5 craziest fan theories about GTA franchise that could actually be true

The GTA franchise has got to be the one of the best video game series in the entire history of video games. With its unique free-world environment, breathtaking graphics, and dramatic storylines, Grand Theft Auto games are the pinnacle of Rockstar Games' success in the gaming industry.

The creators of the award-winning video game series have been releasing titles for the past twenty-five years. Over this period, players have formulated various theories.

This article will cover some of the craziest fan theories in the world of Grand Theft Auto, some obvious, some bizarre.

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Family roots, possible racism, and more in the GTA series

1) Michael is Claude

When one comes across this crazy fan theory, it only gets crazier. This is where GTA 3 crosses paths with GTA 5.

According to this fan theory, Claude from Liberty City is Michael, who was able to escape imprisonment and capital punishment twice. One of the biggest arguments for this is that the latter already knew how to change lives and start a new one easily.

Theorists suggest that Claude and Michael have the same skin tone, body features, and experience with robberies and weapons.

This fan theory can't be directly disproved, but there are a lot of plot holes suggested by Internet users:

• While Claude was dating Catalina, Michael was married to Amanda
• In 1992, when San Andreas takes place, Michael was living in a trailer in the Midwest with his wife, not racing cars in San Andreas
• In both 1992 and 2000, Claude is relatively skinny, definitely not with a gut like Michael. Even Trevor states that when he met Michael, in the early 1990s, he "had a gut but was muscular underneath it"

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2) Niko Bellic is alive

One of the most popular GTA protagonists, Niko Bellic, from GTA 4 is apparently alive as the events of GTA 5 unfold. This crazy fan theory is based on multiple sources of evidence from the latter game.

Players initially surmised that Niko was dead. Lester mentions his old crew in Liberty City from when he was pursuing criminal life back in the day and says that Niko "went quiet."

However, observant players noticed that Niko had his own Lifeinvader page in a birthday update in GTA 5. They hinted that Niko was indeed alive.

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3) Franklin is CJ's son

This is one of the craziest and funniest fan theories. There is good evidence that it could be true.

Here's what a Reddit user had to say about this theory:

"CJ being Franklin’s dad is interesting. CJ left Los Santos in 1987 and sometime before that maybe CJ had a one night stand with Franklin’s mother and she became pregnant with Franklin. But CJ left for Liberty City and became a deadbeat father."

It is interesting to note that the timelines match a bit. There isn't much direct evidence to prove that both CJ and Franklin indeed share a father-and-son relationship, but there is a good chance that both share blood.

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4) Cops are racist toward Franklin

Franklin getting shot for no reason is one of the most compelling fan theories in the world of GTA 5.

As seen in the video above, Franklin walks up to the cops standing outside the police department and they arrest him for no good reason.

Players have theorized that GTA 5 cops are racist, which is part of the game's NPC actions. Theorists believe that the developers at Rockstar Games deliberately programmed the action to raise awareness about racial profiling and prejudice.

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5) Trevor was meant to be shot, not Brad

This is one of the most popular fan theories in the GTA fandom. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that Dave Norton's target was Trevor, not Brad.

One of the strongest arguments of this theory is that the in-game dialogue suggests that Dave wasn't Trevor's biggest fan. He always resented him for his unpredictable and crazy character.

It suggests that Brad wasn't meant to take the bullet, but Trevor was. As seen in the video above, it is clear that Brad walked into the path of Trevor's killshot and it was bad timing.

Theorists believe that Dave decided to continue with the plan and shot Michael as rehearsed. In this scenario, Brad takes the fall and Trevor escapes.

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There are many crazy fan theories that this article couldn't cover. The world of Grand Theft Auto promises to bring more bizarre theories with its next title, GTA 6.

Perhaps, a few "rise back from the dead" theories will be proven later. It is definitely not the end of the line for players to see their favorite characters again in future titles.