was accurate without being unintentionally offensive. Druckmann considered Lev among the most important characters as he represents the same innocence that Ellie did in the first game. Lev's name is based on the Hebrew interpretation of the word "heart" and is an homage to the character from David Benioff's City of Thieves (2008), one of Druckmann's favorite novels. Some members of the transgender community objected to the representation of Lev. Criticism focused on the use of Lev's deadname by villains, that he was created by cisgender writers, and the use of trans stories as tragedies. Writing for Paste, Waverly praised the choice to have Lev played by a transgender actor, but felt there was too much emphasis on his gender identity and the suffering he experienced for it. Waverly felt that "Lev's story isn't made for trans people, but to give cisgender players a space to connect with their guilt and pity for trans people". In contrast, Stacey Henley of VG247 wrote that, while Lev's story is not perfect, "it's a major step for trans characters in gaming, focuses on a highly charismatic and central character who is far more than this transness". Kotakus Riley MacLeod saw Lev's character as simply a way of the game acknowledging trans people exist and wrote that it was up to players to create their own meaning from the character. Yara Yara (Victoria Grace) is Lev's sister, and a member of the Seraphites. After Lev transitioned to male, the siblings were forced to flee. Yara is captured by Seraphites and has her left arm shattered before being saved by Lev. Abby helps the siblings find safety for the night. The following day, she takes them to her friends Owen and Mel; the latter, a surgeon, determines that Yara has compartment syndrome and is forced to amputate her arm. Yara accepts Owen's invitation to escape to Santa Barbara, but Lev, unwilling to leave their mother behind, travels to the Seraphites' island. Yara and Abby track Lev and find that he has killed their mother while defending himself. As they leave the island, Yara kills the WLF leader, sacrificing herself so Lev and Abby can escape. An early pitch in development was for Yara to be transgender instead of Lev, but Druckmann preferred to keep her a more traditional follower of the Seraphites. Grace was familiar with The Last of Us prior to receiving the role.