By Hadley Vincent
May 28, 2025, 4:30pm
Here are 7 The Last of Us moments that have stayed with me, long after setting down Ellie’s guitar.
The Last of Us is so heartbreaking and terrifying for its narrative, showcasing the fragility of life. So many characters come and go, with few scenes of euphoria offered on this awful apocalyptic version of Earth. But some scenes have stayed with me long after my standing ovation as the credits roll and my tears flow. These are the saddest The Last of Us moments. There are way too many to count, but I’ve picked a handful that have impacted me most.
Spoiler warning for The Last of Us Part I, Part II, and the Left Behind DLC. This list isn’t referring to the TV show.7) We FightEven though I adored Tess, I found Riley’s death more impactful for the words she left behind. This DLC showed two kids navigating a dangerous world and still finding joy by being in each other’s company. When both characters were bitten, Ellie looked to Riley for comfort, and her words permanently affected Ellie’s perspective of life. Fighting for every second they get to spend with loved ones, regardless of how long it may be, is shown in Ellie’s actions throughout the first and second games. Riley was given the luxury of not dying on screen, a fate that many TLOU characters can’t relate to, but that doesn’t lessen her impact.
Although it isn’t shown, we can assume Ellie had to kill Riley once she turned. This just makes the final scene in Left Behind all the more upsetting and explains Ellie’s personality in the first game.
6) The LieThis isn’t just one particular moment, for it has multiple scenes that show the repercussions of such a heavy lie. This was no white lie, for it would come to punish Joel and damage his relationship with Ellie for years. Joel chose to carry the burden of choosing one life over the many, and it makes sense why he wouldn’t put that choice on a teenage girl. But when she found out the truth, it would take years to repair the damage. The trust was gone, but Ellie also had to live with the knowledge that she could have put a stop to the apocalypse.
People would continue to suffer because of Joel’s choice, but at least Ellie was alive, right? It’s similar to Life is Strange‘s ending, but we all know the more selfless choice is to save the many, but it’s never the easiest to make. Perhaps a vaccine wouldn’t have been successful, but Joel couldn’t predict what would happen if Ellie was sacrificed, and he wanted anyone else to take her place. Of course, this lie resulted in the revenge arc for both Abby and Ellie, showcasing the damage Joel did across many families, not just his own.
5) The TheatreThis is a double whammy. You get so much whiplash in this scene that it’s hard to let what you just witnessed truly sink in. The scene results in Jesse’s sudden death and Tommy getting shot in the head by Abby. Although we knew it was coming because Ellie accidentally left the map that showed where she was staying, she put her loved ones in danger because Abby (just like Ellie) took immediate revenge.
I genuinely didn’t have time to mourn Jesse because his death was completely out of nowhere and was moved on from it far too quickly. This is not a flaw, however, but feels purposely done to show how Ellie isn’t able to mourn these losses, for her determination for “justice” is too strong, overpowering all other emotions. Not only was this Ellie’s friend, but he was the father to Dina’s child, and an absolutely lovely man at that. Naughty Dog knew what they were doing when they made a flawless human with Jesse, being a beacon of light in an awful world, that was snuffed way too soon by Abby (they just had to add another reason to hate her, huh?).
4) BrothersI remember being deeply affected by the story of Sam and Henry. While their story was cut short, we get to see in a small timeframe the love Henry had for his brother and how he’d do anything to protect him. There are great moments between Ellie and Sam, Joel and Henry, acting as two separate family dynamics where the older wants to protect the young, and the young want to figure out their place in this messed-up world. The reveal of Sam’s bite took my breath away, knowing the inevitable was right around the corner.
Ellie and Sam’s connection was sweet, but it’s Henry’s reaction that saddened me the most. Feeling like he failed at protecting his brother, Henry first blames Joel, then turns the gun on himself, and pulls the trigger. It is a shocking and gut-wrenching scene as these characters were just trying to survive, but weren’t acting maliciously to do so. They were likely the same people as they were before the apocalypse. But Henry quickly decided that he couldn’t continue living without his younger brother by his side.
3) RevengeYou probably expected this infamous scene to be placed number one, but we were all anticipating it when Joel and Tommy naively revealed their names to Abby. This scene was incredibly difficult to watch, both for its realism and that Ellie had the worst scripted timing to be there and watch the most important person in her life die. This scene is awful from both perspectives: Joel having to reassure Ellie, knowing she’s watching him die, and Ellie having to see her adoptive father be beaten to death.
Of course, this immediately made everyone hate Abby, and rightly so. But let’s not act like Joel’s a saint. This is no excuse, however, for no one deserves such a horrendous fate, but it showed the excellent storytelling of TLOU2 because how Abby looked in that moment is how Joel would have looked to an outsider when he killed Marlene and Abby’s father (and many, many more people). Both were doing these murders for selfish reasons, but a character as detailed, beloved, and well-written as Joel will always be mourned for having one of the most brutal deaths in video game history.
2) The WatchFew scenes have been as impactful as the death of Sarah. Perfectly paced with excellent storytelling to immediately let us adore the kindness of Joel’s daughter, just to have her immediately taken from Joel is just evil writing from Naughty Dog. Much like Ellie’s guitar, the watch Sarah bought for Joel is symbolic of their tie to one another, a sentimental memory that is cherished long after Sarah is gone. Her death is sudden and shocking, being realistic for the setting where authorities are panicked over who is and isn’t infected.
Her life is cut short in an instant and the cries of Sarah are way too real. We can all understand Joel’s pain even if we don’t have kids of our own. It showed how brutal this setting is, as it was only the beginning of a widespread outbreak. Who knows how many suffered a similar fate? But this death would transform Joel into a flawed human who wouldn’t find his place in the world until Ellie came bursting through with her potty mouth and “sunny” personality.
1) Moving OnWhen I think back to The Last of Us as a whole, my mind immediately goes to the painful journey Ellie went through in Part II. Two sides of the same coin, Ellie travels down the same path Abby did, both to avenge their fathers. But an eye for an eye doesn’t bring closure, nor bring back the person that was cruelly taken from you. Being a stronger person than Abby was, she chose to let her go, but she’d already lost so much.
Not only was her father figure gone, but she lost her ability to play guitar—yet another thing Abby took away from her. Of course, from both of their perspectives, they were acting on revenge and survival. But the thought that Ellie won’t be able to play guitar (being one of the things Joel taught her) is soul-crushing, as we saw her rely on it throughout the game to remind herself of her tainted mantra of what she kept fighting for.
We see the last conversation Ellie had with Joel and the sight of him had me already tearing up, not long after she told him off for defending her at the party. This scene is so compelling and beautifully written, showing the father-daughter dynamic in having awkward conversations that are wholesome and sweet. They are both trying to connect and fix their relationship with Ellie finally letting out what she’d kept against Joel all this time. This was an ordinary conversation for them both, but looking back, it is now so heartbreaking for Ellie.
Joel got to hear that Ellie wants to forgive him for taking away her choice at the hospital. Ellie was able to make amends, but they’d lost so much time and would never be able to make up for it. This scene alters Ellie’s motives for revenge as she likely blames herself for not repairing their relationship sooner, and hating Abby for stealing time away from them.
The guitar acts as a symbol of Joel or perhaps the person that Ellie had become after his death. When she leaves it in her countryside home, the place Dina had to leave behind, she’s saying goodbye to Joel in her own way. She’s lost everything at this point. But she’s moving on in a new direction, no longer looking back at the past or hanging onto the pain, but developing from it, like Joel had to time and time again.Comicbook.com
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