Types of Zombies

A Zombie, in its broadest sense, is a person who has lost his or her sense of self-awareness and identity, and cares only for the destruction (and often consumption) of any human around, no matter what the circumstances, or cost to his or her self. They make up for this loss of intelligence in sheer numbers, as the state of 'Zombieism' is almost always contagious, and spread virually, at a devastating cost to their surrounding society. Technically speaking, true zombies are always dead, and re-animated.

Listed below are several well known types of Zombies.

The Generic Zombie

The Generic Zombie, is a person who has been killed and reanimated by a pathogen, often, but not always due to a virus. They are usually aggressive. They can be curious, but disorientated, and at a loss to fully understand their environment.

Their most notable trait is that they kill and eat uninfected humans.

Walkers

Walking Zombies (colloquially known as Walkers) are basically synonymous with generic zombies. They may not be as immediately threatening as Runners, but they tend to attack in groups, and have astounding durability which makes them a major threat to humans.

Walking zombies can be found in series such as The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead.

See Differences Between Surviving Fast and Slow Zombies

Runners

Runner Zombies (sometimes known as The Infected, Sprinters² or Rage Zeds³ ) are Zombies that have the ability to run at a full sprint. This ability separates them (in dealing with them, and in classification) so much, that leading minds disagree whether they should even be considered Zombies at all.

Fast Infected quickly gain ground on survivors and bring them down, attacking them in a frenzied manner. A survivor should never try to outrun the Runners, since they do not tire like humans do. Some theorists propose runners are newly-made zombies that have not begun the process of decaying yet, and therefore still have most human capabilities. The only way to stop them from running is to disable their legs through severing large muscle groups, major bones, or completely severing their legs. Other than that, the only other way is to outright eliminate them.

Runners are technically living infected but are still a form of zombies (though the distinction is thought by many^(whom?) to be impractical and antiquated). As such, they are able to run for long duration. What they gain in speed and fervor over their slower cousins, they lose in durability, as they can be killed by wounds to the chest, bleeding out, thirst, starvation, or even the infection itself. But do not count on that, they may still require a head shot just like normal infected. Fast Zombies can be found in the works of World War Z (i.e., the film adaptation, not the original novel), Dawn of the Dead (2004), 28 Days Later, REC 2, the hit video game series Left 4 Dead, Day Z, Zombieland, Z Nation, and many others.

Voodoo Zombie

Voodoo Zombies are the resurrected dead by a witch doctor who are forced to do the bidding of the resurrector. They shouldn't be a threat since they typically do not have the need to feed on human flesh. They are considered the progenitors of the Zombie "Species". Under rare circumstances, their condition may be curable, unlike the vast majority of Zombies.

Romero Zombies

Romero Zombies are the zombies featured in the films of George A. Romero. Romero's vision pioneered modern understanding of a Zombie, and walks hand in hand with a Generic Zombie. Additionally, his works not only catapulted the concept of “zombies” into modern consciousness but also defined the term as we use it today.These Zombies are slow, unintelligent, react to light and sound, harbor an insatiable hunger for living flesh, and are killed by having their brain destroyed.

One difference between the two is the cause of the zombies, which Romero keeps intentionally vague (although a crashed satellite from Venus is alluded to in “Night of the Living Dead”). Perhaps the more notable difference, however, is that in Romero’s fiction, any human who dies is reanimated as a zombie; zombie bites are merely disease-ridden, and hence, kill the victim. But it is death that causes zombification – not the bite. In this way, Kirkman ("Walking Dead") Zombies are similar to Romero Zombies.

Unlike Kirkman Zombies, however, Romero’s zombies are capable of learning, adapting, and perhaps even contemplating the broader implications of their actions. They also have the capacity to remember features of their past life. Examples include the horde coming to the mall out of recalled habit in “Dawn of the Dead”, and Bub remembering how a toothbrush and razor work in Romero’s “Day of the Dead,” and most notably, the Uniontown zombies in Land of the Dead learning to cooperate and use fire in a limited capacity.

Ghouls

Ghouls are like zombies, except they spread radiation when attacking. They are victims of nuclear radiation, which rots away their brains to the point of making them feral and only determined to do one thing, attack anyone who is not affected by the radiation. Ghouls are most well known in the Fallout series.

Type A Necro-Mortosis Zombies

This type of Zombie is reanimated due to a rare strain, documented by various leading researchers in their field^(whom?). These bodies are re-animated by a mutagenic virus consisting of 7 proteins and eight strands of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which carry the code for making the proteins. The virus then travels quickly throughout the body, reaching all major organs, central nervous system, and brain. The body then goes through a protracted state of shock, followed by a slow and painful onset of mortification and necrosis. However, the brain is still alive. The virus then acts more like a parasitic guest, it needs to gain additional nutrients to continue the feeding of the virus. And so the host impulsively searches for food.The source of nutrition required by the virus, aphion A and betax B, can only be found in warm blood and meat. Hence the cycle begins: The hosts needs to kill to serve the virus to keep the host alive.

Contaminated/The Infected/Carriers

Zombies are a potluck of death. A metaphorical walking disease locker (As noted from renown Zombie combatant Marlon from Black Ops II), these types of zombies may be saturated in poisonous liquids, filled with disease-carrying insects, infected by a virus (A plague or viral illness.), or even just doused in infectious slime. These Zombies are walking health risks. Living or dead they can infect you or poison you. While some poisons are not skin absorbed, a survivor encountering this classification of Zombie should take extreme caution with engaging in close combat or even disposing of the bodies. It is recommended that one should wear protective clothing covering eyes, mouth, and nose and wield a long-handled weapon, such as a fire axe or some form of spear. Should one get the substance in question on their person, it is recommended that the residue/insect be removed from the body as soon as possible, as prolonged contact could lead to an insect bite or infection through absorption. If the Zombie is infected by a germ, then it is recommended that survivors wear a hazmat suit. If you can, avoid going near them, as proximity can lead to infection.

