The Prophet’s Kids Are All Right: The Last of Us Season 3 Casts Its Yara and Lev

Dust off your raincoats and sharpen your shivs, because HBO is officially moving into the second half of the Part II misery marathon. While we’re all still bracing for the emotional trauma of Season 2, the casting gods at The Last of Us have already started filling out the roster for Season 3. The big news? The Seraphite siblings have officially been found. Michelle Mao is stepping into the role of the resilient Yara, and Kyriana Kratter will play the stoic, arrow-slinging Lev.

For those who haven’t spent forty hours white-knuckling a controller, these aren't just background cultists. Yara and Lev are the beating heart of Abby Anderson’s redemption arc. Casting them is a massive signal that Season 3 will dive headfirst into the brutal, rain-slicked civil war between the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Seraphites (affectionately known as "Scars" by people who like being gutted in the woods).

Meet the New Arrivals

Michelle Mao, who recently graced our screens in Bridgerton and Surfside Girls, takes on Yara. In the game, Yara is the older, protective sister who pays a heavy physical price for her brother’s apostasy. Mao has shown she can handle period drama and lighthearted mystery, but she’s about to trade corsets for cult robes and a very stressful relationship with a hammer.

Then there’s Kyriana Kratter as Lev. Kratter is fresh off a stint in the Star Wars universe with Skeleton Crew, but the forests of Seattle are a far cry from a galaxy far, far away. Lev is a 13-year-old runaway who defied the strict gender roles of the Seraphite cult, a journey that remains one of the most poignant and discussed elements of the entire franchise.

Why This Matters (and Why We’re Worried for Our Sanity)

The addition of Mao and Kratter confirms that Season 3 is doubling down on the "Abby side" of the narrative. If Season 2 is Ellie’s descent into a revenge-fueled hellscape, Season 3 is shaping up to be the perspective shift that makes us all feel terrible for judging Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) in the first place.

These two characters provide the moral compass for a story that is otherwise devoid of any light. Watching Lev and Yara navigate the wreckage of a world that wants them dead, not because of the fungus, but because of their own people, is some of the best writing Naughty Dog ever produced. Seeing it translated to screen with Mao and Kratter is exciting, even if we know it’s going to involve a lot of crying into our overpriced HBO Max subscriptions.

The Expanding Cast

Mao and Kratter aren't the only ones joining the apocalypse. They'll be sharing the screen with Patrick Wilson, who has been cast as Abby’s father, Jerry, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr., who is taking over the role of Manny. It’s a stacked lineup for what might be the show's final, brutal chapter.

Between the cult politics, the whistling in the woods, and the inevitable "Rat King" encounter that will haunt our nightmares,

Season 3 is looking like a masterpiece of televised misery. We’re here for it.

Are you ready to see the Seraphite siblings in action, or are you still recovering from the season finale? Let us know your thoughts on the casting in the comments, and keep it locked to The TV Cave for every update on the Cordyceps front.