Ellie Williams

Ellie
Ellie using a hunting rifle for the first time.
Biographical information
Age(d)	13 (American Dreams, Left Behind) 14 (The Last of Us)
Status	Alive
Gender	Female

“

A brave, 14 year old girl, Ellie has grown up in this harsh world and it is all she has ever known. She’s an orphan who was raised in a boarding school run by the military within the bounds of the quarantine zone. Naïve and curious about the outside world, she is wise beyond her years and highly capable of taking care of herself and those around her. Obsessed with comic books, CDs, and other pop culture, her knowledge base is filled by the remnants of a world that no longer exists. ―Naughty Dog's official description of Ellie

”

Ellie is the secondary playable character and the protagonist of American Dreams, The Last of Us and Left Behind. A fourteen-year-old survivor, Ellie is "mature beyond her years" as a result of the circumstances of her environment. She is voiced and mo-capped by Ashley Johnson.

Biography

Background & Early Life

Ellie was born sometime in either late 2018 or early 2019, approximately 6 years after the spread of the fungal pandemic. As a result, she grew up in an oppressive military quarantine zone in Boston, Massachusetts, with little knowledge of the world prior to the infection. Ellie's mother, Anna, died when Ellie was just one day old. In Anna's letter to Ellie, she states that she trusts Marlene to watch over Ellie when she passed away. Ironically, Ellie never actually met Marlene until she was thirteen years old. 

Events of American Dreams

Main article: The Last of Us: American Dreams

Boston Quarantine Zone

Ellie looking out the bus window.

13-year-old Ellie arrives at the Boston quarantine zone on a bus, to the sight of the military scanning a man for infection. She thinks nothing of it until the scan reads positive and a man is forced to his knees at gunpoint. This sight frightens her.

Once she’s safely inside the gates, she and the other survivors leave the bus. She is approached by a soldier who knows her. He warns her not to pull any of her “old stunts” once she’s settled in and tells her that he can no longer look after her. Ellie asks that he take her with him, but he refuses, citing that his responsibility to his own family comes first.

Angry, Ellie declares she can take care of herself without his help. However, shortly after she is caught in a fight with a group of young boys who attempt to steal her belongings. Ellie provokes them, but is saved by a teenage girl as their leader prepares to attack her. The girl intimidates the boys enough to scare them away.

She asks Ellie what they wanted with her, and Ellie implies they meant to steal her belongings. She dismisses the girl when she tries to give her advice on how to function in the military zone, inquiring whether or not she looked like she needed help. The girl notes she has “trust issues” and calls her “new kid." Seconds later, she advises Ellie to flee before quickly leaving. Ellie is confused by what she means and is caught by one of the authority figures in charge of the school. In his office, Ellie is flippant with his show of authority despite the open reading of her rap sheet in previous homes.

He assigns her to cleaning duty. While she is in the middle of scrubbing a bloodied jeep she reaches for her Walkman and finds it missing from her jacket pocket. She realizes that the girl from earlier stole it from her and throws a fit, baffled by how she could have taken it without Ellie noticing.

A moment later she notices an amputated finger near the wheel of the jeep and she is quick to imagine the fight that must have occurred. She dumps the water on the tire and goes to confront the girl about her Walkman. In the mess hall, Ellie demands that the Walkman be returned to her, but the girl denies knowledge of what Ellie is speaking of. Ellie, however, continues to press the matter until the girl gives it up with a backhanded comment about her poor taste in music.

Ellie watches as the girl sneaks out.

Later that night, as Ellie lies awake in bed, she hears footsteps outside her room. She gets dressed and peers outside her door in time to catch the girl’s figure disappearing through a door. Ellie follows after her without her noticing and is successful in sneaking up on her. Surprised to find Ellie behind her, the girl demands that she go back to her room.

Ellie refuses. She wants her to show her a way out of the school and tells her to stop calling her “new kid." The girl hesitates for a moment before she obliges her request; she asks if she can keep up and Ellie remarks that keeping up is “not an issue." The girl finally calls Ellie by her given name, asking her not to make her regret bringing her along. The two manage to escape the building and cross the yard without being noticed. Climbing over the fence, Ellie asks how the girl knew her name. The girl states that she has “her ways” and introduces herself as Riley. Riley asks if she is ready for what is next and Ellie responds “Yep."

Hanging out with Riley

Ellie and Riley on the rooftops.

Ellie struggles to keep up with Riley as she leads her across the rooftops. When Riley comes to a stop, Ellie, out of breath, asks if that is all the challenge she has to offer. Ignoring the question, Riley asks if Ellie ever thinks about her future. Ellie assumes she is being facetious and inquires if she means future as seen in science fiction. Riley repeats the question and asks Ellie what she intends to do with her life. Ellie does not see much of a future for herself and Riley says that her mentality is exactly how the quarantine zone's authority figures want people to think.

Confused, Ellie asks what Riley intends on doing with her life. Riley tells Ellie she turns sixteen in three months and she intends on using that time to find out. Ellie demands to know what else life might hold for them, but Riley ignores the question. She asks Ellie if she has ever ridden a horse before and Ellie tells her “no." Riley leads through the window of an abandoned mall. As they travel through the vacant building Ellie spots a mannequin standing behind a broken window display and takes a moment to mock its posture before she moves to rejoin Riley.

Ellie stops to look at Raja's Arcade.

Moments later she spots an arcade just a few feet away from them; she asks Riley to wait up and ventures inside. She spots an old arcade machine for a game called “Triple Phoenix” and proceeds to enthusiastically describe the television show it was inspired by.

Riley dismisses her enthusiasm, saying the game is for children. She then begins to describe “The Turning," a violent fighting game with a female character named 'Angel Knives.' Ellie points out the fortune of the kids that were born before the infection, never catching Riley’s somber expression. Riley decides they are wasting time and leaves the arcade.

As Ellie follows she stops to imagine what the arcade would have looked like before the infection hit and immediately after before moving on. Riley takes her to a camp where she meets her friend, Winston, a resident of the mall. Winston berates Riley for bringing another friend to the mall, knowing it will only cause him trouble. Riley assures him Ellie is cool and introduces the two formally. In exchange for bringing him whiskey, she asks that he teach Ellie how to ride a horse.

Ellie follows Riley to the stables; the girl explains to her how to behave around horses and tells her to make sure Winston takes her around the whole mall on Princess. As Riley prepares the horse, Ellie asks if she is trying to get kicked out of the quarantine zone by causing trouble.

Ellie riding a horse for the first time.

Riley tells her she does not want to be put into general population where people receive terrible jobs and little rations to survive. Once the horse is ready to go, Winston helps Ellie climb into the saddle and warns Riley to behave as they head out. Ellie asks Winston about his life before the infection and listens to the older man reminisce about his childhood roaming the mall and skipping school, enthralled by his memories.

