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* ''Literature/HollowKingdom2019'': S.T. is a twist on the trope. He works hard to rescue trapped innocents from the zombie hordes and isn't above luring zombies into deadly traps, but S.T., those assisting him, and those he rescues are all animals. There don't appear to be any adult humans left to fill the role of the more traditional zombie apocalypse hero.
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* ''Film/DaylightsEnd'':: Completely feral vampires fill in for zombies, but Rourke fits the hero (or AntiHero) role, driving across the ravaged country in a CoolCar filled with guns and killing vampires. His new allies, the inhabitants of a besieged police station, also seem to count due to their own skills and mixed backgrounds.
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* ''Series/ZNation'': The original group charged with taking TheImmune to a scientist who can make a zombie vaccine are some former soldiers, a hockey player, a self-trained medic, a mace-wielding college student, and the FriendlySniper son of a survivalist who aspires to put down at least 10,000 zombies.
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* ''Film/BloodQuantum'': Reservation police chief Traylor, his father (a fisherman and war veteran), his younger son, and a couple friends who are good with an axe and chainsaw work hard to kill lots of zombies and keep their community safe. Even considering how members of their tribe are immune to zombie bites, they manage to maintain a pocket of civilization for months longer than anyone else in the world.
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* ''Film/DanceOfTheDead'': The sci-fi club, the GoGetterGirl head of the prom committee, an athletic but easily overwhelmed PomPomGirl, a gym coach, the school bully, a garage band, and the cemetery groundskeeper all have to pick up the slack in defending their town against zombies, although not all of them work alongside each other.
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* ''Film/TheDeadDontDie'': The local cops and a katana-wielding mortician kill quite a few zombies during the attack on their town. Store owners Hank and Bobby also manage to keep their store barricaded for a short while and then kill several zombies that get in. [[spoiler:None of it accomplishes anything. The mortician turns out to be an alien and flees the planet, while the only other survivors owe their longevity to hiding in the woods and not getting within half a mile of any zombies.]]
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* ''Film/Ravenous2017'': The gun-totting remaining members of a farming community and a businesswoman from the city who knows how to use a machete struggle to survive against the zombies, or at least kill lots of them as their chances of survival decrease.
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* ''Literature/BlackTideRising'': The main protagonists are a history professor and his thirteen-year-old WaifFu-happy daughter. Among the tougher and more successful protagonists of the tie-in short stories are a paraplegic septuagenarian FriendlySniper, a cheerleading coach, a bunch of gamers, a selectman on a Maine island, a family of moonshiners, and a farming community (plus refugees who include a GunNut stockbroker) that has a pack of zombie-killing guard dogs and ultimately goes on a ConstructionVehicleRampage.
* ''Literature/TheEstuary'': As zombies ravage an Irish village, leadership of the survivors ultimately falls to a resourceful author and his retired spy neighbor.
* ''Literature/TheEstuary'': As zombies ravage an Irish village, leadership of the survivors ultimately falls to a resourceful author and his retired spy neighbor.
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* ''Literature/WorldWarZ'': The book's anthology format and use of many {{Non Action Guy}}s and professional soldiers as [=POV=] characters keeps this trope from showing up ''too'' much, but there are a few instances.
** Blind gardener Tomonoga Ijiro retreats into the wilderness during the outbreak, but he takes a sword with him and proceeds to decapitate every zombie he encounters. He later helps lead the rebuilding of Japan.
** Suburbanite Mary Jo Miller kills a zombie with her bare hands while defending her daughter and becomes the architect and mayor of a village designed to be inaccessible to zombies.
** T. Sean Collins watches a newscast of East Side New Yorkers fighting zombies with hammers, pipes, baseball bats, their bare hands and (in one case) a meat cleaver bolted to a hockey stick. Despite taking heavy casualties, it's implied that they won.
** Several of Todd Waino's squadmates during the march upcountry fought zombies before joining the military, including professional wrestler who used a zombie's corpse as a club and a nun who defended her Sunday school class with a candlestick.
** Roy Elliot makes a (non-embellished) propaganda film chronicling how three hundred college students armed with nothing but landscaping tools and ROTC practice rifles hold out against ten thousand zombies without any outside help.
* ''Literature/TheZombiesOfLakeWoebegotten'': The local clergymen, waitress, conspiracy theorist and various others form a small vigilante group to take out any zombies that reach town limits and do a good job of it.
** Blind gardener Tomonoga Ijiro retreats into the wilderness during the outbreak, but he takes a sword with him and proceeds to decapitate every zombie he encounters. He later helps lead the rebuilding of Japan.
