The Cannibals in The Last of Us TV show are a group of survivors led by a preacher named David. Despite their leader feeding them human meat, the majority of the colony is unaware of what they are eating.
Only a handful of David’s closest allies know what is truly happening.
While cannibalism is implied, the viewer only gets a confirmation when Ellie finds a human ear on the floor.
The Cannibals are one of the most gruesome sets of people and in the show, the actor who plays David does an excellent job showcasing his evil nature.
While the show portrays David’s followers as blindly following the religious man, his people in the game know what is happening. This makes the inner circle of the group a much more sinister set of people in the TV series.
In the show, the Cannibals are more similar to a cult whereas, in the game, they are all willing cannibals.
Of course, episode 8 is not the first glimpse of this group, as they were actually the people who assaulted Joel and Ellie in episode 6!

What Do the Cannibals Want in The Last of Us TV Show?
The goal of the cannibals is fairly simple, as all they want to do is survive. Under the guidance of David and James, the group has survived for many years.
However, the common people of the group did not know they were eating humans the hunters had killed.
David, James, and the other trusted members of his inner circle would lie about what meat they ate each night.
Unfortunately, this way of life is what eventually causes the end of David as well as the end of James.

Who is in the Cannibals?
The Cannibals are a large group of men, women, and children who blindly follow the leadership of David. While we do not learn the name of every member, we do know a few of the members:
- David – Leader
- James – Second in command
- Marco – Hunter
- Timothy- Hunter
- Josiah – Hunter
- Hannah – The young child whose father was killed by Joel
- Joyce – Chef
The Cannibals are not the last villainous sets of people Joel and Ellie are going to encounter. You may need to read up on an important group in that will return in episode 9!