The Last of Us: Who Are Ish and Danny in Episode 5?

While the TV series The Last of Us continues to stream on HBO Max, each episode continues to offer links to the Naughty Dog video game of the same name on which the television series is based. In the fifth episode of The Last of Us the two protagonists Ellie and Joel played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, came across the characters of Henry and Sam. Two brothers join their journey by continuing all together through underground tunnels to avoid enemies. In this place, the group finds an old cache that shows references to Ish. A mysterious character related to The Last of Us video game.

The Last of Us: Who are Ish and Danny?

As they travel through the tunnels beneath the city of Kansas City to escape the Hunters, Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam find a cheerful and colorful room. Joel says he’s heard of places like this that started at the start of the outbreak. Those are hidden places where some survivors have built small communities. As they look around, Joel notices a drawing of Danny and Ish. They are two armed men who are defined by those who made the drawing as “our protectors”. In The Last of Us video game, the characters of Ish and Danny do not physically appear. Joel discovers their existence through the letters that Ish has scattered around, which are collected by the player during the adventure.

Ish’s Story

In the videogame The Last of Us through the paper notes that Joel retrieves around, he puts the pieces back together on the story of Ish. The latter is wearing a riot suit that he may have taken from some deceased soldier. In the notes on him, it is deduced that he is a thin, agile, and shrewd person. Ish is a fisherman who is traveling by sea during the outbreak of the epidemic.

When he reaches the mainland, Ish lands near the Pittsburgh sewers (changed to Kansas City in The Last of Us TV series) and creates a shelter for himself. Later scouring the surroundings, the man finds other survivors with whom to exchange supplies. It is a family consisting of Kyle, Susan, and their three children. Ish later invites them all to live with him in the sewers where she starts a proper suburban community.

Danny’s Story

Danny is described as a survivor with a large and strong build, wearing riot gear and a baseball cap. One day Danny finds the community founded by Ish and joins them. The two men become the protectors of the group and go around scavenging resources and supplies.

The End of the Community of Ish

In the community created by Ish, there are few but essential rules, engraved on a blackboard. Joel and the others notice them in both the video game and the TV series. The suburban community rules are as follows:

• Make sure the doors are closed.
• Ask for the password if you don’t know the visitor.
• Don’t play loud or boisterous games.
• Run to the hideout when you hear the alarm.

From the notes Ish left around, we learn that one day someone didn’t observe the first rule. And albeit unintentionally, he allowed an infected person to enter and spread the infection. Ish, Susan, and her children manage to escape, while Kyle is trapped. Also, through Ish’s notes, we learn that the man is protecting the few survivors in some suburbs. However, their fate remains unknown because nothing else is explained about it. The same goes for Danny who is not mentioned again in the notes after the infected arrives within the community.

Will Ish Appear in The Last of Us TV Series?

The fifth episode of the TV series The Last of Us has scattered some easter eggs to pay homage to Ish and his community. But it is a character that will certainly not be shown in the TV series. Co-producer Neil Druckmann shared some insights on the matter during HBO’s official The Last of Us podcast.

We couldn’t fit all of Ish’s story into the episode. But we at least wanted to pay homage to him by showing him the room where he lived. These are two different realities that somehow coexist in a parallel way.

Colleague Craig Mazin added some details that confirm Druckmann’s choice:

We might as well have done an entire episode dedicated to Ish. But the way we’re developing the story I think it’s better to have just hinted. So that players can discover the story for themselves through the video game.