Content & Trigger Warnings for The Last of Us (2023)
21 content warnings identified across 2 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Last of Us (2023) contains 21 content warnings : Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Death of a child, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Kidnapping / abduction, War / combat, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Confined spaces (claustrophobia), Drowning / underwater scenes, Jump scares, Age-gap relationships (predatory), Drug use (depicted), Animal cruelty / animal death, Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Sexual assault / rape, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Death of a child (severity 5/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 5/5), Suicide (discussed or ideation) (severity 4/5), Kidnapping / abduction (severity 4/5), War / combat (severity 4/5), Blood / medical gore (severity 5/5), Body horror (severity 5/5), Confined spaces (claustrophobia) (severity 4/5), Jump scares (severity 4/5), Age-gap relationships (predatory) (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 5/5), Gun violence (severity 5/5), Self-harm / suicide (depicted) (severity 4/5), Sexual assault / rape (severity 4/5), Torture (severity 5/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
Set up your trigger profile to see which warnings affect you.
Does It Get Worse?
8 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Referenced | Backstory references homophobic attitudes that impacted a character's youth |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | Sarah is shot and dies in Joel's arms in the pilot; her death is prolonged and emotionally devastating |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | Joel's grief over Sarah permeates the season; Bill's grief over Frank is central to episode 3; Ellie processes Riley's death |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Joel's death drives the entire season's emotional arc; Ellie's PTSD and consuming grief fuel her revenge quest |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Themes of suicidal recklessness as Ellie pursues increasingly dangerous revenge with apparent disregard for her own survival |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | All | 4/5 | Depicted | A character chooses to end their life rather than turn, and suicidal despair is explored |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Authoritarian leaders manipulate and psychologically control their communities |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | David's group captures Ellie and holds her in a cage; she is imprisoned and threatened |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and held against their will during the revenge storyline |
| War / combat | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Opening outbreak sequences depict military response and societal collapse; FEDRA vs Fireflies conflict throughout |
| War / combat | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Military operations, ambushes, and armed group conflicts throughout |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Frequent blood from infected attacks, shootings, and Ellie's brutal killing of David with a machete |
| Blood / medical gore | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Significantly more blood than season 1, from both human-on-human violence and infected encounters |
| Body horror | S1 | 5/5 | Depicted | Cordyceps fungal growths erupt from bodies, tendrils emerge from mouths, hosts fuse with walls and floors in deeply unsettling biological horror |
| Body horror | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | New infected variants shown in more disturbing fungal transformations; the infection's biological horror is expanded upon |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Extended sequences in dark underground tunnels, the Boston QZ underground passages, and the museum basement with clickers |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Underground and enclosed environments feature in infected encounters |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Extended sequences in dark tunnels, underground passages, and cramped buildings with infected lurking |
| Drowning / underwater scenes | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | A near-drowning sequence occurs during a fight scene |
| Jump scares | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Sudden infected attacks throughout, particularly in the museum sequence and the bloater encounter in episode 5 |
| Jump scares | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | More intense infected encounters with sudden attacks, including new variant reveals |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Age-gap relationships (predatory) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | David displays predatory fixation on 14-year-old Ellie, stroking her hand through cage bars and making possessive statements |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Drug use (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Pills and medication use depicted in survival contexts |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Animal cruelty / animal death | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Infected animals are shown and animal death occurs |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ellie is a 14-year-old in constant danger; David's group intends to kill and likely cannibalize her; FEDRA threatens children |
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Infected humans shown in various stages of fungal transformation; violent kills of infected with graphic wounds |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Violence escalates significantly with more graphic kills, brutal melee combat, and aftermath of attacks shown in detail |
| Gun violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Multiple shootings throughout including military shooting civilians, FEDRA executions, and firefights with raiders |
| Gun violence | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Frequent intense gunfights; multiple characters killed by firearms; violence is more frequent and graphic than season 1 |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Bill and Frank choose to die together by poison in a deeply emotional extended sequence; Tess sacrifices herself with a grenade |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters make choices that border on self-destructive; the cycle of revenge is portrayed as self-annihilating |
| Sexual assault / rape | All | 4/5 | Referenced | Sexual violence is strongly implied in a community's treatment of captives in Season 2 |
| Torture | S2 | 5/5 | Depicted | Joel is beaten to death with a golf club in an extended, brutal sequence that is among the most difficult scenes in the series |
Identity & Discrimination
Backstory references homophobic attitudes that impacted a character's youth
Mental Health & Emotional
Sarah is shot and dies in Joel's arms in the pilot; her death is prolonged and emotionally devastating
Joel's grief over Sarah permeates the season; Bill's grief over Frank is central to episode 3; Ellie processes Riley's death
Joel's death drives the entire season's emotional arc; Ellie's PTSD and consuming grief fuel her revenge quest
Themes of suicidal recklessness as Ellie pursues increasingly dangerous revenge with apparent disregard for her own survival
A character chooses to end their life rather than turn, and suicidal despair is explored
Other
Authoritarian leaders manipulate and psychologically control their communities
David's group captures Ellie and holds her in a cage; she is imprisoned and threatened
Characters are captured and held against their will during the revenge storyline
Opening outbreak sequences depict military response and societal collapse; FEDRA vs Fireflies conflict throughout
Military operations, ambushes, and armed group conflicts throughout
Phobias & Sensory
Frequent blood from infected attacks, shootings, and Ellie's brutal killing of David with a machete
Significantly more blood than season 1, from both human-on-human violence and infected encounters
Cordyceps fungal growths erupt from bodies, tendrils emerge from mouths, hosts fuse with walls and floors in deeply unsettling biological horror
New infected variants shown in more disturbing fungal transformations; the infection's biological horror is expanded upon
Extended sequences in dark underground tunnels, the Boston QZ underground passages, and the museum basement with clickers
Underground and enclosed environments feature in infected encounters
Extended sequences in dark tunnels, underground passages, and cramped buildings with infected lurking
A near-drowning sequence occurs during a fight scene
Sudden infected attacks throughout, particularly in the museum sequence and the bloater encounter in episode 5
More intense infected encounters with sudden attacks, including new variant reveals
Sexual Content
David displays predatory fixation on 14-year-old Ellie, stroking her hand through cage bars and making possessive statements
Substance Use
Violence & Physical Harm
Infected animals are shown and animal death occurs
Ellie is a 14-year-old in constant danger; David's group intends to kill and likely cannibalize her; FEDRA threatens children
Infected humans shown in various stages of fungal transformation; violent kills of infected with graphic wounds
Violence escalates significantly with more graphic kills, brutal melee combat, and aftermath of attacks shown in detail
Multiple shootings throughout including military shooting civilians, FEDRA executions, and firefights with raiders
Frequent intense gunfights; multiple characters killed by firearms; violence is more frequent and graphic than season 1
Bill and Frank choose to die together by poison in a deeply emotional extended sequence; Tess sacrifices herself with a grenade
Characters make choices that border on self-destructive; the cycle of revenge is portrayed as self-annihilating
Sexual violence is strongly implied in a community's treatment of captives in Season 2
Joel is beaten to death with a golf club in an extended, brutal sequence that is among the most difficult scenes in the series
