Waverly felt that "Lev's story isn't made for trans people, but to give cisgender players a space to connect with their guilt and pity for trans people". [62] Dina underwent extensive design changes in development; early iterations featured patterns that were deemed impractical for stealth, though the team wanted her style to embody pre-pandemic life. [27], Abby is described as having a "commanding presence", with her physical build reflecting the years of training and combat. Returning to the theater, Ellie, Dina, Jesse and Tommy are ambushed by Abby, who kills Jesse and shoots Tommy. Learning controls, introduction to the plot, etc. [30] Prior to her pregnancy, Bailey was working out in preparation for the role. Ellie – Ashley Johnson. [54][14] He predicted that it might lead to negative reactions, but felt it was necessary to tell the story; he particularly felt that Naughty Dog's notability in the industry gave it the opportunity to take risks that other developers can not. Ellie enters the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) camp to witness Abby Anderson beat Joel to death, and swears revenge. Edda previously worked with Naughty Dog on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016). [3][1] The actors were allowed to improvise or suggest ideas while performing; he said that he would do "20 or 30 takes if need be". She travels with Ellie to Seattle to seek revenge, but is forced to rest in a theater when she reveals her pregnancy with Jesse. [80] In contrast, Stacey Henley of VG247 wrote that, while Lev's story is not perfect, "it's a major step for trans characters in gaming, focuses on a highly charismatic and central character who is far more than this transness". Her father, Jerry Anderson, was a Firefly surgeon who Joel killed at the end of the first game to save Ellie. [85] Edda felt that, with Manny, Abby was able to speak more comfortably and openly. Lev saves Yara after the latter is captured by Seraphites. With Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, Derek Phillips, Jeffrey Pierce. [1] The actors wore motion capture suits and head-mounted cameras that track facial muscles and eye movements. Emanuel "Manny" Alvarez (Alejandro Edda) is a former Firefly who serves with Abby, his friend, as a soldier of the Washington Liberation Front. [86] Manny's final scenes on the marina were among the last to be shot in the day, and Edda felt that the fatigue of the actors added to the intensity and desperation of their performances. As the WLF attack the settlement, Yara kills Isaac and sacrifices herself to let Abby and Lev escape. [76] Lev's name is based on the Hebrew interpretation, meaning "heart", and is also an homage to the character from David Benioff's City of Thieves (2008), one of Druckmann's favorite novels. After insisting that Ellie remain in Jackson, Tommy sneaks away overnight, seeking revenge in Seattle. The characters received a generally positive reception, with acclaim for the performances. The Last of Us 2: Which Characters Are In The Sequel? Edda, who has little other experience with video games, accepted as he found it to be a unique and creative experience. [59] When designing Tommy for Part II, the team wanted to show his advanced age while maintaining his identity from the first game.[56]. [10] Gross felt that Ellie's decision to track down Abby was motivated by her desire to overcome her PTSD more than her desire to kill Abby. The two lead characters of The Last of Us, Ellie (left) and Joel (right) in a promotional image for the game.. Ellie returns to the farmhouse and finds it empty. After Ellie refuses, Tommy berates her, prompting Dina to argue with him. [95] Yannick Le Fur of Jeuxvideo.com wrote that supporting characters such as Jesse and Manny lacked development and were simply used to advance the narrative. Four years later, Tommy witnesses Joel's death while on patrol, but he is spared by Abby and her group. Searching for Owen, Abby is captured and witnesses the Seraphites shatter the arm of a runaway Seraphite, Yara. He lauded the character's camaraderie with her companions, particularly Manny (Alejandro Edda). [76] The team hired a religious consultant to ensure the Seraphites' response to Lev's transition was accurate without being unintentionally offensive. [58] Early iterations of the scene had Maria visit Ellie, but she was replaced with Tommy so that Ellie "would have to face Abby's