The Last Of Us Part 2: Ranking Every Character From Worst To Best

The Last of Us Part 2 is genius in the way it shifts audiences' perceptions of Ellie, with the little girl we sacrificed the human race to protect slowly transforming into a violent husk. The trauma and hatred she exerts onto the world around her is heartbreaking, and Ashley Johnson does so much to cement the character's arc as masterful.

Ellie gets some of the game's most meaningful quiet moments, with her simulation of space with Joel in the museum achieving majestic intimacy. Her face as she lets herself believe she's reaching the stars makes everything in the game feel calm for a moment. The way her relationship develops with Dina in the initial stages of Seattle is remarkable, but makes the rest of her arc hurt harder. The way she goes from flirting in a music store to risking Tommy's life at the marina by pursuing revenge unconditionally, torturing Nora and killing the unarmed Mel and Owen, is heartbreaking for any fan of the first to witness.

Naughty Dog taking the structure of the fight against David in the first game and imprinting it onto a violent Ellie is stunning. She has become the terrifying hunter, doing anything to tear apart her prey. Watching her in the epilogue with Dina makes you hope that this was a blip in her life, but even with her love and her child, she'll still give that up to try and murder a woman who just wants to protect a child of her own.

The game ending with her sitting in her abandoned home, unable to play her guitar due to the violence she's committed, realising she's destined herself to isolation is crushing. Ellie's shift into an unrecognisable figure of grief and heartbreak is one of the company's greatest achievements.