The emotional heart of The Last of Us is Ellie, a girl forced to grow up fast under the realities of a post-apocalyptic world. Ellie plays an even more prominent role in The Last of Us Part 2. Here’s how old Ellie is in The Last of Us Part 2.
How Old Ellie Is in The Last of Us Part 2, Answered
In an early twist, Ellie becomes the protagonist of The Last of Us Part 2, succeeding her adoptive father, Joel Miller, after he’s killed at the beginning of the game. This initiates a sprawling, bloody quest for revenge undertaken by Ellie in the game while serving as something of a rite of passage as she becomes a hardened adult survivor in this post-apocalyptic landscape.
Sony’s official bio for Ellie in The Last of Us reveals that she is 14 years old when she first meets Joel, with her backstory unveiled further in the official tie-in comic book miniseries The Last of Us: American Dreams. Set approximately one year before the first game, the comic details Ellie meeting Marlene, leader of the Fireflies, a resistance movement opposing the military regime ruling the ruins of the United States. Ellie’s birthdate is placed in the Spring of 2019, with Ellie arriving in Boston in 2032 at the age of 13.
The Last of Us begins the following year in 2033, with Ellie 14 as she and Joel travel across North America to Salt Lake City, where Marlene and the Fireflies are headquartered. After Joel massacres the Fireflies to prevent them from killing Ellie in an effort to develop a vaccine for the fungal infection proliferating worldwide, he and Ellie return to Jackson, Wyoming, where Joel’s brother Tommy is located. This entire journey and subsequent relocation to Jackson spans several months, with the prologue to The Last of Us Part 2 starting weeks later.
The opening scenes of The Last of Us Part 2 take place in 2034, with Ellie nearing her 15th birthday. The bulk of Part 2 is set in 2038, with Ellie 19 years old and her relationship with Joel having strained considerably after she learned what he did to the Fireflies in Salt Lake City five years prior. Flashbacks reveal key moments in Ellie’s life, informing her quest to avenge Joel, including her 16th birthday. The latter portion of Part 2 is set in the Summer of 2039, making Ellie 20 years old at the end of the game.
