The Last of Us is a solid show on its own, with its third episode getting plenty of attention for the compelling storyline, characters, and heart-wrenching events. However, it’s no surprise that the HBO hit series is drawing plenty of comparisons to The Walking Dead. Both shows are post-apocalyptic dramas that have similar elements.
Nevertheless, The Walking Dead and The Last of Us do have distinct differences. While The Walking Dead intrigued fans through its 11-season run, and the franchise will continue to do so through its many spin-offs, there are some things The Last of Us has done much better.
10 The Undead Are Far More Terrifying In The Last Of Us
The walkers in The Walking Dead looked terrifying. If an undead grabbed hold of a survivor, the human was sure to die a gruesome death. The final season introduced walker variants that could climb, open doors, and throw things. However, the walkers slowly roamed the streets, not posing much a threat unless they popped up unexpectedly or traveled in hoards.
In The Last of Us, one of the first infected that appeared was seen running at lightning speed trying to get to Joel and his daughter Sarah. It was clear at that moment that The Last of Us will present far more terrifying threats. Fans want The Last of Us to have more of these walker variants from the game, including monsters known as both “runners” and “clickers.”
9 The Last Of Us Is More Realistic With Its Language
The Walking Dead eventually permitted a few swear words, including the much-publicized “F-bomb” in its latter episodes. However, because it aired on a linear network (AMC), the language was mostly clean. This isn’t the case in The Last of Us where even the 14-year-old Ellie is no stranger to foul language.
The language, as profane as it is, is far more believable for a post-apocalyptic world. Despite everything Rick Grimes and the other survivors went through in The Walking Dead, no one ever uttered a bad word when dealing with even the most dire circumstances. It wasn’t believable.
8 Joel Is A Much More Hardened Main Character
Rick Grimes was the perfect protagonist in The Walking Dead, and he even maintained his humanity for a large part of the series. It took time and really dark circumstances before Rick became a much more hardened version of himself. With that said, the timeline was much slower than The Last of Us.
In The Last of Us, after the initial outbreak, the timeline jumps 20 years. By this time, Joel is much more hardened than Rick ever became. The Walking Dead never got this nuanced main character. When Joel is faced with losing Tess, for example, he begins thinking practically as he has become almost desensitized to his own feelings and emotions.
7 The Last Of Us Characters Face More Challenges
In The Walking Dead, the group faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, including threats from walkers and other humans. This meant that later episodes of The Walking Dead often went too far. From being surrounded by the walking dead from all sides to enduring Negan’s wrath, the characters faced harder challenges as each season went on.
However, from the beginning, The Last of Us puts Joel in an almost prison-like experience where he is unable to leave a quarantine zone without facing certain death. What’s more, the situation on the outside is more dire. Not only are walkers faster and more agile, but they can also come back to life as the virus mutates and grows.
6 There Is More Order In The Last Of Us
The only indication of actual authority, rather than self-professed leaders, in The Walking Dead is with the Civic Republic Military (CRM), and they live mostly in secret. Only a select few even knew that they existed. In The Last of Us, the entire city is run by a military operation.
This could be because the virus was detected shortly after it began mutating in The Last of Us, so authorities were able to spring into action. The Last of Us presents the concept of a new world in a more realistic fashion where there’s an established quarantine zone versus individual groups of survivors who develop their own communities.
5 The Last Of Us's Quickly Mutating Virus Is More Interesting
It took 11 seasons for The Walking Dead to show the virus mutating in any way. In the spin-off series Walking Dead: World Beyond, fans finally saw a walker with incredible strength and speed, banging against a door. In the final season of The Walking Dead, the survivors were shocked to discover there were walkers who could climb ladders, pick up bricks, and even fight back beyond just trying to eat flesh.
The Last of Us, however, wastes no time in showing how the Cordyceps virus mutates, changes, and affects people differently. The infected become fixated on consuming human flesh. They are hostile and want to spread the virus to others, not just consume people. This is much more interesting and scary for viewers.
4 The Virus Was Explained Fully In The Last Of Us
In the second episode of The Last of Us, two officers pick up a mycologist in Jakarta and bring her to a lab to inspect a sample and now deceased infected human body. Her reaction is jarring. She explains there is no cure nor any hope of finding one. Instead, the only solution is to bomb the city to try to prevent the spread. This bit of information was never revealed in The Last of Us video game.
The origin of the outbreak in The Walking Dead remains a mystery. Rick and his group met Dr. Edwin Jenner at the CDC, who revealed secretly to Rick that everyone is infected. He appeared again in a flashback in Walking Dead: World Beyond's final episode where more details were revealed about what might have caused the outbreak. Getting the details upfront in The Last of Us allows fans to focus on just the plot.
3 Bill And Frank's Love Story Gives Better LGBTQ+ Representation
In its third episode, The Last of Us featured a heartwarming albeit tragic love story between Bill and Frank. The Walking Dead never had any prominent LGBTQ+ characters until Aaron was introduced in Season 5. There were other LGBTQ+ characters introduced after, including Paul “Jesus,” Tara, Kelly, Yumiko, and Magna. The spin-off series Walking Dead: World Beyond also featured an LGBTQ+ couple in Felix and Will.
However, The Last of Us gave better LGBTQ+ representation. Bill and Frank had an honest, heart-wrenching, and beautiful love story. The Walking Dead never managed to capture this storyline with an LGBTQ+ couple.
2 The Last Of Us Has Tragic Love Stories
There have been great romances in The Walking Dead, but these were never at the heart of the show. They were always peripheral stories, save for the episode centered around Daryl’s relationship with Leah and the “Here’s Negan” episode about Negan's love story with Lucille.
While the third episode of The Last of Us could be likened to “Here’s Negan,” viewing Bill and Frank's story over several years was much more powerful than Negan's tale. Negan’s story might have gotten fans misty-eyed, but Frank and Bill’s story was worthy of uncontrollable sobs.
1 Fans Get To See More Character Backstories In The Last Of Us
The Walking Dead did not tell fans much about the backstories of its main characters, apart from infrequent episodes like “Here’s Negan” that delved into Negan’s life before the apocalypse. Not only does The Last of Us begin just days before the world falls, but fans also get a glimpse into Joel’s life and relationship with his daughter. This is shown in a much more honest and organic way than the short look fans got at Rick and Shane’s friendship.
Since The Last of Us features a 20-year time jump, there’s lots of room for the story to go back and forth. Fans get to see Joel in the beginning of the outbreak, five years later, 10 years later, and leading up to the present day. This provides great context for fans.