Crawlers

Also known as Halvers, Chopped, and Ankle Biters, Crawlers are a well known and very annoying type of Zombie. Crawlers are completely disabled in their lower bodies and cannot walk or run like other types of undead. They can be disabled through muscle severing or leg severing; crawlers can also have their legs crushed by a heavy object or car. Crawlers must support their upper torso with their arms and must crawl along on the ground slowly to move to their desired destination. Due to their low profile, they are harder to spot, as well as their low speed makes them a highly dangerous zombie if not paid attention to. The second one neglects to pay attention, they can be taken down by a crawler. The Zombie can latch onto the survivor's leg and bite down, infecting as well as maybe disabling their leg. It can also launch at you from a few meters away, aiming for the head/brian

The Screamers

Screamers rarely engage in direct combat, but rather make an ear-piercing wail that can attract the attention of other nearby zombies. As well as this, the scream will often stun survivors, leaving a ringing sensation in the survivor's ears for hours to come.

They may also shriek upon injury, alerting other zombies of potential threats and will often let out a ‘death-scream’ further alerting zombies.

Although not dangerous on their own, survivors should silence them as soon as possible, otherwise, they will continue to attract zombies and make them vulnerable to attack. They also rarely respond to noises and other stimuli like other zombies, but instead choose to wait.

Bonies

Bonies are what a zombie becomes when most of the flesh has rotted from the initial corpse, leaving only heavily blackened, necrotic skin and limited tendons. They are the final stage of zombification and often do absolutely nothing unless a human or zombie gains their attention through interaction.

They have no eyes but would seem to have a form of echolocation; a deep humming can often be heard in their presence. They are not clumsy or shambling, but slow and deliberate in their actions unless motivated to move more quickly.

Bonies are rarely seen by survivors. They most typically reside in large Zombie nests, like airports or shopping centers, and don't tend to have much motivation to leave. They don't appear to attack out of bloodlust, but rather out of the will to make more zombies. They are arguably the elders or alphas of any zombie pack or nest in which they reside; other zombies follow their lead unless the hunger takes over and they become ravenous and savage.

This type of zombie was illustrated in movies such as "Warm bodies"

Similar zombies appear in Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green, Army of Darkness (although the undead depicted in the Evil Dead franchise are arguably not zombies in the strictest sense, see Deadites, below,) and The Blind Dead franchise.

Pukers/Vomiters

Vomiters or Pukers are related to Spitters in that they are one of the few zombies with a ranged attack: in this case, vomiting. The range of the vomit depends on the type of zombie, from just being able to vomit off a roof below to massive range.

Vomit tends not to do any damage, it's primary function is to infect if it is not dealt with quickly. It also has a secondary function, being very irritating if it gets into the eyes or mouth of the survivors. Beware when you look up. The Vomiter Zombies' clothes are usually drenched in vomit and are mutated for the purpose of vomiting, making them weak, slow, and visible. They usually also make belching and vomiting ambient noises when nearby.

The Vomiters can also claw if their prey is too close.

Beware when battling Vomiters, as although they may take time to vomit, the vomit can serve as a distraction while the other zombies attack. Do not let your guard down, stay focused. Do not let the vomit get inside you, as you could become a zombie too. Their claw attack isn't usually very powerful, so don't worry about that too much.

Stalkers

Stalkers are a more feral type of Zombie. Stalkers are quadrupedal, which means they move on all fours. Nothing is known as to the cause of the animal-like movement. A popular theory is that the Zombie's brain has degraded so far that it stepped back on the evolutionary chain, reducing them to unnatural locomotion. This movement shakes and jerks their heads around, making them harder to hit with a ballistic weapon. This also increases their speed, making them faster than standard Walkers, but slower than Runners. Due to their lowered profile, they may be harder to spot in tall grass and dark environments, and due to their reduced intelligence, even below a walker's, they attack anything living on sight, be it an Animal or a Human. The only creature not assaulted by them is their own specification of zombie. Stalkers appeared in Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green (where they also exhibited short bursts of very rapid movement,) and as the Hunter from Left 4 Dead.

Spitters

Spitters are types of undead that have the ability to launch toxic and caustic liquid out of their mouths to hit unsuspecting targets. The most dangerous part about a Spitter is that they have the capability to perform a ranged attack, which is something that not a lot of other types of zombies can do. Their attacks can severely burn, as well as infect, humans that are unfortunate enough to come face to face with one of these monstrosities.

A Spitter's attack is very powerful and unique. Typically, a Spitter uses congealed stomach acid or some other type of acidic liquid to attack at a medium range. Some Spitters can even launch their globs of acid the length of a football field!

The way to differentiate a Spitter from any other type of zombie is that Spitters usually have tattered clothes or burned body parts from a past attack. They can also make a distinguishable gurgling sound and may have their acid dripping out of their mouths if it is in excess.

The safest way to battle a Spitter, as well as any type of zombie for that matter, is to snipe it from a far-away position so that it doesn't have the chance to retaliate. It's best to abstain from fighting at close range with Spitters, since they will undoubtedly have the opportunity to lob a nasty pile of acid right into the face of their attacker.

Exploders

Exploders (Also called Suiciders) are zombies that can either willingly explode on their target or explode when shot or attacked with a melee weapon. Most Exploders have a build-up of explosive gas in their digestive tract, due to the constant decay of flesh and other body parts.

Exploders are especially dangerous at close range because of their ability to send infectious materials and bone fragments in all directions when it's their time to go. It's best for a survivor to take out Exploders from a far range so that their explosion does not affect them.

