Who are the best Grand Theft Auto protagonists?
, by Chris
GTA VI releases on November 19. In less than a week, we'll meet two new faces in the state of Leonida: Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval. It's the perfect opportunity to look back and take stock. Which protagonists have truly left their mark on the series? Who made history, and who fell short?
In this feature, we're focusing on the franchise's main protagonists. That means we've left out the silent heroes from the early GTA games, as well as London, Advance and Chinatown Wars. We're focusing on the main characters: the ones with a voice, a story and a personality of their own.
11) Claude Speed (Grand Theft Auto III, 2001)
He's the only silent protagonist in the entire series. And it shows.
Claude doesn't speak, doesn't make decisions and never stands up for himself. He simply goes from one mission to the next, gets used by pretty much everyone in Liberty City and eventually gets his revenge almost by accident. Three years later, we'd see Claude again in GTA San Andreas (which takes place ten years before GTA III). And that doesn't exactly do him any favors: once again, he's little more than everyone's punching bag.
To be fair, Rockstar hadn't even planned a proper story for GTA III. The game was originally supposed to be a remake of the first installment, released in 1997. The idea was for players to simply complete missions through payphones, with no real objective or narrative structure. The story was added at the last minute, leaving no time to write dialogue or cast a voice actor.
That's why we ended up with a protagonist who has no voice, no personality and no charisma. Still, Claude Speed deserves some credit for being the first protagonist in a Grand Theft Auto game with an actual story.
10) Toni Cipriani (GTA Liberty City Stories, 2005)
In 2005, Toni Cipriani returned to the GTA franchise. We'd already met him as one of Salvatore Leone's trusted associates in GTA III. Liberty City Stories tells the story of how he climbed the ranks of the crime family two years before those events.
The problem is that Toni never quite feels like leading-man material. He's insecure, frequently humiliated, struggles to command respect and has more than a few issues keeping his emotions in check. He has some genuinely good lines, which puts him ahead of Claude, but he's still a long way from the series' greatest characters.
09) Franklin Clinton (Grand Theft Auto V, 2013)
The weakest in GTA V's trio of protagonists.
At first, Franklin has style. He's a young man from the streets who wants to make something of himself and leave his criminal past behind. But he quickly starts to stagnate. His relationship with Tanisha highlights his indecisiveness, his inability to make tough choices and how easily other people end up calling the shots.
He no longer wants to be a gangster, but he doesn't really fit into the luxurious lifestyle he can afford after the heists, either. He's caught between two worlds without ever finding his place in either.
He's neither particularly likable nor especially memorable. Just average. He can't even hold his own against Lamar, which says it all!
08) Johnny Klebitz (GTA The Lost and Damned, 2009)
Ah, good ol’ Johnny… We first meet him briefly in GTA IV, back in 2008, during a handful of missions. But it's The Lost and Damned that really introduces us to Johnny. And he makes quite an impression in the expansion. Leader of The Lost, tough, loyal and willing to do whatever it takes for his gang. At that point, he's arguably one of the biggest players in Liberty City, even ahead of Niko and Luis.
Then he shows up in Los Santos in GTA V, and runs into Trevor.
We already knew that his relationship with Ashley was his biggest weakness. In Los Santos, it becomes his downfall. He knows she's cheating on him with Trevor, but he stays, clings to the relationship and ends up apologizing in tears... before Trevor decapitates him.
An ending that completely undoes all the charisma he built up in his own game.
07) Carl Johnson (GTA San Andreas, 2004)
Yes, we know some of you will be surprised to see CJ this low on the list. After all, many consider him the best protagonist in the entire GTA series. Carl is an icon, but the truth is that his journey has more than a few ups and downs.
His adventure gets off to a rough start: everyone looks down on him, his old friends blame him for abandoning Los Santos, and he simply takes it all without putting up much of a fight. Gradually, though, he gains power, earns everyone's respect and eventually takes control. It looks like CJ has finally become a real heavyweight.
