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The buzz around GTA San Andreas is exceptionally resilient. It is truly astonishing how a game that was released almost two decades ago remains unparalleled even in 2021.
A huge chunk of that popularity has to be credited to GTA San Andreas' incredible characters, including Big Smoke – the heart and soul of GTA San Andreas storyline.
This article talks about one of the best GTA antagonists of all time - the legendary Big Smoke.
Why is Big Smoke such a GTA fan-favorite?
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Unlike many Grand Theft Auto antagonists, Big Smoke is not a dastardly character. If anything, he is a softie at heart who ended up on the wrong side of the fence because of his acquisitive nature and selfish agendas.
He did not betray the Grove Street Families because he hated them or had any grudges against their leaders. If anything, Big Smoke couldn't get enough of the most notorious gang in GTA San Andreas and clearly had a great time with CJ and his mates.
Big Smoke betrayed the Grove Street Families, the gang that treated him like family because he felt like he had no choice in the matter. He had but one ambition in life, and that was to be as rich as possible.
Unfortunately, he could not see that happening for as long as he was a member of the Grove Street Families, and CJ's enemies promised him an unbelievably quick way towards the life of his dreams.
"CJ? Ooohh my dog! Whassup? Hahaha! Hey baby, you okay, man?"
- Big Smoke
What makes Big Smoke better than most villains in the GTA series?
The GTA series, being one of the most popular games in the world as of now, boasts a number of compelling villains, each more violent and cunning than the other.
Perhaps that is exactly why Big Smoke tends to stand out from the rest. He was, as a character, neither violent nor particularly cunning. The only reason why he is even considered an antagonist is because he couldn't help backstabbing one of his closest friends for the sake of a rich and bright future – a motive that can hardly be deemed unreasonable from the perspective of a career criminal.
Moreover, Big Smoke doesn't hold any personal grudges against Sweet or CJ. In fact, he considers them his "homies" despite the fact that he betrays them, in consequence, betraying the entire gang.
If it were up to him, he would perhaps not have chosen such a desperate path, but in his own words, he didn't seem to have a choice in the matter, greed being his only motivation in life.
In comparison, most GTA antagonists are extremely savage, take Devin Weston for instance. Or simply too loathsome to leave a memorable mark on players, Catalina being a good example here.
While not all GTA antagonists take after the black-and-white archetype, they're hardly humane enough to be loved. Big Smoke, on the other hand, is the epitome of a complicated character. At the same time, he is incredibly kind, comical, and greedy, making for a much more relatable archetype.
Final word: Big Smoke personality makes it hard to hate
Big Smoke is essentially a charmer, which is why fans find it so hard not to fall in love with him, despite his glaring shortcomings. He is attached, if not loyal, to his friends and doesn't shy away from his true self, which brings him so anticlimactically down. He's also incredibly funny and has some of the best lines in the game.
