Zombie Physiology

"Is there an agreed definition of what is a zombie and how they get that way? Not that I know of. I think zombies are defined by behavior and can be 'explained' by many handy shortcuts: the supernatural, radiation, a virus, space visitors, secret weapons, a Harvard education and so on."

― Roger Ebert, The Crazies Review

The power to use the abilities of zombies. Variation of Undead Physiology.

Also Called

Dead Guy Mimicry/Dead Man Walking/Walking Dead
Homo Necrosis Physiology (Humans Only)
Zed Physiology/Mimicry
Zombie Mimicry

Capabilities

A User with this ability either is or can transform into a Zombie, an animated corpse brought back to life by a variety of means, such as dark magic. The user's body is dead, possibly decomposing, and lacking most physical needs and weaknesses.

The skin color of zombies can also vary widely, ranging from normal color to greens, blues, grays, and even other colors. Their gait can also vary, from limping, sliding their feet on the ground or have the iconic "arms outward" stance.

There are several variations of zombies, mostly defined by how they are created:

Type C: Construct. Similar to Frankenstein's Monster, this is the zombie you get when attempting to reanimate somebody/bodies from the dead — With Science, For Science! — causing them to Come Back Wrong. If they go berserk (which they probably will— zombies will be zombies), the good news is that they have an almost zero chance of spreading Zombification and creating a Zombie Apocalypse.
Type F: Flesh-Eating. Your typical B-Movie zombie, eats the skin, brains, or various other organs from the living, typically turning them into zombies — which makes them a lot like a ghoul. Can also be merged with Type V or P.
Type P: Plague-Bearing. Created by a virus or occasionally machine or some-such. These are the zombies that are guaranteed to turn others into zombies due to their highly communicable virus or nanobots Et Cetera. Almost always merged with Type F. Often technically Living Zombies.
- Type PS: Parasite. A subtype of Type P, these zombies are created specifically via exposure to a form of parasitic life-form, be it the only stage or part of a series of mutations.
Type R: Revenant. An older variety, originating in European folklore, less prone to rotting and falling apart, which normally retains intelligence and memories of its previous life. They are driven by a single burning purpose, typically vengeance or true love, driven by a desire so strong it can overcome even death. While conceptually very old, and the prototype from which much other undead derive, the Revenant has fallen out of favor for more modern breeds of zombie, and for the bloodsucking vampire.
Type RA: Radioactive. Zombies of this type are born from radiation of various kinds, especially if they're born from reactor meltdowns, criticality accidents, radiation leakages, orphan sources, and among other possible nuclear accidents. These Zombies take the fear of radiation to an extreme, not only do they keep the attributes of Zombies, but what makes them more dangerous is that they have radiation pulsating and emitting from them, being within their close proximity will cause radiation sickness at least depending on how severe the dosages are. However as long the opponents keep their distance this advantage alone can outmatch them.
Type V: Voodoo. The original zombie. See: Voodoo Zombie Physiology.

Applications

Variations

Types of Zombie:

Ghoul Physiology
Mutated Zombie Physiology
Revenant Physiology (Aside from the Ghost Types)
Superior Zombie Physiology
Voodoo Zombie Physiology
Zombie Lord Physiology
Zompire Physiology

Associations

Limitations

Zombie Manipulation
Supernatural Hunter can kill the zombies with ease.
Magic and especially Necromancy, Dark Arts and Voodoo can control zombies.
Normal, Flawless or Absolute Restoration can restore individuals from being zombies.
- If not remotely living, users of Resurrection can also restore them back to the way they used to be.
Most zombies are slow and/or clumsy.
Destroying the brain/decapitation may kill a zombie permanently.
- Some depictions of Zombies tend to survive with their brain and/or head destroyed, meaning their bodies will have to be destroyed until there's nothing left of them. Fire is an example of that, though if pathogen-based this could cause further infection/outbreaks/reanimation unless the smog/smoke is contained.
Most zombies are either mindless or very stupid.
May hinder the user's life with the craving for flesh and all.
User's body may continue to decay.
Supposedly, if zombies were to consume salt, or look at the sea, they would return to their graves.

Trivia

The term 'zombie' originates from Haitian folklore. In fact, the first zombies were said to have originated in Haiti as part of a Haitian cult due to voodoo magic.
Debatably human zombies can be a subspecies of humanity because they belong to the genus, homo, which translates to human.

Known Users

See Also: Our Zombies Are Different.

