Top 10 Easter Eggs in The Last of Us Season 1 That Only Gamers Got

“Left Behind”

“Infected”

While the show’s infected are just as terrifying on the show as they are in the game, there are several subtle differences between the two mediums. People who have played through “The Last of Us” tend to run into a lot more enemies during the journey. Additionally, the Bloater enemy types are able to throw their own spores for extra damage. Even though the show didn’t exactly follow that blueprint, they still hinted at it with one clever exchange. While Ellie is with Joel and Tess, she makes several references to the way enemies act and present themselves in the game. This conversation was a clever way to acknowledge the trials gamers went through as they waded through a sea of clickers.

“Endure and Survive”

During the period of the game where Joel and Ellie are traveling with Henry and Sam, the two lead characters get separated when a bunch of infected show up. Fortunately, they reunite shortly after without much of an issue. Ellie even boasts about the fact that she took down a couple of infected off-screen. Instead of having her just talk about her fighting skills, the show went the extra mile and showed us. When Henry and Sam are traveling with the main heroes, a bunch of infected swarm the group. Ellie saves the brotherly duo from danger by taking down two enemies. Turning the gaming dialogue into an actual scene was a great way to show how capable she truly is.

“Kin”

The primates that Joel and Ellie run into on the show are relatively chill. However, gamers may have seen them in a completely different light. In the source material, you run into a few monkeys along your journey. But you also uncover an audio log that details what happened when a scientist had an encounter with an infected primate. Anyone who played the game was likely relieved that the monkeys didn’t get too close to our heroes. Clickers, harsh weather and sinister humans are all big problems already. The last things our heroes need to worry about in the apocalypse are monkeys with bad intentions.

“Left Behind”

It’s been awesome to see the “Mortal Kombat” franchise get so many shoutouts in the tv series. Ellie had a poster in her room that we were extremely jealous of. And when she found a broken “Mortal Kombat” arcade cabinet, she was disappointed that she couldn't test her might. But the best reference to the franchise fittingly came in the episode where she does get to fight. After losing the first round, Ellie figures out how to win a match against Riley with Baraka. As an added bonus, she gets to execute a fatality. Riley’s instructions on how to pull off the gruesome finishing move are entirely accurate. More than a few audience members were probably happy that the writers did their gaming research.

Various Episodes

Throughout the first “Last of Us” game, the Savage Starlight comics stood out as the best collectibles. The detailed story summaries and vivid illustrations made it clear that the designers really loved the idea of this running series. So, it wasn’t surprising that Ellie’s love for the Savage Starlight franchise made it into the show. She’s seen reading various issues of the comic during season 1. In one case, the in-universe story even mirrored the plot. Ellie reads The Accretion issue of Savage Starlight in episode 6. After reading about comic characters being forced to fight each other, she fends off an attack from her infected friend Sam. Only those who collected Savage Starlight caught on to that dark piece of foreshadowing and more.

“When We Are In Need”

“Kin”

If you’re a fan who’s played “Last of Us 2”, you’ve probably picked up on several of the seeds the show’s been planting about Ellie’s future in season 1. In Episode 6, she has a sweet conversation with Joel about space. Their talk hinted at a scene in the sequel game where they visit an astrological exhibit. Within the same episode, Joel mentions a desire to take care of sheep. “The Last of Us 2” notably showed that Ellie takes care of the same kind of animals in the future. Speaking of farm residents, the survivor forms a tight bond with a horse named Shimmer in the sequel. The show confirmed that it would follow that plot point by introducing the animal in episode 6.

“Endure and Survive”

A quick shot of a drawing in the series served as a big reference to a lengthy survivor story. The illustration Joel stops to look at in the sewers features people named Danny and Ish. As it turns out, the latter person has a lot in common with Pedro Pascal’s lead. Both Ish and Joel got used to surviving a certain way in a harsh world. However, everything changed when they met a child who could use protection. Unlike Joel, Ish stayed with his found family within the sewers until the infected got in. The ultimate fate of the group is still unknown. Although Ish’s story was mostly conveyed through game collectables, fans still got invested in his complex and mysterious tale.

Various Episodes

Although the show decided to cast new performers to play Joel and Ellie, their original voice actors still appeared in the series. After bringing the gruff lead man to life in the games, Troy Baker played a sinister survivor in episode 7. Ashley Johnson also went from voicing Ellie to playing the character’s mother on the show. Outside of that duo, Jeffrey Pierce portrayed a new character named Perry years after he voiced Joel’s brother Tommy in the games. But you only need to look at actress Merle Dandridge for the most obvious game to show casting. She played Marlene in both mediums. Thanks to great casting, gamers got to see a few performers demonstrate their talent in and out of live-action.