They return to Winston’s camp to find Riley reading a magazine. Dismounting from the horse, Ellie thanks her for bringing her to the mall. Moments later, an explosion occurs outside the mall, prompting Winston to find his unit. He orders Riley and Ellie to return to the school before he departs. Ellie, shaken by the events unfolding around her, agrees with Winston, but is ignored by Riley. She turns to find her friend fiddling with a walkie-talkie. She realizes she was used to distract Winston and begins to shout at Riley when they both overhear that there may be Fireflies in the area. Riley becomes excited at the prospect of meeting the Fireflies, but Ellie believes she has lost her mind. Instead of arguing with her, Riley leaves without her. Shocked, Ellie remains where she stands for a moment before she decides to follow after Riley.

Caught in the Crossfire

Watching the wounded Fireflies from the roof.

Following Riley, the pair reached a place overlooking a battle between the military and the Fireflies. Seeing that the Fireflies were losing, Riley decides to give them a chance to escape. Ellie is shocked to find that Riley managed to steal some smoke bombs when Winston was distracted. The pair threw the smoke bombs at the military, allowing the Fireflies to retreat safely. The girls cheered, but the military spots the pair and opened fire on them.

Ellie and Riley quickly flee into an alleyway outside the mall behind a dumpster. Ellie is irritable despite Riley's assurances that they would be safe. However, a Runner come right after this statement and attacks Ellie first. 

Riley reacts back by hitting it with a stone before it can do anything but the runner, having discovered her, begins to attack Riley and pins her to the ground. He seems to bite her before Ellie kills it with a brick. Ellie inspects the area and finds that only Riley's jacket was torn. Riley displays a brief moment of defiant bravado, but right afterwards admits she was terrified of turning and cries into Ellie's arms. 

The Fireflies that retreated from the fight soon spot the girls. Riley tries to explain that they were the ones who threw the smoke bombs, but is knocked unconscious by one of the members at this. Ellie is furious, but is later blindfolded and captured, with one of them shocked that Ellie was involved.

Meeting the Fireflies

Ellie wakes up to the Fireflies arguing about whether or not they should disobey orders. Ellie is able to shake the bag from her head and can see three men arguing. She slips out of the rope which is binding her hands behind her back and reaches for a shard of glass when Marlene enters.

One of the Fireflies ask her how another one of their members, named Kerry, is doing. Marlene informs him that the doctor believes she has a chance of surviving. Marlene removes the binds from Ellie's legs with a knife and Ellie demands that Riley is untied. The Fireflies comply and Marlene hands Ellie an envelope with the instructions to open it when she returns to the school. Ellie sees Riley and Marlene argue before three armed men turn up and demand that they pay the toll for being in the smuggler's tunnel. The men become hostile and suddenly attack, with Ellie pulling a frozen Riley away from the firefight.

Ellie notices a way out but Riley refuses to leave and runs for a gun near one of the men. Before she can grab it, he pulls her back by her hood. However, before he can harm her, Ellie hits him with a brick. He turns his attention to Ellie and while he does so, Riley grabs the gun and shoots him, knocking him to the ground. When he opens his eyes, Marlene has a gun pointed in his face and shoots.

While Ellie is restrained by another Firefly member Riley and Marlene argue even more about the former wanting to join up. Marlene threatens to kill Riley as this will be her fate as a Firefly, prompting Ellie to bite the Firefly's hand and point his gun at Marlene. Marlene says that she wasn't really going to kill Riley. She fires a warning shot and Marlene says her name. When asked how she knows her name, Riley responds by saying she knew her mother and that the envelope was a letter from her mother. Marlene continues to tell her that she has had people watching Ellie as she promised her mother she would. She asks Riley for advice on what to do and Riley tells her to lower the gun.

Ellie gives Marlene the gun and Marlene tells her that her mother was called Anna, and she would tell her more about her mother when the time is right. Marlene points to a ladder and tells Ellie and Riley it leads to behind the school. Before they leave, Marlene gives Ellie a knife and tells her that it was her mother's. The two girls leave and, after Riley tells her that there is no way out, Ellie gets angry and suggests running away. Riley gets upset and says that all this will give them is another way to die. Riley walks off and Ellie follows, over the fence and into the school. Riley says she will see Ellie the next day.

A while later, Ellie is listening to music. She has read the letter and picks up the knife before hugging it to her chest.

Events of The Last of Us: Left Behind

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Sometime after returning to the school, Ellie and Riley parted ways after getting into an argument. Riley disappears from the school and Ellie assumes that her friend has been killed when she doesn’t return. In the meantime, Ellie is drafted into the military and keeps a marginal connection with Riley’s friends. Sometime during Riley's absence, Ellie visited Winston's camp at the mall and spent some time with Princess, unaware she was being observed by Winston.

Riley’s Return

Ellie is surprised by Riley.

Six weeks later, she is taken by surprise by the sudden return of Riley, who pretends to be infected and bites her on the neck.

Relieved, but upset, Ellie asks where her friend has been and Riley reveals that she’s become a Firefly. Riley, understanding her friend is upset, promises to tell her what happened while she was gone if she leaves the school with her. Reluctant, Ellie gets dressed and follows Riley out of the school.

Outside the school grounds, they evade a coming patrol by ducking into an abandoned building. Traveling through the building, Ellie asks how Riley found the Fireflies; Riley recounts how she followed Trevor, a Firefly Ellie bit when they first met Marlene, and was ambushed and taken directly to Marlene, who allowed her to join her cause.

When Riley asks whether or not if Ellie has made friends with anyone at the school or kept up with her friends, Ellie is evasive, but tells her that she doesn’t really talk to anyone since she left. Entering another room, Ellie spots a Firefly symbol and jokingly asks if Riley has “found the light”. Riley tells her friend that with the Fireflies she not a soldier like Ellie. Overhearing a loudspeaker transmission on the state of the quarantine zone, Riley tells Ellie that the military is lying about the number of infected that continue to appear in the zone. She nearly reveals that she had to kill someone who’d become infected, but veered from the subject.

Mallrats

Ellie and Riley explore the mall.

Crossing the rooftops, they evade another patrol and climb down into the window into the mall. When Riley asks if she remembers the first time she brought her here, Ellie asks why she brought her back. Riley evades the question and continues onward. Spotting a poster of a water gun, Ellie tells Riley that she attempted to get their water guns from “Corporal Dickhead”’s office, but she got caught in the process of escaping. Riley tells her to give up on getting them back, but Ellie remains determined to steal them back.

Arriving at Winston’s camp, Ellie tells Riley that she heard that Winston that died of a heart attack, a rarity for survivors. Exploring his tent, Ellie discovers a photograph of Winston in his youth and comments on his looks. Riley discovers a bottle of alcohol and offers Ellie a drink. After Riley drinks in his memory they leave his tent and spot the saddle belonging to Winston’s horse, Princess.

Ellie discovers a photograph of Winston in his youth.

Ellie tells Riley Princess was likely taken by someone and lamented on the horse’s well being, knowing it was easily spooked around strangers. Moving on, they attempt to use a car to climb to the other side of the mall, but the car gives way under its own weight. Ellie spots an open window over the door of a store and helps Riley inside. Ellie enters the store a moment after Riley opens the door and is startled by the mask her friend found inside. Riley gives Ellie a werewolf mask and reluctantly Ellie obliges her friend when she demands that she “fucking roar” when she refuses to concede with her antic’s. The two explore the store full of Halloween paraphernalia, trading masks and marveling over the odds and ends, including a fortune-telling skull.

