Is Ellie gay in The Last of Us game?

Is Ellie gay in The Last of Us? Episode 7 explored the relationship between Ellie and Riley from Left Behind, but is Ellie also gay in the game?

In our review of Episode 7, we said the game’s “most poignant backstory gets the treatment it deserves; beautifully adapted, engagingly performed by Ramsey and Reid, and a reminder that love left behind is never love lost.”

While Joel slowly recovers, the episode flashes back to three weeks before Ellie met him. At this point, she’s still in FEDRA school, and her best friend Riley sneaks her out for a night at the mall.

It quickly becomes apparent they like-like each other, and they share a kiss near the end – but is this any different from the game?

Is Ellie gay in The Last of Us game?

Yes, Ellie is gay in The Last of Us game and TV show.

In the game, we also see her and Riley in the Left Behind DLC, as well as her relationship with Dina in The Last of Us Part 2. While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s likely we’ll see Dina in Season 2.

Prior to the show’s release, a fan tweeted co-creator Craig Mazin, writing: “Y’all better keep the gay gay. Pls and thank you. Do not erase that representation pls. Anyways, I’m so excited for this!”

He replied: “You have my word.”

During the latest episode of The Last of Us podcast, Mazin and Neil Druckmann spoke about how Ellie and Riley’s true feelings emerge as they explore the mall, particularly when they stand in front of the Victoria’s Secret shop.

“These girls like each other, they really like each other, but they’re too afraid to say anything,” Druckmann said.

“Here are two girls who are both gay, and their sexuality is confusing to them and scary to them. The world in our show – to remind everybody – stops in 2003,” Mazin continued.

“The revolution that we’ve gone through as a culture to become accepting of homosexuality and whatever we’d call non-heteronormative sexualities hasn’t occurred… in this world, that stuff is still ‘problematic’ as they say.”

Speaking about their kiss, Mazin said: “It’s just like the game… and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s a wonderful thing, because it was perfect in the game, and it’s perfect here.”

The Last of Us Episode 8 will be available to stream on March 5 in the US and March 6 in the UK. Check out the rest of our content here, and our coverage of the latest episode below:

Episode 7 review | Ending explained | Riley and Left Behind explained | How does Riley die in the game? | What song plays at the end? | When does Episode 7 take place? | Dawn of the Wolf Part 2 explained