5 of the most threatening characters to CJ in GTA San Andreas

In a world as violent as the one in GTA San Andreas, it's no surprise that CJ has to deal with several dangerous threats.

More often than not, these characters have a position of authority that forces CJ to do their bidding. However, that's not always the case. Sometimes, these characters wield significant power through deception and backstabbing those who get in the way.

These dangerous characters pose a serious threat toward CJ at some point in GTA San Andreas. Obviously, CJ triumphs in the end, but that shouldn't undermine how dangerous these characters truly are.

It should also go without saying that this list is for characters who are dangerous to CJ's livelihood, and does not include protagonists like CJ himself.

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Five GTA San Andreas characters that were dangerous to CJ

5) Big Smoke

If only CJ knew how dangerous Big Smoke is... (Image via Rockstar Games)

He might have betrayed CJ and the Grove Street Families, but he's still largely a pawn to the real villain known as Officer Tenpenny. His power and influence over Los Santos present a genuine threat to CJ, which in turn makes the Grove Street Families nearly collapse in GTA San Andreas.

As CJ spends the majority of the remaining story outside of Los Santos, Big Smoke can't do much to impede his progress. Instead, CJ makes life more difficult for Big Smoke by destroying the Loco Syndicate and a drug factory in San Fierro.

4) Catalina

Catalina threatening CJ (Image via Rockstar Games)

Catalina is one of the few threats whom CJ doesn't kill in GTA San Andreas. While her phone calls are more annoying than dangerous, it's what she does beforehand that threatens CJ's livelihood.

It's an abusive relationship where Catalina constantly puts CJ on thin ice. She's a wild card, so there was always a chance of her exploding and hurting CJ in the same way she hurt Claude in GTA 3.

Luckily for CJ, that never happened.

3) Officer Pulaski

Pulaski is mostly seen by Tenpenny's side (Image via Rockstar Games)

Unlike Tenpenny, Pulaski wanted to kill CJ early on in the events of GTA San Andreas. Before his death, Pulaski claims that Tenpenny always made excuses to keep CJ alive, which showcases that the cop wanted to kill CJ a long time ago.

His cruelty knows no bounds, as he provokes CJ with comments about his sister and his mother in the final mission he appears in. He's vicious, but he's still just Tenpenny's underling.

At the end of the day, Tenpenny is the real threat to CJ in terms of how dangerous he is in GTA San Andreas.

2) Officer Tenpenny

The main antagonist of GTA San Andreas is, unsurprisingly, one of the most dangerous characters. He abuses his position within law enforcement to get what he wants, and constantly blackmails CJ with various threats to do his bidding in GTA San Andreas.

He constantly seems to get away with his actions, which also sparks the Los Santos Riots. His manipulation of the Ballas and Big Smoke also proves how much power he holds for a single character in the grand scheme of things.

1) Mike Toreno

Fortunately for CJ, Mike Toreno isn't against him. He outranks Officer Tenpenny in terms of authority, except he uses it for the good of the American government. He debuts as one of the three main members of the Loco Syndicate, which is a far cry from his true position within GTA San Andreas.

He is able to get Sweet out of prison easily, but he still forces CJ to do some dangerous work for him. It involves several other government agencies, which can leave players wondering who exactly Mike Toreno works for in GTA San Andreas.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.