Characters / Grand Theft Auto IV - Protagonists

Grand Theft Auto IV Main Characters Index
Protagonists | Friends, Family and Associates | Crime Families and Other Organizations | Other Characters

This is the character sheet concerning the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto IV and its downloadable expansions.

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Niko Bellic

Niko Bellic

"During the war, I did some bad things, and bad things happened to us."

Voiced by: Michael Hollick

Protagonist of: Grand Theft Auto IV

"Life is complicated. I killed people, smuggled people, sold people... Perhaps here, things will be different."

Raised in Serbia during the Bosnian and Yugoslav Wars, Niko Bellic came from a background of poverty and non-stop violence, and his family was tormented by the horrors of war. As a teenager, he fought in the Yugoslav People's army as a helicopter pilot and infantryman, along with several other youths from his village. Unfortunately, they were betrayed by one of their number, led into an ambush which only Niko and two others survived.

Once the war ended, Niko turned to a life of crime, running drugs and human cargo across the Adriatic Sea for Russian mafioso Ray Bulgarin, though the partnership ended on bad terms. Motivated by both a desire for revenge and for a better life, Niko decided to come to Liberty City on a cargo ship to live with his cousin, Roman, whose stories of mansions and sports cars gave hope to Niko.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation turned out to be very different - the "mansion" was a dockside slum, the "sports cars" taxi cabs. On top of that, Roman was heavily indebted to Russian mobster Vlad Glebov, and Niko soon found himself returning to a life of crime to work off Roman's debts...

