Rank 3: Tommy – GTA: Vice City
What is Tommy’s story?
- Tommy was a member of a mafia family in Liberty City when he was ambushed during a job. Although he managed to take down all the attackers, he was arrested and spent 15 years in prison.
- After his release from prison, he carried out a job for his old mafia family in Vice City but was once again ambushed during the deal.
- Then Tommy performs various jobs in Vice City, kills the man responsible for the second ambush, and takes over his business and villa.
- Shortly thereafter, Tommy builds his own empire in Vice City and takes over various businesses. He also forms a small crew with which he carries out a bank robbery.
- In the end, Tommy is betrayed by one of his partners to his former mafia family, leading to a shootout that Tommy wins.
- After Tommy eliminates the attackers and defends his empire, nothing stands in the way of him and his criminal enterprises in Vice City.
What makes Tommy special? Tommy is a surprisingly multifaceted character, even though he initially seems very straightforward. On one hand, Tommy is a reliable and loyal enforcer. On the other hand, he is an intelligent leader with clear goals, pursuing a well-defined plan to build his own empire while gladly doing the dirty work himself.
Tommy’s temperament is equally complex. He appears calm and witty but can also become quickly angry and temperamental. This mix of intellect, determination, and temper ultimately makes him a powerful man in Vice City.
Overall, Tommy could easily come straight from a mafia film, reminding some of Tony Montana from the movie Scarface – but he differs enough through his intelligent and thoughtful approach to function as a unique and interesting character.
Rank 2: Trevor Philips – GTA V
What is Trevor’s story?
- Trevor had a difficult childhood and showed early on the aggressive and sociopathic tendencies that characterize him as an adult.
- After dropping out of school, he wanted to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force, but was deemed mentally unstable and subsequently did not receive his pilot’s license.
- Trevor eventually became a career criminal and met Michael, with whom he committed numerous crimes. However, Michael betrayed him to the FIB and faked his own death.
- He managed to escape the authorities and built a new criminal enterprise, selling drugs and weapons.
- Years after Michael’s betrayal, Trevor finds out that his former accomplice is still alive and pays him a visit. Later, Trevor, along with Michael and Franklin Clinton, commits various heists.
What makes Trevor special? Trevor is a chaotic character. He is impulsive and unpredictable, making him a risk factor in every crime. He tends to have outbursts of anger and is always ready for ruthless violence. In conversations, he is also extremely intense, peppering his vocabulary with numerous obscenities. Despite all this, he is extremely loyal and forms strong bonds with people.
Trevor does not shy away from using illegal intoxicants that can lead to a loss of control, resulting in situations where he wakes up in a dress in the middle of the desert.
Trevor is a unique and extremely memorable character due to his extreme behavior in every way – a character that no GTA player will ever forget, regardless of whether they liked him or not.
Rank 1: Niko Bellic – GTA IV
What is Niko’s story?
- Niko Bellic comes to America after his unit, his friends, were betrayed and killed in the war.
- He dreams of the American Dream and wants to build a new life alongside his cousin Roman. However, he struggles to find his footing and eventually works with the Russian mafia.
- Shortly thereafter, Niko becomes a hitman, connecting with the McReary family. He befriends Packie McReary and enters into a romantic relationship with Kate McReary.
- Throughout the story, Niko has the opportunity to take revenge for the death of his unit and kill the traitor.
- At the end of the story, Niko must make a choice that leads either to the murder of his girlfriend Kate McReary or the murder of his cousin Roman Bellic.
- Niko will take revenge for the murder in either case.
What makes Niko special? It is evident that Niko is portrayed as a person who fought in the war, witnessed horrific events, and lost comrades. This is reflected in the dialogues, where Niko often comes across as cynical.
Niko appears very professional during missions, yet he does not seem cold-blooded or emotionless. There are several instances where he can choose to spare a target, including the man who betrayed his unit.
One gets the impression that Niko wants to lead a normal life, but feels that killing for money is the only thing he can do. Nevertheless, everything leads to Niko eventually leaving the criminal life behind.
However, the great peculiarity of Niko is the tragic storyline of the character: he arrives in America as a man broken by war, and just when it seems he can leave violence behind, either his cousin or his girlfriend is murdered.
Niko is a very tragic character who carries a very different past than most GTA protagonists. This burden, the eternally dissatisfied demeanor, and the cynical comments create an overall picture that is unique within the GTA series and makes Niko stand out among all protagonists.
With GTA 6, we will again be presented with two new characters from Rockstar Games, who were seen in the first trailer for the highly anticipated game. You can read on MeinMMO what is already known about the protagonists: What the GTA 6 trailer reveals about its characters
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