impact". Welcome! Grace was immediately interested in the role due to Yara's "strength, bravery, and selflessness". [78] Grace felt that, as the youngest of five siblings, her close bond with her family was carried across to the role: "I would take a hammer to the arm for any of my siblings". Druckmann felt that this was thematically relevant, but realized that it focused too heavily on the themes rather than characters;[13] after conversations about Yara and Lev, they found that it felt dishonest and that Ellie still had some goodness. [41] Bailey felt that, in the game's conclusion, Abby understands Ellie's emotions, having dealt with her own father's death. Her name means "judgment" in Hebrew, which he felt reflected on the game's themes. [57] IGN's Dornbush lauded Baker's performance for depicting the weariness of Joel.[21]. [77][79] Writing for Paste, Waverly praised the choice to have Lev played by a transgender actor, but felt there was too much emphasis on his gender identity and the suffering he experienced for it. When Abby beats Joel to death, Manny spits on Joel's corpse. The actors wore motion capture suits and head-mounted cameras that track facial muscles and eye movements. [89][90] Andy McNamara of Game Informer found the occasional absence of supporting characters alarming, having grown close to them. [52] Druckmann felt that witnessing Joel's death through Ellie's perspective emphasized the anger of the player. As they leave the island, Yara kills the WLF leader, sacrificing herself so Lev and Abby can escape. [99] Keza MacDonald of The Guardian wrote that the acting made the narrative much more emotionally effective. [23] Destructoid's Chris Carter felt empathetic to the main characters,[18] a sentiment echoed by IGN's Dornbush, who found Ellie's development particularly "riveting". Several months later, Dina gives birth to his child, JJ. [27], Originally in development, Lev was not transgender. [97], "Behind the scenes: One week on the set of The Last of Us Part 2", "The Last of Us Part II: how Naughty Dog made a classic amidst catastrophe", "The Last of Us Part II MoCap Has Begun Shooting", "The Last of Us Part 2 exclusive interview | Neil Druckmann on that lesbian kiss, extreme violence and what has happened to Joel", "The Last of Us Part II and Its Crisis-Strewn Path to Release", "The Last of Us: Part II - Halley Gross E3 Interview", "The Last of Us Part 2 co-writer: 'There are no heroes or villains, "Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross Open Up About the Biggest Twists of 'The Last of Us Part II, "The Podcast: Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann And Media Molecule's Siobhan Reddy Join Talking Games With Reggie And Harold! Here is a list of all chapters and stages available in The Last of Us 2: Jackson. He was one of the easier characters to design, representing the "rugged, strong American cowboy". She originally hails from New Mexico and is Jewish, mentioning that her ancestors survived both the Inquisition and the Holocaust. [60][61] The day after their first kiss at a dance, Dina and Ellie are assigned to patrol together. [51] Joel's death was a core part of the game's narrative structure from early in development. Well known for her role as Ellie in the first game, Ashley Johnson returns to … [84] During Joel's death scene, Edda portrayed Manny as Abby's bodyguard, with a cold and tough disposition, though he acknowledged that the scene was emotional as it was his final shot with Baker. Ellie. [71], Andrew Webster of The Verge described Dina as a "charismatic and honest counterpart to Ellie's more headstrong personality", particularly noting the emptiness of her absence. After a struggle, Ellie kills Abby's allies, the pregnant Mel and her boyfriend Owen Moore. After escaping a WLF ambush, the pair retreat to a theater, where Ellie reveals her immunity to Dina and learns that Dina is pregnant. He ignores her and rides away on his horse. He regroups with Ellie, Dina, and Jesse, but is ambushed by Abby and Lev. The switch between the playable characters was a major point of the game's development, based on a similar switch in the original game, 2013's The Last of Us. [64] She felt that some people deal with trauma through comedy, and would often improvise jokes while recording. [48][49] Bailey became the target of online death threats in response to the character. After being rescued by Yara's younger