There’s no game in memory that has been nearly as controversial as The Last of Us Part II. The huge twist in the story hasn’t been met with altogether positive responses, although the ire of fans hasn’t solely been directed toward newcomer Abby.
Many have felt that Ellie was perhaps the real villain in the game, seeing as she took a U-turn in her previously sensitive characterization. However, that would be selling Ellie short, as she did have valid reasons to go on her bid for vengeance. The argument in favor and against Ellie is pretty much split, so here are five reasons why she’s sympathetic and another five arguing why she’s not.
10 Sympathetic: She Didn’t Start The Cycle Of Hate
For all the unlikable traits that Ellie displayed, none of it was planned on her part. After all, Ellie hadn’t been the one to kill Abby’s father, and it was Abby who killed Joel.
It was natural for Ellie to pursue Abby since the latter was the one who kickstarted things. Had either Joel or Abby done things differently, then Ellie wouldn’t have had any reason to pursue Abby and kill the people who stood in her way.
9 Not Sympathetic: Her Tendency For Violence
There’s no doubt that Ellie is a survivor. And yet, she’s been perfectly willing to dive into the deepest depths of violence. It should be noted how, rather than simply kill her opponents, Ellie tends to leave them horribly mutilated.
This goes further than simple survival, especially considering that the “kill or be killed” mentality is second nature in this world, meaning excessive violence is clearly a personal choice. It’s not exactly easy to be in favor of someone who leaves her victims horribly disfigured even in death.
8 Sympathetic: She Was Willing To Sacrifice Herself
What makes Ellie one of the best characters in the series is how complex she is. On one hand, she does take the violence aspect too far, but on the other, she’s willing to give her own life when she feels it’s right.
Ellie was angered with Joel mainly because he took away her choice in deciding if she wanted to give her life for a vaccine or not. Had Joel not hidden it from her, then Ellie could have sacrificed herself for the future of mankind, which is as selfless as one can be.
7 Not Sympathetic: Her Innate Personality Is Driven By Anger
Even during happier times, Ellie had a tendency to mope around over one thing or another. As a child, too, she had reservations and insecurities in mind that got in the way of her being truly happy. This has to do with Ellie being in a passive state of anger all the time.
It was this anger that cost her Dina in the ending of The Last of Us Part II, as Ellie just can’t live without having that innate sense of rage. A level of sensitivity is important in a person, and the lack of this aspect hurt Ellie’s likability and sympathetic factor hard.
6 Sympathetic: She Never Got A Chance At Childhood
A common criticism of Ellie is that it doesn’t make sense that she didn’t show care or much concern toward children or people with families. However, the truth is that she doesn’t have much of a choice since Ellie never really learned what it was like to be a child.
She was raised as a survivor right from the start, and this brought a disconnect with the pity one develops for children as they grow up. It wasn’t that Ellie had a sadistic pleasure toward this, it was just that she didn’t have a true enough childhood to know what pure familial love is supposed to be like.
5 Not Sympathetic: Her Unwillingness To Forgive
The finale made it rather ambiguous if Ellie could truly forgive Joel for what he did, despite him being dead by that point. Ellie also couldn’t let go of what Abby did to her, although Dina had made peace with it and had urged Ellie to do the same.
While it’s understandable why Ellie remained filled with hate, she just didn’t develop enough to understand what forgiveness really meant. Her inability to do so is more reminiscent of what villains are like, and after so many chances at forgiveness, it’s difficult to sympathize with Ellie over it.
4 Sympathetic: She Gave Love A Chance
It’s not fair to solely remember Ellie for how she got worse during the events of the game, seeing as she also displayed a capacity for love. Ellie didn’t throw herself into solitude or curse others’ happiness. Instead, she took a chance at love.
She went so far as to raise Dina’s child with her, proving that Ellie still had good in her. Things did go out of hand, yet there’s no mistaking that through it all Ellie’s endgame was to be around those she loved, and that does count for a lot.
3 Not Sympathetic: Her Capability Of Harming Children
Ellie’s capacity for torturing people to gain information was something she very brutally displayed on Nora, yet she managed to make it even worse. This was when she killed Mel, who was pregnant at the time. Although Ellie was devastated by it, there’s no going back from the fact that she did commit the crime.
Later on, Ellie demonstrated her willingness to harm children when she threatened to kill the 13-year-old Lev to goad Abby, this time knowing full well what she was doing.
2 Sympathetic: She Saved Joel From Turning Into An Apathetic Killer
Although some might argue that Ellie’s impact on Joel’s softening demeanor had to with the first part, that still had a long-term impact. After all, Joel had become a man who had no care in the world for anyone, but it was through Ellie he learned to love again.
It was this change in his character that got him to save Abby, and despite it leading to his death, there’s no doubt Joel had become better than he once was through Ellie’s influence. He used to be all dark in terms of morality, but Ellie brought some color into it that lasted until the end.
1 Not Sympathetic: She Has The Same Motivations Of Vengeance As Abby
There’s been the argument over whether Ellie or Abby is the better protagonist. While Abby is associated with the theme of hate, that’s simply overlooking the fact that Ellie was just about the same.
She took to killing and maiming others all in the name of revenge. Ellie had no reservations about destroying the lives of people if it got her vengeance, and these qualities were what Abby demonstrated. One can’t accuse Abby of being in the wrong since Ellie was just as culpable and had the same motivations. To this end, Ellie can’t warrant sympathy for her intentions.
NEXT: The Last Of Us Part 2: Ranking Every Weapon Of Abby’s
