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If there’s one thing that can split a gaming community right down the middle, it’s the character choices in The Last of Us Part II. Released for PlayStation 4 in June 2020 and remastered for PlayStation 5 in January 2024, this sequel from Naughty Dog was praised for its story and won more than 320 Game of the Year awards, but it also sparked fierce, sometimes furious, debate over the trajectory and motivations of its main characters. Today, I’m ranking the top five most controversial character choices in The Last of Us Part II. You’re going to want to argue with me about this list—so let’s see if your most debated moment made the cut.
Number 5: Abby’s decision to kill Joel.
What happened: Early in the game, Abby Anderson tracks down Joel and kills him with a golf club. Her motivation is revenge; Joel murdered her father, who was the lead Firefly surgeon tasked with operating on Ellie at the end of the first game.
Why people argue: Joel was a fan favorite, and many players had spent the first game identifying with his choices and moral justifications. Abby’s brutal actions not only shocked players but forced them to empathize with her when the game later shifts control to her perspective. Some fans argue this was a bold storytelling move; others felt betrayed, believing Joel deserved a more heroic fate. The scene’s intensity and its placement so early in the story set the tone for just how far the sequel was willing to go to challenge player loyalties.
Number 4: Ellie’s relentless pursuit of Abby.
What happened: After witnessing Joel’s death, Ellie vows revenge. Over three days in Seattle, she tracks and kills several of Abby’s friends, including Nora, Owen, and Mel. This campaign of vengeance is depicted in graphic detail, with the game emphasizing the toll it takes on Ellie.
Why people argue: Players disagreed over whether Ellie’s actions were justified or crossed the line into villainy. Some believed her trauma and loss made her relentless pursuit understandable. Others felt the game didn’t give players enough agency to question or resist Ellie’s path, essentially forcing them to commit acts they found morally indefensible. This debate touched off wider conversations about player agency in narrative games, with Polygon and Kotaku reviewers specifically noting that the game repeatedly delivered its themes without allowing players much choice in major decisions.
Number 3: Abby’s choice to spare Ellie and Dina.
What happened: After discovering her friends dead, Abby tracks Ellie and her girlfriend Dina to a theater. In a tense confrontation, Abby overpowers Ellie and is about to kill Dina before being stopped by Lev, her companion. Instead of killing them, Abby spares both.
Why people argue: Some players saw Abby’s decision as a credible sign of growth, breaking the cycle of revenge that has fueled so much violence in the game. Others felt it was inconsistent, given that Abby had just killed Jesse minutes earlier, and questioned whether her mercy felt earned. The debate centers on whether this was a believable moment of character development or a contrived twist to prolong the story’s moral ambiguity.
Number 2: Ellie’s choice to leave Dina and pursue Abby again in Santa Barbara.
What happened: Months after the events in Seattle, Ellie and Dina are living on a farm, trying to build a peaceful life. Despite Dina’s plea to stay, Ellie cannot let go of her trauma and guilt, so she sets out alone to track down Abby once more.
Why people argue: This decision reignited fierce debate over Ellie’s character arc. Some players felt that Ellie abandoning her chance at happiness for revenge was inevitable given the psychological scars she carries. Others saw it as a regressive move, undermining any growth Ellie had achieved. The fact that Dina and Ellie’s relationship collapses as a result just adds to the heartbreak and division, with fans split on whether this was a realistic portrayal of trauma or a narrative misstep that punished both characters for seeking hope.
Number 1: Ellie’s final choice to let Abby live.
What happened: In Santa Barbara, Ellie finds Abby and Lev captured and emaciated. After freeing them, Ellie forces Abby into a violent fight. Ellie ultimately gains the upper hand, begins to drown Abby, but at the last moment, flashes back to a memory of Joel and relents, letting Abby and Lev escape.
Why people argue: This moment is the culmination of the game’s entire narrative about cycles of revenge and forgiveness. Some fans believe it’s a powerful, earned payoff—Ellie, unable to kill Abby, finally breaks the cycle and chooses her own peace. Others argue it’s unsatisfying, wondering why, after everything lost and done, Ellie spares the one person she’s pursued so obsessively. There are also those who feel the choice is hollow since players have no meaningful way to influence it, and the game’s structure means they’re left carrying out actions they may not support. This ending has led to endless analysis and debate, with strong arguments on both sides about whether it delivers closure or undercuts the entire journey.
Each of these moments is grounded in choices made by creative director Neil Druckmann and co-writer Halley Gross. Their narrative decisions were deliberate, aiming for nuance and emotional realism, but they pushed fans to question just how far they were willing to go to empathize with characters as flawed and human as Ellie and Abby. The performances of Ashley Johnson as Ellie and Laura Bailey as Abby were widely praised by critics, further intensifying the emotional stakes of these controversial moments.
The Last of Us Part II’s narrative ambition is reflected in its industry impact. The game was developed by a team of about 2,169 people across 14 studios. It received universal acclaim, with a Metacritic score of 93 out of 100 and became the sixth-highest-rated PlayStation 4 game. Its bold storytelling approach led to more than 320 Game of the Year awards—a record-breaking feat at the time.
Notably, these character choices have sparked academic articles, critical essays, and thousands of online arguments across fan communities, Reddit threads, and review sites. Many reviewers highlighted the intersection of narrative design and player agency, especially in the way the game forces players to embody both Ellie and Abby, challenging their preconceptions and sense of right and wrong.
Here’s a final detail: the controversy around these choices was so intense that the creative team faced both praise and backlash, with some players sending direct feedback to Naughty Dog and its leads. The debate over whether the game’s conclusion justifies its harrowing journey continues years after release, fueled by the script’s publication as a 618-page hardcover book in December 2025. If you think my ranking is off—or you want to defend one of these choices—jump in and set me straight.