Every death in All Of Us Are Dead was either directly caused by or somehow related to a virus that turns its hosts into flesh-eating monsters. Putting a coming-of-age spin on the classic horror sub-genre, the students of Hyosan High School find themselves at the epicenter of a zombie outbreak when their science teacher, Lee Byeong-chan, accidentally creates the Jonas virus. Loosely but still accurately based on the webtoon Now At Our School by Joo Dong-geun, the first season of the series leaves only a handful of survivors who could return for All Of Us Are Dead season 2, which has already been greenlit by Netflix.
In All Of Us Are Dead season 1, Nam On-jo and the other students of Class 2-5 use survival skills that she learned from her father and their combined cleverness to avoid, fight, and escape the zombie horde. However, despite their best efforts, only four survivors of Class 2-5 make it out alive. All Of Us Are Dead season 2 is on the way, which means there’ll be more Hysoan High School students killed off, but season 1 has already had more than its share of character deaths. Here’s a list of every major death in All Of Us Are Dead, including the Class 2-5 students who didn’t survive.
Kim Hyun-Joo (Jung Yi-Seo)
Similar to the virus in Train to Busan, the Jonas virus jumps from animal to human when Hyun-joo is bitten by Byeong-chan’s infected hamster. Byeong-chan ties her up in his office and injects her with a sedative to keep the virus from progressing. After several days, she escapes and becomes All of Us Are Dead‘s catalyst for the virus spreading both in and beyond the school when she infects the school nurse.
She also infects several people at the hospital, releasing the virus in Hyosan. It’s heavily implied that Hyun-joo is killed in the bombing of Hyosan City, along with most of the other zombies. Unlike almost every death in All Of Us Are Dead, Hyun-joo could return if season 2 features flashbacks, as she had a key role in spreading the virus throughout the city. The actor behind Kim Hyun-Joo, Jung Yi-seo, also appears in Parasite, Mine, and Tale of the Nine Tailed.
Yoon I-Sak (Kim Ju-a)
I-sak is On-jo’s best friend, and after the students work together to get past the zombies and barricade themselves in the science lab, things don’t go well for this All Of Us Are Dead character. There, they find out that I-sak is infected, which breaks On-jo’s heart. I-sak’s turn is the first gutwrenching moment of the series. While this death is part of what triggered criticisms about All Of Us Are Dead’s characters making bad decisions, the death of I-Sak is the first that truly felt like a loss, as it also marks the first of the deaths that personally affect the students of Class 2-5.
The moment isn’t treated lightly, and the All Of Us Are Dead actors involved sold the overwhelming trauma of the student’s situation — especially when Cheong-san has to force On-jo to let go of the zombified I-sak and throw her from the window. In the end, she is shown to have been killed in the bombing, along with other zombified students and teachers. All Of Us Are Dead is actor Kim Ju-a’s breakthrough role, and she also previously appeared in A Boy and Sungreen.
Han Gyeong-Su (Ham Sung-Min)
After the students lose I-sak, the zombies start to break into the science classroom, and the students flee by throwing a fire hose out of the window and climbing down it the broadcasting classroom. When a zombie follows them through the window, Gyeong-su gets a scratch on his hand from the CPU he uses to fight her off but is fine. However, Na-yeon (Squid Game’s Ji-yeong) accuses Gyeong-su of having been bitten, and when he doesn’t turn, Na-yeon wipes zombie blood on Gyeong-su’s hand injury with a handkerchief.
When Gyeong-su begins to turn, Na-yeon declares that she was right. Cheong-san, Su-hyeok, and Dae-su ultimately push Gyeong-su over the window ledge. The rest of the class accuses Na-yeon of murdering Gyeong-su, who is among the zombies bombed on campus. Much like every death in All Of Us Are Dead, Gyeong-su’s final fate spells out a moral dilemma. Apart from All Of Us Are Dead, Ham Sung-min can also be seen in A Melody to Remember, Doctor John, Sweet Home, and Woori Sonja Beseuteu.
Lee Byeong-Chan (Kim Byeong-Cheol)
Byeong-chan is arrested at the school for having kept Hyun-joo hostage and taken to the police station. He explains to the detective, Song Jae-ik, that he created a virus and that letting it spread would doom everyone. Byeong-chan tells the detective to find his laptop at the science lab at Hyosan High. As they leave the station, a horde of zombies fills the hallways. In order to save Jae-ik so that he can retrieve that laptop, Byeong-chan throws himself between Jae-ik and the zombies.
