Sarah was 12 years old in The Last of Us
As a hardcore The Last of Us fan, I‘ve played the games more times than I can count. But no matter how often I replay that gut-wrenching opening scene, I‘m always deeply affected by the death of young Sarah Miller.
Joel Was Forced into Fatherhood as a Teenager
Sarah was only 12 years old when the cordyceps brain infection ravaged the world, forever changing life as we knew it. That means Joel became a dad in his late teens, around 16 or 17 based on the timeline.
Not exactly an ideal situation for either of them. Yet despite the challenges of teen parenthood, Joel managed to raise Sarah as a single father for over a decade. Their bond was clear in the brief time we got to know them.
The Outbreak Strikes on Sarah‘s Birthday
The night the outbreak hit just so happened to be Sarah‘s 13th birthday. As a kickass soccer player and geeky tween, she was totally obsessed with the new watch Joel gifted her.
Tragically, she‘d never get the chance to wear it beyond that fateful night.
| Joel‘s Age During Outbreak | Late 20s |
| Sarah‘s Age During Outbreak | 12 years old |
Based on the surroundings of her suburban home, we can surmise Sarah was an athletic, popular kid. The soccer trophies and posters suggest she was likely a star player on her team.
Meanwhile, the astronomy books and spacecraft models indicate she was pretty nerdy too. All signs point to Sarah growing up to be a cool, complex young woman – if only she‘d survived.
The 20 Year Time Jump Makes Joel ~52 in The Last of Us
After Sarah‘s gut-wrenching death, the game flashes forward 20 years. Joel is now in his early 50s, working as a smuggler in the quarantine zone. Those two decades completely hardened him, transforming Joel from a loving father into a ruthless survivor.
Based on the confirmed timeline, Joel was around 52 years old in the original The Last of Us game. The outbreak struck when he was 28 or 29, plus the 20 year jump.
By the events of The Last of Us Part II, another 5 years have passed. So Joel is likely 57 or so, though still kicking ass across the post-apocalyptic landscape. For a man his age, he‘s managed to stay scrappy as hell!
Ellie, the Teenage Symbol of Hope, Is Just 14
Meanwhile, Ellie was only born after the fall of society. She grows up an orphan in the Boston military prep school, without any memory of the world before.
When Joel meets her, Ellie is just 14 years old – barely a teenager. Yet she carries the last hope for a vaccine inside her infected yet somehow immune body.
Talk about being born into a crappy situation! I can‘t even imagine coming of age in a post-pandemic military dictatorship. No wonder Ellie has such a defiant, badass edge when we first meet her.
The Tragic Loss of Riley Underscores Ellie‘s Isolation
Ellie‘s backstory becomes clearer in The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC. Set before the main game‘s events, it reveals Ellie‘s friendship with another girl named Riley. A member of the Fireflies rebel group, Riley convinces 13-year-old Ellie to sneak out of the quarantine zone with her.
In those carefree hours of fun, it‘s clear Riley helps Ellie feel a little more normal. She experiences her first kiss, many laughs, and forges a true human connection – all tragically cut short when they‘re bitten.
Of course, only Ellie survives the bite, forced to watch her best friend succumb to the infection. Riley was likely 16 years old at the time of her gruesome death. Once again, the Cordyceps fungus claims another young life with so much yet to live for!
| Ellie‘s Age | 14 years old |
| Riley‘s Age | Around 16 years old |
Henry and Sam Highlight the Human Collateral Damage
Later in their journey, Joel and Ellie cross paths with brothers Henry and Sam. Like our protagonist pair, Henry and Sam lost their loved ones to the infection chaos. The older brother struggles to care for young Sam while protecting them both.
Sam‘s tragic end, where he hides his infection then turns, is yet another gut punch. At only 13 years old, Sam has never known anything except survival mode, let alone childhood innocence.
Meanwhile, Henry is just 25 himself – far too young to lose everything and parent an apocalyptic childhood! No wonder he chooses suicide over solitude in his final moments.
The brothers are the human collateral damage that Joel and Ellie attempt to avoid becoming. Their cameo shows how grief and trauma ripple outward, devastating lives for generations after the outbreak.
| Henry‘s Age | 25 years old |
| Sam‘s Age | 13 years old |
Abby Is All Grown Up Yet Fueled By Childhood Loss
Speaking of devastating collateral damage – enter Abby!
The controversial protagonist of Part II was just a small child when Joel doomed humanity‘s hope for a cure. After losing her father, Abby grew up in the post-outbreak world obsessed with vengeance.
By the time she finally locates Joel over 20 years after her dad‘s death, Abby is in her early 20s. She‘s a buff, battle-hardened soldier whose entire life has centered on tracking down the man who destroyed her family.
In parallel to Ellie, Abby shows how these formative apocalypse-born generations only know survival mode and loss. Between the infected and warring factions, it‘s just another day on Earth for them!
The Value of Hope Despite Numerous Childhoods Cut Short
No matter where you stand on Abby or Part II‘s grim finale, The Last of Us is defined by loss. Sarah, Riley, Sam – the list goes on and on of children cut down before their prime.
That‘s what makes the glimmers of light and humanity between Joel and Ellie so special. Against immeasurable odds, love can still flicker briefly in their hardened hearts when they choose to let it.
And perhaps most tragically, despite losing her only parental figure by the end, Ellie herself is still just a teenager fending for herself in a post-pandemic wilderness.
