The latest The Last of Us installments featured fan-favorite actor Troy Baker as James. It’s a long journey that takes Joel and Ellie on the West Coast looking for the Fireflies. On the road, the protagonists meet various characters, each with his backstory. Here’s what happened during Joel and Ellie’s encounter with James.
Who’s Portraying James in The Last of Us
Actor and musician Troy Baker is portraying James in The Last of Us. Baker is best known for having voiced several iconic video game characters, including Joel in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us game. His credits include dubbing Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, Sam Drake in the Uncharted series, and Kanji Tatsumi in Persona 4, among many other video game-related projects. He also lent his voice to The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, Loki in Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Kaneda in Akira, and Batman in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants. Baker scored several BAFTA Games Awards nominations, making him one of the most appreciated actors in the industry.
Unlike some other people Joel and Ellie encountered along the road, James does have a video game counterpart with a similar backstory. In “When We Are in Need,” James made his first appearance as one of the survivors in Silver Lake, Colorado, a community led by a preacher called David. James and David were hunting when they met Ellie, who was striving to keep Joel alive while hunting for food and shelter in the harsh winter conditions. As fans recall, Joel was severely wounded during an altercation in Denver in Episode 6.
It turned out the man who stabbed Joel before ending up dead in that clash in Denver was Alec, another Silver Lake survivor. Blinded by his thirst for revenge for Alec’s death, James was willing to kill both Ellie and Joel, and only David’s stern intervention prevented the man from moving on with his plans. Ultimately, James helped take Ellie as a prisoner to Silver Lake, where the girl discovered David and the others were cannibals. When Ellie refused to join the community after a bizarre conversation that implied David was really into her, the Silver Lake inhabitants attempted to slice the girl. In an extreme attempt to survive, Ellie rolled up her sleeve to show her bite wound. James became frightened and let go of Ellie, allowing her to grab a butcher knife and kill him.
:quality(85):upscale()/2026/07/08/580/n/1922564/f78867556a4e48f63e2a99.33534786_.jpg "Keke Palmer Wowed in a Metallic Corset at Essence Festival – Get Her Look Starting at")
:quality(85):upscale()/2026/07/06/655/n/49352476/b5895de25ab74fb2_imgi_1_733172791_18633218026037720_235082600448149611_n.jpg "Shop J Lo's Wedding Guest Look For Taylor and Travis's Wedding – Starting at")
:quality(85):upscale()/2026/06/17/796/n/1922564/2d1048706a32e253a32346.96073123_.jpg "The Hottest Item in Fashion This Summer? A Soccer Jersey")
