After seven years of waiting, The Last of Us Part II finally hit store shelves on June 19, 2020. In the anticipation building up to release, many fans concocted theories as to how the story would play out. Some were far-fetched, but a few turned out to be true.
Sadly, some leaks prior to release ruined the speculation for many, giving away key plot details. Those who managed to avoid spoilers were in for one of the most emotionally charged rides in the medium. Regardless of whether one's personal fan theory came true, there's no denying the game's impact upon playing.
10 True: Joel Is Dead
Some theorized Joel would bite it in this game since players control Ellie. This theory goes all the way back to the debut teaser trailer, where some thought he was a ghost checking in on Ellie playing guitar. While he ultimately meets his end, few expected it to happen so early on. Even worse, it is one of the most brutal deaths ever portrayed in a video game.
9 False: Abby Is Anna
Some thought Abby was actually Anna, Ellie's mother. A few fans noticed a resemblance between her and Ellie, and saw the lack of familiar characters in her introductory trailer as a sign this scene took place in the past. But Abby is actually an entirely new character whom Ellie wants to hunt down after she kills Joel. By the end of the game, players know nothing more about Anna.
8 True: Split Campaign
A rumor swirling around before release suggested the game would be evenly divided between Joel and Ellie. While the campaign is split up between two characters, Joel is not the second major character of the story. Instead, players step into Abby's shoes to better understand her path towards vengeance. More brilliantly than the opportunity to play as Joel, the game forces the player to empathize with Abby after she has committed an extremely brutal and heinous act.
7 False: Ellie Dies
The ways in which she would reach this tragic end vary, but a lot of fans put their eggs in this basket. Instead of Joel ultimately losing his life, some were convinced Ellie would bite the dust sometime during the plot. It would not necessarily be at the hands of humans either, with theories contemplating the potential effects of her infection despite the immunity. With the Fireflies having reformed by the end of the game, there's no telling if her immunity will come back into focus for the future.
6 True: Joel Is Playable
While this one is technically true, it also barely counts. Players start the game off in Joel's shoes for a few brief moments before taking control of Ellie.
The perspective jumps around a few times during the introductory hours, but Joel dies shortly into the game and is only seen in flashbacks afterwards. Unless future games take place in the past, fans won't be controlling the iconic anti-hero ever again.
5 False: We Will See Ellie's Mother During Pregnancy
This one dates back to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End's 2016 release. In the epilogue, players see a poster hanging on a wall of a story called Last of Us: American Daughters, featuring a pregnant girl wearing a face mask who has a slight resemblance to Ellie. Ellie would not need a gas mask, meaning it is not her in the photo, so some thought this was a hint about the next Last of Us title featuring her mom during pregnancy. Turns out it was just an Easter egg, at least for now.
4 True: Joel And Ellie Are On Bad Terms
Trailers hinted at this, but the real reason for their falling out was way harsher than most could have imagined. In the four years between the two games, Ellie makes her way back to Salt Lake City and discovers the truth about what happened. Afterwards, the two do not have a meaningful conversations until the night before his death where she says she'd like to try to start forgiving him.
3 False: Ellie Is Connected To The Cult
All the Seraphites have scars across their cheeks. Upon looking into this, some believed different scars to hold different meanings for the group, and then made the leap to Ellie's eyebrow scar, thinking it was a symbol from the cult as well. Neil Druckmann said the scar had meaning as well, fueling this theory's fire even more. If the scar does have meaning, players still don't know what it is.
2 True: Setting
This one was confirmed before the game was released, but even before the location was announced, fans deduced the setting based on trailers. The game's recreation of Seattle is impressively accurate, with only the names of some buildings changing. Seattle natives in particular would no doubt immediately recognize a virtual recreation of their home. While the bulk of the story is set in the city, a whole chunk of game takes place in Santa Barbara.
1 False: Abby Is Transgender
Pre-release leaks mentioned a transgender character showing up, sparking theories that this was referring to Abby. Upon playing, these leaks were clearly referring to Lev, a trans boy and former Seraphite, who runs away after the cult starts to hunt him down for defying traditions. Some take issue with the cult consistently referring to Lev by his birth name, also known as deadnaming, regarding this as exploitative.