With the arrival of the Colossus in episode 5 of The Last of Us, we invite you to review the different types of infected encountered in the series adapted from the famous video game.
Signed Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann, The Last Of Us is the adaptation of the famous video game of the same name. The series tells the dangerous journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in an America ravaged by a pandemic during which they will be confronted with hostile survivors but also with Infected.
And Infected, there are several kinds, almost a dozen. During the first season, the spectators will discover half of them and it will be necessary to wait for season 2 to see the even more evolved forms of Infected.
In the meantime, we review the different stages of Infected discovered in the inaugural season of The Last of Us.
Five episodes of The Last of Us are available on Prime Video.
Runners
Screenshot / HBO
The first stage of infection in those infected, Runners retain a human appearance and have a very hostile personality towards others. Although the fungus targets their eyes, which are bloodshot, they retain good eyesight. Runners often group together and move in hordes, quite quickly.
In the first episode of The Last of Us, we can see several Runners, especially during the day of the beginning of the epidemic between the neighbor of Joel and his daughter Sarah and the infected agitated throughout their Texas hometown.
Clickers
Screenshot / HBO
The Clickers are the most iconic infected in The Last of Us, largely due to the sound they make. Third stage of infected, the Clickers no longer have any trace of humanity and the fungus has taken full possession of the brain functions of the host to the point of having taken the place of almost the entire face.
These creatures are blind but very sensitive to sound. It is therefore not necessary to make noise in their presence to hope to trap and kill them. This is what Joel, Tess and Ellie quickly understand when they meet them in episode 2 of the series.
Prowlers
Screenshot / HBO
Stalkers are the name given to second-stage infected. They’re in a transitional state between Runners (they still have vision and speed) and Clickers (they’re also ferocious). They are recognizable by the beginning of fungal growth on the head and face.
They are stealthy and can move slowly to trap their victims and charge at them aggressively, hence their name Rangers. They may also coalesce and remain in a lethargic state within fungi in dark, damp places.
Poor Tess will spend her last seconds with Ranger in Episode 2 of the series before she sacrifices herself so Joel and Ellie can escape.
Colossi
Screenshot / HBO
When an infected reaches the fourth stage, it becomes a Colossus. It is a dangerous creature, which takes about ten years to grow, covered in thick mushrooms. The Colossus resists many weapons thanks to this protective coating but it is sensitive to flames.
The Colossi are very aggressive and brutal but rather slow. They no longer have any vision so they locate themselves by sound but once their victim is in their wake, it rips it apart with its jaws or grabs its head and smashes it.
It is in episode 5 that Joel, Ellie, Henry and Sam will face a formidable Colossus, which will destroy many things in its path.
Ellie
Screenshot / HBO
Not all of the infected mutated and turned into ghastly creatures. Ellie is the perfect example. She is the only human being known to date to be immune when she was bitten by an infected.
Her immunity to the cordyceps virus is a mystery that will animate the entire story of The Last of Us. Remember that Joel’s mission is to take Ellie to a Fireflies landmark so that this group can create a vaccine thanks to her.