Joel is one of the main protagonists in The Last Of Us and players already know a lot about him. However, there is so much more to Joel besides smuggling, fighting, and surviving. In The Last Of Us 2, Joel remains a character who is a driving force of the game's plot. He has a rough past and a deep personality.
Players control him through the post-apocalyptic United States. They watch him persevere through monstrous creatures and mysteries, all while protecting those he loves around him. Despite this, there are so many layers to Joel as a character that players overlook without even realizing it. Let's take a look at what players fail to notice about Joel.
10 Youth
Joel's childhood is not the ideal situation, but it is not particularly tragic at first. He is born around 1980 and grows up with his little brother, Tommy, in Texas. Joel's parents do not take care of him and his brother all the time.
So, Joel spends a lot of his time taking care of Tommy and the two brothers become very close as a result. It seems like a burden to take care of a younger sibling due to parental absence. However, Joel remains passionate and aspires to be the best version of himself in his youth.
9 Joel's Parenting
Joel briefly marries a girl when he is a teenager and has Sarah, his daughter. Joel takes on the drastic responsibility of parenting at a young age. Therefore he does not get the chance to experience what it's like being a normal teen. In addition, he has plans to go to college when he is older.
Alas, he cannot follow through since he has to spend his time raising Sarah. The commitment to his daughter demonstrates his maturity and loving soul. Sarah gives him a watch for his birthday when she is older, and Joel cherishes it forever. His wife, on the other hand, leaves without ever coming back.
8 Occupation
When Joel is an adult, he finds himself working as a carpenter. He and Tommy work together but Joel begins to worry about keeping his job. From a young age, he has a strong ambition to begin a business of his own. It is no secret that Joel is inspiring.
Alongside being a carpenter, he is a full-time father to Sarah. They spend a lot of father-daughter time such as hiking, taking pictures, attending soccer matches, and spending time with Tommy.
7 Dark Side
After Joel's daughter Sarah dies, he becomes extremely depressed. Consequently, he is continuously witnessing the entire world becoming infected and families having to separate. He begins to contemplate why he is still fighting to survive and almost ends his own life.
Fortunately, Joel decides that he must keep going because something inside of him gives him hope. However, he expresses his dark feelings of the world by killing multiple people, and some of them are innocent. His little brother Tommy does not approve of Joel's way of coping. He leaves his side and joins a group called the Fireflies.
6 Relationship With Ellie
Joel meets the main protagonist of the game, Ellie, and the two form a strong bond. Joel's daughter Sarah tragically dies from a soldier's fatal gunshot. Therefore, Joel becomes protective over Ellie and fills the void of losing Sarah with her.
Ellie sees Joel as a father figure because her mother passes away when she is young. She has never known a father. Joel plays his guitar for Ellie and sings about hardships they face together, yet they always have one another. These two characters have a beautiful relationship and really hit each other's soft spots.
5 Joel And Ellie Fight
One day, Joel sees Ellie in a deserted room reading someone's journal. He tells her that she must leave but she does not want to. Frustratedly, Joel tells Ellie that she cannot keep running away because it makes him worry when he cannot find her. Ellie says something about how Joel's worry comes from losing his daughter Sarah which sets him off.
Joel fights back by claiming that he is not her father. They both start arguing about the deaths of loved ones they have to cope with on a daily basis. This entire argument becomes extremely unhealthy, but luckily Tommy steps in and stops it.
4 Singer And Musician
Joel is a man of many talents including singing and playing guitar. In fact, Joel is so passionate about music that he wanted to be a singer when he was a child. Music is therapeutic for Joel because it allows him to express his emotions in a raw and creative way.
He sings and plays guitar for Ellie, which makes her emotional and helps her connect with his feelings. He even gives Ellie his guitar and teaches her how to play. It is like a part of Joel lives within Ellie through guitar playing.
3 Personality
Joel is a deeply caring person who always strives to do what alines with his morals. However, the world is falling apart day by day. As a result, he becomes less concerned with doing the right thing and more concerned with staying alive. Joel does not necessarily like the dark person he becomes.
Sadly, he knows that killing and torture are the only options at this point. He still manages to show compassion and love towards the people that he cares for like Ellie and his brother Tommy. Players might view him as corrupted because of the state of the world. Nonetheless, his knowledge, happiness, and empathy is still inside of him and comes out when necessary.
2 Strength
Being a protagonist in The Last Of Us 2, Joel possesses a lot of strength. Players control his character and witness his maliciousness, attacks, chokeholds, and punches. He is almost fifty years old and can take on opponents just as skillfully as younger characters.
Joel knows how to use many weapons such as bows and rifles. Enemies test his strength now and then but he always manages to come back twice as strong. Watching him fight makes players forget that he is just a normal guy underneath altogether.
1 Looks
Players likely notice that Joel looks like a normal guy but he is also rather intimidating to enemies. Well, this combination is on purpose! Joel's looks cater to the father that he is to Sarah and the father figure that he is Ellie.
At the same time, he looks rugged and muscular for fighting and has an overall intimidating appearance. He also looks like a typical American who lives in a rural area to keep the aesthetic of the country. The thought and detail that is in his appearance does wonders for the game.