It is nearly impossible to tell an Exploder apart from a regular walker, except for the fact that Exploders may be bloated in the abdominal region. Other than that, Exploders are nearly identical to normal zombies, which makes them all the more dangerous. In Dead Island, however, Exploders are very distinct in appearance, being quite bloated and covered with methane filled blisters. The exhibit some semblance of their former self, sometimes pleading with survivors to end their misery.

Bursters

First seen in Charlie Higson's Undead book series, bursters are zombies, or adults who have 'lived' long enough for the infection to completely spread through the zombie's body. Once that happened, if touched they would instantly burst, sending withered internal organs and mushy fat oozing out of its body.

Tanks

Often seen in Left 4 Dead, these zombies are mutated (possibly through steroids or a bodybuilding regimend during life) and are strong enough to throw cars and even rip chunks of concrete out of the ground to kill survivors. If one decides to battle these zombies, proceed with either powerful or automatic firearms because they will take them out faster. Similar zombies called Rams are featured in Dead Island, as extremely muscular zombies who have been restrained in straightjackets and bite restraint by World Health Organization and Australian military personnel before exhibiting symptoms.

Armored

Armored zombies are simply types of zombie with natural or artificial armor, giving them far superior durability and resistance to attack. They can range from bloated, fat zombies, to body-armored former police, to entirely different, yet similarly-protected creatures, and generally serve as meatshields, whether intentionally or not, for the horde. One should make sure they go for any weak spots on these zombies bodies. In Dead Island, reanimated police in body armor can be found in many locations.

Melting Zombies

A Melting Zombie (or Blackrot Zombie), is a zombie whose decomposition cycle is at an advanced state. As a consequence, the skin and flesh start to literally melt away from the bones. Their tend to be considerably slower, but still capable of spreading their condition.

It is notable that Brooks Zombies do not degrade at this rate, they have an, as of yet, unknown defense from micro-organism based cellular degradation, and are extremely durable.

Zombies of Ma

In the Zombie Combat Manual, written by Roger Ma, are zombies of unknown origin, similar in many ways to the zombies created by Max Brooks. Notable differences include:

Rapid partial decomposition (which induced intensified rotting stench, also a potent zombie weapon), then a sudden halt in the process (for durability).
No hyper-coagulation as with Solanum. Zombies of Ma splatter when struck, shot, or sliced. Small hand wounds on the zombie continue to stay fairly moist, making their grasp almost as efficient of an infecting method as their bite.
Rapid transformation after bodily fluid contact (from a matter of seconds to a few hours maximum).

Alternative Connotations of "Zombie"

The term zombie has various alternate meanings, one notable one being a conformist, a follower, a lemming, or someone who operates at a very low level of alertness and tact (Like people who are always using technology like their mobile phone, and missing what's going on around them). The introduction of the film Shaun of the Dead portrays this connotation satirically.

Zombies of Scientific Origin

Zombies of Science are reanimated through a means that can be partially (or superficially) explained by an existing scientific concept. Most frequently, this is by way of a virus. They are the most common types of zombies, featured in many games, movies and novels, such as Max Brooks Zombies and Resident Evil

Brooks Zombies

Max Brooks' Zombies are zombies created with the "Solanum" virus featured in the Max Brooks books, The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z. It is noteworthy that the film adaptation of the book will feature fast zombies, instead of the more traditional slow zombies. Most Zombiepedia articles pertain to Zombies of this variety, unless otherwise specified.

In the film adaptation of World War Z, the zombies notably differ from Brook's zombies in the book. They furiously and relentlessly pursue non-infected persons demonstrating notable speed and agility combined with complete disregard for self preservation. These zombies do not seek to consume their victims but merely attack them to spread the infection. The infection itself transforms the host from a healthy being to a full fledged undead in 12 seconds, though the incubation period may vary with reports of it taking 10-15 minutes for persons to turn. These zombies are may be true "undead" rather than just "infected" living persons, the disease killing then reanimating the hosts. These zombies are extremely dangerous both individually and nearly unstoppable as a group, but go "dormant" when no uninfected individuals are nearby. They howl, growl, and scream and demonstrate uncoordinated movements when not in relentless pursuit of prey.

Cordyceps Zombies

Cordyceps zombies known as the "infected" are human victims of a strain of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, a parasitic fungus that affects insects, changing their behavior in ways intended to foster the spread of the disease. In the video game and film The Last of Us and The Girl With All The Gifts, a species of cordyceps begins to infect humans changing their behavior and eventually their physiology to spread the fungal infection.

There are four stages of infection. When the host is initially infected from a bite or inhalation of spores, they have days or hours before the first symptoms set in. The first stage of the infection turns the victims into a "runner" as the fungus drives its victim into a homicidal rage, causing them to begin attacking all non-infected persons. At this point the victims still appear fully human but have diminished eyesight as the fungus begins to grow in the ocular cavity. Runners demonstrate jerky, uncoordinated movement and mutter or scream gibberish.

As the disease progresses, the fungus begins growing into more parts of the body, especially the head, by this point, the victim is half blind, and begins using echolocation to find its victims, this one is particularly known for stalking their prey, hence their name, Stalkers, being the fastest of the four, they are able to spot a human before a runner even has the chance, although they are extremely rare.

In stage three, the victim begins growing more of the fungus, eventually becoming blind, these are known as 'clickers' as the sound they make when using echolocation, these clickers are very strong, as their limits have been reduced to nothing, when angered, it will begin screeching and flailing its arms while running at the target, they are known for being able to overpower physically fit adults.

The final stage of the disease results in the body being covered in fungal growths, expanding the host's mass thus turning them into a "bloater". These are terrifying beings and are particularly difficult to kill.

Once the fungus senses that the host will die, it directs its victims to find a dark and damp place where the fungus will release its spores. Densely populated urban areas are most susceptible to infection with victims either becoming infected through inhalation of the spores or encountering one of the ravenous and violent infected. Cordyceps zombies, while particularly hardy and relentless in their pursuit of prey, are still living beings and are vulnerable to body shots as well as head shots.

