Trigger ending explained: How illegal arms trade can give rise to anarchy

Netflix’s Trigger, which was released on July 25, 2025, has a unique and terrifying storyline that might make you contemplate a lot of things about society. It narrates the story of how, when the people of a country like South Korea, where gun laws are strict, get their hands on guns and, due to various reasons ranging from anger to anxiety, decide to use them.

Trigger showcases the aftermath of such decisions, but after seeing the chaos guns create, they decide to step back to how they used to live without guns. However, to reach that conclusion, they had to suffer, just as Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang) had planned.

Here’s what happened at the end of Netflix's Trigger.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

Trigger ending explained: Moon Baek’s last attempt at revenge from the people of his country

At the end of Trigger, Kim Nam-gil’s Lee Do is left alone after the death of his superior, who died to save Do from Moon Baek, leaving him alone in the world again. In the last episode, Lee Do goes to meet Moon Baek, who tells him that they are both alike due to their troubled childhoods.

However, it's the use of guns that they both disagree on, and to make Do suffer more, Baek goes all out by distributing free guns to people protesting in favor of or against gun laws. Lee Do knew it would cause mayhem due to the already agitated groups.

As he followed Baek to the riots, Baek and Lee, both drew their guns on each other. Baek then changed his target and pointed his gun upwards, which reminded Lee of their last conversation where Baek told him about how one gun shot brings anxiety to people and takes away their choice of using it or not, and in fear of being killed, they will start shooting.

And that’s what happens when we hear one single shot, followed by an almost uncontrollable riot situation. However, seeing what type of chaos guns could bring, many who watch the riots on TV are terrified, and one single moment catches their eye, when Lee Do, seeing a child with a gun, runs toward him and saves him from being shot or shooting the gun.

This single act becomes the ray of hope amid all the havoc created by those free guns. This act makes the people of Korea realise that they don’t need guns in their society.

Trigger ending explained: Lee Do assumes his superior’s job as he takes care of the child

Just like his superior, Hyeon-sik, had saved him years ago when he took a gun in his hands to kill the culprit who murdered all of his family, Lee Do ended up doing the same for the child that he saved in the riots. Later, at the end, it is shown that he is taking care of his child like Hyeon-sik did for him.

Elsewhere, many people began to return their guns that Moon Baek had supplied them with, as they had realised they didn’t need guns. The series ended with Moon Baek’s fate hanging by a thread as the doctor tells Lee that he might not survive due to his cancer, and also due to the arrival of an unidentified woman sent by Jake, Baek's arms dealer from the US.

The final death in Trigger is not Baek's but of the reporter who, to earn more money, is ready to reveal everything about the victims, as he did not care about them. He is killed by a bereaved woman, who lost everything in the gun violence that had captured the whole country.

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Trigger is available to stream on Netflix.

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