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Every GTA protagonist, ranked
With GTA 6 rapidly approaching, we take a look back at the characters who’ve been with us through a lifetime of adventures, from GTA 3 to GTA 5 and beyond.
From Grand Theft Auto 3 to the upcoming GTA 6, the best-selling crime series has been endlessly innovating for over 25 years and counting, across seven core games, a handful of spin-offs, and one seemingly unstoppable Online mode.
Alongside the gritty crime and car theft it’s best known for, the series really excels in its lighter elements and humour, and often it’s the games’ main characters who bring these moments of levity.
The series protagonists are the fans’ way into this world, and the best ones stay with players long after the closing credits are done. These characters see players through highs and lows, high-octane chases, nail-biting shoot-outs and maybe even a few heartbreaks.
With that in mind, before we meet Jason and Lucia for the first time, how do fans rank the series protagonists from CJ to Trevor, Tommy to Franklin, and beyond? [Editor's note: the numbering is sequential, but the ranking is from worst at the top to best at the bottom).
01
Claude (GTA 3)
The first star of what the series would become
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
With his quiffed hair and leather jacket, Claude served as the protagonist of GTA’s first 3D game. Basically, he’s a foundational part of the entire series. His jaunty walk/hop gait has been much imitated online, while his method of dragging innocent drivers out of their car remains a thing of beauty. It was simpler times back then, but Claude had everything he needed to rise to the top of Liberty City’s criminal world.
Interestingly, for a GTA protagonist, Claude didn’t speak at all in the game. And it wasn’t actually until GTA San Andreas (where he briefly appears) that fans actually learned his name. He’s a blank page, and that’s sort of the point.
One fan puts it pretty succinctly. “Claude was literally meant to be a stand-in for the player to see themselves on the world of liberty city. It's the reason why he was never even given a proper name until GTA San Andreas, and even then there's nothing to say about his character besides the fact that he works for multiple mob bosses."
So it’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, the nostalgia is strong, and Claude came across as the perfect strong, silent everyman. On the other hand, it’s hard to truly root for a character we know next to nothing about, and whose impact on the series was hampered by the software limitations of the day. Looking ahead to what the series would become, and how richly detailed its later protagonists were, Claude claims the bottom spot by default.
02
Niko Bellic (GTA 4)
Niko Bellic brought gritty realism to the series
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
When it comes to living the American Dream, no one quite did it like Niko Bellic, the Eastern European former soldier who moved to Liberty City and promptly set about working his way up the crime ladder. “He was such a unique character at the time I had never thought of having a European immigrant as a GTA character,” wrote one Reddit user.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to put Niko higher on this list due to the mixed reception GTA 4 got among fans. It’s a darker story with fewer of the lighter moments that made other entries so beloved. Literally so, in that the visuals deal in more sepia tones and washed out greys, and metaphorically so in that Niko, traumatised by past wars, is fighting for survival, not status, wealth or respect like other protagonists. All of this makes for a more serious, and at times, draining game.
That said, fans did appreciate the realism of Niko as a character. “It was like they had already covered all the generic stereotypes of the mobsters and gangstas and so they got creative and unique and made a genuine character of a random unexpected background and built off it and it worked amazingly,” the same Reddit user continues. So, while Niko remains beloved, his story can feel like a bit of a slog.
Then, of course without delving into spoilers there’s the problem that even among all GTA protagonists, Niko did some pretty questionable stuff. “Canonically he was a human trafficker and because of that I didn’t really feel bad that he got a sad ending,” wrote one Reddit user. When the morals tip over from grey into black, it’s pretty clear that Niko belongs close to the bottom of this list.
03
Michael De Santa (GTA 5)
Walking, talking Heat reference: Michael De Santa
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
The fifth instalment of the franchise wears its Heat references on its sleeve. In this case, it’s the grey suit sleeve of uptown protagonist Michael De Santa, who owes more than a little to Robert De Niro’s character in the aforementioned crime classic.
This should make Michael pretty likeable. The problem is, as one of three joint main characters in this game, he’s arguably the least interesting (more on that shortly).
Yes, chasing his speedboat along the highway is one of the game’s best missions, but the endless stories about his teenage daughter get a bit repetitive. And the mission where you’re forced to do yoga with his wife and her instructor/secret love interest can be frustrating to say the least. In short, with a focus on domestic tensions, Michael’s problems can feel a bit too much like the issues some fans play to escape.
“He's self-destructive and an asshole, but what makes him interesting as a character is that he admits it. He's not a good friend. He's not a good father. He's not a good husband,” says one Reddit user, while noting that these qualities don’t necessarily make him a bad character. Just someone you might not want to spend too much time with.
Overall, not a bad protagonist, but he’s vastly overshadowed by two others in this game. The bump in gameplay and graphics from GTA 4 make him generally more enjoyable to play than Niko in that game, but it’s close.
04
Carl 'CJ' Johnson (GTA San Andreas)
CJ was the central protagonist in GTA San Andreas
© Rockstar Games
An (unofficial) MMA fighter who owns multiple properties and has battled Los Santos gang life, corrupt cops and built a massive criminal empire for the city’s biggest crime families, CJ is often viewed as the ultimate GTA protagonist. “Hands down,” one Reddit user wrote when posed the question of the who's the GTA OG. He was also pretty handy on a BMX.
The thing is, while CJ is consistently listed as a top character among fans, it’s difficult to give him the top spot. Some fans cite his anger issues, and the fact that unlike Niko and the protagonists of GTA 5, CJ went on to pretty ruthlessly run a massive crime empire, murdering dozens in the process. For some, this can sour his legacy. “Very often he does some really evil [stuff], without any valid reasoning,” one fan writes.