** Suburbanite Mary Jo Miller kills a zombie with her bare hands while defending her daughter and becomes the architect and mayor of a village designed to be inaccessible to zombies.
** T. Sean Collins watches a newscast of East Side New Yorkers fighting zombies with hammers, pipes, baseball bats, their bare hands and (in one case) a meat cleaver bolted to a hockey stick. Despite taking heavy casualties, it's implied that they won.
** Several of Todd Waino's squadmates during the march upcountry fought zombies before joining the military, including professional wrestler who used a zombie's corpse as a club and a nun who defended her Sunday school class with a candlestick.
** Roy Elliot makes a (non-embellished) propaganda film chronicling how three hundred college students armed with nothing but landscaping tools and ROTC practice rifles hold out against ten thousand zombies without any outside help.
* ''Literature/TheZombiesOfLakeWoebegotten'': The local clergymen, waitress, conspiracy theorist and various others form a small vigilante group to take out any zombies that reach town limits and do a good job of it.
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* ''Series/TheStrain'': Pest exterminator Vassily Fet is the most adept character at fighting and surviving against the largely mindless vampire hordes, surpassing even the [=CDC=] scientist main protagonist.
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* ''Literature/UndeadOnArrival'': Novak is a former gym teacher and OneManArmy zombie killer. However, he's also a downplayed WastelandWarlordm and other characters such as his WholesomeCrossDresser enforcer Pulaski and judo expert Sakimoto are nearly as impressive zombie fighters as he is and are significantly more heroic.
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* ''Literature/UndeadOnArrival'': Novak is a former gym teacher and OneManArmy zombie killer. However, he's also a downplayed WastelandWarlordm WastelandWarlord, and other characters such as his WholesomeCrossDresser enforcer Pulaski and judo expert Sakimoto are nearly as impressive zombie fighters as he is and are significantly more heroic.
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[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/ExHeroes'': Most of the protagonists have been ''actual'' heroes (including a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}} {{Expy}}) since before the zombie apocalypse, but one of the main characters is a non-powered scientist who only started killing zombies because there wasn't time to train anyone else to pilot the PoweredArmor she built. A car thief who can possess vehicles and a teenaged girl who can regenerate due to nanites also join the experienced heroes later on. There are also lots of BadassNormal DisasterScavengers and perimeter guards such as a man who was collecting unemployment checks.
* ''Literature/UndeadOnArrival'': Novak is a former gym teacher and OneManArmy zombie killer. However, he's also a downplayed WastelandWarlordm and other characters such as his WholesomeCrossDresser enforcer Pulaski and judo expert Sakimoto are nearly as impressive zombie fighters as he is and are significantly more heroic.
[[/folder]]
* ''Literature/ExHeroes'': Most of the protagonists have been ''actual'' heroes (including a ''ComicBook/{{Superman}} {{Expy}}) since before the zombie apocalypse, but one of the main characters is a non-powered scientist who only started killing zombies because there wasn't time to train anyone else to pilot the PoweredArmor she built. A car thief who can possess vehicles and a teenaged girl who can regenerate due to nanites also join the experienced heroes later on. There are also lots of BadassNormal DisasterScavengers and perimeter guards such as a man who was collecting unemployment checks.
* ''Literature/UndeadOnArrival'': Novak is a former gym teacher and OneManArmy zombie killer. However, he's also a downplayed WastelandWarlordm and other characters such as his WholesomeCrossDresser enforcer Pulaski and judo expert Sakimoto are nearly as impressive zombie fighters as he is and are significantly more heroic.
[[/folder]]
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* ''ComicBook/{{Crossed}}'': Among the main protagonists who do a lot to fight against the rape and torture-happy Crossed in their respective story arcs are a waitress whose grandfather taught her to shoot, a horse rancher’s daughter, three comic book writers (two in Japan, one in England), a crusty Scottish fisherman, a BadassBiker, a science teacher, a medical student, a writers' retreat guest, an anthropology student, and a bunker salesman. Given the DarkerAndEdgier {{Deconstruction}} nature of the series, a good number of them take up monstrous actions themselves, suffer horrible deaths, or both.
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*'' Film/AnnaAndTheApocalypse'': Musically-inclined teenager Anna Shepherd sings and fights her way through a zombie attack on her hometown with the help of several classmates. Her weapon of choice is the sharp end of a giant candy cane lawn ornament.
* ''Film/BoyEatsGirl'': Jessica is an ordinary teenaged girl who can hold her own fighting zombies up close. She also kills over a dozen zombies in a ConstructionVehicleRampage.
* ''Film/BoyEatsGirl'': Jessica is an ordinary teenaged girl who can hold her own fighting zombies up close. She also kills over a dozen zombies in a ConstructionVehicleRampage.
