History Main / EliteZombie

** Ferals are [[TechnicallyLivingZombie Technically Living Zombies]] who are smart enough to use melee weapons, throw rocks, and open doors. In very rare instances, they still can use firearms that they were carrying when they were infected.

** Shady Zombies are a strange type of Trap Zombie. They're capable of hiding in darkness, and can sneak up on survivors who are trying to use shadows to hide (other zombie types need light to see).

* ''VideoGame/{{Cataclysm}}'' has standard shambling zombies as your most basic monster, but includes more powerful LeftForDead expies, electrified zombies (who were cyborgs when they were alive), zombie animals, and just about all the others on the list as enemies.

* ''Seris/AllOfUsAreDad: Gwi-nam, Nam-ra and Eun-Ji retain their sentience, have SuperStrength, SuperToughness enhanced smell and hearing and don't have to worry about being attacked by regular zombies, however they still have urge for flesh (although it can be controlled, and human flesh isn't necessary) and can spread the virus, although anybody they infectturn into regular zombies.

** '''Mutating Zombies''' - Regenerators taken UpToEleven. The longer they survive, the more they feed, the stronger and more dangerous they become, often gaining the properties of the other elite zombie types and more in extreme cases. This is often a sign that these zombies were experimented on.

** '''Zombie Person''' - A smart zombie taken UpToEleven. He or she is [[RevenantZombie just like any other person]] except for the decaying body and the need to eat people. They can talk, reason and have a sense of morality. Their problem-solving skills and tool-use are almost human, albeit a bit sluggish. Their recall ranges from photographic memory of their human existence to total amnesia. Some of them constantly struggle and [[FightingFromTheInside fight off the urge to eat humans]] while others [[EvilTastesGood relish it]]. Depending on the fictional work, their intelligence and memory may or may not gradually deteriorate through time and damage until they become just like the others. Sometimes it's the reverse: a regular zombie becoming smarter and smarter with age and experience.

** The sequel, ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'', plays this UpToEleven. There you will encounter zombies with torches which burn your plants, zombies rolling barrels (with zombies inside of them), zombies who releases flocks of chickens (these are zombies too), zombies driving [[ItMakesSenseInContext giant, robotic football helmets]], wizard who turn your plants into sheeps, zombies with surfboards (using them as weapons, of course), zombies riding dodos, Franchise/IndianaJones zombies using ropes, rappers who spins microphones to kill plants, cavemen with rocks tied to their fists, and the list goes on. And of course, every world has their own variation of Gargantuar.

** ''Dead Island Riptide'' Adds the Grenadier, an infected scientist that throws exploding body parts at you, the Screamer, a fast zombie with a special scream that stuns you, and the Wrestler, a massive zombie with powerful smash attacks. It also goes FromBadToWorse with a number of ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}''-style KingMook zombie bosses with enhanced health and regenerating health. Imagine a zombie fan who turned himself into a Butcher because he thinks it will save the world, or drug trafficker who had become one of the Infected. They are tougher, faster, deal more damage and that particular zombie's hat is turned UpToEleven and their weaknesses are turned into strengths.

* In the chilean comic ''Zombies en la Moneda'', none other than [[spoiler: UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet]] ds up transforming into an elite zombie. He is very intelligent -he even becomes the new president of Chile- he has an almost-normal appearance with no signs of decomposition, he can apparently control other zombies and he is very strong and resistant.

* In the chilean comic ''Zombies en la Moneda'', none other than [[spoiler: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet]] ds up transforming into an elite zombie. He is very intelligent -he even becomes the new president of Chile- he has an almost-normal appearance with no signs of decomposition, he can apparently control other zombies and he is very strong and resistant.

* In ''Film/ArmyOfTheDead'', there are three types of zombie. The shamblers are your normal, slow-moving walkers straight out of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries'' or ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', with the added weakness that they dry out and desiccate in the desert heat of UsefulNotes/LasVegas. Above them are the alphas, who can run and retain enough intelligence to [[ItCanThink organize]] and [[ItsPersonal show some measure of emotion]], functioning more like SpaceOrcs than traditional zombies. Finally, the [[MonsterLord alphas' leader]] Zeus is an escaped military experiment who is stronger and smarter than all the rest. His bites turn people into alphas, and he retains enough intelligence to know to put on a metal helmet to deflect headshots.

* ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'': The Flood start out pretty simplistic, but even in their most basic forms they are fast, have whip-tentacles to inflict heavy melee damage, and barely enough intelligence to operate firearms. The more Flood gather in a single area, the smarter their overall HiveMind becomes, beginning to repair machinery and [[HostileTerraforming terraform the environment to suit its needs]]... at its mightiest, the Flood is capable of operating SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology even the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] couldn't figure out and outsmarting AI's designed to coordinate entire galactic war efforts.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' gives us the General Zombies used by Gecko Moria. Unlike the normal zombies, who are animated by the shadows stolen from ordinary people, General Zombies have shadows taken from elite fighters like high-ranking soldiers and high-bounty pirates. To ensure these zombies can use their borrow fighting power effectively, their undead bodies are made from high-quality corpses; When Sanji's shadow was stolen, it was put inside a penguin's corpse which couldn't do his attacks properly because Moria didn't recognize him due to his badly-drawn wanted poster. Luffy's shadow was put inside the massive, ancient giant Oars; part of made Oars so dangerous was because on top of his absurd size and strength, it had Luffy's nimble fighting style.

* The ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' series normally averts this. In keeping with its homage to Creator/GeorgeARomero, nearly all of the zombies are standard shamblers who are easy to defeat one-on-one and rely on [[TheHorde strength in numbers]] to overwhelm the player, while HumansAreTheRealMonsters in both story and [[BossBattle gameplay]] terms. Later games, however, do throw in some exceptions.

* ''Series/{{iZombie}}'': Most of the named zombies shown in the show so far are of the "smart" variety. Their personality is largely unchanged from when they were alive, but they have to eat some brains once in a while to maintain their higher brain functions, lest they degrade into a typical [[Creator/JohnRomero Romero]] zombie. As demonstrated with a friend of Liv's, going without brains for about six months turns a "smart" zombie into a mindless one permanently. All "smart" zombies try to maintain TheMasquerade by clipping their fingernails short (to avoid [[DeadlyScratch scratching]] and infecting anyone) and generally avoid sex with humans (fluid transfer can also lead to infection). They usually apply make-up every morning and dye their hair (zombies have white hair and an extremely pale complexion) to pass for a human. Liv is an exception in that she keeps her white hair and pale looks, simply claiming it's her new lifestyle. A side effect of eating brains is a temporary transfer of memories, skills, and personality traits of the deceased to the zombie. This usually lasts either for about a day or until a new brain is consumed. This can either be funny (e.g. Liv becoming overly maternal after eating the brain of a woman who has just given birth; Lowell becoming gay for a day) to disturbing (e.g. Liv becoming a remorseless sociopath after eating the brain of a hitman). Additionally, adrenaline can also cause "smart" zombies to go into "full-on zombie mode" (or "[[HulkingOut rage out]]"), during which their eyes go red, their strength increases, and they act feral. This is why Lowell no longer performs in public, as going on stage gives him a typical adrenalin surge, which can end badly with a whole room full of cheering brains.

* Gas Zombies in ''VideoGame/DeadRising2''. Compared to normal zombies, they're twice as durable, twice as fast, do twice as much damage, are harder to escape from after they [[DeadlyLunge grapple you,]] are immune to [[SmartBomb Queens,]] can scream to draw in more gas zombies to attack, and have a spitting attack that can stun you. They make up about a third of the zombies near the eleventh hour, turning the game from a mindless zombie killing party into a living hell where keeping yourself alive is a huge chore.
* ''VideoGame/DeadRising4'' introduces Fresh Zombies, created by a sped-up process of zombification that occurs within mere minutes of infection. Compared to normal zombies, "freshies" can sprint, and are very fast, strong, and aggressive.

* ''Series/{{iZombie}}'': Most of the named zombies shown in the show so far are of the "smart" variety. Their personality is largely unchanged from when they were alive, but they have to eat some brains once in a while to maintain their higher brain functions, lest they degrade into a typical [[Creator/JohnRomero Romero]] zombie. As demonstrated with a friend of Liv's, going without brains for about six months turns a "smart" zombie into a mindless one permanently. All "smart" zombies try to maintain TheMasquerade by clipping their fingernails short (to avoid scratching and infecting anyone) and generally avoid sex with humans (fluid transfer can also lead to infection). They usually apply make-up every morning and dye their hair (zombies have white hair and an extremely pale complexion) to pass for a human. Liv is an exception in that she keeps her white hair and pale looks, simply claiming it's her new lifestyle. A side effect of eating brains is a temporary transfer of memories, skills, and personality traits of the deceased to the zombie. This usually lasts either for about a day or until a new brain is consumed. This can either be funny (e.g. Liv becoming overly maternal after eating the brain of a woman who has just given birth; Lowell becoming gay for a day) to disturbing (e.g. Liv becoming a remorseless sociopath after eating the brain of a hitman). Additionally, adrenaline can also cause "smart" zombies to go into "full-on zombie mode" (or "[[HulkingOut rage out]]"), during which their eyes go red, their strength increases, and they act feral. This is why Lowell no longer performs in public, as going on stage gives him a typical adrenalin surge, which can end badly with a whole room full of cheering brains.

