If you’ve spent any time wandering through the overgrown, terrifyingly quiet streets of post-outbreak Seattle, you know that the heart of The Last of Us Part 2 isn't just about the fungal zombies or the brutal revenge cycle. It’s about the people. Specifically, it's about Ellie’s girlfriend in The Last of Us 2, Dina.
Dina isn't just a sidekick. She’s the anchor. Without her, Ellie’s journey would be a hollow, one-note descent into madness. Honestly, the way Naughty Dog wrote their relationship feels surprisingly grounded for a game where people get their faces chewed off by Clickers.
The Jackson Connection: How It All Started
People often forget that Dina and Ellie didn't just meet. They grew up in the same orbit within the Jackson settlement. Dina was actually dating Jesse, another prominent member of the community, for a long time. They were the "it" couple of the apocalypse, sort of. But the tension between Ellie and Dina was always bubbling under the surface.
Remember the dance? That pivotal scene where they finally kiss in front of everyone? It wasn't just a cute moment. It was a catalyst. It caused a rift with Seth (the grumpy guy with the sandwiches) and it signaled a shift in Ellie's life. She was finally allowing herself to have something to lose. That’s a terrifying thing in this world.
Why Dina Matters to the Narrative
Dina serves as a foil to Ellie’s obsession. While Ellie is fueled by a singular, destructive need to find Abby, Dina is motivated by survival and family. She’s Jewish, and her heritage is woven into her character—most notably when they find the synagogue in Seattle. This adds a layer of history and identity that feels rare in gaming. She isn't just "the love interest." She has a lineage. She has a life that existed before Ellie decided to burn the world down.
She's tough, too. You see her take down enemies with a knife and navigate the treacherous ruins of downtown Seattle without breaking a sweat. But her strength is different. It's the strength of someone who knows when to walk away.
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The Pregnancy Reveal and the Shift in Stakes
Midway through their hunt for Abby, the bombshell drops: Dina is pregnant.
This changes everything. Suddenly, the mission isn't just a two-person revenge tour. There’s a third life involved. The father is Jesse, who eventually catches up with them, leading to one of the most awkward yet strangely mature "love triangles" ever put in a video game. There’s no petty jealousy. They all just want to stay alive.
When Dina’s morning sickness kicks in, the reality of their situation hits. You're hiding in a theater, surrounded by WLF soldiers and infected, and your partner is incapacitated by something as natural as pregnancy. It grounds the high-stakes violence in something deeply human.
The Farm: A Brief Glimpse of Peace
Later in the game, we see Ellie and Dina living on a farm outside Jackson. They’re raising JJ (named after Joel and Jesse). It’s beautiful. The lighting is golden, the music is soft, and for a second, you think they actually made it. They have sheep. They have a home.
But Ellie has PTSD.
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She can't let go of what happened in that basement in Jackson. Even though she has everything she ever wanted—a family, a home, a girlfriend who loves her—it isn't enough to drown out the screams in her head.
The Breakup No One Wanted
The most heartbreaking part of the game isn't a death. It’s when Ellie decides to leave the farm to go after Abby one last time.
Dina gives her an ultimatum. "I'm not doing this again," she basically says. She’s choosing her son and her sanity over Ellie’s vendetta. When Ellie returns from Santa Barbara, bloodied and missing fingers, the house is empty. Dina left.
It’s a brutal ending. It shows that love isn't always enough to save someone from themselves. Ellie’s girlfriend in The Last of Us 2 wasn't a prize to be won at the end of the story; she was a person with boundaries.
Common Misconceptions About Dina
Some players think Dina was "holding Ellie back." That’s a wild take. If anything, Dina was the only thing keeping Ellie tethered to her humanity. Others wonder where Dina went at the end. While the game doesn't explicitly show it, the general consensus among fans and the narrative structure suggests she went back to Jackson. She has a support system there. She has Jesse’s parents. She isn't the type to wander the wilderness alone with a baby.
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Understanding the E-E-A-T Behind the Storytelling
Naughty Dog, led by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross, didn't write this relationship in a vacuum. They consulted with various experts to ensure the depiction of trauma and queer identity felt authentic. The chemistry between Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Shannon Woodward (Dina) is a huge part of why this works. They performed the motion capture together, and you can feel the genuine comfort between them in the way their characters move and touch. It’s subtle. It’s not "video game" romance; it’s real-world intimacy.
What You Can Learn from Ellie and Dina’s Relationship
Even though it’s a fictional world, there are real takeaways here for anyone interested in narrative design or even just human psychology.
- Boundaries are essential: Dina leaving Ellie is a powerful lesson in self-preservation. You can't fix someone who isn't ready to be fixed.
- Intimacy is in the details: The way they joke about "checking their smells" or the quiet conversations while riding Shimmer make the relationship feel lived-in.
- Conflict is inevitable: Even in the apocalypse, couples fight about past exes and future plans.
If you're playing through the game again, pay attention to the optional dialogue. Look at Ellie’s journal. She writes about Dina constantly. She draws her. It’s these small, missable moments that turn a "supporting character" into the most important person in the protagonist's life.
To fully grasp the weight of Dina’s role, re-watch the cinematics in the Seattle Day 1 chapter. Notice how Dina looks at Ellie when Ellie isn't looking. It’s all there. The tragedy of The Last of Us Part 2 isn't just who died—it’s who stayed behind and eventually had to let go.
Next Steps for Players and Fans
To get the full picture of their relationship, your next step is to find every journal entry Ellie writes during the Seattle chapters. These entries provide context that isn't always spoken aloud in cutscenes, specifically regarding Ellie’s fears about Dina’s pregnancy and her own worthiness of love. Additionally, visit the "Model Viewer" in the game’s extras menu to see the detail put into Dina’s character design, including her Hamsa necklace, which is a key part of her Jewish identity and a symbol of protection that she eventually gives to Ellie.