In this review we focus on aspects of the virus-specific cellular immune response, although we should point out that all the components of the innate and adaptive immune response are likely to play a role in successful control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We concentrate particularly on the relevance of the polyclonality and multispecificity of the HBV-specific cytotoxic T cell response to its antiviral activity. In this context, we discuss the possible role of viral escape mutations and highlight evidence from other models of the benefit of multispecificity in antiviral responses. We stress the contribution of CD4 help for effective CD8 responses and raise the possibility that HBV may produce factors inhibiting the antiviral response.