The Grand Theft Autoseries was first released in 1997 for thePlayStation, and the series has seen several big changes since. The idea behind the first game was to create a police chase simulator, and this naturally grew into a series that explored some of the most deplorable acts found in the criminal underworld. Now taking place in a fully realized open world, theGrand Theft Autogames now all come with new ways to cause destruction in this incredibly detailed franchise.
While a lot has changed in the series, one of the primary focuses from the development team has always been humor. This humor can be found all over theGrand Theft Autoseries, but it is most commonly found in the characters.GTAgames have some of the most memorable NPCs, and you will not see any bigger personalities in another game series.
Ken Rosenberg is the neurotic lawyer who helps out the player character at the start ofGrand Theft Auto: Vice City. After a drug deal gone wrong,Rosenberg and Tommy Vercetti have to work togetherto find out who betrayed them before their boss starts asking questions about the money they owe.
Since Vercetti is new to the city, it is up to Rosenberg to point him toward all the movers and shakers who could help them in their current predicament. He mainly does this by fearing the worst and hiding in his office, but Ken Rosenberg is the first NPC many players will have the chance to interact with in aGTAgame.
Out of all the characters inGTA 5,Lester Crest is possibly the NPC that players will most recognize. He is the brains behind all the heists that the player undertakes, uniting the three protagonists with one common acquaintance.
Lester is abrasive and often rude. However, he has to be whendealing with the likes of Trevor Michael, and Franklin. He appears in a large portion of the main story inGTA 5, and even makes an appearance as an NPC inGTA Online. As such, he is probably the GTA NPC with the most screen time.
If a player’s first experience withGTAisGrand Theft Auto 4, then Brucie Kibbutz may come as a surprise. However, most seasonedGTAfans are already familiar with these louder than life NPCs when it is time for Nico to make nice with Brucie in the main campaign.
Brucie Kibbutz is a muscle clad gym fanatic, one who seems oblivious to his own overt sexuality. As such, this leads to everything he says and does becoming some sort of overcompensation. His missions often involve racing cars or beating up some thugs as Brucie screams at the player over the phone.
SinceGrand Theft Auto 3was the first in the series to make the jump to 3D, the developers had to work hard to inject some additional personality into each NPC. Players can see just how well that idea worked when they run into Toni Cipriani during the main story.
Toni is one of the higher-ups working for the Leone crime family. He is loud, brash, and doesn’t take any nonsense. As such, it is clear as to why he holds his position. In fact, players can learn how he got to where he is as Toni Cipriani isthe protagonist ofGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
Roman Bellic is the reason the player character inGTA 4, Nico Bellic, leaves his country behind and heads to Liberty City. Unfortunately, the rumors of Roman’s new-found riches were greatly exaggerated, and Nico finds that he has to spend more time bailing his cousin out of trouble than building a life for himself. Roman is cowardly, irresponsible, and childlike. Fortunately, he is too likable and innocent to get on players' nerves. Plus, who wouldn’t want to go bowling with him?
Tommy Vercetti is in a bit of a bind whenhe runs into Lance Vance inGrand Theft Auto: Vice City.Luckily, Lance is everything the player character needs at that time. He is resourceful, confident, and effortlessly cool. The pair even managed to take over a large portion of the city together.
Sadly, this double act is cut short when it is revealed that Lance is the one who compromised the deal at the beginning of the game and is the very person Tommy has been looking for. While this should turn Lance Vance from an NPC to a villain, the character is just too fun to hate.
Some NPCs inGTAare memorable for being too likable, even if they are involved in some extremely illicit activities. However, players will find that there are no redeeming qualities for Lazlow Jones. This TV show host is an egotistical, womanizing, sexist man-child who doesn’t like to hear the word no.
In fact, the developers who created Lazlow Jones did such a good job at making the player hate him, that it feels even better to run the NPC off the road andbeat him senselessin one of the story missions. However, his presence does have the upside of bringing Michael and Trevor back together.
There are few characters in video games that are as quotable as Big Smoke. As part of the Grove Street Gang, Big Smoke has some memorable lines at the very start ofGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Whether it is ordering food or asking CJ to “follow the damn train”, Big Smoke has become a huge presence in today’s meme culture.
Although Big Smoke looks like a big teddy bear, there is more going on with him than players would guess. He double-crosses the gang as part of the main story and is secretlyone of the smartest NPCs in the series.
