The Last of Us debuted roughly a decade ago, but Naughty Dog's game has hardly left the pop culture zeitgeist since then. A remaster, sequel, remake, and HBO Max adaptation have ensured that Ellie and Joel's story is not forgotten anytime soon, something that was already unlikely to happen considering the 2013 game's overall quality.
While not quite as rampant as some other gaming franchises, The Last of Us has inspired its share of memes over the years. The sequel's polarizing online reception attracted plenty of humorous creations, while HBO's highly-regarded adaptation also caused memes to flood the web; however, the original release is not lacking in this area either.
Updated March 4, 2023 by Mark Sammut: HBO's series has put The Last of Us back in the public discourse, and that is likely to continue for a while longer since Naughty Dog's game will be making its PC debut on March 28, 2023. In the meantime, let's look at some of the best The Last of Us memes.
11 The Toad Of Us
In The Last of Us universe, the cause of the infection that devastates humanity is the Cordyceps fungus. Originating from South America, the fungus quickly infects the host, first starting with their brain and then spreading outward. It is a horrifying sight that eradicates a large percentage of the population, leaving society on the brink of annihilation.
In the Mario universe, fungi have contaminated the main realm so thoroughly, the royal family has simply given up and surrendered to the power of the mushroom. Toad is a menace.
10 Reading In The Apocalypse
As detailed as the graphics are in The Last of Us, even as a remastered or remade PS3 game, there are some noticeable shortcuts Naughty Dog took in the original version. For example, looking at a bookshelf will often result in seeing repeated books between households almost like this universe only has twenty books to read. Sometimes two shelves next to each other will even repeat.
Obviously, this does not take anything away from the game's brilliance, but it is still a funny observation.
9 The Last Stranding
After playing Death Stranding, seeing little handprints in games will never be the same again. Besides seeing these prints in schools, there are actually a few other similarities between both games.
For example, both of these titles are road trips from one side of the country to the other. The Last of Us is on a smaller scale, but the comparison still works.
8 Scissors, Tape, Towels
This meme points out how silly it is that a lot of what Joel can make is derived from broken scissors, handcloths, and tape. This Mega64 video points this out even more by showcasing shotguns, toilets, and yes, even a car.
Okay, so the game’s crafting isn’t that ridiculous, but the point of its senselessness still holds somewhat true. While this applies to most games with crafting, The Last of Us' serious and grounded tone causes the disconnect to stand out more.
7 No, Escape Can Wait
If resources exist within a game, then every inch of every location must be completely investigated to ensure not a single blade or rag is left behind. It is simply the way things are done. Sure, Ellie might prefer to avoid staying in one room for too long when Clickers are around, but she will understand Joel's hoarding mentality once she is older.
In all honesty, The Last of Us' settings are not typically too expansive, so searching every nook and cranny is not too time-consuming. Still, it does not quite match the story's urgency or tension.
6 Fatality
When it comes to gore, especially for the deaths of Joel and Ellie, The Last of Us can get brutally detailed. Normally, a player would not be able to see what happens to Joel after, for example, catching on fire; however, thanks to the photo mode, it got easier to capture these violent delights.
Another “great” example is seeing his jaw about to get ripped off by certain Clickers. Some of these animations are straight out of Mortal Kombat's constant riff on brutal kills, hence the Fatality.
5 Shivs For Nothing
In classic survival horror fashion, this game features stealth kills. It saves on ammo, which this world is in dire need of; however, there is still a question that needs to be answered – what happened to all the knives?
Ellie has a knife she can use repeatedly without it breaking and yet Joel can't find a knife to save his life. Isn't there anything better out there than broken scissors?
4 DIY Maiming
That is a quote from the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 3 episode, “Mac Is a Serial Killer.” This is a crude invention, but the way Joel is looking at this pipe with scissors taped to the end of it makes it seem like Excalibur.
Joel is in awe of its sheer power. And yes, these taped-up melee weapons do feature one-hit kills, but it is funny given what these instruments are.
3 A Healthy Lifestyle
In gaming, anything can be used as a healing item. For instance, Fortnite has countless wacky options just on its own. The Last of Us is not necessarily an exception, although the health kit makes a degree of sense.
Joel uses alcohol and a rag to craft this item, which is at least somewhat logical. That said, the health kit performs wonders that go well beyond its components, especially since cloths found in a post-apocalyptic wasteland are probably not sterile.
2 Tomb Raider Origins
2013 was often referred to as the “year of the bow” by both fans and the press alike. Crysis 3, the Tomb Raider reboot, and The Last of Us all featured this simple weapon setup prominently.
Their releases were all pretty close too, happening between February and June. Ellie actually looks a little like a younger version of Lara Croft, and therein lies the joke within the joke.
1 What're Ya Buyin?
At the beginning of the game, Tess takes Joel through a makeshift market, which is home to many questionable peddlers. Who would fit right in with them? The Merchant from Resident Evil 4. That’s about as far as the joke goes, but who wouldn’t want to see him in the sequel albeit tweaked to not face Capcom lawyers?
Like Death Stranding, Resident Evil and The Last of Us share a lot in common and not just the fact they are both about infected outbreaks. What survival horror series is better? That sounds like another article for another time.
The Last of Us is available on PS3, PS4, and PS5. The remake is set to debut on March 28, 2023, on PC.