The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Squid Game Characters

When I watched Squid Game several winters ago I was transfixed. Like many viewers, part of me wanted to turn away from the heartbreaking deaths while also wanting to explore the psychological development of the characters. I found characters I started out disliking becoming more and more sympathetic as the series progressed.

What Squid Game does so well is explore human nature under extreme stress. It’s a credit to the writers that they were able to take archetypal characters and make them into complex individuals.

If you ever wondered which of the characters has your Myers-Briggs® personality type, then now is your chance! Be aware, there isn’t one character with each personality type in the series, so you may not find someone with your type.

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

The Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Squid Game Characters

Seong Gi-Hun – ESFP

“Listen, you don’t trust people here because they are trustworthy. You do it because you have nothing else to rely on.” – Seong Gi-Hun

Impulsive and reckless, Seong Gi-Hun can’t seem to catch a break in life. At the beginning of the series, we’re introduced to him as a down-on-his-luck, selfish man with a gambling addiction. He’s someone who squanders not only his own, but others’ money because he believes he can finally win big and change his life. Along the way he’s losing his relationship with his daughter who he deeply loves and values. Though deep down Seong Gi-Hun has a good heart, he’s losing his direction by chasing fleeting pleasures and thrills.

Life completely changes when Gi-Hun is chosen as one of the Squid Game participants. Suddenly, he’s thrust into a world of danger and must start making decisions not just for himself, but for the other players as well. Like many ESFPs, Gi-Hun thinks quickly on his feet and observes his surroundings with laser-sharp attention to detail. The Squid Games also forces him to look inwards and confront the demons of his past. By the end of the series, Gi-Hun has become a changed man – more compassionate, courageous and level-headed. Squid Games effectively tells the story of an unhealthy ESFP becoming in touch with his Introverted Feeling side and showing up as someone with profound integrity.

Read This Next: What It Means to be an ESFP Personality Type

Cho Sang-Woo – INTJ

“When we were young, we used to play like this and our moms would invite us to dinner. That won’t happen again.” – Cho Sang-Woo

The childhood best friend of Seong Gi-Hun, Sang Woo is a brilliant businessman who graduated top of his class at Seoul National University. However, his strategies eventually entered dangerous territory when he illegally invested his client’s money in derivatives and futures that failed, leaving him deeply in debt and at risk of failing the loved ones who depended on him. Sang-Woo considers ending his own life until he’s given the option of joining the Squid Games. No matter the risk to his life or the cost to his own moral code, Sang-Woo is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

As an INTJ, Sang-Woo is calm under pressure and able to see the Squid Games as a puzzle to be solved. He quickly assesses each situation and formulates a plan, always thinking several steps ahead of his opponents. His genius allows him to find loopholes that other players miss and he’s not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get what he wants. Sang-Woo is unemotional and single-minded in his pursuit of victory, but underneath his calm demeanor he’s someone in deep personal pain and anguish.

Read This Next: 10 Signs of an Unhealthy INTJ

Oh Il-Nam – ENTP

“Do you know what someone with no money has in common with someone with too much money? Living is no fun for them.” – Oh Il-Nam

I don’t want to give too many spoilers when discussing Oh Il-Nam’s type, but it may be challenging. Il-Nam is someone who lives for fun and the challenge of thinking outside the box. He hates boredom and routine and wants the thrill of a high-stakes adventure. Squid Games is the perfect opportunity for him to test his wits and see if he can outsmart the other players. It’s also an opportunity for him to revisit the joys and memories of his childhood. Like many ENTPs, Il-Nam has a nostalgic side that drives him to revisit fond memories from his earlier years. He even says to Gi-Hun, “Thanks to you, I got to remember things from the past I had long forgotten. It’d been so long since I had that much fun.”

Il-Nam is friendly, imaginative, and highly strategic. While he seems open and kind-hearted at first, we learn later that he has a fairly dismal and nihilistic view of humanity. This is something that unhealthy ENTPs can struggle with because they are so aware of the cognitive dissonance and false truths people choose to believe in life.

Read This Next: The Unhealthy ENTP

Kang Sae-Byeok – ISTP

“You took more from me than whatever I might possibly owe.” – Kang Sae Byeok

Stoic and mysterious, Sae-Byeok will do whatever it takes to win the Squid Game so she can reunite her family. As a North Korean defector, she has faced soul-searing challenges that would be too daunting for many people. Her journey has hardened her and given her a cynical view of the world, but it has also made her an incredibly brave and resourceful person.

Sae-Byeok is an ISTP who lives in the moment and takes things as they come. She thinks quickly on her feet and doesn’t get rattled by her emotional responses, until the “Marbles” game. While she may seem to be tough and unfeeling, she has a loyalty and sensitivity that many people don’t realize. Like most ISTPs, she can stay calm in dire situations and weigh multiple leverage points to make the most clever decision.

