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Hero Overview

Kang Dae-ho (강대호 Gang Dae-ho?), also known as Player 388, is a major character in Season 2 of Netflix's South Korean survival thriller series Squid Game. He is a self-claimed former marine and contestant of the 2024 Squid Game.

Biography[]

Background[]

Dae-ho grew up with four older sisters, spending most of his childhood engaging in activities typically considered "girly" by societal norms. This upbringing made him skilled in games and activities often associated with women. However, his father disapproved of his interests and decided to enroll him in the marines, hoping to instill discipline and a more traditional masculinity. By 2024, Dae-ho had amassed significant debt, prompting him to join the Squid Game.

Squid Game[]

Dae-ho first makes his appearance in episode three, having already survived Red Light, Green Light. Though his decision to continue the games by voting "O" happens offscreen, he later admits to becoming a fan of Seong Gi-hun, impressed by his quick thinking and warnings about the games' dangers. During a conversation, Dae-ho bonds with Park Jung-bae over their shared experience in the marines, addressing him respectfully as "sir" and instinctively reverting to a soldier's demeanor. When the next game is revealed to be Six Legs instead of the expected Dalgona, Dae-ho remains loyal to Gi-hun. He helps form a team and recruits another marine but agrees to replace him with Kim Jun-hee when she pleads for help, revealing her pregnancy. For the game gong-gi, associated with girls, Dae-ho unexpectedly volunteers to play, citing his childhood experience with his sisters. Despite initial skepticism from the team, he executes the game flawlessly, securing their victory by a narrow margin. During the next vote, Dae-ho chooses "X" to end the games but admits he came close to voting "O." When Jung-bae, ashamed of his decision to vote "O," considers distancing himself from the group, Dae-ho convinces him to stay, though he becomes visibly uneasy discussing his own past and reasons for joining the marines. To divert attention, Dae-ho shifts the focus to lighter topics like the meanings of their names. For the Mingle game, Dae-ho's team joins forces with a group of five others, including Cho Hyun-ju, Kim Young-mi, and Jang Geum-ja, along with Seon-nyeo. The group survives the first two rounds, though their numbers dwindle. During a critical round requiring six players, chaos ensues when Young-mi is accidentally left behind, and Lee Myung-gi takes her place at the last second, saving the group but sacrificing Young-mi. Hyun-ju is furious, blaming Myung-gi, but Dae-ho sides with Jun-hee, who defends the decision, arguing that there was no time to save Young-mi. As the numbers drop, Dae-ho narrowly survives each round, eventually pairing with Gi-hun to make it to the final two.

Conflict and Revolt[]

After the Mingle game, tensions rise between contestants who voted "O" and those who voted "X." Dae-ho participates in a heated argument when an "O" voter insults him, revealing his marine tattoo in a show of intimidation. Although a full-blown conflict is avoided, the atmosphere remains tense. When Gi-hun warns that the "O" side might attack during the night, Dae-ho agrees to a counterplan involving an ambush on the guards. Despite his military background, Dae-ho struggles during the revolt, shooting aimlessly and wasting his ammunition. When the group runs out of bullets, he volunteers to retrieve more from the dormitory. Alone in the dormitory, Dae-ho begins searching through the bodies of fallen guards while talking to himself, clearly distressed. When Yong-sik contacts him via radio, Dae-ho is unable to explain his actions coherently. Overwhelmed, he suffers a panic attack, leaving his allies without the much-needed ammunition. Hyun-ju later finds Dae-ho hiding under a bed, shaking uncontrollably. She tries to calm him and retrieve the bullets, but he breaks down, apologizing repeatedly. Before she can act, guards enter the room, and Dae-ho complies with their orders, too paralyzed by fear to resist.

Navigation[]

           Squid Game logo render Heroes

Players
33rd Squid Game
Seong Gi-hun | Cho Sang-woo | Kang Sae-byeok | Ali Abdul | Han Mi-nyeo | Ji-yeong
36th Squid Game
Team X (Seong Gi-hun | Park Jung-bae | Kang Dae-ho | Cho Hyun-ju | Jang Geum-ja | Park Yong-sik | Lee Myung-gi | Kim Jun-hee | Park Gyeong-seok | Se-mi)

Others
Hwang Jun-ho | Choi Woo-seok | Mercenaries (Kim)

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