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• Abusive Dad: It's implied that Niko's father was an abusive alcoholic.
• The Ace: By far the most badass character in the series, second only to the GTA Online Protagonist. Either running or fighting, he is extremely strong, tough, fast and durable. It's not just how you play him, more than one NPC will remark on his One-Man Army abilities.
• Affably Evil: Niko is generally a nice guy, who just so happens to be involved with organized crime. Provided you're not his enemy, or get him mad, he's pretty pleasant.
• Almighty Janitor: Throughout the whole game, Niko never holds a high position in any criminal organization and is only hired by bosses as a temporary thug and yet he is capable of destroying entire gangs all by himself.
• Anti-Hero: Unscrupulous Hero or Sociopathic Hero. Niko came to America to escape the horrors of his past life but also seeks to find and kill those who betrayed him and his friends years before. Not only that, but he also sports an indifference towards anyone who would seek to use his talents to carry out dirty deeds. Throughout the game, he can also commit acts of vigilantism ("Most Wanted", a series of side missions).
• Anti-Villain: He is involved with organized crime for mere payment and because he's very professional as a hired-gun.
  Ray: But can I trust you? Hmm? Why go through all this? Why stick your neck out? Why do all this work?
  Niko: Because I need the money, and because I can't do anything else. And because I'm good at it.
• Ax-Crazy: All is not well in Niko's head. This is probably the result of PTSD and grief. He has also a deep talent for carnage and always fought like a raging berserker. What would you call someone who massacres dozens of gangsters for a few dollars, all while he curses and screams, and commits dozens of acts of vigilantism for the same reason?
  Niko: [after killing two random gangsters] AAAAAAAAAAARRGH MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
• Badass in a Nice Suit: In some missions. Also, if the player decides to wear a suit.
• Balkan Bastard: A former Serbian soldier turned criminal for hire. Quite a friendly one, though.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: He tells Packie he should have killed Ray Bulgarin when he had the chance. Packie replies to him with these words after they barely escaped with their lives from Bulgarin's hitmen, and he tells him it'll never come true. Considering Luis is the one who kills Bulgarin, Packie was right.
• Because I'm Good At It: Why he feels like he can never escape a life of crime.
• The Berserker: Whenever sufficiently enraged enough to fight someone, he's frighteningly violent.
• Best Served Cold: During his time as a child soldier in a Serbian militia during the Yugoslav Wars, Niko fell victim to a betrayal that ended with 12 of his 15-man squad dead, and the two possible culprits missing. About 10 years later, on a merchant navy ship, he received a tip that one of the two squadmates he suspects to be the traitor was spotted in Liberty City. He then decided it was high time to reunite with his cousin Roman...
• Big Brother Instinct: Though they are cousins, Niko is very protective of Roman, seeing as he having to move to Liberty City to see him only to find out he was drowning in debt. If you threaten Roman at all, you better be writing a will to your next of kin, because he will not hesitate to pull the trigger on your head.
  Niko: (after receiving a photo from Dimitri with a mook pointing a gun to his head and snarls): You've cross the line, Dimitri!
• Broken Hero: Once his backstory is revealed.
• Brooklyn Rage: Considering Liberty City is based off of New York City.
• Byronic Hero: He's intelligent and shows some inner conflict about his lifestyle, but continues to stick with it because he feels it's the only thing he's good for.
• Celibate Hero: Niko shows little interest in romance. Dating is almost entirely optional, and player choice determines whether he hires prostitutes or visits strip clubs for the girls. He does enjoy the idea of settling down once he finds the right girl, but his vendetta against Darko always comes first. It tells wonders that the closest person to a canon Love Interest is Kate, with whom Niko doesn't have sex with.
• Chick Magnet: He's quite handsome and he can date up to five women in the game.
• Child Soldier: Served as one in the Yugoslav Wars.
• Consummate Professional: Unlike many of the criminals he meets, Niko commits heinous crimes with ruthless efficiency, only complaining on the rare occasions when he isn't paid well enough or when the task doesn't bring him closer to the man who betrayed him as promised. However, during jobs that force Niko to choose between money and his personal beliefs, the player can choose to subvert this.
• Contrasting Sequel Main Character: He is this to various degrees.
  • Niko marks a huge contrast to the previous protagonists. While Tommy Vercetti and CJ led a criminal life to fill their pockets, Niko is not happy with this lifestyle.
  • Ironically, despite wanting to get away from his past, Niko also marks a huge contrast in terms of coldness. Yes, Vercetti was a mafia enforcer for years and CJ committed very reprehensible crimes, but none of them committed human trafficking in their past as Niko did. Besides, Niko's work directly involves killing people. After all, he's a Professional Killer working for the police, criminal organizations or committing acts of vigilantism. It doesn't help the fact that Niko has the highest bodycount in the entire series.
  • He's also a contrast to the previous Rockstar protagonist John Marston from Red Dead Redemption. John is a former criminal who wanted to get out of that life just so he can have a place to be with his family and is forced to work for the government. Niko is forced to work for the I.A.A out of national security for his new country. In the end, John was ultimately betrayed by the government led by Edgar Ross while Niko was let go from doing more work for the I.A.A and upholding their own deal.