Leaving the store, Riley suggests that they play a game. If either one of them knocks all the windows out of their car (Riley, Blue, Ellie, Red) they get to ask each other a question. Ellie beats Riley and asks why she left the school. Riley vaguely admits to being “in a weird space” and that she didn’t tell anyone she left. When Ellie questions if she is “just anyone” to Riley, her friend insists that they’re almost to their destination and moves on.

Reconnecting

Riley and Ellie fooling around in the photo booth.

Heading into the back of the mall, Riley explains that the military lied about the power in the city and that there was still power inside the mall. Entering a room, Riley opens a junction box motions for Ellie to flip the switch. Doubtful it will work, Ellie restores power to the mall and the two head toward the exit. There, Ellie hesitates and admits to being aware of Riley’s attempts to win her back. Riley apologizes for the things she said before she left, to which Ellie evades the moment by calling her friend a “sap”. They exit the back of the mall and head for the illuminated carousel.

Ellie climbs aboard the carousel and rides for a brief moment before she asks Riley to join her. Riley barely gets to ride for a moment before the carousel loses power. Noting her friend's disappointment, Ellie tells Riley she enjoyed the ride. A moment later Riley reveals she got Ellie another joke book. The two depart from carousel as Ellie picks and chooses jokes to tell until they come across a photo booth. Entering, they two fool around with the machine's settings and are confused by the prompt soliciting Facebook.com. They attempt to print the photographs out but are denied by an error prompt. Moving on, Ellie overhears Riley whistles. When she attempts to mimic her friend, Riley tells her "its about practice".

Confessions

Ellie imagines playing as Angel Knives in "The Turning".

They head to the top floor and enter Raja's Arcade. Ellie disappointed by the fact that that the "Turning" console arcade is busted, but Riley helps her visual how to play the game by describing the actions and button prompts for the character Angel Knives fighting against her opponent, Blackfang. Riley's description leads Ellie to a victor, but Ellie decides its time for her return to the school despite Riley's insistence to continue on further into the mall. Ellie tells Riley she doesn't have any more chance to to waste at the school and Riley admits that she's being relocated to another Firefly hideout.

Ellie pretends not to be bothered, but when Riley pushes the issue, Ellie demands why she was brought to the mall. When Riley tells her she just wanted to see her isn't enough, Riley isn't sure what to tell her. Frustrated, Ellie tells Riley to "go" and Riley decides to investigate the music regardless of Ellie's protests. Ellie goes after her and finds Riley inside a department store, admiring the view. Angry, Ellie asks whether or not Riley feels guilty for the fight they had before she disappeared.

Riley denies any admission of guilt as a motivator to crossing hostile territory to see her again, but admits she trying to make things work between them again. Dropping her backpack on the ground, Riley reveals that she got their water guns back and was nearly shot in the process.

Riley and Ellie share a kiss.

Ellie decides that the two play a game with their water guns. Afterward, Ellie reminds Riley that she has to return to the school and her friend offers to "walk her home". As they prepare to leave, Ellie encourages Riley to leave and that they'll see each other again one day.

A moment later Riley asks whether or not Ellie she still has her walkman. When Ellie answers in the affirmative, Riley takes the walkman and hooks it up to one of the audio systems in the store. The two climb on top of a counter and begin to dance. After several moments, however, Ellie stops, suddenly saddened, and sincerely asks that Riley not leave her. Riley removes her pendant and drops it on the floor as her answer. Relieved, Ellie leans forward and kisses Riley. She apologizes almost immediately after, but Riley expresses that there's nothing to be sorry for.

Infected

Ellie moments after she's bitten.

As Ellie and Riley try to figure out what to do next about each other and Fireflies, they are caught off guard by the sudden arrival of Runners attracted to the sound of the music. They manage to escape and blockade the door, but the infected begin to swarm the mall. Riley leads Ellie through the mall up to the higher floors, evading close calls with the infected who catch up to them.

Riley leads them out of a window onto a scaffolding. As Ellie catches up to Riley, the shelf she uses to climb tips over and she falls onto the ground. She defends herself against the infected until Riley can arrive to help her, however, her friend is ambushed by another infected. Recovering, Ellie jumps on the back of the infected and slits its throat. Ellie assumes the worst is over now that the infected are dead, but Riley brings attention to the injury on her arm. Ellie realizes she's been bitten, Riley reveals her own bite on her left hand.

Knowing that the bite means certain death, Ellie becomes enraged and destroys several pots with a pipe. Riley tries to console her friend with a number of options they can choose to deal with their situation; suicide or fighting against the infection with what time they have left with each other. When Ellie asks if there is a third option, Riley apologizes and the two leave the mall.

Aftermath

Though two resign themselves to the end and chose to wait together until they die, Riley is the only one of the two that succumbs to the fungal infection while Ellie survives.

Although Ellie is immune, she still carries a mutated form of the infection inside of her. She is later taken under Marlene's wing at the sight of this miracle for both of them. Ellie and Marlene later plan to head for Salt Lake City in order to reverse-engineer a cure for the infection which Ellie agrees to since she feels that it will relieve her of survivor's guilt of Riley. At the time though she does not know the exact location of the Firefly lab.

Ellie shows no signs of the being affected by the fungus, though her bite does have small fungi growing around the mark. She does not show any other significant reactions to her bite.

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Events of The Last of Us

Smuggled out of Boston

Joel and Tess meet Ellie for the first time.

Around the time Marlene and Ellie planned to leave Boston for Salt Lake, Marlene is injured during her search for the smuggler, Robert. Desperate to send her out of Boston, Marlene hires fellow smugglers Joel and Tess to bring Ellie out of the city before the military wipes out the Fireflies.

The trio is later captured by a military patrol, in which Joel and Tess find that they are smuggling an infected girl. Joel is angered, but is forced to bring Ellie along to escape the military.

The trio manages to reach the rendezvous point in the Capitol Building, but they find only bodies of Fireflies and the military closing in. Revealing that she has been infected, Tess insists Ellie and Joel continue on their own, while she buys them some time. Ellie feels guilty about having Tess sacrifice for her, but Joel firmly decides not to bring that up and, to her annoyance, lists down what to do and otherwise.

Meeting Temporary Allies

In Bill's town.

The two later reach a town where Joel believes they can meet Bill, a mechanic who owes Joel a favor and can provide them with a car. The meeting does not go well since Bill is weary of people and is especially angry with the little girl, but Joel and Ellie manage to get a car and leave Bill for Pittsburgh.

While entering Pittsburgh, Joel and Ellie are ambushed by a group of hunters but escape thanks to Joel anticipating the ambush. They then battled through the city, fighting numerous hunters on the way. Joel eventually comes to trust Ellie with a gun after she saves him from a Hunter, and teaches her to use a hunting rifle. The two slowly warm up to each other while making their way through the desolation. They later team up with brothers Henry and Sam to escape the hunter area through the sewers and suburbs. The pair has slowly bonded with the brothers but this ended when Sam became infected and Henry commits suicide out of grief for killing his brother.

