Highlights

  • The Last of Us Part 2 and Metal Gear Solid V share themes of revenge and cyclical violence.
  • Seeking revenge only perpetuates violence and leads to no true closure for the characters.
  • Both games emphasize the futility of revenge, as their protagonists find no fulfillment in their vengeful acts.

Video games exist as a form of entertainment, but some go a step further and try to convey a message. In this regard, video games have come a long way in their storytelling abilities, and The Last of Us Part 2 and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain are good examples of this. Both games feature action-packed gameplay but still manage to weave in an emotionally gripping story.

Although they may seem different on the surface, there are a lot of similarities between The Last of Us Part 2 and Metal Gear Solid V. Most notably, they both convey the same moral and cover similar themes. By the end of both titles, it becomes clear to the player that revenge is futile and only serves to trigger unyielding cycles of violence.

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Revenge in The Last of Us Part 2

In The Last of Us Part 2, Ellie and Joel have established a relatively peaceful life in Jackson and, while Clickers and other Infected still roam about, there is a measure of safety within the community. All this is brought to an end when the Washington Liberation Front arrives and crosses paths with Joel and his brother Tommy. Abby, a member of the WLF, has a bone to pick with Joel, and she enacts her own form of justice by torturing and killing Joel in front of Ellie.

Not being one to simply accept the atrocity, Ellie goes on a mission to Seattle to hunt down the WLF and enact revenge on Abby. Along the way, she does heinous things that test her morality, and she participates in extreme violence driven by hatred, love, and grief. In the end, she gets what she wants and Ellie winds up in a showdown against Abby.

Revenge in Metal Gear Solid V

Metal Gear Solid V has its own story of revenge. Big Boss, also known as "Venom Snake", sees his paramilitary group, the MSF, get ambushed by Cipher’s strike force XOF. As a consequence, many of his soldiers die, and he loses an arm which is replaced with a prosthetic one. This spurs him on to take revenge on those who caused him so much pain, which involves traveling to Afghanistan and Central Africa.

The Futility of Revenge in Metal Gear Solid V and The Last of Us Part 2

Even after killing Joel, Abby is haunted by nightmares of losing her father. Revenge does not bring her peace nor does it make her feel good. It takes Ellie a little longer to learn this lesson, and she goes on a journey that features several cycles of violence. The more WLF soldiers she kills, the more her enemies attack her own friends. She loses far more than she gains. When she has the chance to kill Abby, she finally realizes that she will only find peace within herself and not by seeking revenge and engaging in violence.

Revenge Brings No Peace in Metal Gear Solid V

Similarly, in Metal Gear Solid V, Big Boss eventually finds XOF's leader Skull Face, and he enacts his revenge on him. However, this doesn't bring him peace, and he still feels a phantom pain where his missing limb is. In the end, the mission is futile because it does not bring all the lost soldiers back.

The Cycle of Violence in TLOU2 and MGSV

In both games, what's illustrated is that violence only begets more violence, and the concept of retributive justice is a dangerous one that creates enemies. Both TLOU 2 and MGSV tackle similar topics from different angles, with TLOU 2 telling a much more personal tale while MGSV weaves in geopolitical commentary. In the end, they convey the same message regarding the futility of seeking revenge and how destructive cycles of violence can be.