WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Squid Game season 2’s ending!Player 044 proves to be one of the most enigmatic new charactersinSquid Gameseason 2, with the mysteries shrouding her role being all the more intriguing the notion that she may have predicted Gi-hun’s ultimate fate. Picking up two years after the time-jump fromSquid Gameseason 1’s ending, season 2’s Games introduce a variety of new personalities competing against Gi-hun, including some lovable allies and worrying adversaries. Though the backstories and motivations of most recurring players are understood bySquid Game’s season 2 finale, that isn’t the case for Player 044, aka Seon-nyeo.

Played inSquid Game’s ensemble castby Chae Cook-hee, Player 044’s first few moments on screen indicate that she’s going to play a complex role in the Games. Offputting and somewhat of a wild card, she enters with an ego and hot-tempered disposition that teases her as an obstacle to Gi-hun’s revolution. It’s revealed thatPlayer 044 was once a renowned and powerful Korean shaman, who was responsible for giving prophecies and curses. Her remarkable intuition and reputation even result in Player 044 gathering followers in the Games, hinting at a deeper purpose for the Shaman’s eccentricities.

There Has To Be A Greater Purpose To Player 044 In Squid Game

Her Role Has To Have More Meaning In Squid Game’s Future & Twists

WhileSquid Gameseason 1 had its fair share of wildcard players who were unpredictable and whose loyalties were difficult to decipher, there seems to be a bigger purpose for Player 044 than simply highlighting how eccentric the personalities of those who join these games can be. Rather,Player 044 introduces a more cult-like aspect to the Games that wasn’t present inSquid Gameseason 1. Whether real or not, her powers have begun to influence other vulnerable players in these Games who are already very susceptible to suggestion, manipulation, and believing the influence of higher powers being at play.

Every Player In Squid Game Season 2 Explained

Squid Game season 2 introduces a new set of players who come with their own unique backstories, struggles, and dreams of winning big at the games.

Many of the people who joined these Games are lost and in search of some guidance or force to lead them in their lives and, hopefully, allow them to surviveSquid Game’s competitionsand leave with the money they need in the outside world. Player 044’s history as a shaman and ability to analyze the other players so accurately gave some of those people a figure to believe in and, hopefully, protect them – even if it ultimately proves misguided.

Seong Gi-hun

Lee Jun-jae

It’s clear that the Shaman wants to stay in the Games regardless of the bloodshed and lethal risk, but her full motivations for doing so, regardless of the money, seem to go deeper. Perhaps she does have powers of intuition that show her certain outcomes of the Games, or allow her to curse and manipulate others into losing. Maybe she was chosen bySquid Game’s Recruiterto add a more mystical and unpredictable layer to these Games’ player dynamics. Whatever the case,Player 044’s purpose can’t simply be as the wild card, especially after she seemingly predicted Gi-hun’s grim future.

Player 044 Looks At Player 222 Before Telling Gi-Hun There’s A Reason He Returned

Image via Netflix

It would be easy to dismiss Player 044’s odd behavior and cryptic lines as simple eccentricities, but there area few crucial moments inSquid Gameseason 2 that suggest her mystical abilities may have some credibility. The hit Netflix show is certainly leading audiences to believe that there’s some truth in her predictions and powers, and that makes Gi-hun’s future all the more worrying. After already correctly predicting that Gi-hun had played the Games before, and thus also won, a strange interaction between the two hints that she knows Gi-hun will die inSquid Gameseason 3.

Squid Gameseason 3 is confirmed to premiere on Netflix in 2025.

In season 2, episode 3, Seon-nyeo confronts Gi-hun and tells him that his return was for a deeper purpose outside his will, offering to rid him of his bad karma. Gi-hun ignores her, but she brings up his fate again in episode 6. In the game where players must form groups of 10, Player 044 runs into the room with Gi-hun’s group. She soontakes a beat to stare at Player 222 and her pregnant belly, immediately looks at Gi-hun and says, “So there’s a reason you’ve lived longer than you were destined to,”then looks back at Player 222.

If Player 044’s prediction is correct, then Gi-hun’s purpose in returning to the Games and delaying the death he was “destined” to have is because he’s meant to save Player 222 and the baby for some greater purpose.

The implication here is that Player 222 is not only the reason why Gi-hun returned to the Games, but also why he’ll die there. Gi-hun and his group have formed a close bond with and become protective ofPlayer 222 and her baby, soPlayer 044’s line suggests that Gi-hun will end up sacrificing himself to save Kim Jun-hee. If Player 044’s prediction is correct, then Gi-hun’s purpose in returning to the Games and delaying the death he was “destined” to have is because he’s meant to save Player 222 and the baby for some greater purpose.

Gi-hun Saving Player 222 Would Be A Fitting Fate For Him In Squid Game

Gi-hun Would Be Able To Save A Family After Failing His Own

It’sunlikely that Gi-hun will surviveSquid Gameseason 3, and sacrificing himself to save Player 222 would be a fitting conclusion to his story.Gi-hun’s arc inSquid Gamehas largely involved the notion that he’s failed his family, especially concerning his daughter. Additionally, Gi-hun was plagued by guilt afterSquid Gameseason 1 when he failed to save Sae-byeok’s life, so being able to sacrifice himself for Player 222 and her baby would give him the peace of self-redemption. If he couldn’t save his own family, maybe he could save this one.

Squid Game

Cast

Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.