Does Sa-wol Die in Black Knight? [Spoiler]

Written and directed by Cho Ui-seok and based on the namesake webtoon by Lee Yun-kyun, ‘Black Knight’ is a Netflix post-apocalyptic series. Set 40 years after the Earth collided with a comet, ‘Black Knight’ is a story about the fight against oppression and the indomitable human spirit. Yoon Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok) is an important character in the show. He is a refugee youth who was taken in by military intelligence officer Jeong Seol-ah (Esom) and raised alongside her younger sister. When the horrors of the world beyond visit his adoptive family, Sa-wol is forced to confront the reality around him. If you are wondering whether Sa-wol survives in ‘Black Knight,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Sa-wol’s Fate in Black Knight

No, Sa-wol doesn’t die in the first season of ‘Black Knight. Seol-ah found Sa-wol during a military operation and saved his life. She brought him home to raise him alongside her sister Jeong Seul-ah. As Sa-wol grew up, he befriended three other refugee boys who lived with an older gentleman they all call grandfather. Sa-wol aspires to become a Black Knight or Deliveryman and has a run-in with 5-8, a deliveryman widely known for his exploits.

Sa-wol’s happy and largely peaceful life takes a turn for the worse when a group of people enters his home to kidnap Seul-ah. Sa-wol tries to protect her and ends up killing several of the abductors, but Seul-ah is fatally shot. Sa-wol himself is shot in the head, but the bullet fails to penetrate his skull. 5-8, who is in the vicinity, hears a gunshot and rushes to the scene, saving Sa-wol.

Sa-wol spends some time in a coma before waking up, though he doesn’t initially recall what happened to him during the encounter. Seol-ah gives him a small vial containing Seul-ah’s ashes before he leaves her home and moves in with his friends and grandfather.

After one of the other deliverymen, 5-7 is killed, a competition is held to select a new deliveryman. Sa-wol convinces 5-8 to train him. With the help of 5-8 and other deliverymen, Sa-wol wins the tournament but realizes too late that the final round of the tournament was broadcast live to ensure that refugees would gather in places. Ryu Seok of the Cheonmyeong Group sent his suicide gang to kill refugees with explosives. As deliverymen work for Cheonmyeong, Sa-wol quickly becomes disillusioned, but he remains in the squad after learning that 5-8 and other deliverymen are part of a secret rebellion.

The competition also reveals Sa-wol as a mutant. His father used to work in one of the oxyanium mines. In this post-apocalyptic world, the air has become toxic, and oxygen is a prized commodity extracted with a massive air core from oxyanium. Ryu Seok suffers from a terminal disease and believes the cure is mutant blood. This is why he had his suicide gang kidnap children. When he learns about Sa-wol, he becomes excited but decides to proceed with caution, knowing that many eyes are on him after the explosions.

However, when his father, Ryu Jae-jin, the chairman of the Cheonmyeong Group, and the President of Korea decide to remove him from his position, he has no choice but to work together with the defense minister and organize a coup. He also promises the refugees will be let into the General District after they take vaccines. In reality, he intends to use the vaccine drive to poison the refugees. 5-8 foils his plans, but Ryu-seok manages to kidnap Sa-wol. Fortunately, 5-8 kills Ryu Seok and saves Sa-wol.

The ending sequence of the first season is set three months later. 5-8 and Sa-wol are still deliverymen. The government has begun implementing positive changes, such as letting people enter the newly-constructed District A in order of their date of registration. The sky has become clearer and the air cleaner.

Read More: Does 5-8 Die in Black Knight? [Spoiler]