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* Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 : Hospital nurse Anna and stoic cop Kenneth are the leaders of the many survivors who gather at a mall besieged by zombies.
* ''Film/TheDead'': Murphy is just a mechanic whose plane crashes deep in zombie territory (DarkestAfrica, to be specific), but he becomes adept at shooting, slashing, and running over zombies, especially while working alongside local soldier Daniel.
* ''Film/TheDead'': Murphy is just a mechanic whose plane crashes deep in zombie territory (DarkestAfrica, to be specific), but he becomes adept at shooting, slashing, and running over zombies, especially while working alongside local soldier Daniel.
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* While ''Film/StakeLand'' is technically a vampire movie, the vampires are mostly mindless hordes similar to zombies, and they tend to die whenever they encounter the mysterious, BadassLongcoat-wearing man called Mister and the steadily growing group of people under his protection.
** Near the end of the film, Mister and his protege Martin encounter a girl named Peggy, who is holed up in her late mother's diner with a crossbow. The diner is surrounded by vampire corpses with fatal arrow wounds.
* ''Film/TrainToBusan'': Professional wrestler Sang-hwa, hedge fund manager Seok-Woo, and baseball player Yong-gun lead a group of people trying to fight their way to safety on or near a train during a zombie outbreak. Unusually for the trope, they and their companions never actually kill zombies. Instead, they focus on finding ways to protect their arms from bites or temporarily subduing or forcing back zombies.
* ''Film/WarmBodies'': A good number of the zombies and boneys (zombies who tore their own skin off) die at the hands of teenaged MilitaryBrat Julie due to her skill with guns and (in one scene) a weed whacker. Her boyfriend R also becomes adept at killing the evil boneys to protect Julie (despite being a zombie himself) as he slowly regains human feelings due to ThePowerOfLove.
** Near the end of the film, Mister and his protege Martin encounter a girl named Peggy, who is holed up in her late mother's diner with a crossbow. The diner is surrounded by vampire corpses with fatal arrow wounds.
* ''Film/TrainToBusan'': Professional wrestler Sang-hwa, hedge fund manager Seok-Woo, and baseball player Yong-gun lead a group of people trying to fight their way to safety on or near a train during a zombie outbreak. Unusually for the trope, they and their companions never actually kill zombies. Instead, they focus on finding ways to protect their arms from bites or temporarily subduing or forcing back zombies.
* ''Film/WarmBodies'': A good number of the zombies and boneys (zombies who tore their own skin off) die at the hands of teenaged MilitaryBrat Julie due to her skill with guns and (in one scene) a weed whacker. Her boyfriend R also becomes adept at killing the evil boneys to protect Julie (despite being a zombie himself) as he slowly regains human feelings due to ThePowerOfLove.
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* In the chilean comic ''Zombies en la Moneda'', after a ''second'' zombie apocalypse, several characters become extremely good at fighting the undead, especially the duo of El Kila (an anarchist) and Jesús Barrera (an ex-paramedic) who wander throughout Chile eliminating zombies.
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* ''VideoGame/AgeOfZombies'': Barry Steakfries, a (former) gramophone salesman, who ends up on a mission to destroy hordes of undead after a MadScientist sends an army of zombies back in time to destroy the human race. A follow-up game, ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', depicts him as general HunterOfMonsters instead, though it still involves zombies.
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* ''VideoGame/AgeOfZombies'': Barry Steakfries, VideoGame/BarrySteakfries, a (former) gramophone salesman, who ends up on a mission to destroy hordes of undead after a MadScientist sends an army of zombies back in time to destroy the human race. A follow-up game, ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', depicts him as general HunterOfMonsters instead, though it still involves zombies.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead, ''properly dead''.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[EverythingsBetterWithShotguns shotguns]], either [[SawedOffShotgun sawed off]] or not), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead, ''properly dead''.
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Meet the Zombie Apocalypse Hero, a StockCharacter found in either a ZombieApocalypse story, an EpisodeOfTheDead, or [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies other setting with zombies]]. This character is either an ActionHero or ActionSurvivor who finds they have a talent for slaying zombies. They may even become a go to specialist that is [[WhoYouGonnaCall called upon for their services]] to clear out zombie outbreaks.
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Meet the Zombie Apocalypse Hero, a StockCharacter found in either a ZombieApocalypse story, an EpisodeOfTheDead, or [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies any other setting with zombies]]. This character is either an ActionHero or ActionSurvivor who finds they have a talent for slaying zombies. They may even become a go to specialist that is [[WhoYouGonnaCall called upon for their services]] to clear out zombie outbreaks.