Read This Next: 12 Amazing Fictional ISTPs

Front Man – ISTJ

“Everyone is equal in these games. Players get to compete in a fair game under the same conditions. These people suffered from inequality and discrimination out in the world, and we offer them one last chance to fight on equal footing and win. But you have broken that principle.” – Front Man

Principled and straight-forward, the Front Man is the leader of the masked men and the mysterious overseer of the Squid Games. He’s strict and unwilling to bend the rules for anyone. While he may appear ruthless and cold, he treats people politely and has a firm code of conduct he won’t stray from. Front Man enforces order, notices and observes everything with a critical eye, and keeps the Squid Games from getting out of control.

Read This Next: 10 Amazing ISTJ Anime Characters

Jang Deok-Su – ESTP

“This is hell. What are the rules in hell?” – Jang Deok-Su

Clever and scrappy, Jang Deok-Su is used to getting his own way. He easily sees where he can work his way around the rules and wind up on top. This has worked well for him, but the Squid Games tests his normal tactics to the limit. As an unhealthy ESTP, he is aggressive and cruel. ESTPs are capable of being true heroes with courageous and valiant hearts, but Deok-Su is not one of those ESTPs. He shows zero remorse or compassion and will do whatever it takes to have a strategic advance. He uses his physical power against people and brings out the worst in his crew of tough guys.

Read This Next: 10 Things You Should Never Say to an ESTP

Hwang Jun-Ho – ISTP

“Satisfied? If you can satisfy me in 5 minutes, I might let you live.” – Hwang Jun-Ho

Cunning and quick-thinking, Jun-Ho effectively infiltrates the Squid Games by taking on the identity of one of the masked men. While many types would panic in the situations Jun-Ho experiences, he manages to keep his cool and strategically avoid being caught. He is constantly looking for more information and troubleshooting problems in real time. When the police laugh off Gu-Hun’s story about the Squid Games, Jun-Ho trusts his instincts and follows his hunches. He stays practical and focuses his attentions on the here-and-now in order uncover the mystery of the Squid Games and find his brother.

Han Mi-Nyeo – ESFP

“I never got a chance to study, but I’m unbelievably smart.” – Han Mi-Nyeo

Competitive and manipulative, Han Mi-Nyeo showcases some of the best and worst qualities of ESFPs (particularly, unhealthy ESFPs). Mi-Nyeo has clearly had a rough life and has had to become scrappy and quick-witted in order to survive. She’s someone who takes advantages of opportunities as they arise and doesn’t wait for anyone to get ahead before she does. Making allies, creating drama, and stirring up activity in order to survive is something that she excels at. Viewers have a love/hate relationship with this character, but ultimately she shows at the end that she stands for more than simply winning. She has a heart and a conviction that ultimately leads her to make one shocking choice.

Ji-Yeong – ENTP

“One of us is gonna die here, so it doesn’t matter what we tell each other. No one can really be embarrassed anymore.” – Ji Yeong

Despite the intensity and violence of her surroundings, Ji-Yeong maintains a calm, almost unimpressed demeanor. A victim of a violent and tragic life, she is laid-back and rational even in the midst of excessive turmoil. She showcases some of the best qualities of the ENTP. At their best, they are level-headed, imaginative, logical, and kind. Ji-Yeong isn’t easily intimidated, and doesn’t allow the people running the Squid Games to control her capacity to make the decision that makes sense to her. Her character’s story is heart-wrenching and one that will stick with you long after you finish watching the series.

Seong Ga-Yeong – INFJ

“Dad, you’re free to get in fights, just don’t get beaten up.” – Seong Ga-Yeong

We don’t see a lot of Seong Ga-Yeong in the first season of Squid Games so please take this typing with a grain of salt. As the daughter of Seong Gi-Hun, Ga-Yeong has to painfully observe her father’s undependable nature and gambling addiction. She senses her father’s distress and his reckless choices and is deeply concerned for him. Regardless of the confusion and worry she’s experiencing she makes an effort to appear grateful, happy, and calm, even when the people around her are behaving more childishly than she is. Like many INFJs she seems insightful and aware of more than people want her to know. She also seems empathetic and generous, tailoring her words to the needs she senses in the people around her.

Read This Next: 10 Reasons Why INFJs Feel Misunderstood

Ali Abdul – ISFP

“Now that I’m with you, I think we can win.” – Ali Abdul

One of the most well-loved characters in Squid Games, Ali Abdul lives with conviction and integrity. During an infamous scene in the Red Light, Green Light episode, Abdul risks his life to help another contestant because he knows he couldn’t live with himself if he let someone else die so he could get ahead. Abdul reacts quickly to what’s happening around him and follows his ethical compass regardless of how it impacts anyone else. As an example, he calls Sang-Woo “Sir,” even though he doesn’t like it, because he feels it’s the right thing to do in his heart. Living with modesty, honesty, and kindness is something Abdul tailors his entire life around.

Read This Next: 10 Amazing ISFP Anime Characters

What Are Your Thoughts?

Did you enjoy this article? Do you have any other perspectives on the personality types of the characters? Let us and other readers know in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type, The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic, The INTJ – Understanding the Strategist, and The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!