The Last of Us introduced fans to one of gaming's most potent representations of human survival. The Last of Us Part 1 followed Joel and Ellie, two survivors whose life-and-death decisions provided the title's primary content. Naughty Dog released a follow-up DLC titled Left Behind that allowed fans to experience Ellie's pasts first-hand, resulting in an intimate, and gut-wrenching, glimpse into her recent past. Players are able to discover the side stories of other survivors whose histories overlap with those of Joel and Ellie, and one of which is perfect for a DLC like Left Behind​​​​​​.
Originally released as The Last of Us, the Part 1 remake follows Joel and Ellie as they attempt to reach the base of a militant group of survivors called the Fireflies. Ellie is believed to hold the cure for a parasitic fungal infection that is turning infected humans into violent monsters. Their journey takes them across seven of the United States' major cities, each of which contains various side stories to discover. Through picking up objects and notes, players can learn more about each setting as the struggles, or fate, of another group of survivors, is slowly revealed. While some side stories are quite brief, the story of a survivor named Ish tells a vivid, open-ended story.
The Last of Us Part 1's Ish Side Story
Ish is one of the most interesting characters from The Last of Us' lore, despite never being seen in the game. The character finds himself forced to take up residence in a Pittsburgh sewer after abandoning a ship on which he survived the early months of the outbreak. In order to survive, Ish ventures into the city's suburbs for supplies and, on one expedition, encounters a family with whom he trades resources.
Upon returning to the sewer, Ish decides to invite the family to join him in his safe house. Sometime later, Ish meets a man named Danny who agrees to join the group as its secondary protector. Over time, The Last of Us' Pittsburgh safe house becomes a thriving community with the cold and isolated sewer now housing a school, bedrooms, a supply cache, colorful paintings, and countless hand-drawn pictures—with one illustration depicting Ish and Danny together.
Ish's final note reveals that, sometime later, the safe house is attacked by a horde of infected due to an unknown individual leaving the main door open. Ish, Susan, and a few of the children escape the safe house, barricading the horde of infected within the ruins of their community, and flee to the Pittsburgh suburbs. The location of Ish's group is never revealed, leaving their story and potential fate a mystery.
Ish's Story is Perfect for a Left Behind-Style DLC
The Last of Us' Left Behind DLC provided the perfect model for expanding its lore, taking the main title's backstory reveals and transforming them into an intimate tale of hardship. Left Behind allows Ellie to take center stage while providing essential details as to how she views the world and its current state. Left Behind also provides the foundation for Ellie's portrayal in The Last of Us Part 2, which sees the character experience new levels of love and loss.
A DLC in the style of The Last of Us' Left Behind would work wonders for the story of Ish. Fans have hoped to learn of his group's fate for a decade, as the original was released in June 2013. With The Last of Us reaching a new community of fans through television this year, interest in Ish's story is likely to grow. Until a new title or Part 2 DLC is announced, fans hold out hope that Naughty Dog will return to the story of Ish.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available on PC and PS5.
