The Last Of Us: Part II – Who Are FEDRA?

Who are they really, and most importantly, why does everyone in the in-game world seem to hate them so much?

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A point of contention surrounding The Last of Us, aside from the fan backlash over the sequel, is who in the series is the main antagonist. Whether it be the many hordes of zombies, the rebellious Fireflies, the newly-introduced WLF, or even, as some fans have pointed out, Joel Miller, there are a plethora of choices and theories as to who really is this big baddie.

Main among all archetypal villains for the franchise, however, is none other than this world’s disaster relief strike force, the Federal Disaster Response Agency – codenamed FEDRA. Who are they really, and most importantly, why does everyone in the in-game world seem to hate them so much?

A Quick History Lesson

In the original The Last of Us, players are first introduced to the cruel and heartless nature of the military from the very outset, when a soldier takes aim and fires on both Joel and his daughter, Sarah. Her death is the very catalyst of the story, and it being perpetrated by a serviceman highlights their overall standing in this world as a renegade militia. Though it’s never explicitly mentioned whether the soldier was FEDRA or not, the Agency had already uprooted the US military by the start of the outbreak in 2013 and were mobilizing a coup. Those who weren’t infected with the Cordyceps brain infection (and/or simply shot on a whim) would be moved to safe zones under strict FEDRA guidelines.

Initially designed to aid the US in combatting the spread of CBI, FEDRA had evolved into a bureaucratic power using martial law to their advantage. Overruling such cities as Boston, Pittsburgh and, as detailed in The Last of Us Part II, Seattle, the Agency quickly instituted itself as the main hierarchy in quarantine zones across the US. A multitude of concerns made controlling these zones next to impossible, what with increasing CBI outbreaks and food shortages being the least of their concerns. Over the years they were challenged by groups of survivors that rose up into factions, such as the Fireflies, Hunters, and the sequel’s Washington Liberation Front.

FEDRA Versus The World

Twenty years after the outbreak and players are met with a FEDRA-controlled quarantine zone, wherein food ration cards and civilian worker drafts are the way of the apocalypse. By this time the Agency and the military have essentially amalgamated, but few QZs still stand aside from Boston. Despite limited resources and zones at their disposal, FEDRA maintains immense superiority while combating the so-called heroes of the first game, the Fireflies, and later other rebel factions, like the WLF.

Aside from an assortment of military soldiers, neither the first or second game ever depict any Agency officials. In fact, most of what players learn about FEDRA is through discoveries, like pamphlets, graffiti, long-forgotten notes, and interesting survivors with a sour distaste for them. By the second game, FEDRA is all but history with only but the dilapidated remnants of the Seattle QZ left to show for their existence. In most places, it seems, their extreme oppression eventually wrought their untimely end.

While only but a background faction in The Last of Us, FEDRA encapsulates the essence of the game as a ruthless survivor. Out of all the main antagonist theories, they are by far the perfect match.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/the-last-of-us-part-ii-fedra-explained/