Looking for the Fireflies

On one of Tommy's horses.

Joel and Ellie move on to Jackson County, where Joel believes his brother Tommy, a former member of the Fireflies, can show them their location. Just as the fall draws in, the two find Tommy in a dam providing electricity to a revived permanent community. During their stay, Ellie learns from Maria of Sarah, Joel's daughter who tragically died at the start of the outbreak. She also sensed that Joel planned to leave her with Tommy, leading her to run away to an abandoned ranch house. When Joel catches up to her, the two have a heated argument where it became obvious to both of them how much they have bonded and cared for each other during their travels. Joel eventually changes his mind and sticks back to accompany Ellie.

With Tommy's direction, Joel and Ellie reach a university where the Fireflies are thought to reside. The Fireflies are, however, nowhere to be found, instead the two are met with a large group of both infected and hunters. During a brutal fight, Joel is impaled in the abdomen and leaves the fighting to Ellie.

Caring for Joel

Ellie manages to hide Joel in an abandoned mall, where she dresses his wound with her old shirt from the summer and some duct tape she finds when rummaging in the drawers. She then decides it will buy her and Joel some time, and goes to find something to stitch Joel up with while Callus keeps an eye on him.

After climbing up a broken escalator, Ellie finds an abandoned store in the mall, Weston's Pharmacy. Ellie hopes to find medicine, but to her disappointment, it has been picked clean of any useful supplies. Heading to the checkout aisle, and finds a first-aid kit behind a locked door. From a note Ellie finds on the ground, she finds that the pharmacist "went crazy", and that one of the employees, unaware of the Cordyceps outbreak, locked him in an American Princess Store next door, and locked away the keys to the first aid kit as well. The note gives the combination to the American Princess Store, 35-30-31. Ellie finds the infected corpse, and removes his key, along with a picture of the man and his daughter in a photo booth.

As Ellie leaves the store, she comes upon a lone clicker, and quickly kills it with her switchblade. She unlocks the door and quickly opens the first aid kit, but is disappointed to find it is empty, its supplies stolen by other survivors. Ellie kicks it out of frustration, but her disappointment quickly turns into excitement when she finds a crashed military helicopter, convinced it will have something she can use to stitch up Joel's wound. Puzzled on how to get up there, she finds a gate, but it is locked, and the button used to unlock the gate is broken.

She finds cables, and remembers Joel's advice to follow the cables. She attempts to start the generator, but finds it is out of gasoline. Ellie finds an empty gas tank in a flooded parking garage, and after killing some Stalkers, fills it up from gas taken from a truck. Ellie refuels the generator, and manages to get the electricity running. Two more Stalkers come running in knee-deep water, but a power line falls into the water, electrocuting the Stalkers in the process. Ellie has to find her way to the other side of the parking garage without touching the water, or she'll "get fried to a crisp."

Ellie, after encountering and killing more Infected, makes it back to the gate. She jumps onto the helicopter, and is relived to find medicine, embracing the med kit, stating that she's not going to let Joel go. She makes her way back after being ambushed by cannibals and Infected multiple times, having to quickly distract some when they find the place where Ellie hid Joel and Callus. After killing the cannibals and The Infected, she makes her way to Joel, who is still alive. After sewing him up, and telling him she's an "expert-ish" at sewing wounds, she manages to sew up his wound. She then ties him to a blanket, on a sled, and then ties the sled to Callus, and starts to ride him. She eventually gets them both to the Lakeside Resort for hiding. There, Ellie hides Joel in a house to take care of him, while going outside to hunt for food.

Winter

Ellie aims her bow at David and James as they approach her.

Ellie first encountered David when she was hunting a deer during the winter. She was immediately cautious around him and his friend James. David offers to exchange supplies for a share of the meat from the deer that Ellie had tracked and killed. Ellie demanded antibiotics in return, threatening them with a bow and arrow if they tried anything. James left to get antibiotics at the group's settlement and reluctantly left David alone with Ellie.

David and Ellie then took refuge from the cold weather and David asked for Ellie's name. Despite his help in giving the medicine, she doesn't give it to him due to her behavior of caution. Their shelter soon got attacked by infected. David helped Ellie fight them off and complimented her skill with a rifle. As they worked their way through the nearby buildings, fighting off several waves of Infected, Ellie's attitude toward him softens slightly. After completely clearing out the buildings, he and Ellie return to their original refuge. He discusses the philosophy that everything happens for a reason, to which Ellie strongly disagrees.

David decides to prove his theory by revealing that it was in fact David's men who attacked Joel and Ellie at the university. A returning James overhears the conversation and holds Ellie at gunpoint, but David demands Ellie be given the medicine and set loose, and James reluctantly complies. David having let Ellie leave, has his men to track her down. His men mention that they are under strict orders from David to keep her alive, but these orders were refuted when they found out from James that Joel slaughtered half of the raiders at the university. Ellie, riding Callus, attempts to get away from David's group and they begin tracking her which ultimately results in Callus getting shot and killed. While trying to flee on foot, Ellie makes her way through a lodge but David finds her in the dinning hall and chokes her to unconsciousness.

Ellie watches James butcher a human body.

When Ellie regains consciousness in her holding cell, she witnesses James chopping up a dead corpse on a bench and discovers that David and his group are cannibals. Ellie is visibly disgusted and is hostile toward David. They argue and Ellie reluctantly eats the food that David gives her, claiming that it is venison, nothing more. David pleads with Ellie that he has her best interests in mind, and offers her a place in his group. He then affectionately touches Ellie's hand (he is implied to be a hebephile). Now realizing his intentions, Ellie breaks his finger and attempts to retrieve his keys, to which David responds by slamming her against the cell bars and threatening her life.

The next day, David and James arrive and pin Ellie down onto the table attempting to slaughter her for food. Just before David strikes her, Ellie exclaims she is infected and states that David is infected too because she bit him before she was thrust upon the table. David at first is skeptical, but Ellie insists that he should roll up her right sleeve to show him her bite wound. Upon finding out from Ellie that she is infected, James becomes frightened and disgusted but David claims it must not be real because she would have turned sooner. James weakens his grip on Ellie's left hand and David begins to observe his bite from Ellie.

David examines Ellie's bite.

Ellie takes this chance to grab a butcher knife with her left hand and strikes it towards James' throat, killing him. James' death infuriates David, where he retaliates by firing at Ellie with his gun, missing every shot. Ellie escapes from the room as David grows increasingly frustrated and proceeds to hunt her down again, asking her where she is going and boasting "This is my town" in a demented tone.

David eventually finds Ellie at a decayed restaurant, struggling with her as she attempts to escape from his people out the back door and commenting that she is easy to track. He holds her at gunpoint after throwing her to the ground, asking her how she managed to escape alive. He is momentarily distracted by the building being lit on fire by a lantern knocked over and shattered during their struggle.

