Gi-hun, I... I really tr... tried to do my best. I... wasn't a Marine, okay? I lied about that also, I never even served. I never fired a gun. My tattoo... my tattoo is fake too. I lied so I could team up with you... with you guys, and maybe... even a fucking loser like me... would have a chance to survive!
Kang Dae-ho admitting the truth to Seong Gi-hun in "The Starry Night"
Kang Dae-ho (강대호 Gang Dae-ho?), also known as Player 388, was a contestant of the 37th Squid Game. He was an ally of Seong Gi-hun and Park Jung-bae, whom he forms a bond with due to his faked military service. It is revealed that Dae-ho was actually a Social Services Personnel, which is a type of military service for those who are deemed unable to serve in the regular military service, as for mentally challenged people and disabled people.
Personality[]
Kang Dae-ho was a respectful young man. He showed great discipline, however he lied about serving in the Marines, rather he served as a Social Services Personnel.
Dae-ho is shown to have a strong moral compass. Upon Gi-hun informing them the 2nd game he played in the past was Dalgona, Dae-ho suggested they all pick the triangle. He also planned to switch to X immediately after the 2nd round and actually kept his word on doing so. This was despite of the fact the prize money not being enough to cover his debt, being the only X player to do so other than Lee Myung-gi. When Myung-gi was being jumped by Thanos and Nam-gyu, he agreed with Jung-bae they should intervene before the former get seriously injured and later in the bathroom, he offered to protect Myung-gi alongside the rest of his team if he was bullied again. During Mingle, Dae-ho, alongside Jun-hee, defends Myung-gi when Cho Hyun-ju blames him for Kim Young-mi's death, agreeing that he saved their lives and there wasn't enough time to save her.
During the Revolt, Dae-ho gets scared and abandons his task upon seeing a corpse. Dae-ho only began to crack from the pressure when the shootout fully unfolded and after witnessing Player 072 being killed right in front of him. It is subtly implied that Dae-ho's father was abusive, as he mentions that his father disapproved of his interests that his four sisters instilled in him. Furthermore, when Dae-ho is suffering a trauma episode and fearfully hides in the dorms, Hyun-ju approaches him to retrieve the magazines he was sent for, but he reflexively flinches when Hyun-ju simply raises her hand, apparently anticipating her to hit him, which may imply childhood abuse he suffered from his father that still affects him decades later. That means his father would torture him more than we already thought.
History[]
Background[]
Dae-ho grew up around four older sisters and spent most of his time playing games with them, leading to him being an expert in things considered feminine by societal standards. Sometime later, Dae-ho is forced by his father to join the military service to prove that he was masculine enough, which did not happen because Dae-ho was chosen as a Social Services Personnel, implying that he was not considered mentally fit to go to the regular Military service. Eventually, he receives a Marine tattoo, in spite of never having been one.
Dae-ho had accumulated ₩630 million in debt and decided to enter the Squid Game.
2024[]
Off-screen, Dae-ho successfully completed Red Light, Green Light. Later, his player number is called, but Player 389 walks up to vote. He votes to continue the games off-screen.
Dae-ho first appears in "Six Legs". He proclaims to have become a 'fan' of Seong Gi-hun after he saved everyone during the game by expressing his knowledge about the games. He and Gi-hun's old friend, Park Jung-bae, discover that they were both in the marines (though, Dae-ho lied for his own protection), something to which Dae-ho reacts to by addressing Jung-bae as 'sir' and acting like a soldier.
When the second game is not Dalgona, as Gi-hun has predicted, but in fact Six Legs, Dae-ho is one of the only contestants to stick by him. He finds a former marine to be their teams' final member, but they are interrupted by Kim Jun-hee who asks for their help, as she is pregnant. She joins their team instead and is asked to play gonggi due to it being a game associated with women, but Dae-ho volunteers, hurriedly stating he only knows how to play because he has sisters. As they wait for their turn, Dae-ho is told by the others to practice the flip and other moves. When they reach the Gonggi, Dae-ho perfectly does the entire sequence, shocking everyone. Their team barely manages to pass.
