Ellie Williams

Having been raised in an environment where modern standards and values have deteriorated, Ellie is considerably rash, foul-mouthed, impulsive, and temperamental, and is unfazed by the notion of using violence as a means to an end or profanity as a way of expressing how she feels. However, she manages to maintain a particular innocence as she has yet to see the darkest sides of human nature, and retains a palpable trust in people. This serves as the juxtaposition to Joel's wary, morose, and cynical outlook on post-pandemic life. She apologized to the soldier scanning her moments before stabbing him in the leg and hoped to incapacitate him and Ramirez with non-lethal means.[20]

Ellie is also perceptibly clever and witty, and will do whatever it takes to keep Joel and herself alive. She has good survival instinct and she can be resourceful. She takes orders from Joel, but all the while makes it clear she does not "need any babysitting at all".[63]

Ellie is enthusiastic about the outside world, given her confinement to her quarantine zone during her childhood.[22] She is obsessed with things she collects from others, illustrated through her interest in music, movies, books, and video games.[15] Ellie states that when she was a child, she had a coloring book, and thought the gnomes in it were cute, but fairies startled her. She frequently remarks her amusement upon finding interesting collectibles throughout her trip, which often clashes with Joel's physical indifference.[13]

Ellie appears to be irreligious, as seen when she claims that she goes "back and forth" when asked by Sam if she believes in an afterlife. She says that she would like to believe it, but admits "I… guess not."[34]

Ellie also suffers from a case of monophobia (fear of being alone) and states to Sam that she fears losing others she cares about such as Joel. She openly admits to Sam that "ending up alone" is what she fears most.[34] Her phobia is reflected in how she has a habit of rubbing her nose and wringing her hands together, especially in situations that are stressful.[12][35] The cause of this phobia stems from her estranged father, deceased mother, and the deaths of her best friend Riley and hired guardian Tess. Coincidentally, both were victims of the fungus and both had become infected while in her company. Soon after admitting her fear to Sam, he too, joins the list. This also links into her survivor's guilt she expresses to Joel when returning to Tommy's, where she expresses her guilt that they all died from the disease yet she continues to survive.[16]

Ellie showed difficulties in positioning herself as a young kid in an adults' eyes, and sometimes even tends to "supervise" adults. She also takes "justice" into her own hands on her relationship with anyone, and does not think she requires any adults' consent. This self-parenting trait is related to her time spent in the orphanage at Boston,[64] where she had learned to fend for herself. An example is when Joel falls on an iron rod. Though not shown, she takes Joel (by horse) to an abandoned mall in order to find supplies to stitch his wound up. Afterward, she takes him to an abandoned house on a sled attached to her horse and continues to nurse him back to health, while at the same time getting them food, and medicine from David.[42]

Ellie is romantically interested in women.[65] She shares a kiss with Riley,[15] and she is romantically involved with Dina, and prior to the events of the game, was with a girl named Cat.[66] Joel was initially not aware of Ellie's interest in women,[55] mistakenly believing she had a crush on Jesse,[56] though eventually learned of (and supported) Ellie's affection for Dina.[58]

Years later, Ellie became more mature and less talkative, but still retained her sense of humor.[55] However, witnessing Joel's death at the hands of Abby's group proved a traumatic and damaging experience. In Seattle, Ellie was noticeably more aggressive and violent, and her thirst for revenge began to cloud her judgement, culminating in her decision to continue hunting Abby rather than help Tommy.[56] However, upon finally getting the chance to kill Abby, Ellie realized her quest for revenge drove away everyone she loved. As such, she abandoned her quest and returned home, intent on repairing the life her revenge had broken.[58]