Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II!HBO’s The Last of Us has finally introduced Bloaters, and there are plenty more Bloater moments from the games that could feature in the show’s future. Although HBO’s The Last of Us has already skipped a few Bloater encounters, with the games including one at the University of Eastern Colorado and another under an abandoned building, episode 5 “Endure and Survive” gave audiences their first glimpse at the fearsome foe. Episode 5’s Bloater is probably far from the last one that will appear in HBO’s The Last of Us, as they appear regularly throughout both The Last of Us games.
Bloaters are the incredibly dangerous final form of infected in The Last of Us. Bloaters are rare due to their formation requiring years of exposure to The Last of Us‘ fungal infection, but when they do appear it’s very rare for humans to make it out alive. Bloaters have the ability to spawn clouds of spores, which can infect humans just by being breathed in. Bloaters have also nearly impenetrable skin, making them much harder to kill than other infected. With this in mind, viewers should prepare for these possible terrifying Bloater moments in The Last of Us HBO series.
6 The Bloater That Attacks Ellie & The Cannibals
During the winter, Ellie leaves Joel after he is wounded in order to find help. She eventually comes across a survivor named David and some of his friends who claim that they are willing to trade. Ellie decides to give David food for antibiotics, causing her to stick with David for a while. The group eventually comes across a horde of infected zombies, including a Bloater, who jumps through the roof and attacks. Only by working together does the group take down the Bloater, just barely making it out alive. This is the first time that Ellie encounters a Bloater without Joel, making it a truly tense moment.
While this Bloater scene is scary in and of itself, a later reveal actually makes it more terrifying. As it turns out, David and his friends are a group of cannibals that were tasked with hunting down and kidnapping Ellie. Knowing that Ellie’s life depended on these untrustworthy allies makes the scene even more interesting. It seems like The Last of Us episode 7 will be a flashback episode for Ellie, meaning that this scene will probably occur in episode 8. It’s winter and Joel is injured, setting up the circumstances for Ellie to go off by herself. It’s even theorized that the group that attacked Joel were the cannibals.
5 The Bloaters Guarding The Firefly Base
This Bloater moment is actually the final encounter in the first The Last of Us game. However, it is easily the game’s scariest. At the end of the game, Joel decides to take Ellie to a Firefly hospital base in Salt Lake City, Utah. While traversing through the sewage tunnels of Salt Lake City, Joel and Ellie discover not one, but two Bloaters. These Bloaters, alongside other infected fill a long, narrow tunnel, with the player having to decide if they want to fight or sneak by the monsters. It’s tense in the game, and will surely be even tenser in HBO’s The Last of Us.
4 The Bloater In The Hotel
Several more Bloater encounters occur in The Last of Us Part II, but this Bloater sequence could appear in season 1 or season 2 of the HBO show. Due to Joel’s The Last of Us Part II death, the game contains several flashback sequences, with one of the earlier ones featuring Ellie and Joel cleaning out a hotel. While sliding in between walls, a Bloater tears through out of nowhere, attacking Ellie. The duo manages to make it out alive, but the scene shows just how dependent Ellie was on Joel. Due to the context of Joel’s death, this scene is one of the most tragic Bloater moments.
3 The Bloater In The Arcade
Later in The Last of Us Part II, Ellie is exploring an abandoned arcade, attempting to find a way through a city. While pushing a cart inside the arcade, the weight causes her to crash through the floor, landing in the dark basement of the building. This occurs while Ellie is traveling to Seattle in order to seek revenge for Joel’s shocking death, meaning that she is by herself. The Bloater scene is the first big challenge Ellie has to face on her own, with her victory against the creature being a huge moment of triumph and inspiration.
Not only is the scene horrifying, but it’s also a moment of tragedy. The scene’s arcade setting highlights how Ellie has had her childhood ripped from her. Right after admiring the arcade machines, she remembers from her time with Riley, Ellie (much like the world around her) comes crashing down, being faced with the horrors of Bloaters as well as reality. The terrifying scene uses subtext to highlight Ellie’s character, making it one of the most memorable Bloater encounters in the franchise.
2 The Bloater In The Skyscraper
The Bloater in the skyscraper involves The Last of Us Part II‘s villain Abby, the girl that killed Joel. After playing as Ellie for a while, the game switches the player’s perspective, having them take control of Abby. This Bloater moment doesn’t involve Joel or Ellie at all, meaning that it’s appearance in the show is contingent on how season 2 handles the controversial pacing of The Last of Us Part II. However, if the show does choose to give Abby the spotlight, it means that season 2 will get to include this horrifying scene.
During Abby’s story, she escorts two children that are escaping the Seraphite cult, with them joining her for most of her journey. At one point, Abby and the two kids have to traverse up a skyscraper, walk across a Seraphite bridge, and descend down an adjacent skyscraper in order to avoid the dangers of the ground. Abby and the Seraphite children make it across, but the trio is attacked by a Bloater while descending the building. The fight is incredibly tense, with Abby having to worry about the two children, making it a fantastic scene for HBO’s The Last of Us season 2.
1 The Four-Headed Bloater
The final Bloater moment in The Last of Us Part II is a terrifying encounter with an even stronger four-headed Bloater. This is the only infected of its kind in the series, with the boss fight being much more difficult than any of the previous Bloaters. Although Abby is the one who faces the creature, the monster should appear in season 2 regardless of how prominent Abby is. Even having Ellie take on the four-headed Bloater would be a great way to introduce this fantastic boss to the TV show. Out of all the Bloater moments that could be in HBO’s The Last of Us, this is the most horrifying, and worthy of inclusion.