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The open-world sandbox environments of the GTA game allow for all sorts of chaos. This makes them perfect for having a fun, lighthearted experience. However, the contents of the game can easily turn dark and even tragic. The protagonists in the Grand Theft Auto series, for instance, have their own motivations and backstories driving them.
Some of them have tragic backgrounds, whereas for others, great tragedy befalls them in the course of the story, or even in a different game. Here is a list of the most tragic protagonists throughout the GTA series, based on their circumstances and outcomes.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.
Top 5 most tragic protagonists in the GTA series
5) Toni Cipriani
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Toni is one of the few GTA protagonists who is already part of an organized criminal group. As an associate of the Leone Crime Family in Liberty City, Toni appears as a Caporegime in GTA 3 and as an associate in GTA Liberty City Stories, the prequel. He is shown to be extremely loyal to his boss, Salvatore Leone, whom he sees as a father figure, and is equally devoted to his mother.
However, his boss frequently takes him for granted, while his narcissistic mother is never pleased and always rebuking him. She even goes so far as to put a hit out on him. Despite this, Toni remains loyal to both. His biggest flaw is his blind devotion to them. He is willing to carry out all kinds of tasks for them, no matter how immoral, and the game shows that he does feel remorse, unlike some of the other more sociopathic characters.
As someone who is heavily dependent on his boss, his fate is not made clear after Leone is killed during the events of GTA 3. Toni's greatest tragedy is that players never know what happens to him.
4) Claude
Claude's story is one of betrayal and vengeance, as the game starts with him getting betrayed by his girlfriend and being left for dead. Through the course of the story, he ends up working for many people, but he ends up betraying them. For instance, Asuka helped Claude escape from the Mafia, provided him with a safehouse, and helped him plot his revenge against Catalina.
However, Claude betrayed Asuka by killing his brother Kenji, and in turn got Asuka killed. He is shown to be absolutely remorseless in his dealings, willing do anything for revenge. In the end, it's not even made clear whether he shot Maria. Claude's tragedy can be understood in two ways — he has either always been a sociopath, or being consumed by his desire for vengeance, has lost all morality.
3) Niko Bellic
In GTA 4, Niko Bellic came to Liberty City in the hopes that "things will be different". However, he ends up getting caught up in the same circle of violence that he has always tried to escape. His past keeps catching up to him no matter how far he runs. In the end, he can only choose one of two utterly tragic outcomes — Kate or Roman's death.
Kate is the girl who was willing to take a chance by dating Niko, while Roman is the cousin who Niko has always counted upon. The game ends on a tragic note, showing Niko's dark past as a war criminal and human trafficker eventually catching up with him in the worst way possible, by taking away someone close to him.
2) Victor Vance
Victor Vance is first introduced in GTA Vice City in the very first cutscene, where he is gunned down during a deal that turns out to be a set-up. As such, when players started playing Vice City Stories and realized who they were playing as, the outcome was already laid out for them. The deeper they delve into the story, the more tragic it gets.
Victor is often considered the most noble protagonist in the GTA series, who gets dragged into the world of crime for the sake of his family. He has a strong sense of duty towards his brothers, and maintains a strict moral code. Louise's death is a sad moment in the story, but it's even more tragic to know that Victor passes away shortly after.
1) Johnny Klebitz
Johnny Klebitz is another GTA protagonist who dies during the events of a mainline game. The worst part is that he's shown to be a completely different man in GTA 5 than he was in The Lost and Damned. He was supposed to give up the life of crime after the events of the game ,and he was always shown to be headstrong, especially when it came to drugs.
However, Rockstar Games desecrated his character in GTA 5. He is shown to be back in The Lost and has become an addict himself, despite being strongly opposed to drugs in the first game. He also seems to have no self-respect either, as he lets Trevor humiliate him by stealing his goods and having a relationship with his girlfriend. His drug addiction has made him too weak to fight Trevor when he overpowers and kills Klebitz.
