Everyone who has watched Squid Game knows it is a battle of the minds. It may seem like a physical game because of the mechanics but what truly lies in the center of it is how you strategize. We have seen the characters play five deadly games, and we have witnessed how each of them responded to the events.
In this list, we ranked up characters based on their level of intelligence. This is according to how they performed in the game, with all the styles and techniques they utilized to succeed. Of course, including the art of deception because that’s also a method of winning. Here we go:
Jang Deok-Su (Player 101)
He is known as the bully gangster who only cares about himself. He made it until the half of the fifth game because he is cunning in an evil way. His strategies usually involve force and threat. He even admitted that he would not die for anyone in the game.
Although he isn’t the most intelligent, he still has advantages over other players. Using whatever resources he has is still a genius tactic, whether it be intimidation, deceit, or pushing your co-player against the glass so you will know if it’s tempered or not.
Kang Sae-Byeok (Player 67)
She is quiet, untrusting, and brave, probably due to her background as a refugee from North Korea. Her strength and determination to give her family a good life is what pushed her to join the Squid Game.
Player 67 usually stays away from her co-players and does not like interacting with them. Eventually, she manages to lower her guard a bit and became a teammate with the group of Player 456, the main protagonist. This is one of her strategies for survival and protection against Player 101.
Seong Gi-Hun (Player 456)
The main hero in the story is portrayed as a weakling who cannot get his life together. He has no sense of direction and always disappoints everyone around him. This is more or less his disadvantage inside the game.
But Player 456 managed to figure out how to win the Honeycomb Game. He also used to his advantage, although regretfully, Player 001’s dementia to trick him during the Marble Game. It was during moments as helpless as these that Gi-Hun’s intuition works at its best.
Cho Sang-Woo (Player 218)
He is undoubtedly the most cunning player in the bunch. Player 218 is desperate to win the game, and he uses his cleverness to outsmart his co-players. He did not tell his teammates about the Honeycomb game. Worst, he tricked his friend Ali by switching the marbles with stones.
His savage methods of survival are the reasons why he managed to finish in the final round. The audience can call him cruel but no one can deny that he’s smart.
Oh Il-Nam (Player 001)
The elderly man is definitely the brightest among the players. He managed to fool everyone, and we give him the credit for that. Aside from his deception, he managed to organize a game as monumental as Squid Game.
He meticulously planned all the mechanics, and he managed not to get caught while pretending to be one of the players.