Radioactive Zombies

Radioactive Zombies are extremely dangerous to all forms of life. Provided that their radioactivity doesn't wreak havoc on their ability to function, they are one of the deadliest members of the undead that a survivor could face. They can carry their radioactivity with them wherever they go and contaminate water sources, cultivatable land, and even humans and animals that come in contact with them. Their aura of death will not affect them, but can be spread to different places, depending on where the zombie wanders off to. The most dangerous factor about radioactive Zombies is that the survivor probably won't be able to notice that they have been contaminated by radioactivity until it is too late.

Radioactive zombies probably died near a nuclear power plant that had melted down or survived a nuclear explosion that had left unstable energy lingering around the blast radius.

It is highly advised to stay away from suspected areas where radioactive zombies could be. If killed, they could also leave a puddle of radioactive liquid behind, so it's generally better if you take them out from afar.

Bebb or KECK Zombies

In a series of novels, William Bebb has created a hybrid zombie which takes elements of the infected living zombies AND the generally more accepted undead variety. The novel, Valley of Death Zombie Trailer Park, chronicles events after an accident at Beaumont Biochemical. An employee died at Beaumont and was exposed to something uniquely disturbing. Rather than contact authorities a decision was made to simply get rid of the corpse. When the corpse reanimates it's a traditional slow walker that carries a viral component that later will be named after the biochemical plant manager that started the whole mess- KECK. When regular people are infected with the Keck virus, within a brief span of time, they become the fast type of zombie. Once killed the infected variety reanimate as the undead- unless killed by having the brain destroyed.

Zack Snyder's popular Dawn of the Dead remake includes fast zombies that are quite dead and still require the requisite head shot to put down for good as in the George Romero original film of the same name. Snyder also clearly showed that in his movie that infection caused zombification.

* See Differences Between Surviving Fast and Slow Zombies

Resident Evil Zombies

Resident Evil Zombies were zombies created accidentally via the T-Virus and (later) other types of virus, created by the Umbrella Corporation. These zombies vary from other zombies as not just humans become infected, but animals and plants as well.

The human zombies in Resident Evil follow an evolution line which is listed bellow:

Hyper Zombies: These zombies are "new borns" and they tend to sprint fast towards their prey, they're stronger and a bit faster than the common zombies.
Crimson Heads: After suffering a large T-Virus infection, the zombies start to gain a crimson-like skin colour, their fingers turn into claws and they start to exhale a mysterious gas. Not only they become more aggressive but faster and can take more punishment before dying.
Lickers: Is the final evolution of a zombie as the Crimson Head "evolves" into a faster and more deadly predator. They lose the ability to see, but instead they gain a sensitive sense of hearing and to walk on walls (like a bug). Also they look like as they've been skinned or "inside out". They attack their prey with their sharp claws and their long tongue. A licker is "born" from a zombie who spends a long time without eating.

In the spin off "Operation Raccoon City" the Zombies will eat other Zombies if there is no other food source around, however should a human turn up while this is happening the Zombies will instead focus on the human rather than the Zombie they're eating. This shows a preference for fresh human flesh.

iZOMBiEs

iZOMBiE, TV show on CW (2015- ) iZOMBiE Zombies are actually no REAL ZOMBIES as stated in the first season of the show. They are mutated humans, whose attributes remind of zombies.

A person mutates into a "zombie" if one of three scenarios happen: 1) You consume the energy drink "Max Rager" while at the same time being on the designer drug "Utopium" (also called "Lucky-U"), though the Utopium has to be a special version/mix, which apparently only one person knows how to create (who this person is/was no one knows, though it may be possible, it was Gabriel). This special mix of Utopium was only available on the boat party sponsored by Max Rager. The mix of the drug and the energy drink turns you immediately into a "Romero". 2) You get scratched by an already mutated/infected person. The scratch of the fingernails turns you into an average zombie, though you're not really a "zombie". Your heartbeat beats once every six seconds because of which your body loses it's colour pigments. 3) Bodily fluids: this includes consuming blood of an infected person, change of saliva or sexual relationships (even wearing condoms)

For some unknown reason iZOMBiE zombies have to eat human brains. When they do, they take on the traits of the person whose brain they ate. They also get "visions", which are memories of the eaten brain. The visions and the adoption of character traits stop as soon as the brain is isn't in the stomach anymore.

There are two different types of zombies in the show: 1) Normal Zombies: They usually have white/colorless skin, hair and eyes, though many zombies dye their hair and wear make-up to look like normal humans. When they get an adrenalin kick, they automatically turn into "Full-On Zombie Mode", meaning their skin becomes a light purple, the veins around their eyes bulb and their eyes turn blood red. In full-on zombie mode, a person usually doesn't have control over itself. In this state it behaves a lot like classic movie zombies. They're also a lot stronger and have a longer durability, though not inhuman-like. It is to note that a zombie can learn how to control itself while in Full-On Zombie Mode, like the character Blaine DeBeers did. When not in Full-On Zombie Mode, they behave like normal humans because, well... Technically they ARE. The only difference in their behavior is, like already stated above, that they take on character traits of the brain they ate and they also consumes much more pepper than normal humans, due to the fact that they can barely feel the taste of anything that they could feel while 100 % alive.

It is unknown so far if it's possible to heal the zombie "virus". Many test versions of anti-serums were already tested and some even seemed to work for a while, although only with dramatic consequences like death and complete amnesia.

2) "Romeros": They look like typical zombies as seen in Romeros' movies. They can't remember who they are and behave completely like a wild monster. They attack humans at first sight and eat their brains (ONLY the brains). A Romero can't be cured because it's body is already rotting and falling apart.

