Squid Game Season 1 Deep Dive #7
At the beginning of Squid Game, Player 001 appears to be one of the weakest participants.
He is old.
He has a brain tumor.
He seems unable to survive in a brutal competition.
But as the story progresses, viewers begin to notice something strange.
Player 001 is not just another player.
He is the person who understands the game better than anyone.
The Old Man Who Was Not Afraid
When the first game begins, most players experience absolute fear.
Hundreds of people are eliminated in seconds.
But Oh Il-nam smiles.
While everyone else sees death, he sees something familiar.
This moment creates one of the biggest mysteries of Squid Game.
Why was Player 001 enjoying the game?
Was he simply confused because of his illness?
Or did he know more than everyone else?
Why Did Oh Il-nam Join the Game?
Oh Il-nam had everything many people wanted.
Money.
Power.
A comfortable life.
Yet he felt empty.
His reason for creating and joining the game was not financial.
He wanted to experience excitement again.
The world had become predictable for wealthy people like him.
Money could buy almost anything.
But money could not buy the feeling of playing a game when he was a child.
Player 001 Was The Beginning of Everything
The number 001 is not accidental.
He represents the starting point of the Squid Game.
While Player 456 represents the final person to enter, Player 001 represents the origin of the entire system.
The two characters are opposites.
Gi-hun:
- Lost everything
- Needs money to survive
- Still believes in people
Oh Il-nam:
- Has everything
- Created a deadly game
- Lost faith in humanity
Their relationship is the philosophical center of the series.
The Real Meaning of the Final Bet
The final conversation between Gi-hun and Oh Il-nam is one of the most important scenes.
Il-nam believes humans are naturally selfish.
He believes kindness is only temporary.
But Gi-hun challenges that idea.
Their final bet asks a simple question:
Are humans still capable of caring about strangers?
This is not just a conversation between two characters.
It is the entire message of Squid Game.
Was Oh Il-nam Evil?
This question has divided fans.
Some viewers see him as the true villain.
Others believe he represents a lonely person who lost his connection with humanity.
The series does not give an easy answer.
Oh Il-nam created a cruel game.
But he also wanted to understand whether humans still had kindness.
That contradiction is what makes his character memorable.
Why Oh Il-nam Makes Squid Game Different
Without Oh Il-nam, Squid Game could have been just another survival story.
But his existence changes the meaning.
The story is not only about:
“Who survives?”
It becomes:
“What kind of world creates people who need to fight to survive?”
That question is why Squid Game became a global phenomenon.
Conclusion
Player 001 was never just an old man waiting to die.
He was the hidden key to understanding Squid Game.
Through Oh Il-nam, the series explores money, loneliness, human nature, and the meaning of hope.
The biggest mystery of Squid Game was not who would win.
It was whether humanity itself could survive.