History Main / OurZombiesAreDifferent

* Creator/MarvelComics called its voodoo zombies "zuvembies" to get around a [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]] prohibition (see above). The "zuvembie" name came from a Creator/RobertEHoward short story, "Pigeons From Hell," and wasn't really all that zombie-like, as summarized on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuvembie The Other Wiki]].

** There is a character who is simply named [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Zombie]] who is a GentleGiant who enjoys listening to Fuchsia's stories. He is of the sentient type and doesn't even attempt to infect others.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' uses aspects of both voodoo and revenant in different ways for both zombies and [[NotUsingTheZWord draugr]]. The things actually referred to as "zombies" are bodies resurrected by magic that look like they did in life and are self-aware, but are forced to fight for the person who raised them ([[AndIMustScream they aren't too cool with it)]]. The draugr, meanwhile, look like traditional zombies and do not seem to be self-aware (although they are capable of using magic and [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um attacks]]), but rather than being raised by necromancers, they were members of an ancient dragon-worshiping cult who rose from the dead when dragons returned to the world (well, ''most'' of them. It doesn't quite make sense for every draugr encountered, and there is heavy evidence from ''Bloodmoon'' that there are other ways for draugr to come into existence).

* The zombies of ''Webcomic/TheZombieHunters'' are divided into ''[[AllThereInTheManual seven different classes]].'' All are ''[[IAmAHumanitarian Flesh-eating]]'' ''[[TheVirus Plague-bearers]]'' with BlackEyesOfCrazy, but each class has their own traits and behaviors, and many have ''[[SuperPoweredMooks superpowers]].'' ''[[NightOfTheLivingMooks Crawlers]]'' are [[ZombieGait old-fashioned]] {{Zerg Rush}}ers, but [[LostInACrowd hidden]] among them could be ''[[MakeMeWannaShout Howlers]]'' , who [[OurBansheesAreLouder emit a cry]] that [[BrownNote causes nausea and vertigo]], ''[[BreathWeapon Spitters]]'', who vomit [[HollywoodAcid acidic]] [[PoisonIsCorrosive poison]] from as far as fifty yards away, or ''[[DeadlyGaze Basilisks]]'', who paralyze with [[RedEyesTakeWarning their gaze]], eating victims' [[FacialHorror faces]] while they're [[AndIMustScream helpless to move or speak]]. ''[[MercyKill Mercies]]'' move like humans, only approaching the sick, injured or dying. They bite, then ''[[CradlingYourKill hold and comfort]]'' the dying victim, [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou protecting them]] from other zombies. By contrast, ''[[SuperPersistentPredator Hunters]]'' and ''[[TheBerserker Bersekers]]'' are [[SuperSpeed faster]] and [[SuperReflexes more agile]] than normal humans. ''Hunters'' are solitary, [[StealthExpert stealthily]] stalking victims over [[LeParkour any terrain]], for as long as [[ParanoiaFuel weeks]] before [[DeadlyLunge ambushing them]]. ''Berserkers'', who travel alone or in small packs, are the rarest and [[ItCanThink most intelligent]], [[SuperStrength strong]] and capable of outrunning human sprinters once they sight prey. After [[DeadlyLunge ambush]], they slowly and [[AxCrazy sadistically]] [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat]] and [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] their victim into unconsciousness before biting, all while [[SlasherSmile grinning]] and laughing [[LaughingMad madly]]. Only being bitten or vomited on causes [[ViralTransformation imminent zombification]]. Otherwise, exposure to bodily fluids through an orifice or wound leaves a person alive but ''[[ZombieInfectee Infected]].'' Able to live full, asymptomatic lives, their virus is [[TyphoidMary communicable]], but dormant until death, when they'll [[CameBackWrong inevitably reanimate]]. An exception to the above classes is Charlie, who through AppliedPhlebotinum, also becomes a revenant, regaining [[HealingFactor healing]], [[TokenHeroicOrc full sentience]] and [[HalfHumanHybrid partial]] [[HumanityEnsues humanity]] but left with the capacity to starve, GhostAmnesia, a dependence on [[HumanResources donated]] [[VegetarianVampire blood and tissue]] and a need to disguise his [[RedRightHand zombie traits]] as he lives amongst Infected humans.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'' ''plods'' are essentially just corpses reanimated with magic to serve as a tireless workforce. They are controlled and animated through a mask, but eventually as they become haunted by ghosts their hunger for flesh will cause them to attack necessitating their being burnt. They are not really "alive", and do not house a soul. There are at least two zombies that break the mold and retain their personalities; Duane a plod with his soul and memories intact and attached whose creation is apparently unique and starts out a mystery, and Murkoph who is something else entirely. Duane has spent six years fighting against his own subconscious trying to make him [[HorrorHunger eat people]], and at night he has to shackle himself so that his SanitySlippage doesn't make him go out on [[FleshEatingZombie a mindless hunt for human flesh]]. That said, he doesn't actually require any food to keep going, it's just that hunger is the motivating force that keeps plods going. If he wasn't ravenous, he'd drop redead on the spot.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman''[='=]s foray into this in the episode [[Recap/TheBatmanS4E6StrangeNewWorld "Strange New World"]] involved them moving like rejects of wire-fu movies and can fight against Batman. Oh, and [[spoiler:befitting [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Hugo Strange's earliest appearances]] and the fact that the episode was originally supposed to feature the Scarecrow, the "zombies" were really hallucinations Bruce had thanks to Strange's toxin.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', stealing from nerds turns them into zombie-like creatures who relentlessly pursue the thief. They can be restored to normal if the stolen object is returned to them, but that won't guarantee they won't be resentful.

