The Last of Us Opening Credits

The opening credits of The Last of Us feature animation that takes inspiration from real fungi. To help make some educated guesses about what the fungi could be, the team called Kew Mycology for assistance.

One particular fungus is likely their version of a mutated cordyceps fungi, which is recognizable due to its protrusion from the skull, as is typical of the fungus. Additionally, the animation also resembles mycorrhizal fungi, which relates to the idea of zombies being connected.

Another label is a stretch, as it kind of looks like Deer Horn Reishi but more closely resembles cordyceps. It also has a slight resemblance to algae or kelp.

With an estimated 3.8 million species of fungi, there is a lot to explore. If anyone has a better idea, they are encouraged to let the team know.