10 Video Game Underdogs That Defied All Odds

In a survival-for-the-fittest world with filled with violent opposition, and no hope, it would seem too easy to just rest on one's laurels. Once a potential fix has been found, Joel and Ellie battle almost insurmountable odds to reach their end goal.

Both feature characters can be considered as underdogs in their own respective ways. Which, amongst other reasons, is what made The Last of Us one of the most compelling stories in video gaming history. First there is Joel, who has regressed into an initially bitter, reclusive man, after losing his daughter at the outbreak of a global virus.

He finds a reason to press on in Ellie, who internally holds a potential cure. Ellie, wanting to help in any way she could, joins Joel, as they trek across the land to make do on a promise made to both the leader of the Fireflies in Marlene, and Joel's cohort in Tess.

The pair of Joel and Ellie not only had to face the threats of infected hordes, but also of various bandits, scavengers, environmental dangers, and, eventually, the Fireflies themselves. However, they are able to make it to the end, somewhat physically and mentally intact.

The odds stacked against them from the moment they decided to travel across various states in a post-apocalyptic America would've killed any other pairing. Joel and Ellie, due to sheer conviction and unwillingness to let each other die, were able to survive.