5 most iconic GTA death scenes

Death is a consistent reminder that GTA is fraught with peril at every turn.

Throughout the GTA series, characters often meet their untimely ends due to bad decisions. Unfortunately for them, violence is often the only answer. Whether it's the result of frequent antagonization, annoying the GTA player or personal issues, most of them had it coming for a very long time.

These GTA deaths truly stand out among the countless. These occur in key storyline moments where tensions run high and the emotional stakes are at their highest.

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Five GTA death scenes that were iconic

5) Darko Brevic

Darko Brevic is one of the main reasons Niko Bellic arrived in Liberty City. Having grown up in a village together, they fought alongside in the Yugoslav Wars. However, someone in their squad betrayed them; the only survivors were Niko, Darko and Florian Cravic.

It turns out Darko was the man responsible. He sold everyone out for a measly $1,000. Besides funding a severe drug addiction, Darko wanted revenge against other squad members who killed his friends. Niko tries to call him out on this, but Darko sees right through him and calls him a hypocrite.

"Thank you..."

Should GTA 4 players choose to kill Darko, he is shot 12 times (with each bullet representing a dead squad member). Given Darko's physical appearance is similar to Niko's, he feels like a darker shadow of the man. Niko is killing another version of himself in this scene. Afterwards, all he feels is emptiness.

4) Lance Vance

The master of the Lance Vance Dance already had too many run-ins with death. It's rather ironic Tommy Vercetti is the man to kill Lance, considering how many times he saved his life earlier. After everything Tommy did for his right-hand man, Lance betrays his trust by siding with the enemy in a critical moment.

During the final GTA mission in Vice City, Tommy must defend his estate not only from the Forelli mafia, but also the friend-turned-foe Lance Vance. The double-crosser decides to hightail it upstairs, where Tommy must chase him down. Their final confrontation is set for a shootout on the rooftops.

"This is the last dance for Lance Vance!"

Lance meets his unceremonious end behind a few metal barrels. He should've known better than to mess with a man who can single-handedly take out entire gangs.

3) Frank Tenpenny

Respect, loyalty, and hustle: none of these words describe Tenpenny. He somehow manages to be a worse criminal than Carl Johnson, despite his professional career in law enforcement. Tenpenny is no different than the crack pushers he despises. At his worst, he is morally repugnant and repulsive.

Tenpenny is so unpopular in Los Santos that his acquittal in the court of law sparked dangerous riots. Eventually, the GTA players had to tie up loose ends and do what the justice system was unable to. They get the chance to do so at the the climactic finish of End of the Line.

"Hey, over here, hey! Officer down! Come on, hey!"

CJ didn't confront Tenpenny in a direct shootout. Instead, he chases the crooked cop all across Los Santos on the final mission. Tenpenny ends up crashing a fire truck across a bridge. Rather than finish him off, CJ leaves Tenpenny to die of his serious injuries. It's an inglorious way to go out on Grove Street of all places.

2) Big Smoke

"When I'm gone, everyone gonna remember my name... Big Smoke!"

These are the last words of the legendary gangster Big Smoke. All he ever wanted was money without the miles. Big Smoke gave up his own principles to achieve power, so he turned on his former gang to run a state-wide crack operation. His betrayal would've been for first-time GTA players.

The Johnson brothers decide to raid the crack palace of Big Smoke, where he meets his end at the hands of CJ. Although Big Smoke put up a good fight during a climactic shootout, it wasn't enough. With the help of night vision goggles and proper aim, GTA players can whittle down Big Smoke's massive health bar.

Unlike most of his enemies throughout San Andreas (such as the aforementioned Tenpenny), CJ feels bad for Big Smoke here. Given that they grew up together in Grove Street, it's unlikely those feelings ever went away. Despite everything he did, Big Smoke was once part of the Grove Street Families.

1) Johnny Klebitz

Johnny Klebitz lived and died the same way, through trials and tribulations. It wasn't easy being part of the Lost MC, where death is so common there is no reason to fear it anymore. Johnny had a good run in GTA 4, but it all came to a bloody and disastrous end in the sequel.

"I messed up."

Now a broken-down meth addict by the events of GTA 5, Johnny picks the wrong time to confront Trevor Philips about sleeping with his girlfriend Ashley. Trevor decides to make an impactful statement by crushing Johnny's skull with the heel of his boot. Just like that, Johnny goes down like a random goon.

His death was a gut punch to GTA players who enjoyed the Lost and Damned episode. Not only do they have to watch the Lost MC leader die anticlimactically, they also have to watch Trevor take out the rest of the bikers. It's a tragic ending to their story, given everything they've been through. Life is rather unfair at times.

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