20 Best Video Game Heroes Of The 21st Century - Ranked
5. Ellie
"Swear to me that everything you said about the fireflies is true."
Even though Joel is a beloved part of The Last of Us, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t agree that Ellie is the true star of the series.
There hasn't really been a character that is so realistically portrayed in some time, but Ashley Johnson's work as Ellie is the reason why she's such a great character. Every single emotion lands with the player, and you genuinely start to feel for her like Joel would.
That's a hard thing for any game to make a player feel, but The Last of Us manages it because of Ellie.
Put simply, the reason why The Last of Us became such a beloved title is because of the amazing story that it told players, and the biggest reason for that story succeeding is because Ellie was at the centre of it all.
It's not often that a game's whole premise relies on one character landing, but The Last of Us simply wouldn't work if Ellie wasn't so great.