infant to survive. Faced with the unimaginable – sacrificing the vulnerable pair or killing her own child – Geum-ja made a gut-wrenching decision. Using a small blade hidden in her hairpin, she fatally stabbed her son in the back. He was subsequently eliminated by the guards.

While this action saved Jun-hee and the baby, the emotional toll on Geum-ja was immense. Despite offering comforting words to Gi-hun later, the grief and trauma of killing her son, however justified, proved unbearable. The next morning, she was found having taken her own life, unable to live with the weight of her impossible decision.

Cruelty’s Casualty: Jun-hee’s Final Act

Kim Jun-hee (Player 222) endured immense hardship, giving birth within the brutal confines of the game. Her death highlighted the callousness of the VIPs. From their secluded lounge, these wealthy observers, now given the power to execute players, made a devastating decree: Jun-hee’s newborn infant must also participate in the deadly games.

Severely hampered by a debilitating ankle injury, Jun-hee had no way to carry her baby across a perilous bridge challenge. Gi-hun volunteered to take the baby across first and return for her, but other players blocked his path as the clock ticked down. Despite Gi-hun’s desperate assurances that he would race back, Jun-hee, with mere seconds remaining, understood the reality. Tearfully instructing him to stay and protect her child, she made the ultimate sacrifice, dropping herself from the platform to her death, ensuring her injury wouldn’t doom her baby. Her fate underscored the game’s inherent cruelty and the desperate measures players took for love.

A Hero’s Tragic End: Gi-hun’s Sacrifice

The protagonist of the series, Seong Gi-hun, returned to the games with the goal of ending them. His journey culminated in the final “Sky Squid Game” challenge, where he found himself responsible for the baby Jun-hee entrusted to his care, facing off against Myung-gi.

The final confrontation turned deadly, with Myung-gi plummeting to his apparent death. However, in a twisted turn, his death didn’t count for the round because an activation button wasn’t pressed. The rules demanded another death for the game to conclude.

This brought Gi-hun to a final, agonizing decision. As explained by the series creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, the unexpected winner of Season 3 was intended to be Jun-hee’s baby, symbolizing hope for the future generation. To fulfill this symbolic outcome and ensure the baby received the winnings and a chance at life outside the game, Gi-hun made the ultimate sacrifice. He chose to take his own life. His death was doubly tragic: he failed in his mission to dismantle the games but succeeded in saving one innocent life, paying the highest price imaginable for a future he wouldn’t see.

Which Death Resonated Most?

These four deaths, each unique in their horror and emotional weight, stand out among Season 3’s many casualties. Hyun-ju’s selfless bravery, Geum-ja’s devastating moral compromise and subsequent despair, Jun-hee’s fierce maternal protection against insurmountable odds, and Gi-hun’s final, poignant sacrifice for the next generation – all left a profound impact.

Considering the horrific circumstances, the deep personal connections involved, and the sheer likability of these characters, it’s difficult to pick just one. But for many viewers, one of these tragic fates likely hit the hardest.

Which death in Squid Game Season 3 left you reeling the most?