* Zombies are the most common kind of monster seen in ''WesternAnimation/GravedaleHigh'', as the school is located near a graveyard. Two Zombies; Blanche (a student) and Coach Cadaver (a teacher) are prominent characters.
** Mrs. Crone's pet cat Clawford is a zombie cat, as shown by him having still the marks of the car that kill him. Probably a reference to ''Literature/PetSematary''.

** In the pilot episode "Tourist Trapped", Dipper suspects Mabel's new boyfriend Norman is some kind of RevenantZombie. [[spoiler:He's actually [[OurGnomesAreWeirder five gnomes]] [[TotemPoleTrench stacked on top of each other]]]].
** In the season two premiere "Scary-oke", Dipper accidentally summons a swarm of magically-animated zombies with a spell he finds in the journal. These zombies are the Flesh-Eating type, gaunt cadavers in various states of decay who attack the living and can spread TheVirus. They also have an unusual weakness: singing in three-part harmony [[YourHeadASplode causes their skulls to shatter messily]]. Someone bit by these kinds of zombies will retain their personality, and just gain an unnatural desire to eat brains. [[spoiler: And can be cured with [[NoodleImplements a lot of formaldehyde. And cinnamon.]]]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Primal}}'': TheVirus in "Plague of Madness" turns its host into a PlagueZombie and renders them utterly AxCrazy. Note that while the plague drives distinctly herbivorous hosts to likely [[FleshEatingZombie attempt to bite the flesh of their victims]], the infected ''Argentinosaurus'' didn't eat its fellow sauropods when they were dead, and its massacre implies the infected will settle for brutally killing their victims through any means so long as they're dead. It's implied the virus' victims are {{Technically Living Zombie}}s who can run very fast be killed by a broken spine, but they're still far more difficult to put down than they would be in their uninfected state, and the plague causes the infected's flesh to rapidly turn green and putrefy, exposing protrusions in the bones, making the flesh behave as if it's already dead whilst keeping the host up and running.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' has ReDeads, which are zombie-like beings. On top of the standard Zombie abilities, they can unleash a scream of dark magic to paralyze their target. Twilight Princess has Twilight Beasts, which are strong, fast, smart, and durable zombies. They have a scream too, but the paralysis wears off almost instantly. Unfortunately, it also revives any nearby Twilight Beasts, so it’s not a completely downgraded ability.

