The original Last of Us starts with a shocking death, as Joel has to cope with the death of his daughter right at the start of the outbreak that would go on to bring about the end of the world as we know it. Death has been a consistent theme throughout the series since the beginning, but The Last of Us 2 takes things to the next level, killing off major characters left and right in some of the most shocking, grisly ways possible.
Obviously this post will have MAJOR SPOILERS for The Last of Us 2, so anyone that has yet to play the game and doesn't want spoiled should turn back now.
Here are all the major character deaths in The Last of Us 2, in order of when players see them happen in the game.
Joel
Within the first few hours of The Last of Us 2, Joel, the protagonist of the first game, suffers a grisly end at the hands of Abby. Throughout the course of the game, players learn that Abby's father was the surgeon that was going to operate on Ellie at the end of the first game, and he was murdered by Joel. While her friends hold him down, Abby beats Joel to death using a golf club. It's a shocking, horrific moment and sets the tone for the rest of the game.
Shimmer
It's not just important humans that wind up dead in The Last of Us 2. Ellie's horse Shimmer dies while she and Dina are exploring Seattle. First Shimmer is hurt by a WLF explosive device, and then she is shot in the head by a WLF member.
Jordan
One of Abby's friends that helped kill Joel, Jordan leaves Jackson with a scar thanks to Ellie's knife. Ellie is later captured by Jordan and other members of the Washington Liberation Front (also known as Wolves), but she is able to stick a shard of glass into Jordan's neck, killing him and saving her girlfriend Dina in the process.
Nora
Nora is a medical worker for the Wolves who is found by Ellie at a Seattle hospital. Ellie pursues Nora throughout the hospital, with the two of them eventually ending up in a spore-ridden section of the building. Without a gas mask, Nora starts to succumb to the virus. Ellie tortures her to get information on Abby's whereabouts, and it's unclear if Nora dies from the spores or at the hands of Ellie.
Alice
Nora's information leads Ellie to the aquarium in Seattle that Owen has made into his second home. Ellie is attacked by the group's dog Alice upon arrival, who is then sadly stabbed to death.
Owen
Ellie confronts both Owen and Mel, and while Owen struggles for Ellie's gun, she punches him in the face and shoots him in the torso. A few moments later, Owen bleeds out from his wounds.
Mel
Enraged by Owen's death, Mel lunges at Ellie with a knife. After a short struggle, Ellie is able to pin Mel to the ground and then stabs her in the throat. Owen then uses his dying breath to point out to Ellie that Mel was pregnant, leaving her mortified.
Jesse
After Ellie exacts revenge on almost all of Joel's killers, minus Abby, it's decided that the group will be returning to Jackson. However, Abby shows up unexpectedly, attacking Tommy and shooting Jesse in the head.
Manny
Manny is one of Abby's closest friends in The Last of Us 2, and he helps her throughout the game. He also spits on Joel's corpse shortly after he's killed by Abby, but Ellie isn't actually the one that gets revenge on him. Manny and Abby end up pinned down by a sniper attacking the Wolves, later revealed to be Joel's brother Tommy, and he winds up getting shot through the head. More specifically, Manny is shot through his eye, a parallel to how Tommy's eye ends up being permanently damaged after being shot by Abby.
Yara
Even though the Wolves and Seraphites (also known as "Scars") are at war in The Last of Us 2, Abby befriends Yara and her brother Lev, and attempts to lead them to safety. Yara first has her arm broken by an angry Seraphite looking to punish her and Lev for breaking the rules of their religion, and she has to have it surgically removed. Yara's troubles don't end there, as later she is shot to death by Wolves.
Isaac
Wolves leader Isaac runs into Abby and Lev on the Seraphite island, and is very nearly about to gun her down just to kill Lev. However, Yara, who is barely clinging on to life, manages enough strength to shoot Isaac in the back, presumably killing him. Isaac's death isn't confirmed with 100% certainty in The Last of Us 2, but until we have confirmation otherwise, it does seem as though he is in fact dead.
The Last of Us 2 is out now, exclusively for PlayStation 4.
