Summary

• The Last of Us games depict constant tragedy through moral decisions, shocking deaths, and the brutal consequences of the Cordyceps brain infection.
• Many of the series' most shocking moments come from character deaths, since the games don't shy away from killing off prominent figures.
• Non-fatal decisions can be just as unexpected throughout The Last of Us, though, as its complex characters are put in incredibly difficult positions.

Few games depict near-constant tragedy in the same way both The Last of Us titles do. Humans being the real threat is not an unfamiliar trope to zombie stories, but The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 revel in duplicitous characters and harrowing experiences born from interpersonal conflict. While nearly identical in their moment-to-moment gameplay, the games are quite different in scope. The first game centers on what may be a noble journey with world-changing implications, while its sequel is an unfortunate and saddening odyssey of violent revenge. Regardless, the world of The Last of Us is unforgiving, and both games deliver a slew of shocking moments.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2.]

The Last of Us series spans roughly 26 in-universe years when counting from the first game's prologue on Outbreak Day. Both games don't pull any narrative punches when it comes to prominent characters, and central figures are regularly killed off unceremoniously. It's not just death that manages to surprise the player, though. Morally questionable and selfish decisions, cathartic climaxes, and the Cordyceps brain infection itself provide plenty of shocking turns throughout the collective story of Joel, Ellie, and Abby.

Sarah Is Killed

The Last Of Us Part 1

At the very start of the series, players control Joel's daughter, Sarah, on the night the Cordyceps brain infection reaches critical mass. The sequence sets up Joel as a struggling, but loving single father, and succinctly depicts the horrors witnessed during Outbreak Day. The ending of the prologue is a truly heartbreaking turn, when a soldier who'd just saved Joel and Sarah from infected turns his rifle on the civilians out of extreme and unnecessary caution. Sarah's death sets the tone for the entire series, and is a foundational moment in Joel becoming the jaded smuggler players next see in the Boston Quarantine Zone.

Riley Is Infected

The Last Of Us Part 1: Left Behind

The Last of Us Part 1's expansion, Left Behind, centers on a night shared between a younger Ellie and her best friend, Riley, who's planning on leaving Boston as a member of the Fireflies. Since Riley isn't present in the rest of TLOU, it's fairly unsurprising that tragedy befalls her, but the emotional whiplash of the sequence, and the implied conclusion to their relationship make Left Behind devastating.

Just as the two share a kiss, starting to move beyond mere friendship, both girls are infected. Thus, Ellie learns of her immunity, and Riley succumbs to the Cordyceps brain infection. Riley's ultimate fate is left unclear, but there are only two tragic options: Riley becomes a runner (which potentially survives long enough to become a clicker or worse) or Ellie is forced to kill her.

Facing The Rat King

The Last Of Us Part 2

The Rat King is the most horrifying infected in either game. A melded mess of flesh, the creature is incredibly resistant as it hunts down Abby and Lev while the two desperately attempt to escape the Seattle hospital. An amalgamation of lesser infected, the Rat King shows the truly gruesome results of the Cordyceps brain infection left unchecked and secluded for years. By the time players are progressing through Abby's leg of TLOU Part 2, they've likely been desensitized to the body horror of infected being taken over by fungus, but the Rat King is a disgustingly shocking reminder of what humanity is up against.

Ellie Kills David

The Last Of Us Part 1

One of the most harrowing scenes in the original game comes after Joel is impaled, when Ellie seemingly befriends, but is subsequently captured by, the cannibal, David. Playing as Ellie for a short stint turns the game on its head, highlighting the desperation involved in someone so young surviving in such circumstances. Ellie had killed another uninfected human before – in Joel's defense earlier in the game – but the struggle to kill David, and the brutality of using a machete to accomplish it, is one of the more stomach-turning moments in the game.

