With 456 players involved at the titular deadly competition in “Squid Game,” viewers are sure to have a hard time keeping every character straight when they start binge-watching Season 2 at launch on Dec. 26. The good news is, not every one of those players is essential to the story of Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) return to the games.

See below for a guide to all of the key new “Squid Game” — and just a handful of returning, seeing as most of the Season 1 cast was wiped out by its fatal finale — characters that appear both in and outside the games. Beware: Spoilers ahead for the first few episodes.