Byeong-chan is not one of the survivors of All of Us Are Dead season 1, and he is assumed to be among the zombies bombed by the government. Byeong-chan’s sacrifice is arguably the most important out of every death in All Of Us Are Dead, as he is the person who created the Jonas Virus, and likely humanity’s best chances for finding a cure. Luckily, he left a detailed video diary along with his research on the laptop, which will almost certainly be a major plot point for All of Us Are Dead season 2. K-drama veteran Kim Byeong-cheol also appears in Squid Game, Sisyphus: The Myth, Pegasus Market, Doctor Prisoner, and SKY Castle.
Lee Na-Yeon (Lee Yoo-Mi)
After murdering Gyeong-su with zombie blood in All of Us Are Dead, Na-yeon flees the broadcasting room in tears when the other Class 2-5 students confront her. She hides in the PTA storage closet that is filled with donated snacks and drink. Na-yeon’s prejudice and fear lead her to murder Gyeong-su, and she can’t understand why her classmates remain on Gyeong-su’s side. This is what makes Na-Yeon’s character arc so great and her fate different from every death in All Of Us Are Dead.
She feels abandoned by them but ultimately decides, after Class 2-5 has fled to the roof, to bring them some provisions. However, her change of heart comes too late. The zombified Gwi-nam approaches her in the classroom and feeds on Na-yeon, turning her into a zombie. She is also shown to be among the zombies bombed at Hyosan High. Actor Lee Yoo-mi, who won an Emmy for her performance in Squid Game, also appears in My Holo Love, Doctor John, Just Dance, and It’s Okay To Be Sensitive.
Kim Ji-Min (Kim Jin-Young)
Ji-min stays with All of Us Are Dead‘s Class 2-5 even after finding out that her parents have been infected with the virus. However, as the class flees the school building during the thunderstorm, they are pursued by zombies. Hyo-rung, a Class 2-5 student, trips and asks Ji-min for help, but Ji-min is scared off by an approaching zombie and runs into the woods alone. Losing her way, she ends up in the field in front of the school, which is overrun with zombies that kill Ji-min.
All Of Us Are Dead season 2’s halfbies could potentially still include Ji-min. Though somewhat underwhelming compared to almost every death in All Of Us Are Dead, Ji-min’s fate nonetheless shook Class 2-5 to its core. Actor Kim Jin-young also appears in Family Affair and The Fault Is Not Ours.
Oh Joon-Yeong (Ahn Seung-Kyoon)
Joon-yeong is one of the smartest students in the class, second only to Nam-ra. After the remaining Class 2-5 students meet up with the archery students in the auditorium, they make a plan to escape using large rolling cages that the school uses to store sports equipment. They link the cages together in a circle, standing in the middle and pushing through the horde of zombies. Joon-yeong is bitten trying to fight off the zombies.
Realizing his fate, he jumps out of the circle and helps fight off the zombies from the outside, helping the students roll the cages to the exit before he turns. Instead of despairing after getting infected, he uses his last cognitive moments to help keep his classmates alive, making this more heartbreaking than almost every death in All Of Us Are Dead. During the All Of Us Are Dead ending, Joon-yeong is among the zombies bombed at Hyosan High. Actor Ahn Seung-kyoon can also be seen in Catch the Ghost, My Mister, and Andante.
Nam So-Ju (Jeon Bae-Soo)
When it becomes apparent that this is a strange outbreak happening all over the city, So-ju is determined to make it to Hyosan High School to find and rescue his daughter On-jo. He helps the kids escape through the tennis courts, but is bitten while trying to fight off zombies. He tells On-jo and her friends to run while the zombies attack him, and he is infected. So-ju risks everything to save his daughter, and while he succeeds, it’s a bittersweet victory, and remains arguably the most heartbreaking out of every death in All Of Us Are Dead.
Although it’s safe to assume that all the Hyosan High survivors lost their parents in the epidemic, watching On-jo come to the realization that she has to live without her father is devastating. So-ju is last seen among the horde at Hyosan High during the bombing. Actor Jeon Bae-soo, who plays Nam So-Ju, is an establish K-Drama talen who also appears in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Mr. Queen, Stranger, and Welcome.
Lee Cheong-San (Chan-Young Yoon)
Cheong-san is infected by Gwi-nam, who is a halfbie — All Of Us Are Dead‘s half-human/half-zombies. Gwi-nam decides to kill Cheong-san after Cheong-san witnesses him killing the principal before he’s infected. After he becomes a halfbie, Gwi-nam’s sole motivation is to get revenge on Cheong-san. Gwi-nam ultimately bites Cheong-san at the school’s construction site, where the new school building is being built. Knowing that he will likely be turned, Cheong-san goes into the building to draw the attention of the zombies, giving the other students a chance to escape just before the government bombs the school.