As the restaurant slowly goes up in flames, he locks the exit and taunts Ellie, telling her that she has nowhere to go and would need to take the keys from him if she wanted to leave. David proceeded to stalk her throughout the restaurant, taunting her creepily and expressing his disappointment that she did not accept his offer to join the group. Ellie simply expresses more of her disgust at David and his obvious insanity as she hides behind the dining booths attempting to take the keys from him by subduing him with sneak attacks.

After Ellie stabs David from behind once with her switchblade, he throws her off and attempts to shoot her with his revolver, missing as she takes cover. He then draws a machete from a back sheath and continues to stalk her, attempting to shoot or slash her to death. He made use of the broken glass plates on the floor throughout the building to track where he heard Ellie and find her if she stepped on them.

He begins to sound more and more mad the more times he is stabbed. She managed to elude David and stabbed him two more times, causing him to panic and bash her into a table behind him before grabbing her hair and throwing her to the floor. Despite being stabbed multiple times in the upper torso, David is still able to run and threaten Ellie. He and Ellie then black out beside each other.

Ellie weeps as Joel holds her.

When they regain consciousness, David is the first to recover. He taunts a weaker Ellie as she crawls towards his machete underneath a cabinet, saying that it's okay to give up. At this time, it is plausible to think that he doesn't know that he dropped the machete there for her or was just too careless to look for it.  David strikes Ellie again and pins her down while grabbing her firmly by the throat and nearly strangles her to death.

Ellie manages to reach the machete underneath the cabinet and slashes his arm. Gaining an advantage, Ellie proceeds to violently hack at David's head multiple times, when Joel suddenly arrives and pulls her away from his corpse, consoling her. It is possible that David wanted to rape her as Ellie says "He tried to-" as Joel hugs her.

Reaching the Fireflies

“

After all we've been through. Everything that I've done. It can't be for nothing. ―Ellie to Joel upon reaching Salt Lake City

”

Ellie in the Springtime.

The spring arrives as Joel and Ellie reach Salt Lake City, the intended final destination. Joel, after sharing a heartfelt moment with Ellie, tells her they can turn back now and return to Tommy's. Ellie thanks Joel, but declines, explaining that after everything that they've been through, it has to be worth something. While encountering multiple Infected in an abandoned tunnel, Joel is trapped in a submerged bus.

Ellie tries to help him, but is unsuccessful and almost drowns. While Joel is preforming CPR to save Ellie, Fireflies arrive and, after demanding his surrender, they knock him unconscious. Ellie is revived and immediately taken to be studied on Marlene's order, which may grant the Fireflies the ability to reverse-engineer a vaccine to the lethal fungus. But in order to do so, the mutated cordyceps must be extracted from Ellie's brain, killing her in the process.

Joel is told this information by Marlene. He is immediately opposed and demands Marlene find someone else. Marlene refuses, reasoning that there is no one else and no other choice, and it has to be done to save humanity from extinction. She instructs the Firefly guard, Ethan, to escort Joel out of the hospital; If Joel were to resist, Ethan is granted permission to kill him. On the way out, Joel manages to kill him, and battles his way through the facility, managing to save Ellie from the operating room.

After fleeing the Fireflies by taking an elevator down to the parking garage, Joel is then confronted by Marlene, who attempts to intimidate Joel by coming up with terrible scenarios that could happen to Ellie, such as death by being torn to pieces by a pack of Clickers, sexual assault and/or murder committed by thugs. She then tries to reason with him, saying that "It's what she'd want, and you know it". Still unwilling to give Ellie up, Joel then shoots Marlene. Later on, Ellie eventually awakes inside Joel's car on the way out of Salt Lake City, wondering what happened during the time she wasn't conscious.

Epilogue

Ellie questions Joel's explanation.

Joel and Ellie finally reach Tommy's settlement, where Joel remarks that they can return to a somewhat normal life. Before that, Joel lies to her about everything that happened with the Fireflies during the time she is unconscious.

She appears depressed and seems to have survivor's guilt. Upon reaching the settlement Ellie tells Joel that on the day she was bitten, she was with a friend who also got bitten. She states that they promised to wait together until the end, and that she's still waiting to turn and join her friend. She asks Joel to "swear to me that everything that you said about the Fireflies is true." Joel replies, "I swear". Although she accepts this, it is left ambiguous as to whether or not Ellie believes his lie.

Relationships

Riley

Riley is the first to befriend and trust Ellie after her arrival to the Boston military zone. Their relationship starts off roughly at first; though Ellie was grateful for Riley's assistance when she is ganged up on by bullies, she is not appreciative of Riley's stealing her Walkman and nor constantly referring to her as a "kid". However, when the two choose to escape the zone together, Ellie and Riley open up to each other.

Enough that Riley reveals her desires of a future beyond the zone with the Fireflies. Riley's bravado emboldens Ellie on their short journey outside the zone, so much so that she is willing to risk her own life to save her in any given situation. This is partially the cause for Ellie's sadness and confusion when Riley leaves without notice to join the Fireflies.

When Riley finally returns to Ellie after forty-six days, Ellie is somewhat upset with Riley over the extended absence, which caused Ellie to believe that Riley was dead. However, Riley tries to make it up to Ellie by taking her exploring through a mall early in the morning. Over the course of the excursion, the two begin to rekindle their friendship.

When Riley tells Ellie that Marlene is having her sent to a group of Fireflies in another city, Ellie tells her friend that she should go and follow what she's always wanted to do. Though, as their time together progresses, Ellie's feelings for Riley grow stronger; she eventually pleads Riley to stay with her. Riley agrees without hesitation, and Ellie kisses her. When their hopes of escape are dashed, Ellie continues to support Riley's beliefs even though her friend has lost hope herself. Riley's resulting death from Cordyceps infection affected Ellie deeply, motivating her to use her immunity to good use.

Marlene

Ellie once described Marlene as "just a friend, I guess". Ellie treats Marlene like a second mother after her parents died. It is unknown whether or not Ellie was ever aware that Marlene was at the Salt Lake City Hospital as she was unconscious from almost drowning, then was drugged to be asleep during surgery. Ellie does not know of Marlene's decision to sacrifice Ellie for a chance for a vaccine.

Joel

Upon meeting Ellie, he originally has a rocky relationship with her. He seemed distrustful of Ellie, believing that she was lying about being immune to the infection. As time passes, Joel establishes not only a father-daughter relationship, but a bond of protection for one another. Ellie fears that she may lose Joel, like she lost Riley, Tess and Sam to the world they live in. She fears of being alone again, making their bond so precious to her.

Joel is extremely dedicated to Ellie, using any means possible to protect her and keep her safe. He tortures two of David’s men to find out Ellie's being kept, going so far as to kill them after gaining the information he needed. Although at first Joel doesn't want Ellie to mention Sarah, saying that "[Ellie is] treading on some mighty thin ice here", Joel warms up to Ellie considerably. When Ellie gives Joel the picture of Joel and Sarah, Joel doesn't give it back, like he did when Tommy tried to give him the picture. In the epilogue, Joel makes several comparisons between Sarah and Ellie, saying that they would have been good friends and would have liked each other.