For the next vote, Dae-ho switches to "X" to end the games, but admits he almost voted "O". Jung-bae votes "O", and Dae-ho convinces him to re-join the group despite his shame, although he becomes uncomfortable at Jung-bae's reaction to his revelation he almost voted "O". Their team all begin to discuss their lives, but when Jung-bae begins asking about Dae-ho's home life and reasons for joining the marines, he hurriedly changes the subject to their names and what they mean. When heading to the restroom later, he, Young-il and Jung-bae witness Thanos almost attacking Lee Myung-gi before backing off (Young-il earlier protected Myung-gi and beat Thanos up for jumping him alongside Nam-gyu). Dae-ho tells Myung-gi if they harass him again, he can ask their team for help, but Myung-gi tells the three that he can take care of himself. Before lights out, Dae-ho learned from Gi-hun while the group moves their mattresses to the ground that players can start a fight when they're about to sleep, that killing each other adds more prize money to the piggy bank, which was part of how the whole game was designed.
The third game is Mingle, and for the first round (groups of ten) Dae-ho's team of five joins up with the four-person team of Cho Hyun-ju, Kim Young-mi, Jang Geum-ja, and Park Yong-sik, as well as Seon-nyeo. For the next round of four, 001 leaves the group to allow them to survive, and Dae-ho is relieved when he also survives to next round. For the round of three, Dae-ho splits with Jung-bae and Jun-hee, again surviving. For the following round of six, Dae-ho quickly volunteers to join the other group of four with Jun-hee, and after Dae-ho first runs into an already occupied room, Hyun-ju finds an empty one. In the confusion, Young-mi is knocked over and left behind, with Myung-gi taking her place, saving everyone inside the room due to the lack of time but leaving her to die. Hyun-ju blames him, but Jun-hee defends him, with Dae-ho agreeing with her and also defending him, stating there was no time for Young-mi to have made it to the room. In the final round, the number is two, and Dae-ho survives by pairing with Gi-hun.
After the round ends, Dae-ho and his allies' debate whether to try and convince people who voted "O" to switch or not. Dae-ho again votes "X", but the vote is a tie, and Dae-ho becomes worried when Jung-bae vaguely gives a warning about 001. He later brings this up in front of 001 but is stopped by Jung-bae. When an argument begins between the two factions, Dae-ho becomes offended when one of the "O" sides calls him a coward, so reveals his military tattoo and begins advancing, starting a conflict. However, both sides are calmed down before anything too drastic happens.
Dae-ho learns of a bathroom fight leading to multiple deaths, and Gi-hun warns them that the "O" side will likely attack them tonight. He agrees and joins Gi-hun's plan to allow their side to be attacked and likely killed, then to attack the guards and start a revolt. They successfully overpower the guards and begin the revolt outside. Despite his supposed knowledge in combat, Dae-ho quickly becomes terrified, shooting over the top of the barriers without looking and wasting all of his bullets quickly. When everyone begins to run out of bullets, Dae-ho volunteers to return to the dormitory to collect more. He manages to reach the room and begins hurriedly searching through the deceased guards whilst talking to himself. Sensing something is wrong, Yong-sik asks him what is happening and where everyone else is; Dae-ho attempts to explain his job but is terrified and unable to articulate himself. When his allies begin radioing in, Dae-ho suffers a panic attack and does not return, and instead hurries back to the dormitory.
Hyun-ju arrives to see what happened and collect more bullets, where she discovers Dae-ho shaking and hiding on one of the beds. She attempts to talk to him and retrieve the bullets, but he breaks down and repeatedly apologizes. Many guards suddenly enter to control the situation, which Dae-ho complies with.
Later, after the rebellion's failure, Dae-ho would remain hidden on his bunk in the dormitory and would then briefly leave his bunk to witness a bunch of pink guards delivering a coffin carrying an unconscious Gi-hun in the dormitory. Dae-ho then returns to his bunk and trembles in fear after witnessing Gi-hun attempting to end his own life following the rebellion's failure. Following this, Dae-ho voted "X" once again and then ate his sweet potatoes from his bunk before sleeping for the night.
