Who is Your Favorite GTA Protagonist?

[RobertoCarlos]

None of them hold a candle to its Western counterpart red dead redemption lead characters

[dope_danny]

Yeah, that would be Niko for me as well. Not sure if it is because I am from Eastern Europe, or because Niko felt much more real and grounded person, as opposed to the more insane shenanigans other protagonists get up to. It was also about something else than just getting rich.
Whole GTA IV felt more dark than other games as well.

I've heard it used as the reason a lot of people at the time thought Yakuza was japanese GTA. Because for all its silly, zany shit when yakuza gets serious thats the same tone it has. If anything in retrospect nico bellik feels like a Yakuza character inserted into GTAs typical crime glorifying power fantasies and thats why he is such a standout.

[deenman]

surprised trevor isnt higher,i love his insanity,granted i may have a bias because i like the actor

[PACOX]

CJ is the most memorable. I remember there being something about Tommy V I didn't like. Niko was a breath of fresh air.

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Have to imagine most people will pick either Tommy or CJ. They are the two stand outs. All three of GTAV's protagonists are also pretty solid characters but lose out a bit by having to share the spotlight so to speak.

For me, it's Tommy. Although Lance Vance will always be my favorite GTA character.

I think the V characters very much fit the story that's being told. No so much on their own.

[Blackmist]

Trevor is my spirit animal.

[zealo]

Trevor.

He's one of the few whose character's personality is directly in line with how lots of players behave in GTA games outside of story missions. I.e not just aware of that they're a criminal, but a complete psychopath to boot.

[thilicen]

Tommy for sure.

[Blueobelisk]

CJ goes on the biggest journey.

Tommy Vercetti is very likeable.

But the GTAV characters just have a lot of depth and the perspective of switching between then is really interesting. I voted for the trio.

[Selastan]

Problem is while GTA has a lot of good characters, they don't have a lot of LIKEABLE ones. Niko is a tormented and cynical man, and while he is a believable character with a lot of depth I can't seem to enjoy playing as him. I enjoy watching his story unfold, but I don't like being in his shoes. It's like that for almost all GTA protagonists.

I think CJ is the most likeable though. He might be an idiot gang thug, but he genuinely wants to be better. On his quest to save his brother he acquires several legitimate businesses including a stake in a huge casino, and although he goes back to Los Santos to clean up old business it's implied in GTA V that he left after Big Smoke was dealt with. Carl's growth is even directly reflected in the gameplay. San Andreas has the most RPG elements in the series so far, with numerous stats to level. Not to mention the various clothing styles and body types, as well as the ability to learn different martial arts.

Niko doesn't grow over the series, Franklin tries, Michael gets worse, and Trevor is Trevor. CJ is the only character with a real character arc, and he's got fun personality quirks that make him entertaining along the way. He wins by a decent margin.

[Antbregante]

Trevor.

He's one of the few whose character's personality is directly in line with how lots of players behave in GTA games outside of story missions. I.e not just aware of that they're a criminal, but a complete psychopath to boot.

This. I can do whatever I want with Trevor and not feel like I'm breaking character. Whatever crazy rampage I want to go on is in character for Trevor.

[n7stormreaver]

I honestly like Michael. I hate him as a person, but that's the whole point of GTA games, and he feels just right as a protagonist.

[RCA]

That Bank robbery mission in IV is one that really stands out if I recall this game. Shame I never played through the older ones as those were days of visiting a friends house and taking turns causing havoc using the gun cheats and such. Lol.

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Also IV has those nj-nyc vibes via the structure of the city, pretty biased but fun series. Need to set some time aside for 5 that I never played fully thru.

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

I'd have to go with Tommy, I havent played enough of IV or V to have an opinion of those characters, but I loved Vice City and Tommy had a decent story.

CJ is definitely a close second though, just for his, "does the Pope shit in the woods" quote that I've used numerous times since.