Joel and Ellie – The Last of Us
While Ellie may not be Joel’s biological daughter, she might as well be by the end of it. The relationship that these two share is one which grows and develops over time so much so that Joel makes the ultimate sacrifice for Ellie’s own well-being. Some of The Last of Us’ greatest moments came from the small talk that the two characters engaged in as they wandered across America to their final destination with Joel teaching Ellie things about the ‘old world’ and Ellie’s awful puns and generally inquisitive nature.
As much as Ellie needs Joel, it becomes more apparent as the game goes on that Joel needs Ellie. The loss of his actual daughter, Sarah, leaves a gap that Joel longs to be filled, and as the game progresses he finds more and more of his late daughter in Ellie. Ultimately, the two become a formidable partnership in combat and you begin to believe that these two characters actually really care about one another. This is a true relationship between a father and a daughter, fully realized in a game. We’d personally love to spend the holidays with Joel and Ellie, if only to hear their stories of different times and Ellie’s awful jokes.
