The Grand Theft Auto series is best known for being the gold standard of open-world gaming, but it’s the characters inside that sandbox that make the world so entertaining to play around in.
While fans impatiently wait for Grand Theft Auto VI, it’s worth looking back on the impeccably written characters ever since the fourth installment of the game, as it’s rumored that some of them may even show up in the follow-up to GTA V. Whether it’s trigger-happy characters that are always on edge, corrupt cops voiced by movie stars, or fast-food-loving traitors, there are so many multidimensional characters in the video game series.
10 Trevor
To many, Trevor is the favorite of the three playable characters of GTA V, and it’s because of how vulgar and foul-mouthed he is, not to mention more than a little trigger-happy.
The lack of realism is why Grand Theft Auto V is Rockstar’s masterpiece, and Trevor is the very embodiment of that, as he’s almost like the universe’s Joker, causing chaos and simply wanting to watch the world burn. He also has some incredible, despicable quotes that are so identifiably Trevor too.
9 Tommy Vercetti
Tommy Vercetti was the very first protagonist in the GTA series to actually speak, as Claude, who was the protagonist in GTA III, and every other character that came before him, didn’t talk. And as he was the first talking playable character, Rockstar made the absolute most out of it.
He is a fast-talking sleazeball, and his brilliant Hawaiian shirts go hand-in-hand with his personality. Building his way to the top of a crime family in a Scarface-like narrative is incredible to play through, and the fact that he is voiced by Ray Liotta makes him even better.
8 Jimmy
One of the most shocking turns in the GTA series is when Michael actually settles down with his family in GTA V, which is the biggest subversion of expectations ever, even if it doesn’t take long until he turns back to a life of crime. His family is a bunch of colorful characters, but it’s his son who is the most intriguing.
Jimmy spends all day, every day, playing violent video games and screaming profanities into his headset. It’s almost as if Rockstar was mocking their very own fanbase, as well as criticizing those who can't get enough of first-person shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
7 Frank Tenpenny
Frank Tenpenny has one of the most iconic entrances of a GTA character ever. When Tenpenny arrests CJ on Grove Street in San Andreas, in one of GTA's best cutscenes, it was a huge moment for Rockstar, as it was the first example of the incredible dialogue of the game, and the first tentpole scene of the incredible narrative that would unfold.
Since Tenpenny is a dirty cop, there are so many fascinating scenes with him, but above all else, the character was voiced by none other than Samuel L. Jackson, who brought so much charisma to the character that nobody else could.
6 Melvin Harris
More popularly known as Big Smoke, Melvin Harris is easily the funniest character in San Andreas. And his food order from Cluckin’ Bell has somehow become embedded in pop culture, as so many YouTubers have tried to replicate the order using other fast-food chains.
On top of simply being funny and having a brilliant fast food order, when he turns on CJ, it’s one of the most memorable betrayals in gaming history.
5 Michael
With each consecutive GTA game since GTA III, the narratives have gotten more and more detailed and the characters have had so much more depth.
When it comes to Michael, he might not be yelling profanities all the time, and he might be far from the funniest character in the world, but he was the most three-dimensional character in GTA V. He was building a family and trying to stay off the grid so that his past wouldn’t catch up with him. And on top of that, he was modeled after Neal, the lead character in Heat, which made him so much cooler.
4 Steve Scott
Steve Scott is a movie producer who can be found in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. But he doesn’t just produce any kind of movie, as the producer can be found on the set of adult films, always giving Tommy odd jobs.
The sleazy producer is one of GTA's funniest characters in the whole series, as his obsession with trying to include a giant shark in his adult movie is hilarious. And like Frank Tenpenny, what adds to the character is the fact that he is voiced brilliantly by Dennis Hopper, who seems to be embodying all the characters he played in the '70s, such as the photojournalist in Apocalypse Now.
3 CJ
CJ the first main playable character in the GTA series that has (mostly) good intentions, as Tommy and Claude were as criminal as they come. The protagonist was finally a character that players could get behind, and though his morals weren’t completely in check, he did mean well.
The character also marked a precedent for the series, as it was actually quite heartbreaking when CJ’s mother died. Melvin, Tenpenny, and CJ, alone, have so much charisma and depth, not to mention all of the side characters. And that’s exactly why the San Andreas deserves a remaster.
2 Lamar
Though Franklin is the third playable character in GTA V, and he does have a great backstory and arc throughout the game, it’s his cousin Lamar Davis who steals the show in those scenes.
Lamar is very much a bad influence on Franklin, but he’s just so entertaining. The character is opportunistic, arrogant, has sticky fingers, and is a human being nobody would want to be associated with, but he is so charismatic and flaunts so much bravado that it’s admirable.
1 Niko Bellic
Being the first playable character in a GTA game not to be born and raised in the US, Niko has a much deeper outlook on Liberty City, as the GTA series is all about satirizing the American Dream.
And most of the time in video games, serious characters are only ever serious, and funny characters are only ever funny, but Niko Bellic changed that, as he strikes a perfect balance between the two. The depiction of Niko, a Serbian who fought in the Yugoslav Wars, is one of the reasons why GTA IV is the very best Rockstar game, according to Metacritic.
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June 30, 2021 at 12:00AM