Choeng-san is in the building fighting Gwi-nam when the bombs are dropped. The two fall into an empty elevator shaft and are engulfed in flames. Cheong-san is never seen in a fully zombified state, leaving open the possibility that he is also a halfbie. The halfbies’ ability to survive certain death could mean that Cheong-san survived the bombs and will be part of All of Us Are Dead‘s season 2 story. However, at the end of All of Us are Dead season 1, he is believed to be dead. Actor Chan-young Yoon had roles in in Delivery Man, Juvenile Delinquency, Nobody Knows, and Doctor John prior to All of Us are Dead.
Yoon Gwi-Nam (In-Soo Yoo)
Gwi-nam becomes the first halfbie of the series, keeping his cognitive abilities but also gaining zombie abilities, when he’s attacked by a pack of zombies when chasing Cheong-san. He becomes obsessed with killing Cheong-san, both to prevent him from telling the police that he killed the principal and to get revenge. His halfbie abilities help him cheat death multiple times throughout the series. He seemingly dies for good when he fights Cheong-san in the construction site, burning up in the bombs.
However, similarly to Cheong-san, it is unclear if his halfbie state allowed him to survive. While Byeong-chan seemed to believe that burning the zombies is the only way to stop the virus, there is no evidence to confirm that burning effectively kills halfbies as well. Considering how tough All Of Us Are Dead’s halfbies are, it’s possible Gwi-nam survived. In-soo Yoo, who played Yoon Gwi-Nam in All of Us are Dead, is also in Alchemy of Souls, At A Distance Spring Is Green, and Moment at Eighteen.
Jang Wu-Jin (Sang-Yeon Son)
Wu-jin is the last Class 2-5 student to die before they escape to the quarantine camps. He is the younger brother of Ha-ri, the championship archer who helps the students escape by using her archery skills to kill zombies. In Yangdong, a neighboring town, the students are convinced that they are safe until Nam-ra, their halfbie classmate, tells them that zombies are coming. They grab shovels to use as weapons and attack the zombies, but when a zombie tries to attack Ha-ri, Wu-jin jumps in front of her to save her.
Wu-jin is bitten by the zombie and turns. Nam-ra then snaps his neck to kill him and prevent him from killing anyone else — which is what makes Wu-jin’s final moment distinct from every death in All Of Us Are Dead. Wu-jin’s death is devastating not only to Ha-ri, but also to the rest of the students who fought hard to keep everyone alive. Nam-ra also leaves the group after his death, leaving only six students confirmed to escape and only four from Class 2-5. Actor Sang-Yeon Son also appears in Racket Boys, Falling in Love, and Chicago Typewriter.
Supporting Character Deaths
Among the supporting cast, the zombies shown to be destroyed in the bombing are Cheong-san’s mom, Yoo Jun-seong, Jung Min-jae, and Hee-su. Other dead zombies include Ha-lim, Jun-seong’s friend who was infected and then killed by Ha-ri, and Chul-soo, who was infected by Eun-ji and then killed by soldiers in the quarantine camp. The principal of Hyosan High school is murdered by Gwi-nam before the latter even becomes a zombie. Lastly, the military commander takes his own life in All of Us Are Dead after bombing Hyosan City. Every death in All Of Us Are Dead – whether through main or supporting characters – provides clues about what might happen in season 2.
All Of Us Are Dead’s Saddest Death Explained
All Of Us Are Dead protagonist Cheong-san, without question, suffered the saddest death in the entire series. Cheong-san’s return in All Of Us Are Dead season 2 is still possible precisely because he is arguably the first season’s most beloved character. Cheong-san gave in to jealousy and was immature like his classmates, but he ultimately proved himself to be mostly concerned and capable of keeping people alive, even working with his rival Su-hyeok. The zombie apocalypse affected the people of Hyosan in different ways, and it definitely coaxed the heroic potential out of Cheong-san, making his fate the saddest out of every death in All Of Us Are Dead.
Curiously, All Of Us Are Dead‘s love triangle between Cheong-san, On-jo, and Su-hyeok could get reinvigorated in season 2 if Cheong-san somehow returns. While Cheong-san’s return could potentially ruin what is essentially a perfect death for the character, it may also present a unique way to tackle All Of Us Are Dead‘s love triangle without being predictable. Whether as a halfbie villain or hero, Cheong-san would undoubtedly still make for a compelling character in All Of Us Are Dead season 2.