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* ''VideoGame/AgeOfZombies'': Barry Steakfries, a (former) gramophone salesman, who ends up on a mission to destroy hordes of undead after a MadScientist sends an army of zombies back in time to destroy the human race. A follow-up game, ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', depicts him as general HunterOfMonsters instead, though it still involves zombies.
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** Alvin Junior in ''A Final Season'' has become a partner in crime for Clem, being surprisingly useful for a 5-6 year old boy. He frequently contributes in combat scenarios, and is very driven to achieve anything he deems necessary.
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** Alvin Junior in ''A ''The Final Season'' has become a partner in crime for Clem, being surprisingly useful for a 5-6 year old boy. He frequently contributes in combat scenarios, and is very driven to achieve anything he deems necessary.
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** Michonne in the eponymous story is definitely this, following on from her TV and comic counterparts. Pete and Sam are reliable allies and are adept in combat and strategic decision-making.
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* ''Franchise/DeadRising'': The various protagonists including Frank West, Chuck Greene, and Nick Ramos are all characterized as TheEveryman who find themselves within a zombie outbreak and have to fight their way through. Notable for having the ability of MacGyvering together {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s to cut through the zombies.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average Joes.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average Joes.
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* ''Franchise/DeadRising'': The various protagonists including Frank West, Chuck Greene, and Nick Ramos are all characterized as TheEveryman who find themselves within a zombie outbreak and have to fight their way through. Notable for having the ability of MacGyvering together {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s to cut through the zombies.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average joes.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average joes.
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* ''Franchise/DeadRising'': ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'':
** Thevarious protagonists apocalypse has forced Clementine to become a hardened and resourceful survivor that has to know how to deal with both walkers and people. After Lee died, she had to teach herself how to be a LittleMissBadass, the result is arguably one of the finest examples of this trope.
** Lee Everett has taken to life during a zombie apocalypse quite well, being proficient with weapons (and his own fists when needed), and handles different people and situations well. He also gives Clem some essential tools to be a hero herself, includingFrank West, Chuck Greene, how to shoot a handgun.
** In ''A New Frontier'', Javier García andNick Ramos are all characterized as TheEveryman who find themselves within a zombie outbreak and his family have become these, being able to fight hold their way through. Notable for having the ability of MacGyvering together {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s to cut through the zombies.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joelown and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons contribute to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns andtheir wits. Some own survival and that of them have had formal others in different ways.
** Alvin Junior in ''A Final Season'' has become a partner in crime for Clem, being surprisingly useful for a 5-6 year old boy. He frequently contributes in combattraining, while others are just average joes.scenarios, and is very driven to achieve anything he deems necessary.
** Several [=NPCs=] can also qualify, including Kenny, Carley, Lilly (Season 1), Molly, Luke, Jane, Tripp, Louis and Violet. These characters have all shown to be capable fighters and key group members.
** The
** Lee Everett has taken to life during a zombie apocalypse quite well, being proficient with weapons (and his own fists when needed), and handles different people and situations well. He also gives Clem some essential tools to be a hero herself, including
** In ''A New Frontier'', Javier García and
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and
** Alvin Junior in ''A Final Season'' has become a partner in crime for Clem, being surprisingly useful for a 5-6 year old boy. He frequently contributes in combat
** Several [=NPCs=] can also qualify, including Kenny, Carley, Lilly (Season 1), Molly, Luke, Jane, Tripp, Louis and Violet. These characters have all shown to be capable fighters and key group members.
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* In the fifth episode of ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'', Spider-Man becomes a zombie hunter in an alternate timeline.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''all dead''.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''all undead, ''properly dead''.
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* ''Creator/MarvelUniverse'': The ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} sub-agency A.R.M.O.R.[[note]]Altered-Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency[[/note]] is introduced in ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' as a group of self-appointed [[GuardianOfTheMultiverse Guardians of the Multiverse]]. One of their main objectives is to fight, contain and ultimately eradicate the zombie infection that has spread to several other realities and transformed all of their inhabitants into flesh-eating undead. A.R.M.O.R. agents (in particular, Machine Man) are the most recurring protagonists because most of them (being demons, machines, and other creatures without mortal flesh) are immune to zombification.
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* ''Creator/MarvelUniverse'': ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': The ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} sub-agency A.R.M.O.R.[[note]]Altered-Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency[[/note]] is introduced in ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' as a group of self-appointed [[GuardianOfTheMultiverse Guardians of the Multiverse]]. One of their main objectives is to fight, contain and ultimately eradicate the zombie infection that has spread to several other realities and transformed all of their inhabitants into flesh-eating undead. A.R.M.O.R. agents (in particular, Machine Man) are the most recurring protagonists because most of them (being demons, machines, and other creatures without mortal flesh) are immune to zombification.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''dead-dead''.