The next morning, Dae-ho woke up and would get uncomfortable from the distorted morning alarm (due to the speakers getting damaged during the revolt) before witnessing Gi-hun giving him a death glare for his failure to deliver the magazines to his team during the revolt. Afterwards, Dae-ho and the remaining players are taken through the staircase maze where the bodies of the deceased rebels (including Jung-bae but excluding "Young-il" and Gyeong-seok) are hanged, causing him to shake in fear and almost throw up, and would get even more frightened after turning to Gi-hun and finding him still angrily staring at him. Later, before the start of the fourth game Hide and Seek, Dae-ho would be assigned to the blue team as a hider and given a key. After finding out Gi-hun is a seeker and would come for him, Dae-ho tries desperately swapping his place with some other seekers, but to no avail. Dae-ho would then get tired at Gi-hun staring at him and would furiously confront him and tell him its his fault the rebellion failed, and would attempt to shake him before getting stopped by a pink soldier. Dae-ho would then enter the maze and get a 2 minute head start alongside the other hiders and would then attempt to hide from Gi-hun and the other seekers.
While trying to hide, he was attacked by Player 359. Dae-ho managed to overpower him and kicked him down the stairs, it's unknown if Player 359 died on impact or if he just got knocked unconscious and was later finished off by guards.
Sometime after that, Gi-hun starts following Dae-ho, who quickly tries to run all around the place, and Gi-hun quickly chases after, then, Dae-ho tries to unlock a door with his key, however It leads for a dead end for Dae-ho, when he tries to turn back, he is quickly held at knife point by Gi-hun, he begs for mercy, and when Gi-hun was going to kill him, he realized It was not really Dae-ho and in fact a player with a similar appearance to him, Player 197, Gi-hun spares him and later sees the real Dae-ho on the second floor.
Fate[]
It's all your fault... It's your...
Kang Dae-ho's last words to Seong Gi-hun in "The Starry Night"
Eventually, Gi-hun caught up to Dae-ho, who he would strangle to death. Just before his death, Dae-ho told him that the failure of the Revolt was his fault, and not his own. Despite this, Gi-hun was emotionally traumatized at killing his former friend with his own hands and began to blame himself for the failed revolt. He would later attempt to commit suicide only for the Pink Guards to knock him unconscious.
Kill count[]
| Character | Information | Image/GIF |
|---|---|---|
| "Friend or Foe" Rebellion | ||
| Unnamed Soldier | Hit them with a broken glass bottle over his head during the Revolt | 
|
| "The Starry Night" Hide and Seek | ||
| Player 359 | Kicked him down the stairs that either killed him or knocked him out, causing him to be shot by the guards for failing to kill a player. | 
|
| Character | Information | Image/GIF |
|---|---|---|
| "The Starry Night" Hide and Seek | ||
| Seong Gi-hun | Attempted to stab him after thinking Gi-hun killed his friends to win the games for himself. | 
|
Trivia[]
- His fear of gunshots can be seen many times around S2, with him quickly flinching and covering his ears when any gunshots happen (during Six-Legged Pentathlon and the Revolt).
- Due to dialogue referencing the Vietnam War, which has sparked criticism for allegedly distorting history. Vietnamese state media outlet Lao Dong reported on Monday that the Culture Ministry’s Cinema Department is reviewing whether the second season of Squid Game violates Vietnam’s laws.
- He saved Cho Hyun-ju his retreat in the rebellion drew her back to him, while all the others were killed.
- It is likely that he was abused as a child. When he was asked about his family/past, he quickly changed the subject. When Hyun-ju asked him where the ammo was in the revolt, he flinched, and covered his head reflexively with his hands when Hyun-ju grabbed the ammo. And when he was asked why he joined the marines, he lied and said "It was my dad's idea. He said I had to be tougher." Which could mean that Dae-ho was 'sensitive' when he was (possibly) hit or physically punished.
