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GTA fans have stayed loyal to the franchise for years because of the fantastic titles Rockstar Games has put out. One of those was San Andreas, featuring Carl "CJ" Johnson, regarded as one of the most famous protagonists.
GTA games are full of criminal activities, and sometimes, protagonists have to do their share of things that can be termed questionable. However, there are a few moments in GTA San Andreas where CJ played the bigger man and did what was right.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
Five times CJ opted to do the right thing in GTA San Andreas
1) Killing Polaski
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If there are two characters GTA fans hate more than Big Smoke, it has to be Officers Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski. These crooked cops are a part of the crack empire and often seen cutting deals for their benefit.
When Tenpenny and Pulaski figure out their partner Hernandez is snitching on them, they want to kill him. So after Frank knocks him unconscious, he tells CJ to dig graves as he will also be killed after the job. Pulaski is left to make sure it all goes smoothly.
CJ realizes he is next and begins stalling for time, but he also tries to reason with Pulaski. He even tells the officer that Tenpenny will 'silence' him next to remove all the loose ends. However, Pulaski fails to spot the obvious scenario and retaliates.
A car chase soon ensues where CJ still tries to reason with Pulaski, but the latter ends up insulting his sister and late mother. CJ, at this point, loses it and kills him.
This may have been a kill, but it undoubtedly saved many more lives.
2) Rescuing Maccer, Kent, and Rosenberg from Leone
CJ is known to go to any lengths for his family and the ones he loves. But in San Andreas, the protagonist does the same for Kent Paul, Maccer, and Ken Rosenberg on multiple occasions. There is nothing in it for CJ, but he does it because he sees them in trouble.
To start, CJ picks up Kent and Maccer from the middle of nowhere after a rough night the two had. They head over to meet Rosenberg at Caligula's Casino, and the protagonist fights off some thugs to get there.
Once there, Rosenberg explains his predicament of being stuck between the three owning families (Sindacco, Forelli, and Leone). He has been living a life of constant fear as he might get killed anywhere, anytime.
However, CJ agrees to help him by first eliminating the Sindacco's permanently. After Salvatore Leone's arrival, Rosenberg, Maccer, and Kent are somewhat held hostage. CJ then wins Leone's trust by eliminating the hitmen sent by the Forellis.
Next, the GTA San Andreas protagonist agrees to travel to Liberty City (from GTA 3) and shoot up Saint Mark's Bistro to end the Forellis once and for all. Here he tricks Leone, says he will need backup, and chooses Maccer, Kent, and Rosenberg.
He then tells them to run away and lay low until he contacts them later in the game. He tells Salvatore Leone that the three 'ran into some trouble,' signaling they were dealt with.
Later, he calls them and offers them jobs.
3) Accepting Cesar and helping him out later
Cesar Vialpando is introduced to Sean "Sweet" Johnson and CJ as Kendl's love interest. Being from the Varrios Los Aztecas, he is invited with hatred and mistrust. Sweet voices his opinion to his sister, but she calls him racist and leaves. CJ then follows her to the Lowrider meet.
This is where the GTA San Andreas protagonist first meets his sister's boyfriend. The initial engagement is rough as CJ is very aggressive.
Upon seeing this, other Aztecas come up to intimidate and maybe kill CJ. But Cesar steps in and calms the crowd down.
He then tells CJ that he loves Kendl, respects her, and won't let anything bad happen. The two then shake hands and leave.
Later in the story, Cesar asks CJ for help as his neighborhood is in shambles, thanks to the Vagos. Carl is initially hesitant as he has family issues to deal with.
Sweet urges his younger brother to pay off his debts as Cesar had saved him earlier. The two then go ahead and reclaim the Azteca's territory.
The friendship and bond these two share are very real and warm.
4) Helping Zero fight his bully
Many GTA San Andreas fans regard CJ's encounters with Zero as some of the most honorable. The RC shop owner first calls the protagonist in desperation as his business is about to shut down because the landlord is selling the shop. CJ buys it and saves the establishment.
Next, Zero tells CJ that Berkley has been troubling him since he beat the latter at a science fair long back. The protagonist then sets out on a series of missions to teach the bully a lesson.
The Air Raid mission sees CJ shoot down an army of RC planes armed with bombs to take out Zero's shop. In the Supply Lines mission, GTA fans feel bad for Zero as he is seen wedgied in the cupboard before CJ comes to the rescue. They then take out many of Berkley's men.
The last mission, New Model Army, is a miniature via a board game that aims to settle the rivalry once and for all. The loser must leave the city.
CJ helps out Zero till the end and gets rid of Berkley for good.
5) Taking out final piece of Crack puzzle in Los Santos
GTA San Andreas' final mission, End of the Line, is probably the one most fans love. It is when CJ finally ends the corrupt crack empire that has been poisoning Los Santos. By now, everybody knows that the crooked cops and sold-out gang members run this.
So, Sweet and CJ set out to finally take revenge on the people who took out their mother. Big Smoke is hiding inside the factory, and they must eliminate his army before getting to him.
Upon their arrival, CJ requests Sweet to wait outside as this is something he must do alone.
Once inside, CJ kills off everybody till he finds Big Smoke playing video games and smoking. He initially tries to talk to him about what happened and why things had to go sour. Smoke agrees that power and money have corrupted him; this is how things are now.
CJ then takes him out, only to find Officer Tenpenny pointing a gun at him. He orders CJ to start filling up the bag with money before he can kill him.
Carl, however, outsmarts him and heads for cover. Tenpenny, enraged, sets fire to the factory before leaving on a fire truck. Sweet spots the antagonist and jumps onto the truck.
CJ then chases them down and saves his brother before Tenpenny loses control of the truck and drives off a bridge, with the fall killing him.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.
