The Last of Us Part II was universally praised by critics when it was released in 2020. But the fan discourse surrounding the game has never been able to reach such a consensus. At times, the debate between The Last of Us fans has been called toxic. That’s because much of the criticism directed at Part II can be viewed as superficial or ideologically motivated. And no character in The Last of Us has been the target of as much criticism as Abby.
Abby Anderson is one of The Last of Us Part II‘s main characters. She was revealed as the daughter of the surgeon that Joel murdered at the end of the first game. She takes revenge against Joel when she tracks him to Jackson and brutally kills him with a golf club. Ellie then begins a vengeful pursuit of Abby which ultimately results in anguish and misery for both of them.
In The Last of Us Part II, players switch between Ellie and Abby and experience the game’s story from both perspectives. Some players resented being forced to play as Abby after she killed Joel. This is largely seen as a matter of personal preference and an acceptable reason for not enjoying Part II. However, some players’ reasons for disliking Abby were considered irrational and ridiculous by the wider fan base. A recent Reddit post highlighting the strange debate among The Last of Us fans about Abby’s appearance is the perfect example of this.
User u/EveryAd3095 shared an image of a Facebook post stating: “Last of Us part 2 is one of the Best [sic] games ever made”. It continued: “But many gamers (aka incels) hated it because Abby had bigger arms than them”. The image’s caption also read: “Gamers are afraid of strong women”.
The Last of Us subreddit largely agreed with this opinion. u/DJOutcast98 wrote: “It’s not wrong lol”, while another user said: “Imagine getting your ego hurt by a pixelated game character being bigger than you just because she’s a girl”.
Others concurred. One said: “I hate the “unrealistic” body discourse so much. People saying she didn’t have the right resources as if they would give a s**t if the character was a man who was twice as jacked.” User u/Shor-El had their own theory on why some players didn’t like Abby: “They’re just salty because Abby could rip their head off with her bare hands”.
Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us TV show is set to adapt the second game. Therefore, it’s likely the conversation surrounding Abby is far from over. With that being said, hopefully the debate can focus on more meaningful issues than her appearance.
Do you agree with these The Last of Us fans’ opinions? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