brother Lev, they arrive at the aquarium, where Abby finds Owen. Abby helps the siblings find safety for the night. As the story and its theme of violence developed, the writers found it more interesting for Abby's father to have been killed by the player in the first game and directly tie into Joel's actions. [45] Abby's playable chapters were controversial among players, who had expected to control Ellie for the majority of the game. RELATED: The Last Of Us Part II: 10 Hidden Details … In the game's prologue, Joel confesses his guilt to Tommy. The Last of Us Part 2 has been out for almost two months now and is still generating fan discussion and controversy. [78] She appreciated that the writers allowed the characters to be defined by their personalities instead of just their Asian American background. [70] Her sense of humor helps her forget her traumatic past. [72] Jonathon Dornbush of IGN commended Woodward's performance, especially during the game's quieter moments. Creative director Neil Druckmann co-wrote the story and developed the characters of Part II with Halley Gross. [34] Despite some hesitation, the team determined that Lev's deadname being used by the Seraphites demonstrated the difference between their transphobia and the acceptance of Abby and Yara. Abby helps the siblings find safety for the night. [37] Owen represents emotion in contrast to Abby's pessimism. If you're not finished yet, we recommend you turn back now. The WLF leader, Isaac Dixon, believes he may have defected, and plans to assault the Seraphites' island settlement. [8], The change of player character from Ellie to Abby was inspired by the change from Joel to Ellie in the first game, though emphasized in Part II due to its focus on empathy. He felt that she struggles with the religion, not believing every part of the Torah, but her relationship with it remains important to her. Several months later, he visits Ellie and Dina on their farm, revealing that he and his wife Maria had split. | The main plot of Part II takes place two years later, where Ellie and Joel have built a life in Jackson, though it is evident their relationship is still strained. He plans to sail to Santa Barbara, where the Fireflies were supposedly regrouping. [10] Druckmann was also inspired by the character switch of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), which had been suppressed in that game's marketing. File:Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us.png. He finds Ellie in a suburban neighborhood in Seattle, regrouping with her and Dina. In the prologue to The Last of Us Part II, Joel confesses his guilt to his brother Tommy. For The Last of Us Part II, the actors' performances were recorded at a studio in Playa Vista, Los Angeles using performance capture, recording motion and voice simultaneously. While Joel is a compelling, and perhaps even lovable, character in both games, he's not a consistently good person. [32], An early iteration of the story had a young Abby witnessing an attack on her group by Joel and Tommy, who were hunters at the time (in the unseen 20 years of the first game), and vowing revenge. [23] Tim Biggs of The Sydney Morning Herald lauded the performances for making the characters believable. Abby and Lev return to the aquarium to find Owen and his pregnant girlfriend Mel killed and a map leading to Ellie's theater hideout. Pierce felt that Tommy convincing Ellie to chase Abby at the farm is him attempting to erase his shame, comparing it to "bombing the shit out of Iraq after 9/11", which is "not quite the right target there, but ... made some people feel righteous". [78] Druckmann invited Alexander to audition,[77] and the latter submitted some self-taped videos. [40] An early version of Joel's death scene had him utter "Sarah", his daughter's name, until Baker suggested that he should remain silent. The Last of Us Part 2 … ", "The Last of Us Part 2: Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross Interview", "A spoiler-heavy interview with The Last of Us Part 2 director Neil Druckmann", "Becoming Ellie: Ashley Johnson Navigates Grief and Guilt in 'The Last of Us Part II, "The Last of Us Part 2 review - a gut-wrenching sequel", "The Last of Us Part 2 Review: "AN Astonishing, Absurdly Ambitious Epic, "The Last of Us Part 2 review – a generation-defining masterpiece", "The Game Awards 2020: Complete Winners List", "Last of Us 2's Ending Explained - Everything That Happens And Why", "The Last of Us Part II: Laura Bailey on "The Scene, "THere's One Pleasant Surprise In 'The Last Of Us Part II': Its Depiction Of Judaism", "We Chatted To Naughty Dog About The Last Of Us Part II Spoilers, Leaks, Themes And Brutality", "The Last of Us Part 2: Abby Voice Actor Laura Bailey Delivers a Stunning Performance", "Abby's redemption arc in The Last of us Part 2 is the only one that matters (spoilers)", "The Last of Us Part 2 Pulls Off Its Biggest Twist, But Only Just Barely", "Here's The Deal With The Last Of Us Part 2", "Why 'The Last of Us: Part II' Deserves to Be in the 'Game of the Year' Conversation", "The Last of Us Part 2 proves gaming doesn't know how to deal with muscular women", "The rampant body-shaming of Abby in The Last of Us Part II shows gamers still can't accept a realistic female lead", "Last of Us 2 voice actor Laura Bailey shares death threats on Twitter", "Naughty Dog details Ellie's dark and turbulent evolution", "3 reasons why 'The Last of Us Part II' is a game changer for video games", "The Last of Us Part II is masterfully crafted and painfully bleak: Review", "The Last Of Us: Jeffrey Pierce Interview - Tommy Tells All", "How Shannon Woodward Went From 'The Last of Us' Fan to Playing New Character Dina in 'Part II, "Simu Liu, Shannon Woodward, Shawn Wasabi, Sophia Black", "This Is the Girl Dina Is Based on in The Last of Us 2", "Hit game 'The Last of Us Part II' features Dina, a Jewish character", "The Last of Us Part II is Uncomfortable and Exhausting, But That's What Makes it Great", "THE LAST OF US PART II: Jesse Voice Actor Discusses The Motion-Capture Process For The Naughty Dog Title", "The personal experiences that Lev and Yara's actors brought to The Last of Us Part 2", "Lev, The Last of Us Part 2, and imperfectly important representation (spoilers)", "The Cisgender Voyeurism of The Last of Us Part II", "I Have Mixed Feelings About The Last Of Us Part 2's Trans Character", "The Last Of Us Part 2: The Kotaku Review", "The Last of Us Part II Is a Revolutionary Video Game—and an Unbelievably Grim One", "The Last of Us Part II Review – A Perfect Circle", "The Last Of Us Part 2 Spoiler Review - Dog Eat Dog", "The Last of Us Part 2 review: We're better than this", "The Last of Us 2 Review | A Bloater stuffed to the brim", "The Last of Us Part II : Entre histoire viscérale et review bombing", "The Last of Us Part 2 review – post-apocalyptic game is groundbreaking and powerful", "Brutal and beautiful, The Last of Us sequel is a harrowing masterpiece", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_The_Last_of_Us_Part_II_characters&oldid=1001876268, Sony Interactive Entertainment characters, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 January 2021, at 20:17. Chang felt a connection to the character and noted that the team allowed him to "bring a lot of myself to the character". [42], John Saavedra of Den of Geek praised Bailey's performance for bringing Abby to life and making the player empathize with her by the game's end. Four years later, in her early twenties,[26] she tracks Joel down and beats him to death. She overpowers Ellie and Dina, but spares them and warns them to leave. [36] Abby's goal to kill Joel was fueled by her desire to return to a world before her father's death, but she discovers it impossible. Let us know in the comments section below, and be sure to refer to our The Last of Us 2 guide for more information on the game. Flashbacks in the game reveal Joel taking Ellie on a birthday trip to a museum, and finally admitting the truth to her when she travels to the hospital. He finds and attacks Abby, but is stabbed by Yara and pushed into the ocean. Fans are glad to hear that Ellie and Joel’s story continues through to the sequel. [11] The writers experimented with interspersing Ellie and Abby's gameplay sections, but ultimately settled on longer segments. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson were also confirmed to reprise their roles as Joel and Ellie respectively while Neil Druckmann will write the script. [9] Some of the team considered Ellie's obsession with Abby akin to a drug addiction, and that Dina left as she felt that the obsession would never end. Ellie finds them but is assaulted and watches helplessly as Abby beats Joel to death. The performances were recorded using performance capture, which records motion and voice simultaneously.