Is Ellie gay in The Last of Us? Her sexuality in the video game explained

15 April 2025, 16:22

By Sam Prance

Here's what Bella Ramsey and The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann have said about Ellie's sexuality in the series and the game.

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The Last of Us has long been praised by fans for its queer representation but is Ellie gay in the game and the series?

Fans of The Last of Us will already know that the show has made several key changes to the game it's based on. For example, Bill and Frank's romantic relationship is merely implied in the game, whereas, it gets a full devastating episode in the show. Most recently, The Last of Us season 2 has completely changed how Abby is introduced to viewers.

The Last of Us season 2 also introduces fans to Ellie's brand new love interest Dina and they kiss at a dance in the first episode. This comes after we find out Ellie had a romantic relationship with a girl named Riley in a flashback episode in season 1. If you're wondering if these scenes happen in the games, we're here to fill you in.

Here's what we learn about Ellie's sexuality in The Last of Us games and what Bella Ramsey has said about it.

Read more: The Last Of Us bosses explain why recasting Bella Ramsey's Ellie was never an option
Read more: Why is Ellie mad at Joel in The Last of Us season 2? Joel's lie explained

Is Ellie lesbian in The Last of Us game?

Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid talk about Ellie and Riley's first love

Does Ellie kiss Riley in The Last of Us game?

Ellie's sexuality is never explicitly stated in The Last of Us games but she exclusively has romantic relationships with women. Ellie and Riley's romance isn't confirmed in the first The Last of Us game. However, the events of season 1 episode 7, including the kiss, take place in a downloadable expansion pack called The Last of Us: Left Behind.

Discussing Ellie and Riley's kiss with GayGamer, The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann shut down claims that it was platonic: "When I was writing it I was writing it with the idea that Ellie is gay. I think it’s weird because if Riley was a boy this debate wouldn’t be happening. No one would say, 'Oh maybe it’s just a friendly kiss'."

Does Ellie kiss Dina in The Last of Us game?

Neil then doubled down on this with The Last of Us: Part II where Ellie is explicitly queer. The scenes between Ellie and Dina in season 2 take place in the sequel game and Ellie's sexuality is explored in further depth.

Ellie and Riley's love story is explored in The Last of Us: Left Behind. Picture: Alamy

Discussing the queer love stories in The Last of Us season 1, Ellie actor Bella Ramsey told L’Officiel: "Like, gay people exist so why shouldn’t they exist in the apocalypse? I really liked that it didn’t feel tacked on. It was so integral to this story, and so organically done, that it didn’t feel like, ‘We’re just putting in these queer people for representation’."

Bella also revealed that they were drawn to playing Ellie because Ellie's official character description was: "She’s gay and she doesn’t give a f--- what you think."