When Joel is considering whether to leave Ellie in Tommy's care, Ellie is disappointed with Joel. However, when the parting moment finally comes, Joel is unable to part without Ellie. Joel is going to teach Ellie how to play the guitar and how to swim. When Ellie finally began whistling he responded to this event saying in a sarcastic joking tone "Oh good, something else you can drive me crazy with".

Ellie also cares greatly for Joel when she cares for him when he was injured, just as he has cared and sheltered her throughout their story, indicating Ellie now views him as a "father" to her and she's willing to do everything she can to keep him alive even if that means risking her own life in the process.

Whether being selfish, or not wanting to lose another 'daughter' to the whim of another, Joel chose to save Ellie and try and start some semblance of a normal life again. It is speculated that his decision to massacre everyone inside the facility in Salt Lake City, is to cut all loose ends, to ensure that no one will have the knowledge of Ellie and thus no one will go after her in the future. In this sense he is the opposite of Marlene, who intends to sacrifice Ellie for a chance to save the rest of humanity.

Tess

Tess meets Ellie the same time as Joel, after being introduced by Marlene as the cargo they would be smuggling out of the city. Despite attempting to attack her during their first meeting, Ellie forms a quick attachment to Tess during the mission and turns to her for questions, answers, or instruction. Later, in the Capitol Building, Tess tells Joel and Ellie that she was bitten, saying "I was bitten an hour ago and it's already worse! This is fucking real Joel!" (pointing to Ellie's bite mark that is "3 weeks old") Tess said for them to go on without her, leading to indirect suicide by sacrificing herself for the supposed purpose of "buying time" for Joel and Ellie to escape the armed forces that had ambushed the drop-off point. Tess is also the most primitive reason as to why Joel continues the objective, even after Tess' death. Ellie is quick to object their leaving her and physically shows guilt about her death following the attack. When she tries to talk about it and supposedly apologize to Joel, he cuts her short and suggested it'd be best if they "just keep [their] histories to [themselves]". After this, Tess is never mentioned by Ellie again until her final conversation with Joel at the end of the game (and an optional conversation in Bill's Town).

Bill

Ellie's relationship with Bill did not have a good start since the first act Bill did toward Ellie was handcuffing her to a pipe. Both often loathed each other and both share a mutual dislike. However, since Bill owes favors to Joel and seems to respect Joel as a fighter, Bill and Ellie reluctantly worked together. Seeing her as a hindrance rather than helpful, Bill repeatedly expressed his anger at Joel's decision to escort Ellie. In the end Bill admitted that Ellie held her own against the infected, but still saw her as a burden.

Henry

Ellie had always maintained a respectful air when with Henry. She considered Henry (and by extension Henry's brother Sam) allies and always managed to persuade Joel to trust them. In the sewers, Ellie and Henry are separated from Joel and Sam, and are forced to run away from many Runners and Clickers (since the story is told from Joel's point of view, this section is unclear) but it is known that they did engage some infected with Ellie killing a couple. It seems that given time, they may have warmed up more to each other. Henry reluctantly saved Ellie from an infected Sam, then commits suicide because of Sam's death.

Sam

Sam is the only other character in the game to be near Ellie's age. As a result, the two bond quickly, once playing with blueberries and cracking jokes. The night before Sam dies, Sam asks Ellie what she is afraid of. She tells him that she thinks scorpions are creepy and that she is afraid of ending up alone. Sam shows bitterness at Henry. In the morning, Ellie is attacked by an infected Sam. Ellie is saved by Henry. When Ellie takes out the toy robot that she gave him from her backpack she says "I should have said something different to you." implying that she regrets saying certain things to him when they had their final conversation.

Maria

Ellie and Maria first meet when Ellie and Joel attempt to push open a gate. Maria and her guards confront them before Tommy shows up and diffuses the situation. Maria seems to take an instant liking to Ellie, offering to let her take some horses for riding. She also says that she would rather eat with Ellie than go oversee the generator. When Joel told Ellie to go eat with Maria while Joel and Tommy went to tend to the generator, Ellie showed reluctance. However, when the bandits attacked the facility, Ellie and Maria were forced to cooperate to survive (since the story was told from Joel's point of view, this section is unclear) but it is known that they took cover and protected each other in the common room office. It is assumed that the pair bonded, because when Tommy tells Maria he wants to help guide Ellie to the Fireflies, Maria's anger is directed at Joel, but Ellie feels guilty about the argument and runs away with a horse. It is possible that Maria still likes Ellie and may even still like Joel, since Joel decided not to hand Ellie over to Tommy and Tommy stayed at Jamestown.

Tommy

They don't interact much. while Tommy is initially happy to see Joel, he doesn't know Ellie, so he doesn't start a conversation with her. Tommy correctly guesses that Joel tracked him down because of Ellie, and becomes confrontational when Joel implores him to take Ellie off his hands. After the bandit attack, Tommy, seeing the relationship between the two, reconsiders and is willing to lead Ellie to the Fireflies. However, Ellie doesn't want to part with Joel, and steals one of Tommy's horses. Tommy then helps Joel chase after Ellie; they eventually find her at an old ranch. Tommy lets Joel and Ellie talk about their issues while he keeps watch. He overhears their argument, but interrupts them when he spots bandits. After returning to Jackson County, Joel decides to escort Ellie himself. Tommy understands and offers Joel, and by extension Ellie, a place at Jackson for when they return, indicating that Tommy did grow fond of Ellie in their short time together.

David

Ellie's relationship with David has been the source of a traumatizing experience for her. It is also rife with tons of ironies. For example, David allows Ellie to leave with the penicillin, which she uses to heal Joel, who later goes on to help Ellie kill most of David's group. David also tries to keep Ellie alive, which is ironic when Ellie later kills him.

David often talks to Ellie in a patronizing tone and treats Ellie like a child. For example, when they first meet, David offers to exchange supplies for a share of the meat from the deer that Ellie had tracked and killed, saying that his group needed the meat because they had many women and children to feed. He emphasizes the phrase "many women and children" several times in the hopes that Ellie, being a young girl, would feel sympathy for them. Also, when Ellie is captured by his group, he offers Ellie a place in his group. When Ellie reacts with rage and disgust, he tries to calm her down like he was talking to a wild animal. He ignores the fact that Ellie doesn't like him and tries to touch Ellie and calls her special.

Eventually, David loses his faith towards Ellie when she breaks his finger and attempts to steal his keys. As Ellie kills more and more of his men, (including his partner [and implied right-hand man] James), David grew more fixated on her and made several attempts to kill her. David met his demise when he was violently hacked on the head (via a machete) by Ellie after he attempted to rape her. Despite his violent death, his actions left a mark on Ellie, making her distant and quiet towards Joel yet more determined to reach the Fireflies. The reason for her silence could also be the memory of being alone and of the fear of losing the last person she has.

