Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was praised as one of the best video games ever made, and rightfully so. It was a technological wonder and it told an incredible story about an emotionally stunted man and a young girl too mature for her age. Players grow fond of Joel and Ellie throughout the first game as they discover the pieces of the puzzle that made The Last of Us' storyline so fascinating. The Last of Us is played mostly from Joel's perspective, and that makes players especially attached to him because they see the unfolding events from his perspective, and also take a look at what his past was like.

Joel lost his daughter, Sarah, at the very beginning of The Last of Us, which takes place when the outbreak of the Cordyceps Brain Infection virus reached critical mass. When Joel meets Ellie he is just trying to survive by illicit means, but Ellie reminds him of Sarah and what it meant to be a father. Despite their complicated relationship and how hard it is for them to gradually build trust, Joel eventually demonstrates just how much of a father he can be to Ellie by desperately saving her from certain death at the end of the game.

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These events make Joel's death at the beginning of The Last of Us Part 2 a hard blow, both for players who had learned to love the character despite his flaws, and for Ellie, who lost a big part of herself. Joel's death is especially brutal and raw, and that was made on purpose to get players in the mind of Ellie as she wreaks havoc on Joel's killers. However, this is a clever ploy from Naughty Dog, because The Last of Us Part 2 is ultimately about how vicious cycles of violence and revenge lead to nothing more than death and loss.

The first half of the game is delivered from Ellie's perspective, with each and every kill seeming justified because this likable young woman lost Joel, and players identify with Ellie because they also loved Joel. However, in the second half, The Last of Us Part 2 offers a shift in perspective that makes players control Abby, Joel's killer. Players learn Abby's reasons, about her challenges and fears, and they get a glimpse into her life and the relationships she formed along the way.

This is not to make Ellie look like the bad guy, but rather it goes to show that everyone and every faction can be self-righteous enough to justify their own mistakes and immoral actions. Unfortunately, Ellie especially suffers from this mindset because of her personal history, and how losing Joel makes her insecure about both the present and the future. This is further emphasized when, toward the end of The Last of Us Part 2, Tommy tries to convince Ellie to once again pursue revenge against Abby, and Ellie cracks.

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When The Last of Us Part 2 begins, Ellie is in a good place because she has found love and support in Dina, her girlfriend and future mother of their son JJ. She has family close in Jackson because both Joel and Tommy live there, and then she has a friend in Jesse, the boy who was with Dina prior to her and Ellie getting together. Jesse is also the biological father of Dina's baby, and the two share a great bond.

However, things rapidly change after Joel dies and Tommy leaves by himself to try and avenge his brother's death. Ellie, Dina, and Jesse all leave to find Tommy and help him safely get home, while also trying to make Abby and her group pay for what they did. However, in a rushed confrontation, Abby kills Jesse and shoots Tommy, who later loses part of his mobility and his right eye. Then, Abby proceeds to overpower Ellie in a fight, but lets her and Dina live thanks to Lev's intervention.

Things somewhat get back to normal, and Ellie and Dina become the proud parents of JJ. However, Ellie suffers from PTSD and at times she is inconsolable, still thinking about revenge. That's when Tommy's speech comes into play, and it ends up manipulating an already weak Ellie into leaving Dina and JJ in order to find Abby and kill her. After more hardships, both mental and physical, Ellie finds her adversary only to see she's weak due to torture and starvation.

Abby wants to leave and to help her friend Lev get better, but Ellie is not capable of letting it go and challenges her. She eventually forces Abby into a fight that costs a tired and broken Ellie two of her fingers, even though she wins. When this happens, she finally understands that killing Abby won't change anything and won't give her Joel back.

Because Ellie lost everyone and everything, the game ends with her alone, trying to play a guitar that's out of tune. As heartbreaking it would be to not have Ellie end The Last of Us Part 3 on a much higher note than Part 2, it would also make sense to retire her because she has suffered too much. Furthermore, with Part 2 having two protagonists who both live on, things for The Last of Us Part 3 may become more complicated.

It can either show what happens to Abby and Lev, what Ellie does to make up for her actions in Part 2, or both. Retiring Ellie would be a risky move for Naughty Dog, but seeing her suffering more - even if that means winding up at a positive character arc by the end of The Last of Us Part 3 - would be hard for fans to bear. Ultimately, this remains to be seen until Naughty Dog officially announces The Last of Us Part 3.

The Last of Us Part 2 is available on PS4 and PS5.

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