The Walking Dead and The Last of Us are both post-apocalyptic shows set in a universe where humans must battle zombie-like creatures or undeads for survival. While both depict a world where the conventional human world has long fallen and there is a general scarcity of resources, each show is unique in its way despite the numerous comparison between the two.
Yet, fans are busy fighting over the two shows and their leads, Andrew Lincoln’s Rick and Pedro Pascal’s Joel, debating about which character would be the ultimate survivor in an apocalypse.
The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln or The Last of Us‘ Pedro Pascal
In a hypothetical scenario of an apocalypse, where each decision can mean life or death, the debate of who is the ultimate survivor rages on between The Walking Dead’s Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and The Last of Us Joel (Pedro Pascal).
Rick Grimes, the iconic leader from the world of TWD is a natural-born leader with exceptional leadership skills. From strategic thinking to adaptability and a natural tendency to face adversities with rationality, Rick is a compassionate leader. Not only does he have a willingness to help others, but he is also empathetic in a world gone cold.
Meanwhile, Joel Miler from The Last of Us is known for his resourcefulness and survival skills. Not once can he craft makeshift weapons, he has impeccable survival skills in a world overrun by a deadly fungal infection. From adaptability to making tough decisions for the sake of survival, Miler knows how to do it all.
Yet, both these characters are not without faults. While both have trust issues, Rick’s confidence in his leadership skills borders arrogance, potentially leading to errors in judgments. Joel on the other hand seems morally ambiguous with emotional baggage that can potentially cloud his judgments.
Seeing their exemplary characteristic, fans of the two shows are having a hard time choosing who is better than them.
Fans Can’t Choose Who is a Better Survivor: Rick or Joel
One is a world overrun by zombies and the other is ravaged by a fatal fungal infection, yet both are not easy to navigate and have an abundance of threats where one miss can lead to death or disaster. Yet fans are busy fighting over who is the better survivor between Rick and Joel.
People keep giving points to Joel because of the fierceness of the zombies in TLOU, but Rick is a natural born leader. Rick would create a safer environment than Joel would.
— Corazón (@x_Hxki) May 2, 2024
Joel survived for 25years in the apocalypse
Rick survived for 13years with way less dangerous zombies
— KRY (@azuosnossylla) May 1, 2024
Rick is a real leader that single handedly led his group through countless crises, definitely Rick
— Ameer (@SynthPotato) May 1, 2024
yall saying rick be forgetting how absolutely brutal the zombies are in tlou. much worse than the slow ass robot zombies from twd. rick is badass yeah, but i think joel got more experience
— pablo (@DrDOOMVille) May 1, 2024
Rick by far… the zombies in the last of us were worse however the people in the walking dead were worse and Rick had to navigate extremely fucked up situstions through out the series. I don’t see Joel Biting out a man’s jugular to save Ellie.
— ✫☾ 𝖅𝖊𝖓 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 ☾✫ (@Jese_Ornelas) May 2, 2024
While both characters are amazing and apt at surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, fans seem to forget that both characters bring unique strengths and weaknesses to the table. Finding out which character is better suited in a battle for survival is as easy as making orange juice from an apple!
The Walking Dead can be streamed on Amazon Prime, while The Last of Us can be streamed on Max.