** Anyone who is either a liberal or those with a progressive view are portrayed as zombies called "wokebies", or Wokes for short. True to Ishida's views, their behavior are barely human and act more like zombies. and are often the target of being run over by Tex's wife.

* The Titans from ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are not undead, but bear some of the characteristics of zombies. They are mindless beings that relentlessly seek to devour humans, can only be killed by a targeted attack to a specific area, and do not experience pain. Their appetite is exclusively for humans, and make no effort to eat or otherwise harm animals, but despite walls being built to keep the humans and Titans separate for decades, the Titan population doesn't seem to have decreased at all, indicating they don't ''need'' to eat humans to survive. As the story goes on, [[spoiler: when a horde of Titans appeared ''inside'' the human territory without the Walls being breached, it's implied that these Titans used to be the people from Connie's village, and someone (commonly thought to be the Beast Titan) transformed them.]]

* ''Literature/{{Quarters}}'': No formally trained Bard would consider trapping a Kigh in a corpse even if they had the strength needed, and though it was theoretically possible, nor would a sane one willingly remain near a Kigh as tormented as one trapped in a corpse would be. Kars is a [[AchievementsInIgnorance wholly self-trained]] Bard of great power who cracked completely decades ago.

* The Wokes are portrayed as this in ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', they represent liberals and those with progressive views... and their behavior is more akin to a zombie than a person.

* Tim Waggoner's ''Nekropolis'' has the creatures of the night, including zombies, undergo a massive colonization of a planet in another dimension, so that they can lead normal lives safe from the interference of humans. One resident of Nekropolis is zombie private detective Matt Ritcher, who was once alive and living on Earth before his demise.

** ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' reveals that they also have [[spoiler:artifical zombie elements; they're the result of the Forerunner's own precursors going into hiding by temporarily turning themselves into dust and [[ComeBackWrong Coming Back Wrong]]]].

* ''Literature/MagicMetahumansMartiansAndMushroomCloudsAnAlternateColdWar'':
** The attempts by Unit 731 to learn how reverse death only succeed in creating a virus codenamed "Manchurian Gold", which kills people but resurrects them as mindless husks, lacking any will beyond external stimulus; unless given direct orders, they stay completely inert. Also, the virus can only be spread by being directly injected into a subject.
** The American military later refines Manchurian Gold into the Lazarus virus. Infectees can spread the infection through bites and scratches, have the driving impulse to feed on human flesh, and possess enough intelligence to wield basic weapons and avoid things that may harm them.
** Francois Duvalier makes use of {{Voodoo Zombie}}s to enforce his rule of Haiti. The first time he deploys them, in fact, is against Lazarus zombies sent by America to destabilize his regime; due to already being dead, they can't be infected, and end up winning.
** Idi Amin's secret weapon during the East African War is to have necromancers raise the corpses of every person killed as a result of his orders within Ugandan territory. This gives him thousands of undead cannibals at his disposal, which tear through enemy lines and bring Uganda victory.
*** It's also worth noting Amin's zombies seemingly do not actually need to consume human flesh -- Barack Obama Sr. speculates that Amin [[KickTheDog directly ordered them to devour people who opposed him.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Siren}}'' has people known as "Shibito". Shibito have all the standard setup of a zombie-like entity, but are not technically dead. [[spoiler: they are controlled by the alien god Datatsushi to eventually turn the world into a hellish realm for him to live.]] The Shibito cannot die, they can be harmed but can heal very quickly, their bodies can mutate and become bug like or grow an excessive number of eyes, they lash out at anything not infected, they are hive minded, they use firearms, they plan and think, and they wander about pointlessly looking for people not under the control. How one becomes a Shibito is vague at best, as multiple individuals that fit the criteria for a Shibito are not Shibito during any part of the game, while other people who have nothing to do with the town become Shibito towards the end.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E152MrGarrityAndTheGraves Mr. Garrity and the Graves]]", the resurrected former inhabitants of the Happiness, UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} cemetery are completely cognizant, capable of talking and seek revenge on the people who originally killed them.

