When Naughty Dog first dropped the teaser for The Last of Us Part II back in 2016, the world didn’t just freak out about Joel appearing like a ghost in a doorway. People hyper-fixated on a single, shaky shot of Ellie’s arm. She was older, her hands were trembling, and she had this massive, intricate ink piece covering her right forearm.
That the last of us 2 ellie tattoo wasn’t just a cosmetic choice. It was a shield.
Most fans know by now that the tattoo serves a functional purpose: it covers the bite mark from the first game. But the story of how that tattoo got there—both in the fiction of the game and in the real-world production offices in Santa Monica—is way more interesting than just "hiding a scar."
The secret history of the ink
In the game’s lore, Ellie didn’t just wake up one day and decide to get a sleeve. Between the events of the first and second games, Ellie becomes increasingly paranoid about someone seeing her bite. Imagine living in a community like Jackson where everyone is safe, but you're carrying a mark that would get you shot on sight if anyone misunderstood your immunity.
To fix this, Ellie actually gave herself a chemical burn.
She poured acid on her arm to scar the tissue so badly that the teeth marks were unrecognizable. It’s pretty metal, and also heartbreaking. Later, her ex-girlfriend Cat—who is a tattoo artist in Jackson—inked over the chemical burn to give Ellie a sense of normalcy. In the HBO show, we see a slightly different version of this process, but the result is the same: a permanent mask for her greatest secret.
Who actually designed it?
Naughty Dog didn't just have a concept artist whip this up. They reached out to real-world tattoo artist Natalie Hall.
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Hall didn't just draw the design; she actually went into the studio and had her hands scanned while playing the guitar so the developers could capture the authentic movement of a musician’s fingers. When you see Ellie’s hands flying across the frets in the game, you’re basically looking at Natalie Hall’s digital ghost.
The design itself features two main elements:
- A Cecropia moth (specifically chosen for its distinct wing patterns).
- Two types of ferns (one solid, one more "hollow" or silhouette-style).
The developers even tested the tattoo on a real human arm—specifically UI artist Alexandria Neonakis—before committing it to the digital model of Ellie. They wanted to see how the ink would wrap around the musculature of the forearm to ensure it looked "right" from every gameplay angle.
Symbolism that actually matters
You’ll see a lot of "deep dives" claiming the moth represents death. Well, sort of. In many cultures, moths are indeed seen as omens of the end, but Neil Druckmann has been pretty vocal about a different interpretation.
The moth represents obsession.
Think about how a moth is drawn to a flame. It can’t help itself. It’s a suicidal drive toward a light that will eventually burn it to a crisp. This is Ellie’s entire arc in the second game. She is so blinded by her "light"—her quest for revenge against Abby—that she doesn’t realize she’s destroying herself and everyone she loves in the process.
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The Ferns: More than just foliage
While the moth gets all the glory, the ferns are doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Ferns are prehistoric. They are symbols of resilience and endurance. They grow in the damp, dark corners of the forest where other plants fail.
It’s a perfect fit for Ellie. She’s a survivor who has outlasted her parents, her best friend Riley, and eventually, her own sense of safety. The contrast between the fragile moth and the hardy fern creates this beautiful tension on her skin.
Why everyone is getting this tattoo in real life
If you walk into a tattoo shop today and ask for "the Ellie tattoo," your artist will probably know exactly what you’re talking about. It has become one of the most replicated pieces of media-inspired ink in history.
Why? Because it doesn't look like "video game art."
It’s a legitimate, well-composed black-and-grey illustrative piece. It follows the flow of the arm perfectly. Even if you’ve never played a second of The Last of Us, the design stands on its own as a piece of botanical art.
Wait, should you get it?
Honestly, if you're a die-hard fan, go for it. But a lot of tattooers are starting to feel a bit of "Ellie burnout." If you want to honor the game without being the tenth person that week with the exact same forearm piece, consider asking your artist to use the same style—maybe a different moth or local flora—to give it a personal twist.
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The technical side of the design
If you're planning on getting this done, there are a few things you should know about the composition. It’s not just a flat drawing.
- Placement is key: The head of the moth sits right where the "bite" would be, near the top of the forearm.
- The Wrap: The fern leaves wrap almost entirely around the arm. This is a nightmare for inexperienced artists to line up, so find someone who is good at "flow."
- Contrast: The original design relies on a mix of heavy blacks and very fine line work. Over time, those tiny lines in the moth wings can blur, so it’s often better to go slightly larger than life-size to preserve the detail.
Actionable steps for your own ink
If you are seriously looking at getting the the last of us 2 ellie tattoo, don't just pull a low-res screenshot from Google Images.
Naughty Dog actually released a high-resolution "Cosplay Guide" that includes a flat, vector-style version of the tattoo. This is the "holy grail" for tattoo artists because it shows exactly how the lines are supposed to look without the distortion of a 3D character model.
Download that PDF, find an artist who specializes in "Blackwork" or "Illustrative" styles, and talk to them about how it will age. Remember, Ellie's tattoo is supposed to look a bit "DIY" and rugged, but your real-life version should probably be a bit more polished if you want it to look good in twenty years.
The moth might be headed for the flame, but your ink is there to stay.
Next steps for you:
You can download the official Naughty Dog tattoo stencil from their archives to ensure your artist has the exact line weights. Also, check out Natalie Hall’s other botanical work; it provides great context for the "sketchy" aesthetic that makes Ellie’s ink so distinct from typical gaming tattoos.