Normal zombies that go too long without eating human brains (at most, several months) will degenerate into feral "Romero" zombies. Moreover, this change is irreversible: even if such a zombie is fed fresh human brains again, it won't turn them back into a self-aware zombie.

It is to note that, whatever it is in the combination of Max Rager and Utopium that turns humans into "zombies", can also affect animals since there are/were several rats on the show which got turned into zombies. Also, like stated by Ravi Chackrabat, the virus is not spreaded among the specimen, as he was bitten in his finger by a zombie mouse and didn't transform into a zombie later

iZombie also has a comic book, though it is nothing like the TV show.

White Trash Zombie Series

White Trash Zombie series, Book series by Diana Rowland, Published by Penguin starting 2011.

Teenage delinquent Angel Crawford lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She's a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she's made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay "alive".

(See also Redneck Zombies (Troma film))

The Crazies

The Crazies are extremely rare infected who have been infected with a ' Rhabdoviridae Prototype ' Bio-warfare agent called Trixie that drives them murderously insane after catching it. They are unique in that after becoming infected, they gain the homicidal and irrational drive of a Zombie, but do not lose any of their intellect, memories, use of weapons and tools, or coordination - they simply become entirely devoted to killing any non Crazy. It is for this reasons that most Zombie researchers do not classify Crazies as Zombies. The Crazies have been known to stand still like a statue, holding their positions, lying in wait for the uninfected. Trixie kills its host after 48 hours.

Nazi Zombies

Nazi Zombies are former Nazi German (Imperial Japanese, Soviet Russian, American and Vietnamese) soldiers/civilian who have been infected with Element 115 (Ununpentium, or now officially named Moscovium, one of the heaviest and most radioactive elements). This specific type of zombies refers to the zombies from Treyarch's Call of Duty:World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies game mode. Element 115 also seems to infect dogs and it is also observed that this element enables the zombie to mutate and grow stronger than before. There are also Nova 6 crawler zombies that were failed experiments by Doctor Maxis. They explode into a cloud of toxic Nova 6 when shot unless killed with a clean shot to the head or stabbed to death. Also scary looking. Then there are:

Outside of COD, Nazi Zombies, and different variations thereof, appear in a number of films, including:

Dead Snow (Franchise)
Shock Waves
Zombie Lake
Horrors of War
Frankenstein's Army
Oasis of the Zombies
The Frozen Dead

A number of other films feature Nazi zombies with capabilities beyond those of conventional zombies, these include:

Outpost (franchise)
Blood Creek

Zombies from WW I as opposed to WW II appear in:

World War Dead
Revolt of the Zombies

Cybernetic Zombies

Cybernetic Zombie (also known as Necroborgs) are corpses reanimated by cybernetic and technological means (such as a Husk from the Mass Effect series), not to be confused with a cyborg. Cyborgs are living beings (like humans) with robot parts.

I am Legend Zombies

While not actually labelled zombies, those creatures depicted in the film and book I Am Legend live in hives in dark buildings. They resemble vampires in the way of having acute senses, considering that strong smells hurt them and are hurt by light, have increased strength and dexterity, and react to aggression in a manner very similar to zombies. According to recent reports, their origin was a humanly engineered virus mutated in order to find a cure for cancer. The virus can infect almost any form of life. Much like all viral and non viral conditions, a small percentage of the population has been shown to be immune to this unnamed virus.

[BLACKLIGHT] Zombies

These are zombies infected by the [BLACKLIGHT] or "Mercer" virus created and researched by the Gentek Corporation in the [PROTOTYPE] game series. The virus is a fast acting infection that links the infected to a central hive mind. The virus itself is adaptable, and is able to change its genetic structure in order to survive. Infected biomass is also able to meld together to create much larger creatures such as Hunter class infected, and Hydra class infected, which are similar to large gorillas and tentacles respectively. The virus also can mutate hosts with specific genetic sequences to create "runners" or unofficially, "Prototypes"; Infected humans that are able to absorb biomass and use it to morph their body to suit their needs, such as Alex Mercer and James Heller. Also, as stated earlier, a "Hive Mind" links all [BLACKLIGHT] zombies. This "Hive Mind" can be controlled by the aforementioned Prototypes no "call" infected creatures (most notably hunter-classed, hydra-classes, and a few others).

There seems to be very little protection from the [BLACKLIGHT] virus as in [PROTOTYPE 2] Blackwatch (a military group similar to Alpha Squads) members were infected by gas that turned them into Evolved (Infected with powers similar to Heller and Mercer but less powerful) and Zombies even with Gas Masks on.

In [PROTOTYPE 2] if you have a specifc DLC pack, you can use the "Viral Infector Grenade Launcher" to create [BLACKLIGHT] Zombies and cause chaos, even in areas where there is no infection. This works on Blackwatch and Military personnel too.

Also, unlike the Solanum zombies, the zombies have been given increased strength and damage resistance. Although, like the Solanum zombies, these zombies have decreased intelligence level, slow, and almost no sense of touch.

Deadite Zombies

Deadites Zombies are zombies animated by an as of yet unclassified source. Any life-force, but any known lifeform (plant, animal, even plant, mold spores) has proven susceptible to infiltration of Demons. They are described as evil demonic zombies and are the main antagonists of the Evil Dead Franchise. Their disembodied forms are rarely shown, notable examples being when the evil was put in the "world of the flesh".

The person possessed by the Deadite is totally overwhelmed by the Kandarian Demon's main consciousness, with the resulting Deadite having access to all the hosts memories and behaviour.

The Force and Deadite are connected via hive-mind and support the fact that they are multiple in large but unknown numbers.

