The Last Of Us
In short
An action-adventure media franchise created by Naughty Dog that follows survivors in a post-apocalyptic United States. The story centres on characters navigating a world overrun by humans infected with a mutated Cordyceps fungus.
In plain words
It is a series of video games and television shows about people trying to stay alive after a fungal outbreak. The infected people act like zombies, and the main characters must fight both monsters and other humans to survive.
A simple example
In the first game, a smuggler named Joel must escort a young girl named Ellie across a dangerous country because she is immune to the fungus.
Why it matters
The franchise is famous for its deep storytelling and emotional character development. It has successfully bridged the gap between video games and prestige television.
Easy to mix up
Do not confuse this with generic zombie media; the infection is caused by a real-world type of fungus rather than a virus or radiation.