Round Two: Joel Vs Lee

Again, it’s a really tough choice here, Joel was a simple family man from Texas who was there at the dawn of the apocalypse and ends up losing his daughter in the process, while Lee was a history professor who after murdering his wife is sent to jail, but after the apocalypse breaks loose he ends up free, both of them end up coming across the two girls and develop a father-daughter relationship with them. Though surprisingly enough their stories are actually reversed to what the previous two had, in this case, Joel is the one who becomes colder throughout the game while Lee is constantly trying to prove himself as a good man, but it’s played up a little differently. Joel has gone a lot farther to survive and has committed a lot of atrocious acts and even killed innocent people. This makes him a lot less relatable but at the same time you can see where he’s coming from, he’s aware that he’s a bad person but you understand why. Joel is unkind to the world because the world was unkind to Joel, after losing his wife and Sarah and Tess and not to mention seeing the people around him become darker and more depressing, it’s perfectly understandable why a man like this would be the way he is.

While Lee, while also committing horrible acts, you always see a sense of regret, even at the start of the game, he knows what he did was wrong and if he could take it back then he would and this is something you see throughout the entire game, he’s constantly given opportunities to be the better man while Joel almost always choses the more selfish and darker path simply because it’s easier. So both do horrible things but being honest the fact that Lee is always trying to be a better person makes him a more likeable character, especially in the end of the game when their girls are in life threatening situations and they have to try and save them. For Lee it’s a matter of saving Clementine from a fate she doesn’t deserve, and even though he risks tooth & nail for her and ends up dying because of it, you know he wouldn’t have it any other way. While Joel is protecting Ellie simply because he can’t live without her, despite the fact that her death would mean a potential cure for the infection and if she were given the choice then she’d more than be happy to sacrifice herself for the greater good. And I know you could make the argument that there’s no guarantee that the cure will work but come on, do you really think Joel cares about that? Even if it were a guarantee that the cure would save the world that wouldn’t change his actions in the slightest. So putting all this into consideration, I’ve gotta say, Lee is the better character, both of them go through horrible events but Lee is constantly trying to make himself a better person, Joel-isn’t. So, sorry Joel but I’ve gotta say it, point goes to Lee.

Winner: Lee