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Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''dead-dead''.
''all dead''.
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'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and humanity is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
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'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and humanity is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, zombies, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
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'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and the human race is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
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'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and the human race humanity is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
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* ''Film/CockneysVsZombies'' has the a band of misfit bank robbers and an old war veteran ending up as this trope. Still armed with their bank robbing weapons, they find themselves in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out.
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* ''Film/CockneysVsZombies'' has the a band of misfit bank robbers and an old war veteran ending up as this trope. Still armed with their bank robbing weapons, they find themselves in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out.
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** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApocaypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
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** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApocaypse, ZombieApocalypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
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** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApolcaypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
to:
** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApolcaypse, ZombieApocaypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
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* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': Sakura Minamoto showed herself to be one upon waking up in a mansion inhabited by zombies, being able to fend them off with nothing but a fireplace poker and managing to escape... only to discover [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a zombie]].
to:
* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'':
** Sakura Minamoto showed herself to be one upon waking up in a mansion inhabited by zombies, being able to fend them off with nothing but a fireplace poker and managing to escape... only to discover [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is azombie]].zombie]].
** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApolcaypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
** Sakura Minamoto showed herself to be one upon waking up in a mansion inhabited by zombies, being able to fend them off with nothing but a fireplace poker and managing to escape... only to discover [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a
** The reoccurring unnamed Policeman seems to ''think'' he's one, always ready to shoot the one of the zombie girls on sight whenever he stumbles across one. He's lucky he's not in a real ZombieApolcaypse, as he'd make a very poor one considering how he always breaks down in sheer terror.
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None
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
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* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Shawn is both a parody and tribute to this trope, being a Zombie Conspiracy Nut who believes a ZombieApocalypse is inevitable and has been preparing his whole life for it. He's a GenreSavvy walking encyclopedia when it comes to all things zombies and TheAce when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.
to:
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Shawn is both a parody and tribute to this trope, being a Zombie Conspiracy Nut who believes a ZombieApocalypse is inevitable and has been preparing his whole life for it. He's a GenreSavvy walking encyclopedia when it comes to all things zombies and TheAce when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.wilderness.
[[/folder]]
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Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/leon_vs_zombies.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Under attack by zombies? WhoYouGonnaCall[[note]]Leon S. Kennedy[[/note]]]]
'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and the human race is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
Meet the Zombie Apocalypse Hero, a StockCharacter found in either a ZombieApocalypse story, an EpisodeOfTheDead, or [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies other setting with zombies]]. This character is either an ActionHero or ActionSurvivor who finds they have a talent for slaying zombies. They may even become a go to specialist that is [[WhoYouGonnaCall called upon for their services]] to clear out zombie outbreaks.
Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''dead-dead''.
The discovery of these characters often comes as an unexpected surprise considering their average and unremarkable civilian identity. Expect TheApocalypseBringsOutTheBestInPeople to be in play.
Note that not every person who is in a ZombieApocalypse counts. They have to be shown to be proficient in fending off the hordes and staying alive.
Subtrope of HunterOfMonsters or ActionSurvivor with the specialty being zombies.
----
!!Examples
[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'': Takashi's team are a group of highschool students who find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and band together to survive and make their way to a safe zone.
* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': Sakura Minamoto showed herself to be one upon waking up in a mansion inhabited by zombies, being able to fend them off with nothing but a fireplace poker and managing to escape... only to discover [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a zombie]].
[[AC:Comics Books]]
* ''ComicBook/DCeased'': Darkseid's death results in the Anti-Life Equation turning people into ravenous undead monsters. Several heroes are infected as well including [[spoiler: Wonder Woman, Superman, Captain Atom and Aquaman]]. The remaining uninfected heroes which include Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain and John Constantine.
* ''Creator/MarvelUniverse'': The ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} sub-agency A.R.M.O.R.[[note]]Altered-Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency[[/note]] is introduced in ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' as a group of self-appointed [[GuardianOfTheMultiverse Guardians of the Multiverse]]. One of their main objectives is to fight, contain and ultimately eradicate the zombie infection that has spread to several other realities and transformed all of their inhabitants into flesh-eating undead. A.R.M.O.R. agents (in particular, Machine Man) are the most recurring protagonists because most of them (being demons, machines, and other creatures without mortal flesh) are immune to zombification.
* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'': Rick Grimes is not only TheHero of the setting, but the BigGood, having helped restore order in the post-apocalyptic world.
[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/CockneysVsZombies'' has the a band of misfit bank robbers and an old war veteran ending up as this trope. Still armed with their bank robbing weapons, they find themselves in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out.
