Cho Sang-woo

Cho Sang-woo (Korean: 조상우) is the deuteragonist-turned-final antagonist of the first season of the South Korean Netflix drama Squid Game. He is Seong Gi-hun's childhood friend-turned-greatest adversary in the brutal competition for the ₩45.6 billion prize. Sang-woo is a businessman who needs the prize to pay a ₩6 billion debt and solve his financial problems, especially because they will also cause his mother's financial ruin.

He was portrayed by Park Hae-soo, and by Park Si-won as a child. In the English dub, he was voiced by Stephen Fu.

Debated Validation

 * He did have genuine care for his mother Ms. Sang-woo as well as his childhood friend; Seong Gi-hun. Although, he did try to kill not just some of the contestants along the way. But, he also tried to kill Gi-hun at the end of the first season and eventually killed himself just to be able to ask Gi-hun to care for his mother. However, with that being said about his care for his mother. He did try to use some of his mother's money and property to invest in and merely got his own mother in financial ruin. Which shows how somewhat careless he could be. Making his care for anyone arguably more debatable.

What made him heroic?

 * He's childhood friend of Seong Gi-hun, and often play with him.
 * He reminding the staff that players can vote to terminate the games after the first game.
 * In Squid Game, he makes a team with Seong Gi-hun and recuit some members to join.
 * He protects his team during the special round.
 * He redeems himself in the end.

What led him to being villainous?

 * He's in great dept, and led him to join Squid Game and he wants to win as any cost.
 * He decides to vote for the game to continue.
 * He betrayed Ali at the fourth round and indirectly kills him although he doesn't want to do that.
 * He callously kills Player 017 for wasting too much time at the fifth game and Sae-byeok before the final game.
 * He attempt to kill Gi-hun on the final game.

Trivia

 * He has a time on the series as fallen hero in the episodes 5, 6, 7, 8 and the first half of episode 9. However he redeems himself at the end, he can be both fallen hero and redeemed villain.
 * He's so far the only Squid Game fallen hero.
 * He is on the Spoilers Template.