The Cordyceps brain infection is nothing to trifle with. The Last of Us takes a very real fungus that affects ants and presents it in a world where humans are also affected. However, humans don’t have to just worry about the many stages of infection, and the lacking of food and water, as other humans can be just as monstrous as the infected in The Last of Us.
Considering that The Last of Us takes place over 20 years since outbreak day, humans have gotten much better at surviving, even if for some characters, it’s at the cost of their morality. Surviving the post-outbreak world requires experience, bravery, and strength, something these The Last of Us characters feature.
9 Henry
Across Joel and Ellie’s journey in The Last of Us, they meet Henry and Sam, two brothers that are just trying to survive in this desolate world. Henry is the older brother, and does everything he can to protect his younger brother Sam, and ensure that he can still have a childhood, whilst learning valuable lessons of survival.
Henry puts a strong emphasis on efficiency and safety, and won’t even let Sam have a toy in his backpack because it is not useful. Henry has experience with the infected and hunters, and his survivability is determined by his motivation to keep his younger brother alive.
8 Tess
As Joel’s smuggling partner, Tess keeps true to her “dog-eat-dog” philosophy that has kept her alive two decades after the outbreak. Tess is cold and makes life in this new world work for her. She’s quite the talent in stealth situations and has faced many infected and human enemies. However, as she states, her luck had to run out sooner or later.
Tess is a defining character in Joel’s life as a smuggler, and her philosophy and experience inevitably are what drew the two together. Tess also has a great heart underneath her hardened shell and wants there to be a chance that she could die for something greater than herself, a brave and notable attribute of her character.
7 Marlene
As the commander of the Fireflies, it’s no surprise that Marlene would be pretty good at surviving, in both the video game and the live-action adaption. Players of The Last of Us have seen her survive and walk off a gunshot wound, only to travel across America through infected and hunters just to get back to the Firefly home base.
Marlene has been at war with FEDRA and the infected for years, and her group of rebels was only growing stronger. Marlene also knows what has to be done to bring the world back to some sense of normalcy, no matter the price.
6 David
David is the leader of a group found in Silver Lake, Colorado. What makes David an effective and efficient survivor is how he and the group he leads have fortified a small winter town and the fact that they have nothing against eating other humans. David and his group are cannibals, and they will eat people to survive, showing just how corrupt their morality is in the new world.
There’s no line that David won’t cross, and his behavior toward Ellie is downright evil. David treats her like she’s a pet, despite her unwillingness and her age. The twisted nature of David allows him to survive in situations where others would have too strong morality to do so.
5 Maria
It may have taken a few years, but Maria managed to start a grand community in Jackson, Wyoming that continues to thrive. Maria is headstrong and is great at surviving the world of The Last of Us thanks to her intellect and ability to gain the trust of others. She’s a natural leader and has turned Jackson into a town with electricity, and something from a post-outbreak world.
Although Maria is not afraid to use a weapon to defend herself, her friends, and her home, she would much rather stick to the peaceful route of survival. Maria wants a thriving community, one that does not have to rely on an armory to get by.
4 Tommy
As the younger brother to Joel, it’s no surprise that Tommy is a great survivor in the world of The Last of Us. Tommy has been on many sides during the years of the outbreak. From surviving alongside his brother to searching for something more meaningful like joining up with the Fireflies.
Tommy has sought redemption for his years of survival by helping his wife Maria build a grand community of welcomeness in the post-outbreak world in Jackson. Tommy has not forgotten his training through the years and is a grand and deadly sniper, as well as a valued hunter.
3 Joel
When Joel lost his daughter Sarah on outbreak day, he closed himself off emotionally. Decades during the Cordyceps brain infection in The Last of Us turned Joel into a cynical and ruthless smuggler, one that has been on both sides of the world. Joel has the strength, will, and experience to survive. Whether that’s against infected or other humans, he’s like a walking tank.
Joel has killed countless in many ways and has a great survival instinct for building bows and using an assortment of traps and weapons. Joel’s experience in these twenty-plus years has made him perhaps one of the safest people to be with to survive, that is if he doesn’t want to be alone.
2 Ellie
Not only has Ellie had training from the military, Fireflies, and the great survivor of Joel, but she has something that everyone in the world lacks. Ellie is immune, and as the key to mankind’s survival, she is perhaps the best survivor that there ever will be, as she will never have to worry about being infected.
Whether it’s a scratch or bite from an infected, or breathing in spores, Ellie cannot be harmed by the infection. Ellie is also extremely brave and headstrong and will take on infected humans almost with ease, and with a great survival instinct that only grows considering how young she is.
1 Bill
There is perhaps nobody as closed off and better at surviving than Bill. Bill is a survivor of The Last of Us, and for good reason. He doesn’t trust anyone, and he doesn’t let anyone in. Bill is so reserved and safe, that he has a location called “Bill’s Town”, in which he has marked out every building, trapped every corner, and knows every inch.
Bill is a great survivor and protects his entire body to be safe from bites and scratches of the infected. He is also extremely efficient with a bow, and at making nail bombs and other great traps. Bill believes that having someone to care about is good for one thing, which is getting killed. His lack of social interaction makes him lonely, but a survivor.
The Last of Us is available now for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5