Throughout The Last of Us Part II, the WLF derogatorily call the Seraphites “Scars,” referring to the self-inflicted scars that are visible on their faces. “We are imperfect beings, and we make ourselves imperfect in her eyes,” is a common saying amongst the Seraphites, and seems to be their motivation for giving themselves these scars.
Like most religious cults, it seems like the Seraphites have become increasingly zealous over the years, using the Prophet’s teachings to enact violence on others. In the game, we see them hang and dismember people, we learn from a former member that they are incredibly transphobic, and we also learn that they aren’t against marrying children off to the elders.
In the game, we learn a lot about the Seraphites second hand, from letters left behind, from members of the WLF, and from a couple young kids who have very recently escaped the cult. So we really don’t know how much of their current practices were in the Prophet’s original teachings versus what has potentially been warped and manipulated over the years to justify their actions. It also doesn’t help that the Seraphites have been at war with the WLF for a long time. Both groups have enacted so much violence against each other, and it’s always easier to justify atrocities when you believe you’re fighting for the ‘greater good’ of humanity.
The Seraphites have long been a fascinating part of The Last of Us Part II’s lore, and hopefully we’ll get to see more of them and their origins as the HBO series goes on. The show is already using them as a tactic to show us how ruthless the WLF can be. There’s a reason they’re introduced to us via a small group with a young child that Dina (Isabela Merced) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) find massacred as soon as they hit the outskirts of Seattle. But as we know in this world, the good guys and the bad guys are never truly as black and white as we might want them to be.