DOOM Zombies

Zombies in DOOM are not created through infection; rather an exclusive result of demonic reanimation. They fall under the Armed Zombie category; in both classic and new DOOM games, they are characterized by their use of firepower against the player. In classic DOOM, zombies appear to be fairly unintelligent; they will walk around, occasionally stopping to fire off shots against the player, and utilize items such as handguns, shotguns, and even chainguns. In DOOM 3, they are split into more-conventional civilian Zombies, and the tactically-intelligent Z-SEC security zombies, which take cover, use squad tactics, and operate weapons such as pistols, submachine guns, and shotguns. In the DOOM reboot, they are the product of a Lazarus Wave; imbued by Argent Energy, they remain active in an undead state. Standard Possessed are mindless, regular zombies; Possessed Security and Possessed Soldiers are far more intelligent (the former using an arm-meshed plasma shotgun and riot shield, and firing in defilade, and the latter using advanced movement tactics and firing a plasma rifle meshed into their right arm in automatic bursts).

Intelligent Zombies

Intelligent Zombies, are zombies that retain their personality and intelligence, such as the zombies in Marvel Zombies, Undead or Alive and the house of night zombies AKA red flegings. Another example would be the Head Zombie in Romero's Land of the Dead. In fact, this can be spread to most if not all the zombies in the film, as they show reasoning skills. These zombies are exceedingly rare. Also, in Resident Evil they show the scientist's test subject proving that zombies (in those movies) can intellectually remember how to use the things that normal people can also use. However, if the zombies get angry they then go back to the barbaric mode of their life as a person (classical zombie mode)

One should never assume a zombie to be intelligent unless there is overwhelming evidence in support of this idea. Countless zombie victims owe their demise to hesitation when they wrongly perceive that some vestige of their transformed loved one remains.

Armed Zombies

The armed zombie is a variant of Intelligent Zombie, and extremely dangerous for survivors. It only appears in infections where a zombie retains more than absolute basic motor skills- mostly where repeated memories are retained, or where zombies have limited or full intelligence. The chief feature of an Armed Zombie is that it is packing heat- ranging from former survivors with handguns, to heavily-armored zombie soldiers with automatic assault rifles. Their tactical competence widely varies- most Armed Zombies shamble with the rest of the horde, occasionally stopping to take wild potshots from the hip, never aimed, and may be easily defeatable with the simple expedient of waiting until their firearm is out of ammo. Others are more dangerous; those with some retained tactical skill are often a nightmare to fight, as they will move in groups or even "squads" of sorts, and exercise basic tactics such as taking cover or firing more steady, aimed shots. The most intelligent armed zombies in fiction are a match for a human soldier- in this case, it is nearly impossible to fight one in an open confrontation, and the best choice is to simply disengage or totally avoid them.

Sankarea: Undying Love

Sankarea: Undying Love (Japanese: さんかれあ Hepburn: Sankarea) is a romantic comedy manga, written and illustrated by Mitsuru Hattori, about a deceased girl who becomes a zombie. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine between December 2009 and September 2014 and compiled in eleven tankōbon volumes. The series has been licensed and is published in North America by Kodansha USA. An anime television adaptation by Studio Deen aired in Japan from April 5 to June 28, 2012. A novel adaptation by Ryō Suzukaze was published by Kodansha in July 2012. Chihiro Furuya is a male high school student with a keen interest in zombies, collecting zombie-related videogames, film and manga, and even to the point of desiring to "kiss a zombie girl". Following the death of his pet cat, Babu, he attempts to revive it using an old manuscript, which describes the process of creating a potion for resurrection. At this time, he encounters a girl named Rea Sanka, who has run away from home. In an attempt to commit suicide, she drinks a sample of the "resurrection" potion which is created from the poisonous Hydrangea macrophylla flower, although this fails to kill her. Following an argument with her father, she falls from a cliff by accident and dies. However, as a result of the potion, she becomes a zombie who eats hydrangea leaves to survive. The story follows the life of Chihiro and his new 'zombie girlfriend'.

The Girl With All The Gifts

The Girl With All The Gifts is a film that featured a child who was revealed to be a zombie, while still being able to think and feel for herself like a normal human being.

Giant Zombies/Behemoths

Giant Zombies, or Behemoths, are an extremely rare and powerful zombie that have mutated into an extremely gigantic size, ranging from as big as a truck to as big as a building, while they tend to lack any intelligence, their size and strength make them an extremely deadly opponent, they may also throw cars or rocks at a survivor. Examples of Giant Zombies can include the Titans from Dead Frontier, the Demolishers from Dying Light, and the Zombie Hulks from Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead.

Rot and Ruin Zombies

Rot and Ruin Zombies are zombies that appear in the Rot and Ruin book series by Jonathon Maberry. Rot and Ruin Zombies are unique, in the fact that they not only reanimate through infection by bite, all humans that die after First Night, or the initial outbreak reanimate as living dead, regardless of any contact with an existing Zombie. Infectious agents only appear to exist in the Zombie's saliva. Scratches do not appear to cause any long term damage.

Attracted by noise, light, and movement, Rot and Ruin Zombies will chase and bite all forms of life, be it human or squirrel, however only appear to be interested in consuming human flesh. Some wild boars can become zombies. Zombies appear to have little to no brain activity, being rarely to open doors, or use weapons except in extraordinarily rare cases where freshly turned Zombies will pick up sticks or rocks to use as weapons. A mutated form of the Reaper Plague makes faster and smarter zombies that can use weapons, run, and open doors. Some can change their gait to that of a slow zombie and hide (One hid behind a car and bit a soldier, and imitated a normal zombie,killing 2 more before it was killed). Zombies treated with Archangel (see below) also gain these abilities.

Since the Zombies do not themselves move for any reason unless they see a stimulus, hordes of Zombies as well as single Zombies will stay in one spot for years without stimulus, even allowing vines to grow over their feet and legs. After a certain point, Rot and Ruin Zombies stop decaying, and will not consume corpses that are already dead. They will stop eating a fresh body after a certain point, are put off by the smell of rotting flesh and will not consume other zombies. It is unclear why, all though if bleach is used, Zombies will attack anything on sight, including other Zombies. making seem as if Zombies can smell the difference between humans and other living things and other Zombies.