Sarah

Even though Sarah  died five to six years before Ellie's birth, Joel has made several comparisons of the two of them. Although at first Joel doesn't want Ellie to mention Sarah, saying that "[Ellie is] treading on some mighty thin ice here", Joel warms up to Ellie considerably on the topic of Sarah. When Ellie gives Joel the picture of Joel and Sarah, Joel doesn't give it back, like he did when Tommy tried to give him the picture. In the epilogue, Joel makes several comparisons between Sarah and Ellie. Joel says that they would have been good friends and would have liked each other, implying that he finally sees Ellie as his "second" daughter.

Personality and Traits

Having been raised in an environment where modern standards and values have deteriorated, Ellie is considerably rash, impulsive, and temperamental, and isn't fazed by the notion of using violence as a means to an end or profanity as a way of expressing how she feels. However, she manages to maintain a particular innocence as she has yet to see the darkest sides of human nature and retains a palpable trust in people. This serves as the juxtaposition to Joel's wary, morose outlook on post-pandemic life. She apologized to the soldier scanning her for stabbing him and hoped to prevent him and Ramirez from harming her with non-lethal means.

Ellie is also perceptibly clever and witty, and will do whatever it takes to keep Joel and herself alive. She takes orders from Joel, but all the while makes it clear she does not "need any babysitting at all".

Ellie is enthusiastic about the outside world, given her confinement to her quarantine zone during her childhood. She is obsessed with things she collects from others, illustrated through her interest in music, movies, books, and video games. She frequently remarks her amusement upon finding interesting collectibles throughout her trip, which often clashes with Joel's physical indifference.

Ellie seems to adhere to no religion, as seen when she claims that she goes "back and forth" when asked by Sam if she believes in an afterlife. She says that she would like to believe it, but admits "I ... guess not."

Ellie also suffers from a case of monophobia (fear of being alone) and states to Sam that she fears losing others she cares about such as Joel. The cause of this case is possibly related to her estranged parents and the deaths of her best friend, Riley, and hired guardian, Tess. Coincidentally, both were victims of the fungus and both had gotten infected while in her company. Soon after admitting her fear to him, Sam joins the list.

Ellie showed difficulties in positioning herself as a young kid in an adults' eyes, and sometimes even tends to "supervise" adults. She also takes "justice" into her own hands on her relationship with anyone, and does not think she requires any adults' consent. This self-parenting trait is related to her time spent in an orphanage, where she had learned to fend for herself. An example is when Joel falls on an iron rod. Though not shown, she takes Joel (by horse) to an abandoned mall in order to find supplies to stitch his wound up. Afterwards she takes him to an abandoned house on a pulley attached to her horse and continues to nurse him back to health, while at the same time getting them food, and medicine from David.

Skills and Abilities

Originally, Ellie is fairly unskilled in techniques to survive. She cannot swim, a hindrance to herself since swimming is crucial, given the amount of water bodies in the locations she travels. She carries a switchblade, which is her primary (and only) weapon until she is trusted with a gun by Joel. Due to his doubt in her ability, Joel doesn't hand a firearm to Ellie until she saves him by shooting a hunter, only afterwards he teaches her how to use a hunting rifle. Later on, she becomes more proficient in fighting, sporting a number of weapons such as pistol, rifle, bow, and explosives, along with her trademark switchblade.

Ellie is, in some occasions, a playable character, much in the same way Joel is throughout the game. She is at first armed with a bow, which she uses with efficiency. Compared to Joel, however, she has limited hand-to-hand combat skills, as she is able to, but can not easily take down a full grown man. She is relatively inexperienced compared to Joel, as she is often surprised in the storyline and is snuck up upon. As an NPC, she is still effective as a partner, since she can spot enemies for Joel (she will not be spotted unless Joel is spotted) and at times fight along side him. On rare occasions she may give Joel ammunition or a Medical Kit.

Ellie's most important, and unique, ability is her complete immunity to the fungus. Due to a strange mutation in her brain that developed following her initial infection, she became immune to the bites and spores of the Infected. It is presumed that if she was properly studied, some form of cure or countermeasure for the infection could be created. This is never clarified, however, since the study would result in her death, which Joel would not allow.

Design and Appearance

A redesigned Ellie as seen in the SpikeTV VGA 2012 Trailer

It was revealed in the Truck Ambush cinematic that Ellie had been redesigned to bear a greater resemblance to her voice actress' appearance and personality. Neil Druckmann, the game's creative director, spoke of the change, saying "after delving further into the game's narrative over the past few months, we decided to modify Ellie's model to better reflect Ashley's personality, and also resemble a slightly younger teen more fitting to the story. We're happy with the final result shown in the cinematic we have released today, and we hope the fans like her too."

Ellie is described as having auburn hair and being 5'3" (160.02 cm) by a deceased Firefly. Ellie has pale green eyes, fair skin with freckles, a scar on her right eyebrow, and a thin stature.

When asked in a interview about her eyebrow scar, Neil Druckmann states that there is a story behind her scar, but says that he won't share the story yet. She gained the scar before Left Behind, American Dreams, and The Last of Us took place.

Weapons

• Switchblade
• Throwable Objects
• 9mm Pistol
• Hunting Rifle
• Bow
• Shotgun
• Revolver
• Machete (Used to kill David)

Gameplay

Abilities

Ellie calling out enemy location to Joel

Ellie can be quite helpful to Joel in many situations. Whenever discretion is needed Ellie will never compromise the player's position; she will stay out of sight and keep quiet while keeping up with Joel. Also, she can assist Joel in combat by calling out enemy positions depending on their location in association to Joel's. For example, she will say "to your left!" if an enemy is to the left of Joel.

If the enemy is behind something and Ellie is able to see them they will be outlined in red, showing their location through walls and such. This is similar to Joel's listening mode. She can also help to attack the enemy by throwing objects to stun them, giving Joel opportunities to attack. Depending on the situation, Ellie will need assistance from Joel if she is unable to wrestle herself free from an attack. There are certain scripted events in which Ellie can be killed if the player does not reach her in time.

There are many times when Ellie will need Joel's help to reach somewhere or something that is too high for her to reach by herself. In those cases, Joel will usually lift Ellie up on his shoulder and boost her up.