* ''Franchise/EvilDead'': Ash Williams, Deadite hunter extraordinaire. His [[WeaponOfChoice Weapons of Choice]] are a SawedOffShotgun dubbed his "Boomstick" and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] that [[BladeBelowTheShoulder replaces his amputated hand]].
* ''Go Goa Gone'' is an Indian zombie movie set in the island of Goa, where Boris, a Russian-Indian mafioso, goes to a rave party only to have a zombie virus outbreak happening at the beach resort where the rave takes place. Boris, realizing he's one of the few lucky survivors, ends up kicking all sorts of ass and taking on an entire island full of zombies while waiting for evacuation.
* ''Film/LandOfTheDead'': Riley Denbo and the crew of the CoolCar "Dead Reckoning" that specializes in traveling through zombie infested areas. He and his team are tasked with bringing back supplies to Pittsburgh-outpost, mowing through hordes of zombies on a day-to-day basis.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': CanonForeigner Alice is the main zombie hunting heroine of the films, though unlike most examples she is actually superhuman, making her a TokenSuper among her allies.
* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'': Shaun who starts off as a LoserProtagonist ends up transitioning into a badass zombie-slaying ActionSurvivor over the course of the film.
* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', the main cast are a RagTagBunchOfMisfits who together make for a formidable zombie killing team. Notably Columbus who represents TheEveryman ActionSurvivor and Tallahasse who is a hardened tough-as-nails ActionHero.
[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The Winchester brothers are more general [[HunterOfMonsters Hunters of Monsters]], but have gotten wrapped up in a few zombie outbreaks as well.
* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': Rick Grimes and his team are a whole BadassCrew of them. All of them are formidable in combatting walkers (as the zombies are called in this series) and each of them boast their own WeaponOfChoice.
[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Zombicide}}'': As you might guess from [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the title]], all the {{Player Character}}s are this: a collection of survivors from multiple walks of life united with the common goal of gathering what supplies they can and getting the hell out of the zombie-infested city they're in. Oh, and slaughtering every undead monstrosity that gets in the way with the aid of an assortment of guns, {{chainsaw|Good}}s, {{katanas|AreJustBetter}}, {{Molotov Cocktail}}s...
[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** Chris Redfield, a former US Army pilot turned rookie police officer in Raccoon City who becomes trapped in a mansion full of zombies. He would later form an organisation to counter bioterrorism and one of the key figures in combating the Umbrella Corporation, responsible for the engineering of the monstrosities.
** Leon S. Kennedy. Starting off as a cop-in-training who finds himself thrown into a ZombieApocalypse on his first day. However he soon discovers he has a knack for killing the infected and gets recruited as a special agent for dealing with outbreaks.
** Ethan Winters stands out among his predecessors as the ActionSurvivor variant, due to lacking any formal training, essentially TheEveryman thrown into the carnage with nothing notable but his sheer [[{{Determinator}} determination]]. However he gradually TookALevelInBadass until he's just as formidable of a zombie killing machine as the other protagonists.
* ''Franchise/DeadRising'': The various protagonists including Frank West, Chuck Greene, and Nick Ramos are all characterized as TheEveryman who find themselves within a zombie outbreak and have to fight their way through. Notable for having the ability of MacGyvering together {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s to cut through the zombies.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average joes.
[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': The episode "Rick Potion #9" has Rick accidentally unleashing an apocalypse where the entire population are turned into hideously deformed mutants called Cronenbergs. The only survivors are Morty?s family members, due to being immune to the concoction that mutated the human race. The Smith family proceed to TookALevelInBadass and become hardened Cronenberg slaying {{Action Survivor}}s, while Rick and Morty escape to another dimension.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'': The episode "Dude of the Living Dead" has the gang finding the mall having succumbed to a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out while rescuing as many survivors as they can. Among their group: Ron the Rent-A-Cop and Darth Mall prove to be especially badass, with Ron literally tearing the limbs off a zombie, while Darth Mall pulls a YouShallNotPass to let his friends escape and cuts up the zombies with his lightsaber. The gang also make a LastStand before the horde closes in on them. [[spoiler:It's also revealed to be AllJustADream where Jude wakes up.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** "Dial "Z" for Zombie", the first ever EpisodeOfTheDead, has Homer of all characters take on this role. Homer brandishes his family's shotgun and protects them as he blasts his way through multiple zombies.
