Co-President of Naughty Dog Neil Druckmann has shown off a striking tattoo he recently received that is based on The Last of Us. With a strong focus on connecting players toward character development and being an emotionally resonant tale, it is no surprise that many - including its creators - have formed attachments to the cast in The Last of Us.With the premiere of an adaptation and a remake of the first game, fans have been able to re-examine characters from The Last of Us, picking up on details helping to define them as people who have lives beyond the scope found in the story. It helps keep the series relevant but further enforces the attachment formed throughout the games, and with this strong attention to humanizing its characters, it is not all that much of a surprise when it is revealed one of the creators shares similar sentiments.Neil Druckmann decided to show his own love for the series by getting a tattoo prominently featuring the switchblade Ellie carries across both games. Inked by an artist who goes by oozy_tattoo on Twitter, it has a striking design that shows the switchblade in the center with the only color being the blood-red accents surrounding it, created by a moth circling it. There is a balance of beauty and brutality shown off as the subtle design and the moth are pretty touches, but the only color resembling blood does a great job implying the heinous acts the knife had been used for.
Responses have been incredibly positive, with fans either expressing their love of the series and others showing off tattoos they had gotten based on the games. Some of these are other recreations of Ellie's switchblade and others are of her sleeve tattoo in The Last of Us Part 2. It's a rare moment of bonding between an executive from a studio and the fan base it garnered given how tattoos can be a powerful way to show one's adoration for any story.
For a narrative that revolves around tragedy as much as The Last of Us, much of it is also shaped by the warmth shared between characters who show how much they genuinely care about each other in large and subtle moments. Those elements are important parts that define how The Last of Us has stayed with players for almost a decade now, and something is touching about a creator using a method often done by fans to express how the work has impacted him too.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available on PC and PS5.