- This is further reinforced by the fact that Dae-ho was part of community service instead of active military duty. In Korea, military service is mandatory for all men, but those deemed physically or mentally unfit are assigned to lighter community service tasks. This suggests that Dae-ho may have struggled with both physical and emotional challenges growing up, which could explain his nervousness, fear in high-pressure situations, and tendency to fabricate a tougher persona to fit in with his peers.
- Dae-ho is the only friend of Gi-hun that was directly killed by him.
- Gi-hun and Kim Yeong-sam are the only players that know that Dae-ho isn't actually in the Marines.
- Dae-ho claims that "Dae" means big, and "ho" means tiger.
- In reality, “Dae” actually means great and “ho” actually means hero.
- He is one of the few characters whose elimination wasn’t announced in Hide and Seek.
- Kang Dae-ho was the last Hider to be eliminated in Hide and Seek. He is also the only Hider who wasn’t killed by stabbing.
- He is one of the few major characters who is not seen during the Red Light Green Light game.
- Dae-ho is one of the few main characters whose exact motive that led him to participate in The Squid Games is unknown.
- In "It's Not Your Fault", four stars can be seen above Dae-ho's corpse, which may resemble his four sisters.
- He has the same surname as his actor, Kang Ha-neul. But in Kang Ha-neul's case, his real first name is Kim.
- He shares his name with the alias of a character from the 2013 film Commitment, which was played by T.O.P, the actor who plays Thanos in Squid Game.
- After the failure of the revolt, Dae-ho distanced himself greatly from his allies, which is why after the fourth game no one seemed to care about his absence.
- Dae-ho is the only one of Jun-hee's friends who were still alive who never found out that she gave birth.
Mistakes[]
- At the first voting, when his number is called, Player 389 is seen going to vote instead.
- In the English dub and sub, when Dae-ho supposedly admits that he wasn't a marine, in the episode The Starry Night, in Korean (the series original language), Dae-ho says that he served as a Social Services Personnel instead of a Marine, so he never got to shoot a gun properly.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Kang Dae-ho is portrayed by Kang Ha-neul,[4] and voiced in the English dub by Caleb Yen.[5] and French dub its Fabrice Lelyon. During his gonggi scene in Six Legged Pentathlon, Ha-neul was doubled by gonggi expert Park Jong-Nam.
The reason of why Park Jong-nam played Dae-ho in the gonggi scene is because Kang Ha-neul has his pinky finger separated from birth, which made the gonggi stones fall from his hand on stage 5, so the director called Jong-nam (a Gonggi expert) so that he could help Ha-neul in that scene.[6]
Appearances[]
- Season Two
- "001" (icon)
- "Six Legs"
- "One More Game"
- "O X"
- "Friend or Foe"
- Season Three
- "Keys and Knives"
- "The Starry Night"
- "It's Not Your Fault" (corpse)
Gallery[]
Season Two[]
Dae-ho gets held back by Park Yong-sik and Player 072 from fighting Yeong-sam and Team O.
Season Three[]
Promotional[]
Behind the scenes[]
.jpg "Squid game behind the scenes daeho (1).jpg (95 KB)")
.jpg "Squid game behind the scenes daeho (2).jpg (96 KB)")
.jpg "Squid game behind the scenes daeho (3).jpg (93 KB)")
.jpg "Squid game behind the scenes daeho (5).jpg (96 KB)")
.jpg "Squid game behind the scenes daeho (4).jpg (118 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ Under the traditional Korean age system, which was changed in June 2023, a year is added to a person's age after birth, meaning he would've been born in 1988. His birth year, as stated, is given under the international age system.
- ↑ https://squid-game.fandom.com/wiki/File:Character_Profiles-_How_much_debt_do_they_have%3F_-_Squid_Game_Season_3_-_Netflix_-ENG_SUB-
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Tudum Staff (December 12, 2024). Squid Game Takes Over Seoul for the Season 2 Premiere. Retrieved on December 22, 2024.
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10919420/characters/nm9242088
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qbVkkBY5TaM?t=146