Video Games

All Corrupted Creatures (Ark: Survival Evolved); Type PS
Zombies (7 Days to Die); Type P to RA
Zombies (Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned)
TK Baha (Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned)
Bi-O (Bust a Groove 2); Type F: in looks only, Type R: still retains his memories and soul due to the Groove-Tron, Type RA: due to his transformation being the result of being douse with his son Gas-O's gas.
Zombies (Call of Duty series); Type F
Zombies (Castlevania)
Zombies (Conker series); Type F
Zombies (Crypt of the NecroDancer); Type F
Lord Raptor (Darkstalkers)
Freakers/Infected (Days Gone); Type P
Zombies (Dead Island series); Type P
Zombies (Dead Rising series); Type P
- Frank West (Dead Rising); should he fail to get Zombrex; Type P
- Katy Greene (Dead Rising 2); should she fail to get Zombrex; Type P
- Tyrone King (Dead Rising 2); should he fail to get Zombrex; Type P
Infected (Dying Light); Type P
Zombies (Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem)
Lucas (Fantasy War Tactics)
Risen (Fire Emblem Awakening)
Zombies (Ghosts 'n Goblins); Type F
Zombies (Hλlf-Life series); Type PS
Zombies (The House of the Dead series); Type F
Rikuro Tachibana (Koutetsu no Majo Annerose)
Zombies (The Last Stand series); Type P
The Infected (Left 4 Dead series); Type P
Dark Purveyors (Lolipop Chainsaw)
Zombies (Minecraft); Type F
LeChuck (Monkey Island); formerly, before becoming a demon
Axe Zombies (Monolith Productions' Blood); Type F
Bloated Butchers (Monolith Productions' Blood); Type F
Zombies (Paranoia series); Type P
Zombies (Plants Vs. Zombies series); Type F
Infected (Prototype series)
Zombies (Quake series); Type F
The Undead (Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare); Type F
Zombie John Marston (Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare); Type F
Zombies (Resident Evil series); Type P to PS
Dark Knights (Return to Castle Wolfenstein); Type F
Undead Warriors (Return to Castle Wolfenstein); Type F
Zombies (Return to Castle Wolfenstein); Type F
Zombie Gat (Saints Row)
Rottytops (Shantae)
Abner Cadaver (Shantae)
Poe (Shantae)
Zombies (Shingeki no Bahamut)
- Rita
- Kaisar Lidfard
Zambys (Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment)
Ms. Fortune (Skullgirls)
Squigly (Skullgirls)
Rotting Robbies (Skylanders)
Zombies (State of Decay)
Zombie Jake (Subway Surfers)
Zoe (Subway Surfers)
Deke Kay (Tattoo Assassins)
Zombies (The Secret World); Type F
Yoshika Miyako (Touhou Project)
Zombie (Valkyrie Crusade)
Wario (Wario Land); Type F
Zombie Guards (Wolfenstein 3D); Type C
Zombies (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)
Zombies (Zombies Ate My Neighbors)
Infected (ZombiU)

Literature

Death Troopers (Star Wars Legends); Type P
Reginald "Reg" Shoe (Discworld)
Windle Poons (Discworld)
Mr. Slant (Discworld)
Baron Saturday (Discworld)
Zombies (Goosebumps)
Zombies (Skulduggery Pleasant)
- Vaurien Scapegrace
Zombies (The Zombie Chasers)
Zombies (Warm Bodies)
Zombies (World War Z); Type P

Anime/Manga

Them (Highschool of the Dead)
Akane Koishikawa (Koishikawa-san wa Nikushokukei)
Ayumu Aikawa (Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?)
Phantom (Marchen Awakens Romance)
Guardian ÄRM, V (Fünf) - Dead Dragon (Marchen Awakens Romance)
Yuuhi Hajime (Monster Musume)
Zombina (Monster Musume)
Panty (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)
Stocking (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)
Ling Ling Wong (Rosario+Vampire)
Babu (Sankarea)
Otoki (Sankarea)
Rea Sanka (Sankarea)
Sid (Soul Eater)
Franchouchou (Zombieland Saga)

Live Television/Movies

Rotgut (Ace Lightning)
Zombies (Buffy the Vampire Slayer); Type F
Emily (Corpse's Bride); Type R
Zombies (Disney's Zombies); Type F
Empty Child (Doctor Who)
Wights (Game of Thrones)
Liv Moore (IZombie)
Kuroto Dan/Kamen Rider Genm (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)
Zombies (Pirates of the Caribbean); Type F
Infected (Resident Evil series); Type P to PS
Zombies (Return of the Living Dead series); Type P
- Tarman
Sheila Hammond (Santa Clarita Diet)
Zombies (Shaun of the Dead)

Cooties/Zombie kids (Cooties)

Heidi (Summer in Transylvania)
Zombies (Supernatural); Type F
Officer Matthew "Matt" Cordell (Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence)
Zombies (Night of the Living Dead series); Type F
Zombies/Walkers (The Walking Dead); Type P
Zombies (Wizards of Waverly Place)
Zombies (World War Z); Type P
Zombies (Zombieland); Type P
Sakura Minamoto (Zombieland Saga)
Neon Maniacs (Neon Maniacs)

Cartoons/Comics

Zombozo (Ben 10)
Briar Harvestar (Bone Comics)
Sawyer (Camp Lakebottom)
Mantha (Casper's Scare School)
Zombies (Catscratch); Type F
Evil Ernie (Chaos!/Dynamite Comics)
Senior Citizombie (Codename: Kids Next Door)
Zombies (Danny Phantom)
Solomon Grundy (DC Comics)
Black Lantern Corps (DC Comics); Type PS
Anti-Living (DC Comics); Type P
Zombies (Gravity Falls); Type F
Zombies (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy); Type F
Zombies (Hotel Transylvania); Type F
Zombies (Invader Zim); Type F
Zombies (The Life & Times of Juniper Lee); Type F
Marvel Zombies (Marvel Comics); Type P
Voodoo Zombies (Marvels Comics); Type V
- Simon Garth/Zombie
- Eric Williams/The Grim Reaper; formerly
- The Unliving X-Humed
Zombies (Mona the Vampire); Type F
Ghoulia Yelps (Monster High)
Sloman Mortavitch (Monster High)
Moanica D'kay (Monster High)
Abracadaver (The Powerpuff Girls)
Zombies (Pucca)
Zombies (Scooby-Doo! series); Type F
Space Zombies (The Simpsons)
Zoe Walker (Super Monsters)
Zane Walker (Super Monsters)
Zombies (Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!); Type F
Astro Zombies (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2012 TV series)
Maggot (Zombie Hotel)
Fungus (Zombie Hotel)
Rictus (Zombie Hotel)
Funerella (Zombie Hotel)
Jeebies (Zombie Hotel)
The Colonel (Zombie Hotel)
Uncle Von (Zombie Hotel)
Zombie Monster (Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!)