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This character is so dastardly, hated and popular that this character was voted most hated character of: March 2022. |
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"Mature Content Warning!" |
Jang Deok-su (Korean: 장덕수), also referred to as Player 101, is a major antagonist in the first season of the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game. He is a gangster boss in South Korea who decided to participate in Oh Il-nam's 2020 Squid Game in order to pay off the debts he owes to the mafia and to a Filipino casino.
He was portrayed by Heo Sung-tae, and dubbed by Paul Nakauchi in the English dub and Masaki Aizawa in the Japanese dub.
What Makes Him a Hate Sink?[]
- His reason for joining the Squid Game was to pay the debts he owes to the mafia, after he stole the money from his own minions and then from his boss. Later, he also gambled and lost a lot of money to a Filipino casino, so his motives aren't sympathetic at all.
- When he awakens in the Squid Game, he confronts Kang Sae-byeok, beating her up for betraying and leaving him, which possibly would've killed her had Seong Gi-hun not intervened. This case is hypocritical because Deok-su also betrayed the mafia, which caused him to be in the games.
- He mocked Sae-byeok for her North Korean heritage.
- After leaving the game via the vote, Deok-su planned to break into the Squid Game's facility to steal all the money in the piggy bank (also telling his men to bring guns so they can massacre the guards and facility), once again showing he is willing to cheat and use brute means to get the money instead of playing according to the rules of the games before he was double crossed by his own men.
- When one of his thugs betrayed him, he stabbed the thug to death (though due to betraying him to the gangsters and his stupidity, he absolutely deserved it).
- He and his gang cut the line to get more food, depriving a few other players of food. When Player 271 called him out for cutting the line, Deok-su angrily assaulted him and kicked him to death. While this was accidental, Deok-su showed no remorse (even sadistically smirking) when he realized that killing between the games would have no consequences.
- He conspired with Byeong-gi, who gained inside information from the guards in exchange for the dead participants' organs and used the information to prepare in advance for the following games.
- Upon realizing that the guards would not intervene during the games' grace periods, Deok-su started a riot with his team during the first lights-out period to kill as many contestants as possible to gain an advantage. Deok-su targeted weaker contestants, such as Sae-byeok, while also killing the player who called him out for stealing food. This riot resulted in the deaths of 27 players.
- When Player 331 tackled him, causing him to fail at killing Sae-byeok, he brutally stabbed 331 to death.
- While he developed a sexual relationship with Han Mi-nyeo, he immediately ditched her when he found out the next game was Tug-of-War, instead grouping with stronger men.
- Sadistically slaughtered the 10 other players in Tug-of-War, even laughing after they fell to their deaths. In contrast, his teammates were shocked and horrified by their deaths. After he wins the game with his team, he tells the protagonist's team he wishes he could have killed them, too.
- He intended to start another riot. He approached Gi-hun and his team in an attempt to intimidate them, likely intending to attack and kill them first. He only relented out of fear when Gi-hun pointed out that he couldn't trust his minions.
- In the Marbles game, he was very ecstatic after winning against Player 278, even though it meant the latter would get killed. He had no remorse for causing his death (though, to be fair, Player 278 also felt ecstatic upon beating him in the first round and even mocked him despite knowing he could die).
- When he saw that Player 069 committed suicide after being unable to live after the death of his wife, Deok-su unsympathetically laughed at him, unlike the players who were saddened (even Sang-woo, who unintentionally pushed him to suicide).
- When it is announced that players should choose one of the vests with numbers for the fifth game (the order they would play), he violently pushes Player 322 aside for picking the same number as him.
- Repeatedly threatened to push the players in front of him to their deaths on the glass bridge.
- He stopped in the middle of the bridge, proclaiming his refusal to move and that the other players should take the fall for him due to his cowardice, which would've resulted in the deaths of all players, including his own if the game's time limit had expired.
- Hypocritically accused Player 322 of holding up the line and then pushed him to his death.
- When confronted by Han Mi-nyeo, he misogynistically insulted her as she grabbed him and took him down with her, causing Deok-su to die disgracefully.
- He is the most hateable and evil out of all of the antagonists in Squid Game, even more than the people behind the games, as the mastermind Oh Il-nam had genuine affability and redeeming qualities, and the Front Man is honorable and punishes unfair cheating.
- Due to how monstrous he is, he's one of the few characters that not only no audiences feel sad or pitiful toward his death, but they even cheered, due to how karmic and well-deserved it is.
- The existence of people like Deok-su is most likely the reason why Oh Il-nam lose faith in humanity.
Trivia[]
- His actor, Heo Sung-tae, is a very kind and good-hearted actor, unlike Jang Deok-su, who is very vicious.
- His name in Korean mean "morality", which is very ironic, as he's anything but moral.
External Links[]
- Jang Deok-su on the Villains Wiki.
- Jang Deok-su on the Pure Evil Wiki.
- Jang Deok-su on the Squid Game Wiki.
