It’s been just over a week since the launch of The Last of Us Part II, so many of us have finally been able to experience all of the emotional moments that the game has to offer.
These memorable scenes are part of the reason the game has become the fastest-selling PS4 exclusive to date, with over four million copies sold in three days. There are definitely more than a few stunning moments, but here are the most emotional scenes from The Last of Us Part II.
Note: This article contains major story spoilers regarding multiple plot-related scenes. If you do not wish to be spoiled, please do not go any further in this article.
Joel’s Song for Ellie
The Last of Us Part II opens up with a great bonding moment between Ellie and Joel. He checks up on her, tells a dad joke, and even plays her a song. He plays Pearl Jam’s Future Days, which is fitting considering their connection. It pops up again and again over the course of the game.
This moment is surprisingly touching. It’s nice to see Joel go full dad mode, even promising to teach Ellie how to play guitar the next night.
The lyrics “If I ever were to lose you, I would surely lose myself,” are repeated by Ellie multiple times as she uses them to remember Joel later on in the game. In a tragic turn of events, Ellie loses her ability to play the song because she let her quest for revenge consume her.
Abby’s Revenge
This is a game with a strong focus on revenge, just as advertised. It only makes sense that some of The Last of Us Part II’s most emotional moments come when the game depicts that revenge physically taking place.
This divisive moment results in Joel’s violent death at the hands of Abby and a group of former Fireflies. It can be tough to watch. Not only because of the violence, but also because of Ellie’s reaction as it happens right in front of her.
Ellie Corners Nora
This is another emotional moment in The Last of Us Part II that contains some graphic revenge. Ellie comes face-to-face with a member of Abby’s group, and this time, she has all the time in the world.
Her anger pours out as she kills Nora in a brutal way, but when Ellie returns to her base in the theater, she’s visibly shaken by what she’s done. She’s killed many people by this point, of course. But Ellie is affected by having to “make Nora talk.”
It’s implied that the situation between the two got much worse after the camera cut away, and it’s tough seeing Ellie come to grips with her actions.
The Museum Trip
Thankfully, not every emotional moment in The Last of Us Part II is a bloody one. A number of the character interactions are peaceful, and wonderful to experience. The museum trip is one such moment.
Joel takes Ellie to a museum in Wyoming for her birthday. The flashback will be tugging at your heartstrings the entire time as Ellie gets incredibly excited about dinosaurs and outer space.
There’s even a scene in the space exhibit where Ellie actually experiences a whole liftoff sequence in her imagination thanks to a cassette tape that Joel gives her. The tape provides space launch audio, and Ellie’s mind does the rest as the lighting dims while the screen shakes. It’s all presented in a brilliant way.
Ellie Finds Out the Truth
The first game ends with Joel telling Ellie a lie after committing morally questionable acts to keep her safe. In this emotional moment, Ellie finally confirms her suspicions about the truth of what happened at the end of The Last of Us.
Needless to say, she doesn’t take the new information well. She completely breaks down after confronting Joel about his actions, creating a rift in her relationship with him that takes years to fix.
Up until this point, Ellie never seems to buy Joel’s altered version of what happened in the Firefly hospital years ago. This moment simply confirms to her that she was right to seek out the truth on her own, even though the reality of the situation is difficult for her to accept.
Escaping the Island
The Seraphite children, Yara and Lev, become a huge part of Abby’s section of the story as she struggles with her guilt. One of the most emotional moments in her portion of The Last of Us Part II is when she tries to protect the siblings as the trio attempts to escape the Seraphite island.
Things don’t go as planned at all, as Yara loses her life protecting Abby and Lev. Lev loses his mother just minutes before this happens too, so the scene is sad for all kinds of reasons.
With Lev now alone in the world, Abby decides to go against her WLF companions to keep him safe at all costs. She even goes so far as telling him “You’re my people, now” right before they attempt to escape the island together.
Ellie Boss Fight
In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, players will need to use Abby to defeat Ellie in a boss fight. It can be rough getting through this emotional Last of Us 2 moment, seeing as Abby beats the hell out of Ellie in a fight that you’re forced to win.
It’s not easy seeing that happen to the little girl you followed in the first game. Not only that, but you’re the one doing it.
It’s only natural that Abby would beat Ellie in an up close and personal struggle, and that’s exactly what happens. She strangles her, breaks her arm, and almost takes Dina’s life too.
The whole siituation reaches its climax when Abby says “good” after finding out that Dina is pregnant. Thankfully, Lev is able to stop her before revenge consumes her again, just as it did with Ellie.
Ellie’s Trauma
The Last of Us Part II contains plenty of gruesome scenes, and this moment is emotional because Ellie can’t get those scenes out of her head. Joel’s death has clearly affected her all game long, but this is when her mental struggle is presented in one of the most heartbreaking ways.
Ellie’s panic attack in the barn shows us exactly what she’s been dealing with mentally since her confrontation with Abby.
Once she’s left with no option but to live a quiet life, Ellie becomes haunted by her memories. She barely eats or sleeps, and looks far more frail than she used to.
The Beach Fight
It’s another round of Ellie vs Abby. This time, you play as Ellie. Even though both characters are broken and tired, Ellie just can’t let go of her grudge. This moment is an emotional one because of everything that’s happened throughout Ellie and Abby’s entire journey in The Last of Us Part II.
Abby is only fighting to protect Lev at this point, but Ellie feels that she still needs to get her revenge, for Joel. This fight is a brutal one. Skin is pierced, fingers are lost, and Abby almost drowns.
In the end, Ellie decides to move past her hatred. It may be because she realizes that, in a way, Abby is to Lev what Joel was to her. Whatever her reasons, it’s a moving scene.
The Last Conversation
Ellie and Joel share many conversations, sprinkled throughout the game as flashbacks. Very few of those talks are as heartfelt as this one. In one of the last moments in The Last of Us Part II, Ellie has an emotional talk with Joel on the night of her dance with Dina.
Ellie says that she’d like to try to forgive Joel for what he’s done in the past, for presumably the first time. It’s a beautiful interaction that becomes somber as Ellie says “Okay. I’ll see you around.”
We all know that they won’t have the time to build their relationship back up to what it used to be. That “see you around” never actually gets to become anything more than just words.
The Last of Us Part II is absolutely full of emotional moments like the ones listed above. Let us know which ones were your favorites in the comments below!
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