Sam & Henry's Deaths

The Last Of Us Part 1

In Pittsburgh, Joel and Ellie befriend two brothers, Sam and Henry, also attempting to survive the hunters that have taken over the city. Sam's death is telegraphed to the player – he's bitten on the leg and hours away from turning when the four are setting up camp for the night. The shock comes the next morning, when a turned Sam attacks Ellie, forcing Henry to kill his younger brother. In one of the heaviest moments from the original game, Henry then turns his pistol on himself before Joel can stop him. It's an abrupt, cruel end to The Last of Us' Summer section, and a stark reminder that the game world is indifferent to its characters.

Jesse's Death

The Last Of Us Part 2

Roughly halfway through The Last of Us Part 2, prominent characters dying isn't necessarily surprising, but the suddeness of Jesse's demise makes it hard to swallow. In the midst of Jesse having a touching conversation with Ellie, Abby arrives at the theater, and the two rush to Tommy's aid. They run through a set of double doors and Jesse is immediately shot in the head. Like many deaths in TLOU, there isn't time to process what happened – Ellie and Abby's fight ensues, and thereafter, the player is taken back to Seattle Day 1 to experience Abby's side of the story. Jesse's memory survives through his son, JJ, whom Dina and Ellie are seen raising later in the game.

Abby Sparing Ellie & Dina

The Last Of Us Part 2

Ellie's third day in Seattle ends on a cliffhanger: after Jesse is killed, Abby chastises Ellie and Tommy for wasting her mercy after killing Joel. She points a pistol at Ellie and the game cuts to black. The scene comes back around once Abby's three days in Seattle have been played through. Abby puts a bullet through Tommy's head – he survives but loses an eye – bests Ellie in their confrontation, and nearly kills Dina. Lev ultimately stops Abby from finishing the job, surprisingly sparing Ellie and Dina, despite the former having killed all of Abby's friends over the last few days.

Joel Lies To Ellie

The Last Of Us Part 1

At the end of The Last of Us, Joel learns that attempting to synthesize a cure via Ellie's immunity will require fatal surgery. A surgeon's recorder found in the hospital, later revealed in TLOU Part 2 to be the words of Jerry Anderson, Abby's father, tells the player that Ellie's immunity truly is an anomaly. Anderson is convinced that the surgery will be "a milestone in human history equal to the discovery of penicillin." Joel, however, can't bear to sacrifice Ellie, even for the good of humanity.

After Joel kills all the Fireflies in Salt Lake City, including Marlene, he lies to Ellie, saying there are dozens of people immune to the Cordyceps infection, and the Fireflies have given up on a cure. It's Joel's most tragically human moment, and a poignant, shocking end to The Last of Us Part 1. His decision is damning not only to humanity, but to himself and his relationship with Ellie as well. Ellie seems unconvinced, and Joel scuttling any meaning behind her immunity reverberates throughout Part 2 after Joel's death prevents the two from reconciling.

Joel's Death

The Last Of Us Part 2

Killing Joel in The Last of Us Part 2's prologue is an ambitious and divisive choice on the writers' part. Despite Joel's decision to potentially doom humanity at the end of the first game, he'd become a popular and sympathetic character, and he was finally making progress toward finding a peaceful life. Just as he'd begun mending his relationship with Ellie, he's viciously beaten to death with a golf club by Abby. Vengeance is often the only form of justice in The Last of Us, and to say Joel didn't deserve it isn't entirely correct, but from the player's point of view, killing Joel so early in the game feels unfair.

Joel's death is an undeniably shocking moment, and succeeds in making the player furious, aligning their interests with Ellie's. It's the inciting incident for a journey that becomes hard to stomach as Ellie grows more violent and desperate in pursuit of Abby. It's only playing through Abby's side of the story that the full context of Joel's murder becomes apparent. Still, distance from Joel's death and an understanding of how it came to be does not make it any less unexpected.

Ellie Sparing Abby

The Last Of Us Part 2

The Ellie inexplicably lets her and Lev go. TLOU Part 2's final moments are profoundly shocking, leaving Ellie sobbing on an overcast beach. Humanity has descended into infighting and endless war, and to have one moment of human comion from a character so inexorably driven by revenge makes this a memorable and touching conclusion to The Last of Us thus far.