* In the first book of ''Literature/TheSaltwaterChronicles'', the doctor realizes the zombies are being controlled by a sentient fungus monster and lampshades this trope by angrily shouting, "This isn't some run-of-the-mill zombie plague." Besides being possessed by a Sealed Evil in a Can-type fungus monster, saltwater kills the monsters, and the victims share their brain with the creature's mind before it kills them.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4''. Well, not exactly, but half-way through the game, when [[spoiler:Liquid represses the Mercenary Army's nanomachines, causing their emotion and reason to flood back into their brain]], the PrivateMilitaryContractors in the area are brain damaged. Guess what? They shamble, moan, and are pretty much Classic-Romero zombies, to the point of mindlessly rushing Snake (and not reacting to any sort of stimuli). There's no biting or undead stuff, though.

* In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', there are Zombie Space Pirates, who move just as well as living Space Pirates. In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2'', Dark Troopers are added to the mix, being much more similar to classic Zombies except with armor and energy-weapons.

* Ghouls from the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' universe are ordinary humans exposed to massive amounts of heat and radiation but somehow surviving. Ghouls differ from most zombies due to not strictly speaking being 'undead' in any way -- there is never a point in the life of a ghoul where they are dead and then alive again. Ghouls do however physically resemble zombies, and 'zombie' is considered a racial slur against them. Ghouls are infertile and seem to live forever unless killed. About half the ghouls in the Capital Wasteland and surrounding areas have completely retained their memories and personalities, but have some memory problems due to most of them being hundreds of years old. Other, 'feral' ghouls have become mindless killing machines that attack any human that comes near them. Attitudes towards ghouls differ -- the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Brotherhood of Steel]] kill them on sight and many humans treat them with fear and disgust. Others, such as Three Dog and the citizens of Megaton understand that the difference between them and humans is largely cosmetic.
** Expansions such as The Pitt feature other flesh-eating, decaying-looking formerly-human radiation monsters, such as Trogs, who are always mindless flesh-eaters and walk on all fours, and Wildmen, who seem to retain some human characteristics but eat people and cannot be talked to or reasoned with.

* ''VideoGame/{{Survivalist}}'': The zombies are the result of a [[TheVirus virus]] [[spoiler: synthesized from a company trying to produce a cure for erectile dysfunction. When the company went bankrupt, test subjects were allowed to return home to spread the infection to others, resulting in the ZombieApocalypse]]. There are different types of zombies which are created by different strains of the infection, with their irises ColorCodedForYourConvenience. Other than their [[UndeathlyPallor pale skin]] and weirdly colored eyes, they all look like normal humans. Their bites spread the infection to survivors but its curable with the corresponding antigen, save for [[EliteZombie White Strain]] and [[spoiler: Invisible Strain.]] Zombies also sprint at an alarming speed and lurch at you like animals [[HellIsThatNoise (While shrieking at the top of their lungs)]], rather than [[ZombieGait shamble about slowly]]. However, they will still limp like your average 'slow zombie' if you manage to cripple them. It's ambiguous if they are Undead humans revived by the virus or if they are [[TechnicallyLivingZOmbie Technically Living Zombies]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Survivalist}}'': The zombies are the result of a [[TheVirus virus]] [[spoiler: synthesized from a company trying to produce a cure for erectile dysfunction. When the company went bankrupt, test subjects were allowed to return home to spread the infection to others, resulting in the ZombieApocalypse]]. There are different types of zombies which are created by different strains of the infection, with their irises ColorCodedForYourConvenience. Other than their pale skin and weirdly colored eyes, they all look like normal humans. Their bites spread the infection to survivors but its curable with the corresponding antigen, save for [[EliteZombie White Strain]] and [[spoiler: Invisible Strain.]] Zombies also sprint at an alarming speed and lurch at you like animals [[HellIsThatNoise (While shrieking at the top of their lungs)]], rather than [[ZombieGait shamble about slowly]]. However, they will still limp like your average 'slow zombie' if you manage to cripple them. It's ambiguous if they are Undead humans revived by the virus or if they are [[TechnicallyLivingZOmbie Technically Living Zombies]].