Who was the old man in squid game

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Netflix's Squid Game had a lot of incredible performances, but most would agree that one of the best was by Oh Yeong-su, who played the Old Man.

Squid Game is arguably the most popular current show in the world, with it topping Netflix's lists worldwide. Billed as potentially the highest-grossing Netflix show ever, the internet can't stop raving about it. With thousands of fans dissecting and analyzing every scene and character, several have expressed curiosity about the old man's character, Oh Il Nam, played by Oh Yeong-su.

Warning: continue reading only if you don't mind spoilers or if you, too, like thousands, have already finished the show.

Who is Squid Game's Old Man, played by Oh Yeong-su?

Squid Game might present itself as merely a survival game, based on the Japanese battle royale format, but it is very much also a mystery at its heart. And one of the main mysteries is the game itself. Who runs it? Why has it been created?

One of the greatest reveals of the final episode was the mastermind's identity, and it turned out to be the so-called sweet Old Man! In the season finale, it is revealed that the creator of this horrible, sadistic game is the man who the audience had loved and even cried for, No. 001.

From the beginning of Squid Game, the old man is portrayed as the underdog, who is looked down upon by all but Seong Gi-hun because of his age. Despite being physically weak and having a brain tumor, the old man turns out to be smart enough to figure out most games, helping the team win the tug of war.

The reveal turned out to be a moment of shock and disappointment for most viewers. The old man was arguably one of the most likable characters in the show, and when he magnanimously appeared to sacrifice himself to save Gi-hun, most of the audience shed a tear.

Of course, as we find out in the end, the sacrifice is not real, and the entire game was a twisted strategy by a rich old man to feel something.

In the season finale, the old man admits to a shocked and aghast Gi-Hun that he was the creator of the game. Not only that, but he also acknowledged that the reason behind this game was nothing grand but simply a way to fend off boredom. Oh Il Nam even went so far as to compare it with horse racing. Just like people worldwide bid on horses, the old man, along with other rich men, decided to take it a notch further and bet on humans instead!

The old man's justification was that when one has money, they eventually get bored of everything. And the only way out of this allegedly mundane existence for Oh Il Nam and his equally rich clients was to create a game so violent and so sadistic that it would give Roman gladiator shows a run for their money.

The old man shows no remorse for creating the Squid Game, even when confronted by Gi-hun. He reminds Gi-hun that all participants had entered with their consent and were even given a chance to back out. Despite that, most came back to play it again.

gihun discovering that the old man was playing dumb after he tried to fool his ass the whole time in squid game

9:52 AM · Sep 20, 2021

The old man disclosed that the tumor was real, and he would die soon. This was the reason why he chose to participate in the games this time instead of just watching. He wanted to relive his childhood, even if it meant a horrible death for all. Betting on human life appears to be the ultimate source of entertainment for these rich men, and even on his death bed, Oh Il Nam tries to make a bet with Gi-Hun over another human life. But the old man dies before finding out that he has actually lost the final bet of his life.

Just finished Squid Game and I have one thing to say, that old man did NOT deserve my tears in 6th episode

10:36 AM · Sep 19, 2021

Although most viewers were horrified by the final reveal, all have appreciated the acting skills of Oh Yeong-su, who made the audience love him, cry for him and then despise him.

Oh Yeong-su's great acting skills are a testament to his impressive filmography. The actor, who has appeared in films like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, also happens to be a prolific writer. The internet is already raving about his acting skills despite the hatred his character is receiving.

Squid Game's great reveal, though, has resulted in a series of new questions. Fans are wondering what would have happened had the old man died during the tug of war. With no way to catch the falling participants, losing the game would certainly mean death. But then, the old man probably knew about the games beforehand, giving him an edge over the others.

With fans hoping for a Season 2, the showrunners will hopefully answer some of these questions.

The survival drama "Squid Game" has got a grip on Netflix users — and a majority of the internet, for that matter. Those who decided to watch the series thinking they were in for anything remotely lighthearted found themselves in for a gruesome surprise, as the show is anything but that. And in the wake of the Season 1 finale, numerous mysteries still remain unsolved.

"Squid Game" follows a character named Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), who decides to join a competition to win money in an attempt to pay off his gambling debts. Not long into the first game, Gi-hun learns that it's going to be much more intense than he thought — and this time, he's betting with his life. One of the first allies Gi-hun makes in "Squid Game" is an elderly man known as Player 001 (Oh Yeong-su). Gi-hun is understandably shocked to see such a frail-looking man taking part in the competition, and we soon learn that Player 001 has a terminal illness exacerbated by a brain tumor, and he decided to join the games rather than die of his illness.

If you've watched "Squid Game" already, you may have noticed the big clue early on that reveals a hidden truth about Player 001, and explains his reasons for playing in "Squid Game." There are many Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the series, and it's even more of a reason to give this incredible success story a second watch after you've gone through each episode.

If you haven't seen the finale, though, read on for a major spoiler about Player 001.

Perhaps the biggest twist in the entire first season of "Squid Game" occurs in the very last episode, when Gi-hun realizes that Player 001 is still alive — a shock, after he was seemingly eliminated in the marble game. How could he possibly have survived a fatal gunshot and returned to shock all of us? As it turns out, Player 001 was protected all along, and he was right under our noses. He was one of the obscenely wealthy masterminds behind the entire competition. Player 001 and the rest of the cartel are the same puppet masters who decided to create the games as a source of entertainment.

Despite his deception about his involvement in the games, Player 001's reasons for joining remain pretty consistent throughout the show. As he originally tells his fellow competitors, he joined the competition for excitement, since his terminal illness means he doesn't have long to live. He wanted to experience the adrenaline rush of competing in the life-or-death games, even if he knew he had a major advantage over the other players.

Not only that, but he wanted to experience the game as a player, because he'd been observing the twisted "festivities" for years as a VIP. In this manner, Player 001 had the perfect perspective, and one might go so far as to say the game could be rigged in his favor. With all the time he spent watching from behind the scenes, he could easily hold on to a few secrets no other player could know.

It wasn't too hard to decipher Player 001's true intentions for eagle-eyed viewers when the games began. While many contestants show fear and anxiety during the opening moments of Red Light, Green Light, Player 001 charges ahead with a gleeful expression on his face. What does he have to fear? He has watched others fail and meet a grim end in this competition how many times, but with the limited amount of time he has left on this planet, what's the worst thing that could happen to him?

Furthermore, those in charge of the game already figured he might be sticking around for some time. Player 001 is not singled out as a target, which means he's already marked to advance further into the competition. If any of the competitors understood what they were getting themselves into, it was him. Unfortunately, the game was rigged — we learn near the end of the show that it was nearly impossible for Player 001 to lose, and while this may have increased the enjoyment factor, we're left to wonder what other satisfaction he was meant to feel when the deck was stacked in his favor.

If you failed to see any of the warning signs that this may have been an unfair competition, you can jump back in and spot all the necessary moments. "Squid Game" Season 1 is available to watch on Netflix in all of its twisted glory.