‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Finale: Meaning Of Gi-Hun’s Last Words Explained

When ‘Squid Game’ first premiered, horses were used as metaphors. We saw Gi-hun going to horse races, trying his luck at winning big with a lucrative bet. He was drowning in financial ruin, and that became the junction for joining the games. The powers behind ‘Squid Game’ fed on desperate people, right? So, soon enough, Gi-hun became something of a racehorse for the amusement of the elites.

The rich people bet on players, much like animals. In fact, the Front Man made it clear to Gi-hun: “You bet on horses. It’s the same here, but we bet on humans. You’re our horses.” Suddenly, Gi-hun’s rights, voice, and agency were gone. Being poor felt like the greatest curse. He saw people being used as pawns and dying for the sheer pleasure of those who like to bet on humans in deadly games.

In his naivety, back in season 1, Gi-hun had snapped and said, “Listen carefully. I’m not a horse. I’m a person. That’s why I wanna know who you people are… and how you can commit such atrocities against people.” However, when Gi-hun understands all is done and lost in the finale, and he chooses to die so that the baby can win, his last words are cutting: “We are not horses. We are humans. Humans are…” Yes, he doesn’t finish that sentence, yet his protest against the nature of the games is deafening.

The man’s morality was compromised and he witnessed the absolute worst of humanity, yet he clung to the hope that we should be better. By his last breath, Gi-hun has lost faith in what humans are, but he still could never accept that they are mere horses.

Why Gi-Hun Chose To Die In The ‘Squid Game’ Finale

Gi-hun reached the last round of ‘Squid Game‘ with Jun-hee’s newborn wrapped around his chest. He was given a chance by the Front Man to kill the other players in their drunken stupor the night before the final game. This is where we found out In-ho had taken that offer when it was presented to him when he was a participant. But, Gi-hun couldn’t go for that kind of survival that requires bloodlust.

So, we saw him in the arena where players debated eliminating the baby, but one after the other, they fell. At last, the baby’s father, Myung-gi, was ready to kill the kid to save himself. We could see Gi-hun’s disbelief and utter disgust. But Myung-gi was always psychopathic. In a brutal knife fight on the last tower, Gi-hun bested his opponent. It was then down to him and the baby for the winning bid.

While the spectators debated, Gi-hun hugged and kissed the kid before sacrificing himself, knowing his mission to stop the games was a failure. But he couldn’t live with himself anymore and the baby was the last ray of hope.

The Front Man picked up the winner – Player 222 – and later gave the baby to his brother, Jun-ho. Gi-hun died upon his fall and the island blew up. In-ho’s last act was giving Gi-hun’s prize money to his daughter in the United States. The cruel twist though? The games continue and Cate Blanchett made a surprise cameo as an American recruiter playing ddakji with a homeless man.

So, there was no stopping Squid Game. It’s a global enterprise. Gi-hun was just one man, trying to stop a horrible organization. But, the bleak conclusion remains: as long as there are desperate people, there will always be those who take advantage. And, they will not know what they signed up for, or what happened to their conscience before it’s too late.