The core premise and emotional driver remain the evolving father-daughter bond, survival, loss, and moral choices, with no character creation systems, pronoun options, or modern identity lectures. LGBTQ elements exist as secondary character details: Ellie is confirmed lesbian via the included Left Behind DLC (her kiss with friend Riley), and Bill is implied gay through references to his partner Frank and a male pornographic magazine found in his home.

These are organic to the characters' backstories and predate widespread activist framing in games. Marlene, the Fireflies leader, is a capable Black woman, but her role fits the story's established lore without ideological emphasis.

Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann has discussed non-sexualized female protagonists in general terms, yet the remake introduces no new DEI-driven changes, consultancy involvement, or narrative rewrites. Reception shows strong critic scores (Metacritic 89) and solid user scores (8.2), with minimal specific backlash to the remake itself compared to Part II.