Then Catalina shows up. For an entire story arc, CJ turns into a lovesick puppy. He falls for her in less than 24 hours and is willing to do just about anything for a toxic and downright awkward relationship. And honestly, it takes quite a bit away from his character.
Thankfully, he gets back on track. He takes control of a casino in Las Venturas before returning to reclaim Los Santos and save his family. Still, those moments of weakness are hard to forget.
06) Victor Vance (GTA Vice City Stories, 2006)
Just short of the top five! Vic is Lance Vance's brother. We briefly saw him back in 2002 in GTA Vice City, where he dies during the opening cutscene when a drug deal with Tommy goes horribly wrong.
Vice City Stories takes place two years earlier and tells the story of his rise to power. Vic is an honest military man who gets framed and loses everything overnight, but he refuses to give up. Through odd jobs and increasingly shady assignments, he earns the respect of Vice City and sets out to get his revenge. He's a solid, consistent protagonist who rarely puts a foot wrong. A very strong character.
05) Michael De Santa (Grand Theft Auto V, 2013)
Probably the most complex character among GTA V's three protagonists.
On paper, Michael has it all: legendary heists, a family that's financially secure and a comfortable retirement in the sun. In reality, though, nothing seems to be going his way.
His marriage is falling apart, his children are impossible to handle and, despite his best intentions, nothing ever seems to work out. He's a troubled, exhausted man who gets dragged back into the world of heists because his past eventually catches up with him. Even so, he's an incredibly likable character. It's hard not to sympathize with him and spend the entire adventure hoping things will finally turn around.
He's a very different kind of protagonist from the usual** GTA** leading men, and that's precisely what makes him so interesting.
04) Luis Lopez (GTA The Ballad of Gay Tony, 2009)
Luis is pure class.
As the bodyguard of Tony Prince, Liberty City's king of nightlife, he's got the connections, the style and the quick wit to handle just about anything. He's a ladies' man, a tough guy and someone who always seems to get out of trouble without breaking a sweat.
It's hard to find any real flaw here. He's charismatic, capable and never has to try too hard to make an impression.
03) Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto V, 2013)
If we're talking about embodying the very essence of GTA, Trevor should be number one. Unstable, violent, immoral and completely without limits. Trevor is GTA at its most extreme. His first scene says it all: he decapitates Johnny Klebitz, who had previously been one of the toughest characters in the entire series.
The problem is that Trevor takes things so far that it's difficult to see him as a well-rounded protagonist. He's a fascinating, unforgettable character, but not necessarily the best hero in the more traditional sense.
Even so, he's still one of the greatest additions to GTA V, largely thanks to Steven Ogg's outstanding performance.
02) Tommy Vercetti (GTA Vice City, 2002)
Tommy is in a league of his own.
Voiced by the legendary and late Ray Liotta, he arrives in Vice City as little more than a pawn. The Mafia sends him into a setup, expecting him to handle a deal that goes horribly wrong. But Tommy isn't the kind of man who takes things lying down. He decides to take over the city, settle scores with everyone who crossed him and build his own empire. And he pulls it off. In style.
Nobody dares disrespect him. Whatever he sets his mind to, he gets. He's Tony Montana through Rockstar's lens.
01) Niko Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV, 2008)
And at number one, there could only be Niko Bellic. He's arguably one of the best-written characters in Rockstar's history, right up there with Arthur Morgan and John Marston.
Niko arrives in Liberty City after the war, deeply traumatized and chasing the American Dream his cousin Roman promised him: women, money, cars and a mansion. The reality, however, is that he starts at the very bottom. He has to survive, work his way up and climb the criminal underworld's ranks while hunting down the traitor responsible for killing his brothers in arms.
It's a dark, deeply human story, a far cry from the carefree fun of the older GTA games. Niko tries to stay true to his principles and do what's right, despite everything he's forced to do.
A true hero. The best protagonist in the entire series.
Will Jason and Lucia manage to live up to the series' legendary protagonists? Perhaps even surpass them? We'll find out in less than a week.