** "Don't Have a Cow Humanity" has a BaitAndSwitch, where it initially looks like [[TheAhnold Rainer Wolfcastle]] would fill this role when he attempts to come to the Simpson family's rescue, but he promptly gets killed right after. The true holder of said title ends up being Apu, who reveals as a convenience store owner he is [[WalkingArmory armed to the teeth]] along with possessing an apocalypse worthy CoolCar.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Shawn is both a parody and tribute to this trope, being a Zombie Conspiracy Nut who believes a ZombieApocalypse is inevitable and has been preparing his whole life for it. He's a GenreSavvy walking encyclopedia when it comes to all things zombies and TheAce when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.
[[caption-width-right:350:Under attack by zombies? WhoYouGonnaCall[[note]]Leon S. Kennedy[[/note]]]]
'''The ZombieApocalypse has hit!''' {{Flesh Eating Zombie}}s have been unleashed upon the world and the human race is getting eradicated as we speak. So to survive this new world of zombie, it stands to reason it takes a tougher than average badass who excels in cutting through these walking corpses.
Meet the Zombie Apocalypse Hero, a StockCharacter found in either a ZombieApocalypse story, an EpisodeOfTheDead, or [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies other setting with zombies]]. This character is either an ActionHero or ActionSurvivor who finds they have a talent for slaying zombies. They may even become a go to specialist that is [[WhoYouGonnaCall called upon for their services]] to clear out zombie outbreaks.
Common picks for their WeaponOfChoice include [[{{Handguns}} guns]] (particularly {{Sawed Off Shotgun}}s), [[MacheteMayhem machetes]], [[ChainsawGood chainsaws]], [[CrowbarCombatant crowbars]], or some other weapon efficient at making the undead ''dead-dead''.
The discovery of these characters often comes as an unexpected surprise considering their average and unremarkable civilian identity. Expect TheApocalypseBringsOutTheBestInPeople to be in play.
Note that not every person who is in a ZombieApocalypse counts. They have to be shown to be proficient in fending off the hordes and staying alive.
Subtrope of HunterOfMonsters or ActionSurvivor with the specialty being zombies.
----
!!Examples
[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'': Takashi's team are a group of highschool students who find themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and band together to survive and make their way to a safe zone.
* ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'': Sakura Minamoto showed herself to be one upon waking up in a mansion inhabited by zombies, being able to fend them off with nothing but a fireplace poker and managing to escape... only to discover [[TomatoInTheMirror she herself is a zombie]].
[[AC:Comics Books]]
* ''ComicBook/DCeased'': Darkseid's death results in the Anti-Life Equation turning people into ravenous undead monsters. Several heroes are infected as well including [[spoiler: Wonder Woman, Superman, Captain Atom and Aquaman]]. The remaining uninfected heroes which include Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain and John Constantine.
* ''Creator/MarvelUniverse'': The ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} sub-agency A.R.M.O.R.[[note]]Altered-Reality Monitoring and Operational Response Agency[[/note]] is introduced in ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' as a group of self-appointed [[GuardianOfTheMultiverse Guardians of the Multiverse]]. One of their main objectives is to fight, contain and ultimately eradicate the zombie infection that has spread to several other realities and transformed all of their inhabitants into flesh-eating undead. A.R.M.O.R. agents (in particular, Machine Man) are the most recurring protagonists because most of them (being demons, machines, and other creatures without mortal flesh) are immune to zombification.
* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'': Rick Grimes is not only TheHero of the setting, but the BigGood, having helped restore order in the post-apocalyptic world.
[[AC:Films]]
* ''Film/CockneysVsZombies'' has the a band of misfit bank robbers and an old war veteran ending up as this trope. Still armed with their bank robbing weapons, they find themselves in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out.
* ''Franchise/EvilDead'': Ash Williams, Deadite hunter extraordinaire. His [[WeaponOfChoice Weapons of Choice]] are a SawedOffShotgun dubbed his "Boomstick" and a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] that [[BladeBelowTheShoulder replaces his amputated hand]].
* ''Go Goa Gone'' is an Indian zombie movie set in the island of Goa, where Boris, a Russian-Indian mafioso, goes to a rave party only to have a zombie virus outbreak happening at the beach resort where the rave takes place. Boris, realizing he's one of the few lucky survivors, ends up kicking all sorts of ass and taking on an entire island full of zombies while waiting for evacuation.
* ''Film/LandOfTheDead'': Riley Denbo and the crew of the CoolCar "Dead Reckoning" that specializes in traveling through zombie infested areas. He and his team are tasked with bringing back supplies to Pittsburgh-outpost, mowing through hordes of zombies on a day-to-day basis.
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': CanonForeigner Alice is the main zombie hunting heroine of the films, though unlike most examples she is actually superhuman, making her a TokenSuper among her allies.
* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'': Shaun who starts off as a LoserProtagonist ends up transitioning into a badass zombie-slaying ActionSurvivor over the course of the film.
* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', the main cast are a RagTagBunchOfMisfits who together make for a formidable zombie killing team. Notably Columbus who represents TheEveryman ActionSurvivor and Tallahasse who is a hardened tough-as-nails ActionHero.
[[AC:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The Winchester brothers are more general [[HunterOfMonsters Hunters of Monsters]], but have gotten wrapped up in a few zombie outbreaks as well.
* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': Rick Grimes and his team are a whole BadassCrew of them. All of them are formidable in combatting walkers (as the zombies are called in this series) and each of them boast their own WeaponOfChoice.
[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Zombicide}}'': As you might guess from [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the title]], all the {{Player Character}}s are this: a collection of survivors from multiple walks of life united with the common goal of gathering what supplies they can and getting the hell out of the zombie-infested city they're in. Oh, and slaughtering every undead monstrosity that gets in the way with the aid of an assortment of guns, {{chainsaw|Good}}s, {{katanas|AreJustBetter}}, {{Molotov Cocktail}}s...
[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** Chris Redfield, a former US Army pilot turned rookie police officer in Raccoon City who becomes trapped in a mansion full of zombies. He would later form an organisation to counter bioterrorism and one of the key figures in combating the Umbrella Corporation, responsible for the engineering of the monstrosities.
** Leon S. Kennedy. Starting off as a cop-in-training who finds himself thrown into a ZombieApocalypse on his first day. However he soon discovers he has a knack for killing the infected and gets recruited as a special agent for dealing with outbreaks.
** Ethan Winters stands out among his predecessors as the ActionSurvivor variant, due to lacking any formal training, essentially TheEveryman thrown into the carnage with nothing notable but his sheer [[{{Determinator}} determination]]. However he gradually TookALevelInBadass until he's just as formidable of a zombie killing machine as the other protagonists.
* ''Franchise/DeadRising'': The various protagonists including Frank West, Chuck Greene, and Nick Ramos are all characterized as TheEveryman who find themselves within a zombie outbreak and have to fight their way through. Notable for having the ability of MacGyvering together {{Mix And Match Weapon}}s to cut through the zombies.
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'': Isaac Clarke is just a run-of-the-mill space engineer who finds himself having to rely mostly on [[ImprovisedWeapon industrial equipment as weaponry]] against the undead, hyper-aggressive Necromorphs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': Joel and Ellie are a BadassAndChildDuo who must survive a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected with ''Cordyceps'' fungus. As Ellie is TheImmune she is a LivingMacGuffin that Joel must protect at all costs in the hopes of creating a cure. The two of them utilize an assortment of weapons to take down both the infected and hostile humans.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'': All of the survivors are a BadassCrew going up against hordes infected with nothing but guns and their wits. Some of them have had formal combat training, while others are just average joes.
[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': The episode "Rick Potion #9" has Rick accidentally unleashing an apocalypse where the entire population are turned into hideously deformed mutants called Cronenbergs. The only survivors are Morty?s family members, due to being immune to the concoction that mutated the human race. The Smith family proceed to TookALevelInBadass and become hardened Cronenberg slaying {{Action Survivor}}s, while Rick and Morty escape to another dimension.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'': The episode "Dude of the Living Dead" has the gang finding the mall having succumbed to a ZombieApocalypse and must fight their way out while rescuing as many survivors as they can. Among their group: Ron the Rent-A-Cop and Darth Mall prove to be especially badass, with Ron literally tearing the limbs off a zombie, while Darth Mall pulls a YouShallNotPass to let his friends escape and cuts up the zombies with his lightsaber. The gang also make a LastStand before the horde closes in on them. [[spoiler:It's also revealed to be AllJustADream where Jude wakes up.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** "Dial "Z" for Zombie", the first ever EpisodeOfTheDead, has Homer of all characters take on this role. Homer brandishes his family's shotgun and protects them as he blasts his way through multiple zombies.
** "Don't Have a Cow Humanity" has a BaitAndSwitch, where it initially looks like [[TheAhnold Rainer Wolfcastle]] would fill this role when he attempts to come to the Simpson family's rescue, but he promptly gets killed right after. The true holder of said title ends up being Apu, who reveals as a convenience store owner he is [[WalkingArmory armed to the teeth]] along with possessing an apocalypse worthy CoolCar.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Shawn is both a parody and tribute to this trope, being a Zombie Conspiracy Nut who believes a ZombieApocalypse is inevitable and has been preparing his whole life for it. He's a GenreSavvy walking encyclopedia when it comes to all things zombies and TheAce when it comes to surviving in the wilderness.