"He becomes pretty much a dictator of San Andreas underworld, killed countless gang members while taking over the territories and willing to kill anyone who opposed to him,” another says.
In other words, if CJ hadn’t gone mad with power, he might have made the top three. That said, it’s been 22 years since GTA: San Andreas released. Is it too much to ask to get a CJ cameo in Vice City?
05
Franklin Clinton (GTA 5)
Franklin is the level-headed member of GTA V's central trio
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
Look, first thing’s first, Franklin is loyal to his Rottweiler, Chop. Which arguably balances out a lot of wrongdoing on the karma scale. Maybe. Oh, and he also lives with his aunt, which shows he’s a nice boy. Stealing cars and killing people? Sometimes you have to do certain things to get by. And in the world of Grand Theft Auto, you’re playing by different rules entirely.
Going from his aunt's spare room to a mansion in the Los Santos hills, Franklin arguably represents the archetypal GTA rags to riches storyline, and in a way that feels free of cliche. Or, as one fan put it, he’s a “relatable dude trying to improve his life the only ways he knows how.”
“I always liked how he’s the only one from the trio that notices how insane everything is in this game,’ writes one Reddit user, with another adding “Franklin’s like the only dude with an actual brain cell in the trio.”
The trio here being Michael, Franklin and Trevor. In fact, if it wasn’t for the deranged escapades of Trevor, Franklin might be higher on this list. His story is more compelling than Michael’s,and his trajectory feels like CJ’s done properly. But the next character beats him on the personality – and fun – scale, unfortunately.
06
Trevor Phillips (GTA 6)
Is Trevor the most unhinged GTA protagonist of all time?
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
In real life, you probably spend a lot of time avoiding lunatics. For a long time, this was also true of the GTA universe. That is until 2013’s GTA V placed you squarely in the shoes of one Trevor Phillips.
One of the aforementioned three protagonists in that game, the definitely-not-Canadian Trevor is a desert rat of the highest order. He’s as unpredictable as a cornered scorpion. If there’s a quiet way to do something and a loud way, you better believe Trevor’s packed the rocket launcher. Yes, he’s crazy, but that’s part of the appeal, as one creator explained in a YouTube video titled Why Everyone Secretly Loves Trevor Phillips.
According to one Quora user, the beauty of the character lies in Trevor’s on-the-nose meta qualities. “The crucial point about Trevor is that he is the first Grand Theft Auto protagonist to actually hold up a mirror to the average GTA player; he reflects how a lot of people actually play the game off-mission. Trevor Phillips is basically Rockstar saying to us all, “See, this is what you’re all like, you bunch of psychos!””
“Trevor is the embodiment of GTA in my opinion. Just hellfire chaos,” agrees one Reddit user.
Voiced to perfection by The Walking Dead’s Steven Ogg, Trevor has arguably almost transcended the series to become a legendary character in his own right. Will fans see him in GTA 6? Well, Ogg has said that if Trevor does return, it should be to get killed off right away. Given his history of mayhem, it’s probably for the best.
07
Tommy Vercetti (GTA Vice City)
Is Tommy the best GTA character of all time?
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
There can be only one winner and the fact that Tommy appeared in a game over 20 years ago, is testament to just how strong of a leading character he is.
Equally at home in his trademark blue Hawaiian shirt as he is in a dapper suit, Tommy Vercetti had the best (and most fantastical) rise of any GTA protagonist. Starting out as a street-level hoodlum in Vice City’s shadier neighbourhoods, he rose all the way to the top, with several businesses and even a mansion with private helipad to his name.
An official GTA Forum post opined that "Tommy Vercetti is the most badass GTA protagonist" and fans seem to agree, with countless YouTube videos explaining "Why Tommy is the boldest GTA protagonist" and "The best GTA protagonist, in my opinion."
Of course, you don’t need to get all the references to enjoy Tommy’s effortless cool, realised in part by a fantastic voice performance from the late, great, Ray Liotta.
Cool, calm and collected when he needs to be, and an absolute menace when required, Tommy lives the life. His story borrows heavily from two '80/early '90s Al Pacino movies, Carlito’s Way, and Scarface. In fact, spoiler alert, his story ends in a way very reminiscent of the latter film.
“He takes care of his people. Even when Lance got all emotional on him, he had patience with him. Even when Kent Paul called him all drunk, he told him to sleep it off,” wrote one Reddit fan in a length essay. “He is intelligent and witty. He knows when to use violence and he is quite ingenious when it comes to business solutions…All in all he was a great protagonist.”
Not just great, but for many fans’ money, the best.
Fans think the GTA 6 trailer hints at an older, down-on-his-luck Tommy making an appearance. And while that might prove that crime doesn’t pay, for fans of the best character in the series, it might just be too much to bear… Please, make it anyone but Tommy.
08
Wild card bonus: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos (GTA 6)
Lucia Caminos promises a GTA first
© Rockstar Games/Take-Two Interactive
OK, so we might not have actually met Jason and Lucia yet, but as the protagonists of what looks set to be the biggest and best GTA game of all time, it’s pretty certain that they’ll hold a place in fans’ hearts soon after launch.
Having grown up around “grifters and crooks”, Jason, an Army vet is reportedly trying to make a new life for himself after working for drug runners in the Leonida Keys. Reportedly, meeting Lucia could be the “best or worst thing to ever happen to him.”
As for Lucia, she was brought up with her father teaching her how to fight. A short stay in Leonida Penitentiary and she’s also rethinking her life.
Which all sounds quite sensible. But, because this is GTA, fans are unlikely to see the pair settle down and open a coffee shop. Instead, players we'l most likely guide them through an epic, high-octane criminal career, full of violence, hard choices and more than a few car chases.
It’s impossible to say where they will rank on this list come launch day, but one thing is for certain: It already sounds legendary.
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