** The fourth type is the husk, a zombie with a desiccated, mummified appearance that only spawns in deserts. They do not burn in the sunlight, and their attacks inflict the Hunger [[StandardStatusEffects status effect]] on players, making you exhaust your hunger bar more quickly than normal. If they drown, they become regular zombies.

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* Film/ZombielandDoubleTap introduces these. First, an inversion with FatIdiot zombies even less intelligent than regular Zombies are called Homer (as in Homer Simpson). Then there's smart zombies called Hawking, named after Stephen Hawking. Then there's the Ninja zombies, which are an offshoot of smart zombies, and are stealthy. Later in the film, we see Terminator zombies, which are abnormally tough and able to survive multiple gunshot wounds, and appear to be physically stronger as well.

* The movies based (loosely) off ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' follow in the footsteps of the games but the only true elite zombies would have to be the ones locked in the crate outside Las Vegas in ''Film/ResidentEvilExtinction''. The [[Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse second film]] also features zombie children and a few Mutant Zombies appear throughout the franchise.
* In a mild example, one character who becomes undead in ''Film/CockneysVsZombies'' has a metal plate in his forehead due to an old injury. When the other characters try to shoot him in the head, the bullets just glance off the plate. [[spoiler: They deal with him by sticking a small explosive in his mouth and blowing his head to bits.]]

* Film/ZombielandDoubleTap introduces these. Regular Zombies are called Homer (as in Homer Simpson). Then there's smart zombies called Hawking, named after Stephen Hawking. Then there's the Ninja zombies, which are an offshoot of smart zombies, and are stealthy. Later in the film, we see Terminator zombies, which are abnormally tough and able to survive multiple gunshot wounds, and appear to be physically stronger as well.

* ComicBook/{{Crossed}}: the common infected are basically barely-sentient psychopaths that will torture/rape/murder anythiung in their paths. Nevertheless, there are cases of infected that retained human level intellect while still being thoroughly evil and sadistic. The best example is probably "Smokey" who appears in the "Quisling" arc. A large, bald infected wearing a firefighter's jacket, hence his moniker, he was able keep other crossed of his band on check and was smart enough to plan the launching of a nuclear arsenal of a military base in Florida.

* ''Series/{{iZombie}}'': Most of the named zombies shown in the show so far are of the "smart" variety. Their personality is largely unchanged from when they were alive, but they have to eat some brains once in a while to maintain their higher brain functions, lest they degrade into a typical [[Creator/JohnRomero Romero]] zombie. As demonstrated with a friend of Liv's, going without brains for about six months turns a "smart" zombie into a mindless one permanently. All "smart" zombies try to maintain TheMasquerade by clipping their fingernails short (to avoid scratching and infecting anyone) and generally avoid sex with humans (fluid transfer can also lead to infection). They usually apply make-up every morning and dye their hair (zombies have white hair and an extremely pale complexion) to pass for a human. Liv is an exception in that she keeps her white hair and pale looks, simply claiming it's her new lifestyle. A side effect of eating brains is a temporary transfer of memories, skills, and personality traits of the deceased to the zombie. This usually lasts either for about a day or until a new brain is consumed. This can either be funny (e.g. Liv becoming overly maternal after eating the brain of a woman who has just given birth; Lowell becoming gay for a day) to disturbing (e.g. Liv becoming a remorseless sociopath after eating the brain of a hitman). Additionally, adrenalin can also cause "smart" zombies to go into "full-on zombie mode" (or "[[HulkingOut rage out]]"), during which their eyes go red, their strength increases, and they act feral. This is why Lowell no longer performs in public, as going on stage gives him a typical adrenalin surge, which can end badly with a whole room full of cheering brains.

* TabletopGame/D20Modern sourcebook D20 Apocalypse introduces the Viral Deathspawn template. Viral Deathspawns can [[ZombieApocalypse infect others with the zombie virus]], and they actually only have a -2 intelligence modifier. It mean your average zombie has an IQ a bit below the human average.

* The [[spoiler:Zombie TyrannosaurusRex]] from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. In the Dresden-verse, a zombie's power is proportional to A. how much of the 'original' is left, and B. its age. Most of the zombies in ''Dead Beat'' are, at most, 100-200 years old or so. To fight back, Dresden animates [[spoiler:Sue, the T. Rex skeleton in the Chicago museum, which is one of the most complete Rex skeletons in the world, and 65 million years dead.]]

** In the first and second games, the bosses come in three variants: two are huge Brutes with a leaping and a charge attack, and one with the same
abilities and a grenade launcher. The third game makes the final boss lay ''mines''.