Why did Gi Hun dye his hair red in Squid Game?

Viewers were left with burning questions after the season finale of Squid Game, and one of the main ones was about Gi Hun's eclectic hair color choice.

Netflix's Squid Game is proving to be one of the most popular series of all time. The dystopian survival show is pegged to overtake Shonda Rhimes' Bridgerton. Given its immense popularity, the Internet is overflowing with theories regarding every character, including that of the ultimate victor, Gi Hun.

The protagonist turns out to be the unwilling winner of this violent game. After his traumatic experience, Gi Hun returns to a dead mother and child who is already beyond reach. Broken and exhausted, Gi Hun leaves the ₩456 million untouched in his account.

When, after a year of living as a destitue, Gi Hun finds out the mastermind behind the game was none other than the oldest participant Il-nam, it infuses in him a passion for life, albeit not in a way one would expect. He goes to a salon to get a haircut and dye, yet the color he picks is anything but conventional.

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Why did Squid Game's Gi Hun dye his hair red?

Much like most of Gi Hun's decisions in Squid Game, this one too appears arbitrary at first. The hairdresser asks the haggard-looking Gi Hun what hair he wants - a perm or a cut. Gi Hun, looking at the photographs in front of him, picks the only male hairstyle, which is a shocking red shade.

The apparent randomness seems to fit his character, who is not known for planning ahead. But as any viewer of Squid Game would know, nothing is really random and all decisions stem from reasoning, and have consequences.

In Korean culture, the color red symbolizes the yin, or masculine energy. By dyeing his hair this shade, Gi Hun is perhaps announcing to the world that he has control over his life.

When he sees the recruiter, played by Gong Yoo, and realizes the Squid Game is still going on, the new Gi Hun decides to do something about it and not just be a passive viewer. Instead of taking a flight to LA to see his daughter, he once again dials the number on the Squid Game card.

With a firm look on his face, it is hinted that he will take down the sadistic game and its runners.

Fans have a number of theories around the color red. Some say it symbolizes the blood that Gi Hun had to shed in order to survive, whereas others believe it to be a proclamation of victory, and impending danger for Gi Hun's enemies, those that run the Squid Game.

The color red also appears to tie in with the red and blue binary created in the Squid Game. While the players wore blue, the workers wore red.

According to some, the choice of the color red is a sign that Gi Hun, like Jun Ho in Season 1, plans to sneak into the game as a worker, and try to bring it down from inside. Perhaps in the new season, Jun Ho and Gi Hun will switch places with Jun Ho as a participant and Gi Hun as a worker.

Apart from this, several viewers had hilarious takes on Gi Hun's reasoning for this specific shade. From it being inspired by BTS to Gi Hun attending the MET Gala, Twitter had a version for all possibilities. Some also seem to think the red hair made Gi Hun look like Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance.