Hidden Clues in Squid Game That You Probably Didn’t Realise

How many of these did you catch?
By: agnes
October 1, 2021

If you’re subscribed to Netflix, you might have seen the Korean drama, Squid Game, on Netflix’s top 10 weekly most-watched. Since its release, Squid Game has reached number one in 90 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Due to the thrilling twist in the Squid Game series, you might have been too invested to know that there were actually hidden clues all along the way. I know I missed some, maybe even all of them. But Glitz went on the hunt and found some hidden Squid Game clues that you probably didn’t realise throughout the show.

What is Squid Game?

Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show tells the story of 456 people who were invited to play six Korean childhood games in order to win large amounts of money. Squid Game focuses on eight main characters, particularly Seong Gi-hun (player 456). He meets different players from various walks of life, including his junior Cho Sang-woo (player 218), a smart student from Seoul National University. Gi-hun also befriends an old man, Oh Il-Nam (player 001). Eventually, he forms a team with Abdul Ali (player 199) and Kang Sae-Byeok (player 067).

However, spoiler alert: what all 456 players didn’t know was that losing any of these games would lead to a deadly end.

Did You Realise These Hidden Clues in Squid Game?

1. Games were drawn on the walls in Squid Game

Did you remember when Sang-woo was focused on figuring out the next game in order to prepare his team? The games were already drawn on the walls before Squid Game even started! This may not be the easiest hidden Squid Game clue because when all 456 players were in the room, their beds were stacked and the drawings were blocked. As more players got eliminated, the hidden clues became more obvious, yet no one realised it.

2. Squid Game’s creepy doll did not scan Oh Il-nam

While this hidden clue was a little difficult to catch, the scanning scene went by pretty fast. If you paused the video exactly when the doll was scanning Oh Il-nam, known as player 001, you can see that there was no green overlay on him, only a green outline. However, when the Squid Game doll scanned all the other players, everyone had an obvious green overlay. Player 001 was also creepily happy when playing ‘Red Light, Green Light’, as if he knew he was never going to get shot.

3. The deadly night fight coincidentally ends when Player 001 screams

This was probably the first hidden clue indicating that Player 001 may not just be the old and frail man we thought he was. Why did the Front Man in Squid Game coincide with ending the deadly night fight specifically when Oh Il-Nam started shouting? Some may suggest that ‘pity’ played a part, but in a merciless death game, would the Front Man really feel empathy for an old man whose fate seems obvious? It could be because the old man was someone valuable to the Front Man. From this hidden clue, we were sure that Oh Il-Nam had a role in this whole Squid Game.

4. Sang-woo keeping Ali’s marbles ‘safe’ was too obvious

It’s unfortunate that Ali trusted Sang-woo so much, allowing him to pull such a stunt. As soon as Sang-woo laid his jacket over Ali’s sack of marbles, we knew that Ali wouldn’t get back his marbles. Throughout Squid Game, Sang-woo consistently thought critically about his next moves. However, he made a grave mistake by choosing Ali as his partner for the Gganbu game, which required players to battle their partners. Initially, it was clear that Ali was winning until Sang-woo assured Ali that both of them would walk out of that game. Ultimately, Ali was killed off in this episode. Did you realize this hidden clue? Or did you think Sang-woo actually tied Ali’s sack of marbles to his neck?

5. There was no information paper on Player 001 in the Squid Game file

When Hwang Jun-ho, a police officer who snuck into Squid Game to find his missing brother, encountered the Squid Game file, the first page contained information on Player 002. While many of you might have caught this hidden clue, it reaffirms that Oh Il-Nam truly had something to do with Squid Game.

6. Player 001 was killed off but not shown

Another obvious clue emerged when Oh Il-Nam lost the marbles game to Seong Gi-hun. Gi-hun cheated and lied to win while Il-Nam ‘faked’ having dementia. Player 001 then handed his last marble to Gi-hun, allowing him to win the game, which meant Player 001 would be killed off. However, the killing of Player 001 was not shown, as Gi-hun walked away with clear regret and devastation.

7. Front Man talks to someone on the phone about the game after Player 001 died

Immediately after the Gganbu game, the Front Man was seen answering a call on his phone. He thanked someone, saying he was glad that the person enjoyed the game. While this clue was cleverly hidden among discussions of ‘VIPs’ arriving, we can’t help but suspect that Player 001, Oh Il-nam, was the caller. Particularly since the call came right after the game concluded. Did you notice this hidden clue too?

8. Man putting down the golden mask had very old hands

This was the most significant hidden clue we noticed. When the mask was placed down on the table by the host of Squid Game, the man had very old hands. These hands matched Player 001, as we recognized them from close-ups during the Gganbu episode. By then, we were convinced that Player 001, Oh Il-nam, was indeed the host of Squid Game. While we’re sure the directors intended this hidden clue, many viewers were likely too emotional to guess, given how the Gganbu game struck a chord.

9. Front Man took a long look at Jun-ho’s ID

Did you notice the hidden clue in this scene? Jun-ho killed a Squid Game staff member and infiltrated the Squid Game headquarters, but not before disposing of the staff’s body at sea, along with his own police ID. When the Front Man learned of a body found at sea, he took an unusually long time examining Jun-ho’s ID. Ultimately, this was explained, as the Front Man turned out to be Jun-ho’s missing brother, who had previously won Squid Game but never returned home. Another hidden clue for Season 2?

It’s no surprise that Squid Game managed to obtain 100% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. It invokes a roller coaster of emotions, and these hidden clues make Squid Game much more engaging to watch. We’ll be marking our calendars for Season 2 for sure. What about you?

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