The Last of Us

Story For The Last of Us Part 1

Joel, a ruthless survivor with few moral lines left to cross, lives in one of the last remaining Quarantine Zones. These walled-off, oppressive cities are run by what’s left of the military. Despite the strict martial law, Joel operates in the black market of the city, smuggling contraband for the right price.

Joel is asked by a dying friend to look after Ellie, a fourteen-year-old girl with courage beyond her years. What starts out as a simple job to deliver Ellie to another Quarantine Zone, soon transforms into a profound journey that will forever change Joel and Ellie.

As they trek across a post-pandemic United States, Joel and Ellie will encounter different factions of survivors that have each found a unique way of dealing with the infected humans, the lack of supplies, and the threat of other survivors.

As Joel and Ellie struggle to persevere, they must learn to trust each other and work together in order to survive the realities of this new world.

At its core, The Last of Us is about the bond that forms between Joel and Ellie — it is the story of love, loyalty, and redemption.

Watch the Story Trailer
Joel and Ellie ambushed by bandits Joel and Ellie looking at something off camera

Characters

Portrait of Joel

Joel

A brutal survivor with few moral lines left to cross. Joel, now in his late 40s, has been hardened by the ravages of the fungal pandemic that has devastated civilization as we know it. He’s lost friends, family, and everything he valued in life. Living in one of few remaining military-controlled quarantine zones, he operates as a black market smuggler, dealing in contraband, taking numerous de-humanizing jobs over the years to survive in this new post-pandemic world. Joel’s conscience slowly dwindles away as he shuts down his emotions to cope to his new life.

Portrait of Ellie

Ellie

A brave, 14 year old girl, Ellie has grown up in this harsh world and it is all she has ever known. She’s an orphan who was raised in a boarding school run by the military within the bounds of the quarantine zone. Naïve and curious about the outside world, she is wise beyond her years and highly capable of taking careof herself and those around her. Obsessed with comic books, CDs, and Gun culture, her knowledge base is filled by the remnants of a world that no longer exists.

Left Behind

Ellie returns in Naughty Dog’s first ever, stand-alone single-player downloadable story chapter. The Last of Us: Left Behind combines themes of survival, loyalty, and love with tense, survival-action gameplay in this critically acclaimed chapter to the best-selling game, The Last of Us.

Watch the Reveal Video
Riley and Ellie After Being Bit

New light is shed on Ellie’s relationship with Riley, her best friend and sometime-mentor from a military boarding school they grew up in together. After disappearing for weeks, Riley returns with a surprising revelation on her whereabouts. Ellie and Riley sneak out of school for the last time, leading to a series of events that will forever change both of their lives.

The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II takes place five years after the events of the first game and nearly 25 years after the outbreak of the Cordyceps brain infection began. Ellie, who is now 19 years old, returns as the protagonist whom players assume control of. Joel, in his mid-fifties, also returns as a briefly playable character, as does Abby Anderson, who functions as the game's dual protagonist. Joel and Ellie, having settled down in Tommy's settlement, live in relative peace within the thriving community. While there, Ellie has even managed to form friendships with Dina and Jesse. However, the survivors face constant threats from infected and other hostile survivors. When a tragic event disrupts the tranquility of her life, a hate filled Ellie embarks on a journey to Seattle in a search for vengeance to carry out justice. As she hunts down those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the traumatizing physical and emotional consequences of her actions.

Ellie tuning a guitar

We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling and, perhaps more importantly, a story worthy of Joel and Ellie.

After spending years on different ideas (and almost giving up), we finally uncovered a story that felt special — a story that evolved into an epic journey.

Neil Druckmann
Director, The Last of Us Part II
Ellie's face showing rage on her eyes Watch the Part II Trailer