Is Toni Cipriani the most underrated protagonist in the GTA series?

Toni Cipriani is perhaps one of the most criminally underrated GTA protagonists of all time.

When the average fan thinks about underrated Grand Theft Auto protagonists, they might not even think about Toni Cipriani. In and of itself, that is often a sign of something being underrated, but there are more reasons why somebody like Cipriani can be considered "underrated."

He's an interesting character from an underrated game. There isn't any other GTA protagonist like Toni Cipriani, which makes him a one-of-a-kind personality. He's an unbelievably brutal, loving, and loyal protagonist who is more aligned with true crime than modern GTA protagonists.

Toni isn't an over-the-top caricature of what a criminal can be, making him more grounded in reality (as far as twisted sociopaths go, anyhow).

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Why Toni Cipriani is one of the most underrated protagonists in the GTA series

Toni in Chinatown (Image via Amazon)

Underrated protagonists are often characters fans don't think about for one reason or another. Even players who played GTA Liberty City Stories might not think about Toni Cipriani as far as memorable protagonists go.

However, he's a legitimately entertaining protagonist with several endearing qualities that make him stand out from the rest of the pack. He might not be the best protagonist overall, but he's criminally underrated given who he is and what he brings to the GTA series.

He commits vile acts

Toni Cipriani commits some of the most atrocious acts that almost no other GTA protagonist would consider doing. At his core, Cipriani represents the old-school criminal mentality that isn't as glorified as it is in recent GTA titles.

The act of bombing Fort Staunton is one of the most heinous acts done by any GTA protagonist. The total death count isn't known, but it makes the area virtually uninhabited afterward. A once-prosperous city is nearly wiped to ashes, all in the name of $5000.

Many innocent pedestrians died as a result of this. That's not even bringing into question the sheer economic damages Toni caused by his actions. Worst of all, this one crime isn't the only noteworthy one he's done.

Other questionable acts

Not many GTA protagonists can claim that they killed a prominent public figure and got away with it. In Toni Cipriani's case, he's able to kill Mayor R.C. Hole.

It's insane to think that something like this would just be a minor mission in the grand scheme of things, especially since other GTA protagonists have done less.

He's a twisted protagonist like Trevor Philips, except with far less notoriety. Given how much love Trevor gets from the fanbase, that would make Cipriani underrated by comparison.

Toni Cipriani even butchers a butcher just to send his meat back to his own deli. Some GTA fans love it when a protagonist is brutal, and Toni has that in spades. Of course, he isn't just a ruthless killing machine.

Toni Cipriani's character

Toni Cipriani's loyalty is admirable at times (Image via GTA5-mods.com)

While Toni Cipriani is an unquestionably violent sociopath at times, he is also an incredibly loyal person with a strange sense of honor. This honor extends heavily into filial piety, as everything he does often has some connection to his mother.

Despite the fact his mother puts a hit on him, he still loves her dearly to the point that he would do anything to get her admiration. This love also extends to how he believes other people should be treating their parents, as he's utterly abhorred by how Vicenzo Cilli is receiving oral sex from a prostitute while talking to his mother.

Of course, Toni will also do anything to please Salvatore Leone. He's loyal to a fault, but it's a trait some GTA players can sympathize with. Toni Cipriani mixes some excellent qualities to have in a friend and some horrifying traits to have in an enemy.

GTA Liberty City Stories, as a game

GTA Liberty City Stories is a fun title (Image via GTA Wiki)

If GTA Liberty City Stories is considered a criminally underrated game by some fans, then that would make Toni Cipriani an underrated protagonist by association. The title itself is pretty excellent, as it fixes many problems GTA 3 had and reintroduces players into the world of Liberty City in a better light.

The characters are more fleshed out, the gameplay is less frustrating, and several quality of life updates have been introduced to appeal more to casual players.

As a protagonist, Toni Cipriani is an interesting character that often gets overlooked thanks to the game he's from being overshadowed by the others in the series.

Fun facts about Toni Cipriani

Toni's art in GTA 3 (Image via Rockstar Games)

He is the first voiced protagonist in the modern GTA era. He's technically not the first protagonist to have spoken in their own game, but he is voiced in GTA 3. Unsurprisingly, Claude is mute in that game, which means Toni is the first protagonist to be seen speaking in the series.

Likewise, Toni is also the first protagonist to be a minor character in one game and then become the main protagonist of his own game. His name is an apparent reference to Tony Soprano (which also coincides with their mother's distaste for them at some parts of their stories).