Noms, or Nomadic Zombies are extremely rare, but do exist. These are zombies that will move on their own, without any apparent stimulus.

Rot and Ruin Zombies can be put down by any fatal damage to the brain and brain stem. Bashing in the skull or simply cutting the brain stem will do, and it is highly advised that one cut the brain-stem or "quiet" any human immediately upon death, as most humans who die soon reanimate. There is a small (less than 1%) amount of people that will not re-animate, and decay properly upon death.

A special extract of the "juices" created during the rotting of flesh can be created by crushing and filtering corpses and flesh after rotting. This awful smelling liquid called Cadaverine can be sprinkled on clothing and hair to help prevent Zombie attacks. Unless used in huge quantities, which is not recommended, Zombies will not refrain from attacking, but will hesitate in their assault, allowing for quick disposal of the Zed if things get too close for comfort.

The cause of re-animation is a mix of bacteria, viruses and parasites called Reaper.

Reaper has a cure called Archangel. It causes the zombies to degrade in about a week, although the zombies become smarter and nearly as fast as a living human running before they rot. They become runners for 2 or 3 days, then they will slowly down and rot, then they will decompose properly. The living infected will be cured, but must continue taking Archangel or they will revert to a infected state, but if they die, they will not re-animate. If a healthy human is about to die (I.e gunshots, cuts, and other things), then take Archangel, they also will not re-animate.

[•REC] Zombies

They are people infected/possesed by a supernatural pathogen which was created when Priest Albelda was trying to cure a child of demonic possession , but something went wrong when the used enzyme has mutated in a virus that was a contagious demonic possession.

Humans are not the only ones that can be infected, animals too can get infected. In the first film, Jennifer's dog was infected by the same virus and caused havoc in a veterinary clinic, and another case from the the third comic entitled "Zoombiii¡" when an infected man made its way to the Zoo of Barcelona and infected all the animals including the albino gorilla named "Snowflake".

The infected's eyes are usually blood red or blank white. And they move very fast. They can only be killed by shooting or destroying the head where the brain is located. And they can be stopped or freezed by reciting prayers or performing an exorcism.

Reviveds And Revitalizeds

These two zombie types are documented by the book series "Zom-B" by Darren Shan. Reviveds are fast zombies that eat brains. They have poor vision but a great sense of hearing and smell. Their good hearing can be used against them, however, with high-pitched and loud noises. They can hear a heart beating and they hate the sun. This doesn't mean that humans are completely safe, though, as they will still run through light if needed. Destroying the brain is the only way to kill them. They have large bone-like claws sticking through their fingers and toes and have large, growing teeth. They can live for up to thousands of years.

Revitalizeds are zombies that were "vaccinated" and given a mark. This means that after a few months after being infected they will regain their senses. If they don't become infected after around 20 years of being vaccinated they will melt. There is a much higher chance to revitalize as a teenager than as an adult. They are required to eat brains. If a revitalized goes a week or two without feeding on brains, they will turn into q revived. Their features are a lot like reviveds. Tear ducts are dry, so crying is not and option, claws in the fingers and toes, teeth that need to be filed back regularly so they don't fill the entire mouth. Notably, their eyelids don't work, so like reviveds, they can't sleep. For the first few months before revitalizing they remain as a revived. After the first 4 weeks or so of revitalizing they can form basic words and are required to have their tongue at the bottom of their mouths when speaking to avoid biting the damn thing off. They are given the nickname "angels" and are being recruited to fight against an evil clown and his mutant army, known as Mr Dowling.

Zombie Rules Zombies/Evolving Zombies

This variety of zombie appear in the Zombie Rules series by David Achord. At the beginning of the series, these zombies are similar to the classic Romero zombie. They are slow moving and unintelligent and seem to have no need for the flesh they consume. However, throughout the series they begin to display characteristics that they are no longer 'classic' zombies and are (at first) healing and then evolving. Some are witnessed scoping down to drink water from puddles, others are shown to be healing from the decomposition they endured.

Investigations carried out by the characters in the series show that the zombies digestive tracts have begun working again, they show signs of a primitive thought pattern, and the zombies actively seek out shelter during cold weather or rain. They begin to communicate again- albeit at a very basic level, consisting mainly of grunts, growls and pointing. At least two of the infected are worthy of note, as they display other characteristics worthy of mention.

1) Big Bastard shows tactical thinking-- being able to plan ambushes and remember faces of people who have 'harmed' him. He is able to "take charge" of other zombies and co-ordinate them in a sneak attack.

2) Peggy shows sign of further thinking. Before being put down she regained the power of speech and was able to recognize, and utter the name of, her husband. She was also able to recognize she was in danger when she had a gun pointed at her and was able to signal other zombies for help. There was speculation among the survivors as to whether this was due to the vocalization she made or whether the theorized mutation of her brain led her to have some level of telepathic link to other infected.

Overall, the infected begin to behave strangely- with it hinted at that some (as indicated above) have some form of telepathic control over others. Also, they begin to show signs of moving as a herd, and not just a random formation. Several thousand are seen using a rail track to evacuate Nashville once that area had become depopulated of food, and several hundred, with no vocal signal or other sign, turn to face several survivors who are hiding, but they do not attack-- further solidifying in the minds of the survivors the theory that the infected share a telepathic link.

