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Illustration of Runner
Original AI-made illustration based on the descriptions in the sources. Not an official design.
File No. 329 of 446

Runner

GamesInfected, still aliveRunsA fungus2010 to today

The newly infected of The Last of Us. A Runner is a living person whose brain is being taken over by a fungus, and its moans and hesitations suggest someone still partly present. That choice, a real insect parasite scaled up to humans instead of a virus or the supernatural, is the series' main contribution to zombie fiction.123

Battle it
First appeared
2013
The Last of Us (2013)
Source work
The Last of Us (2013)
Naughty Dog
Age rating
ESRB M
Made in
USA
What causes it
A fungus
A mutated Cordyceps fungus (the wiki names Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) grows through the brain of a living person, destroys memory and reason, and drives the host to spread it.
How you become one
A bite, or breathing spores; the first stage appears within about two days.
How it moves
Runs
Sprints at victims, often in groups, though its blows are clumsy.
Intelligence
Mindless
Weak spots
  • fire
  • a crushed skull

When did it first appear?

Ancient worldMiddle Ages1500 to 18991900 to 19671968 to 19992000 to 20092010 to today2013

The Last of Us (2013)

field notes

What the sources say

1

First stage of the Cordyceps brain infection123

2

Still looks human: thinning hair, lesions, bloodshot eyes123

3

Groans as if in pain when not attacking123

4

Gunshots startle it, a sign some fear remains123

5

Only the living turn; a dead body exposed to the fungus does not123

Could you outrun it?

Speed class from how the sources describe it (runs), not a measurement.

You, walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
You, jogging about 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
A fit adult sprinting about 24 km/h (15 mph)
Runner about 24 km/h (15 mph)
A fast cyclist about 37 km/h (23 mph)

Sources

  1. Infected - The Last of Us Wiki (Fandom)
  2. The Last of Us - Wikipedia
  3. The Last of Us - RAWG

Every fact on this page comes from these sources, written in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [email protected].

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