Trivia

• Ellie is the only known human to be immune to Cordyceps Brain Infection.
• Ellie has a habit of rubbing her nose and wringing her hands together, especially in situations that could be seen as stressful. This implies towards a nervous tic.
• Even though she is immune to the Cordecyps infection, it is still within her but unable to corrupt her. She also is shown as positive when she was scanned by the military for infection.
• Ellie is invisible to enemy AI. This was an intentional design choice made by Naughty Dog so that her own AI would never accidentally give away Joel's position.
• Ellie used to bear a striking resemblance to Canadian actress Ellen Page, who stars in another PlayStation exclusive game, Beyond: Two Souls, (released roughly four months after The Last of Us), but had her appearance altered as an attempt by Naughty Dog to better portray her age and actual voice actress. Page later said that she didn't appreciate Naughty Dog "ripping off" her likeness due to her appearance in Beyond: Two Souls.
• Ellie owns a joke book that she will read aloud during downtime in the hopes of lightening the mood. These character interactions can only be triggered during the second half of the Summer portion of the game. Listening to all will unlock the That's All I Got trophy. Her joke books are available as artifacts in Ellie's Backpack. To find them, players have to play as Ellie in either the winter chapter or the epilogue and check the Collectibles inside her backpack.
• The Sony Walkman Ellie used during the American Dreams series is also available as artifact in Ellie's Backpack.
• The ending is somewhat similar to the beginning of the game, albeit reversed. In the prologue, Joel and Sarah start off at home, then use the car to escape the infected which eventually crashes, forcing Joel to carry Sarah, who is eventually shot by the soldier. Sarah then dies in Joel's arms. Near the end of the game, an unconscious Ellie (reminiscent of the dying Sarah) is carried by Joel out of the hospital away from humans and into a car. The duo then drives 'home', home being Tommy's settlement. Neil Druckmann also stated in one of his interview, that it was intentional for the opening shot to begin with Sarah and the ending shot to end with Ellie.
• In an optional talking segment, Ellie is able to learn to whistle a part of the Uncharted theme, which Joel states annoys him.
• In the Japanese game manual, Ellie's last name is listed as "Williams."
• In the initial version of the game, Ellie's first kill was supposed to be Tess, who would've been the main antagonist.
• In Left Behind, when Ellie and Riley are in Winston's tent, Riley will find and offer Ellie hard liquor. Ellie can decline or accept; if she accepts Riley will say "Watch out that's not beer." Hinting that the two may have drank beer occasionally before Riley left.
• Ellie has been confirmed to have romantic feelings for Riley.
• Both The Last of Us and Left Behind, end with a shot of Ellie's face.
• In Left Behind, during the exploration of the Mall (more specifically, the photo booth), Ellie types her surname. Though it is encrypted, it can be seen that her surname consists of eight letters.
  • The Japanese game manual lists her last name as "Williams", which is also eight letters.
• In Left Behind, she doesn't swear nearly as much as in The Last of Us. This increase could be based on the stress of Riley's death.
• Ellie's favorite animal is a dinosaur.
• Riley is the one who gave Ellie her joke book as seen in Left Behind.

Quotes

• "After all we've been through... Everything that I've done... It can't be for nothing."
• "The world's been hard on us... hard on him... Joel has done some terrible things... he tells me on this journey, you hang to your morals and die, or do what it takes to survive... I guess I'll find out."
• "Look, I know you mean well... but there's no half-way with this. Once we're done, we'll go where ever you want. Okay?"
• "Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me. Everyone — fucking except for you! So don't tell me I would be safer with somebody else, because the truth is I would just be more scared."
  • Joel: "You're right... You're not my daughter, and I sure as hell ain't your dad. And we are going our separate ways."
• "I shot the hell out of that guy, huh?"
• "Tell them that... Ellie is the little girl that broke your fucking finger.”
• "Well, maybe in all that research they turned into fucking monkeys.”
• "Teamwork." [She holds up her hand]
  • Joel: [High fives]
  • “Yeah.”
• "Teamwork." [She holds up her hand]
  • Joel: [Does not high five]
  • "Really? Just gonna leave me hanging? All right. I see how it is. It's just a high-five. It takes like 5 seconds."
• "Whoa! How... how the hell would he even walk around with that thing?"
• "Oh... Why are these all stuck together?"
  • Joel: "Um..."
  • [She laughs] "I'm just fucking with you."
  • [Throws magazine out window] "Ba-bye dude!!"
• "I know... Step on the fucking pallet."
• [Makes blowing sound]
  • Joel: "Are you alright?"
  • Ellie: "I'm trying to learn how to whistle."
  • Joel: "You don't know how to whistle?"
  • Ellie: "Well, does it sound like I know how to whistle?"
• "Whoa, Nelly!"
• "Motherfucker! What's wrong with these guys?!"
• "Fuck."
• "Man, look at all these books... Wish I had more room in my backpack."
• "That girl is so skinny... I thought you had plenty of food in your time."
  • Joel: "We did. Some just chose not to eat it."
  • "Why the hell not?"
  • Joel: "For looks."
  • "Pshhh. That's stupid."
• "I'm infected! I'm infected! And so are you."
• "To the edge of the universe and back. Endure and survive."
• Sam: "How is it that you're never scared?"
  • "Who says that I'm not?"
  • Sam: "What are you scared of?"
  • "Let's see... Scorpions are pretty creepy. Um... being by myself. I'm scared of ending up alone."
• "Let go of me, you chickenshit!"
• "Motherfucker."
• "Swear to me... swear to me that everything that you said about the Fireflies is true."
  • Joel: "I swear."
  • "Okay."
• "If you guys can just give me a gun, I can help you kill some of these fuckers."
  • Bill: "Shut up, just shut up."
• "Can you walk?"
  • Joel: "Yes."
  • "Then fucking walk."
• "Fucking thing!"
  • Sam: "Is that Ellie?"
  • Joel: "Come on."
• "Come get me, you motherfuckers!"
• "Okay... don't be a dick."
• "By the looks of it, you could lose some of that food."
  • Bill: "You listen to me, you little shit."
  • "No, fuck you, you handcuffed me!"
• "Don't go..."
• "Well. Skeleseer can suck my dick."
• "Am I ever getting boobs or what?"
• "Fuck you... skull."
• "Brick. Fucking. Master!"
• Joel: "That's awful."
• "You're awful."
• "Oh shoot..."
• "Someone should revoke that dogtag."
• "Fuck yeah, I win"
• "Dinosaur! Oh no"
• Sam "Henery says that-that they have moved on. That they are with their families. Do you think thats true?"
  • ​Ellie "ummm...I-I got back and forth. I mean I'd like to beleive it-"
  • Sam "But you dont..."
  • Ellie "...I guess not."
  • Sam "Yeah, me neither."
• Jole "Shes bitten..."
  • Ellie "Its three weeks! I swear."
• "Time to die!"
• [sarcastically] "No. Please, don't go. I'll be so miserable without you."

Gallery

Concept art
Early artwork of Ellie. Concept art from Game Informer Ellie Concept Art Ellie in the mini-series, American Dreams. Ellie with Joel.

Official stills

The Ellie PSN avatar Ellie in the VGA trailer 2011 Ellie attacking a Clicker with her switchblade. Ellie with her switchblade. Joel and Ellie running away from the infected. Ellie and Joel in the streets of Pittsburgh. Ellie and Joel are suppressed by a Hunter Two Hunters drag Ellie and Joel out of their car. Ellie about to throw a bottle at a Hunter Ellie in the car, after waking up. Ellie warning Joel. Joel teaching Ellie how to use a rifle. Lastofus (1).jpg Ellie after the first time she kills someone Ellie, Tess, and Joel inspecting a body. Joel and Ellie in the rain. Ellie with a rifle. Joel and Ellie Ellie weeps in Joel's arms, after killing David. Ellie in the ending of the last chapter. Second promotional shot. Ellie riding Callus

Left Behind
Riley and Ellie featured on the Left Behind poster. Second Left Behind poster Riley returns to the school Riley with her gun and Ellie with her switchblade. Riley and and Ellie enter the arcade Ellie moments after she's been bitten in the mall