One Piece Zombies

They are bodies that were prepared by the efforts of Dr. Hogback and revived by the shadows of Gecko Moriah. These zombies, eventhough they all have a disheleved appearance, they all have human personality, except for those who received animal shadows, instead. The newly created zombies will all have personality of the owner of their given shadow, being capable even of betraying their master at first and giving the watcher many comic momments, but as the time passes, traits of such personality disappears, making them totally loyal to their creator. Also, these zombies will have numbers marked on their bodies, according to the order of their creations. Human zombies will have gray skin, while non human zombies may vary on their skin color, such as oarz being red and the cerberus having blue and yellow color, due to the fact that his body was made by the bodies of two dogs and a fox. The zombies will also have stitch marks around their bodies. They can all be killed by consuming salt, and their shadows will return to their respective owners, no matter how far or close they are. Persons who regained their stolen shadows may have some brief memories of his zombies, such as when Lola had the feeling of already knowing Nami when they never met actually. Unlike most of the zombies from popular culture, they have no interest on feeding themselves.

Metal Slug Zombie

They are common persons zombified via allien technology. They can zombificate other persons by having their bodily fluids entering in contact with the victims. The victim lies dead on the floor and rises upon being affected by a lightning straight from the sky. The protagonists from the game can also be turned into zombies, but their attacks consists on puking a giant blood geyser that destroys everything on its path. They are also unaffected by the attacks of the Morden's Army, but can die if entering in contact again with the bodily fluids of a zombie. The can become humans again by collecting medical items, usually dropped by doctor zombies.

High School of Dead Zombies

The origin of their zombification was never explained on the anime or manga. They have gray skin and an almost invisible or no eye iris at all, making them blind and having to count on their audition to find their preys. Except for these facts, they will behave like any zombie. Hisashi Igou has named the zombies as "them", and since then, this name was used on the anime. They also have no interest on animals

Tokyo Summer of the Dead Zombies

The origin of their infection was never revealed and they are slower during night time.

Naruto Zombies

the 3 types below are types of zombies found within the Naruto series

Edo Tensei Zombies

They are summoned from the dead by the already quoted jutsu "Edo Tensei" when the users uses an alive person as sacrifice to receive the summoned soul. A DNA sample of the summoned must also be used on the jutsu, so the summoner will mostly violate graves for parts of body. They will have nearly the same appearance they had when alive and will be fully conscious and have memories from their lives. Thei will also keep their jutsus, being kekkei genkai or not. At first, the summoned zombie can act freely, but if the summoner places in their heads a kunai with a cursed tag, the zombie will be forced to obey him, losing the control of his movements little by little. An unavoidable characteristic of a reincarnated body is the darkened sclerae, with a soul that retains its personality having grey sclerae and a soul with a suppressed personality having black sclerae.

Soil Zombies

ar summoned by the jutsu:Earth Release Resurrection Technique: Corpse Soil. The user can summon them in two ways: partial and fully. Partially: Thei will behave like any zombie: no intelligence, phyisical prowess or jutsus. They are easy to destroy and once destroyed they are reduced to dust. They will also be reduced to dust if the summoner is defeated or undo the jutsu. Fully: the summoner resurrects the summoned completely and has full control over them, despite the fact that they are conscious. The summoned also has full acess to their tecniques.by performing a Snake hand seal and snapping their fingers, the summoner of this technique releases the resurrected targets, turning them into loose soil

Explosive Zombies

Also known as Kibaku Ningen, they are zombies that explodes when wounded.

Yugioh Zombies

There is a wide variation on their appearance, varying between mummies, vampires, ghosts, skeletons or revived corpses. In some few cases, they will have doll appearance, such as the cases of Necroface and Necro Manequinn. Zombies also have two of their own Structure Decks: Zombie Madness and Undead World/Zombie World. Some of the Synchro Zombie monsters are zombified versions of already existing monsters, requiring the famous Plaguespreader Zombie to Synchro Summon them.

The Evil Within Zombies

Even though they're not dressed as zombies on the game, they're basically zombies. See more details in The Haunteds.

Sleeper Zombies

From the zombie survival game Mini Dayz. These are regular zombies that will lie down in cities or roads and will only wake up when provoked by survivors or something else noisy.

Headcrab Zombies

People that are being controlled by headcrabs from Half-Life game series. The creepiest thing about them is that, the host of the headcrab tears it's body apart that a normal human couldn't survive, but the host is still alive when the headcrab is on. There are 4 types of Headcrab Zombies:

Standard Headcrab Zombie

A victim of the Standard Headcrab, the Xen wildlife. In Half-Life 1, it's mutation, Gonome, had an ability to attack with it's ribs. All Standard Headcrabs make the host's chest burst and the ribs basically have an appearance of teeth. This zombie's screams while burning make no sense, but if we reverse it, it sounds like: "HELP, GOD, HELP...! HELP ME! (excruciating pain sounds) Why, why.., why..."

Fast Headcrab Zombie

A victim of the Fast Headcrab, Xen wildlife discovered in Half-Life 2. As the host is controlled by the headcrab, it's body is torn apart, withering and it's veins are projecting out of it's arms. It has an ability to pounce and climb pipes. If we reverse the audio of the Fast Headcrab (not the zombie), it 'speaks out' "Hell." somehow very quickly, due to it's sounds being short.

Poison Headcrab Zombie

A victim of the Poison Headcrabs, a venomous type of Xen wildlife discovered in Half-Life 2. The host carries additional headcrabs on it's back and has ability to throw them, as they inject an extremely powerful neurotoxin with four fangs on it's chelicerae when attacking or being thrown by the zombie. It's tough and hard to kill, especially with a 9mm pistol.

Zombine

A victim of the Standard Headcrab. It is a headcrab controlling a Combine Soldier. The Zombine moves faster than the other zombies. It's main attack, except claws, is taking out a grenade, running into the player and exploding itself and the player. It often fails due to zombine dropping the grenade or not killing the player. It is harder to kill than other zombies, but easier than Poison Zombie. These zombies still speak even though the only left out of their head is the lower jaw, when the headcrab falls off, they speak things such as: "Sector is... not secure...", "Nectrotics inbound.", "Contact...", "Infestation..".