• Cruel Mercy: Sparing people in the game's Spare-Or-Kill choices is usually an act of genuine mercy on Niko's part, whether or not his mercy may be repaid in kind. However, if Niko spares Darko Brevic, he does so after realizing that living a miserable, penniless life in Liberty City, crippled by addiction and guilt is punishment enough. He is somewhat pleased by the choice he makes, and his friends congratulate him for it.
• Cultured Warrior: Niko spends quite a bit of time contemplating on his way of life, and makes rather astute observations regarding others as well.
• Cutting the Knot: Niko's basic solution to his cousin's problems with Vlad is to kill him. Deconstructed as this sets in a very long series of events.
• Cynicism Catalyst: Niko became increasingly cynical while being drafted as a Child Soldier, and this was exacerbated when he suffered a personal betrayal that saw most of his childhood friends (and fellow platoon mates) gunned down.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Grew up as a Child Soldier during the war torn early 90s of Yugoslavia, suffered a personal betrayal that saw several of his childhood friends (and fellow platoon mates) gunned down, served a few years in a European prison, and is haunted by a false accusation of theft from a powerful human trafficker in the Adriatic Sea, which forced him to escape on a merchant vessel to a supposedly glamorous life in America at his cousin's insistence, only to find that he lied.
• Deadpan Snarker: The snarkiest GTA protagonist after Luis. He usually makes sarcastic comments towards people who dislike him.
• Death Glare: He delivers a very cold one early on when Vlad Glebov, a Starter Villain, calls him a yokel and orders him to get him "a fucking coffee". This are Vlad's very first words to Niko, seconds after Niko's first impression is seeing Vlad put the moves on his cousin's girlfriend. Notably, the hot-tempered Vlad makes his first and only wise move in backing down.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Of the Villain Protagonist from the GTA series. Sure, he may not have had a choice in the beginning, but his acceptance of being good to being a Professional Killer leaves him feeling pretty miserable about himself. He also criticizes the idea behind the previous GTA protagonists. The game points out that all you'd get if you were a lone, anonymous hitman working for but unaffiliated to any part of the criminal underworld in a place like Liberty City is a whole load of suffering and the deaths of your loved ones. In so doing, the game manages to subvert Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster! in the darkest, most depressing way possible.
• Demoted to Extra: Just as Johnny and Luis were Ascended Extra from the main game to their respective episodes, Niko becomes a minor character in TLaD and TBoGT.
• Did Not Get the Girl: In both endings, Niko ends up alone as Kate, the closest to an official Love interest he had, either dies or hangs out with him for some time before cutting him off.
• Double Consciousness: As an immigrant, Niko is possessed of conflicting worldviews, each with their own virtues and vices. On the one hand, he cares about his family and friends from Serbia, but is too traumatized by war to live a normal life. On the other, he wants to build a new life in America, but is also hungry for wealth and believes he can only achieve it through crime. While Niko never explicitly comments on this, this can explain the game's Spare-Or-Kill choices, and even some moments of Gameplay and Story Segregation.
• The Dreaded: Both Johnny and Packie, who are badasses in their own right, admit that Niko is someone to be feared. Johnny even states that he wouldn't want Niko after him.
• Drugs Are Bad: Niko certainly believes in this, as he refuses to smoke marijuana, and also shows contempt towards cocaine and heroin.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Boy, he sure does get betrayed by some people a lot.
  • Darko Brevic betrayed The Squad wherein he, Niko, and 13 of their childhood friends served, in exchange for drug money.
  • Dimitri Rascalov betrayed him after revealing that he happens to be a friend of Ray Bulgarin, a man that Niko has history with.
  • Michelle/Karen secretly spied on him for what was eventually revealed to be an IAA front, the United Liberty Paper.
• Europeans Are Kinky: If the player has him go out with Alex Chilton, she will post about his "sexcapades" with her on her blog. Some of the stuff she describes is pretty weird, and often involves kitchen utensils.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Maintains regular correspondence with his mother, who is still living in Serbia. It's worth noting that when responding to her emails, choosing the negative option will always result in a positive response being sent.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Even though he gets annoyed by him from time-to-time, Niko genuinely loves his cousin Roman and frequently looks out for him. Most of his friendships in the game are also genuine and he regularly hangs out and has a fun time with his friends.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Despite his involvement in crime, Niko definitely has some firm morals.
  • Although everything remains to the player's decision, Niko feels certain dissatisfaction by the mere idea of killing Dwayne or Derrick.
  • He dislikes Mikhail because of how abusive he is towards his family.
  • Whenever he tries to kill a target, he thinks twice before pulling the trigger. Although this depends largely on the player's decision.
  • During his random encounters, Niko is visibly disturbed by Eddie Low's extremely psychotic behavior.
  • In his last random encounter with Jeff, he refuses to kill his second wife even when he offers money for him to do it. For an amoral killer that doesn't mind offing someone as long as he is paid, even Niko knows that guy is too crazy.
  • He utterly refuses to sleep with Marnie in exchange for money, instead offering to help her get better.
  • Niko also expresses displeasure if he steals an ice cream truck.
• Experienced Protagonist: He's a veteran of the Yugoslav War and had already done gang work before reaching Liberty City.
• Expy:
  • A young adult from a post-Soviet country and a former soldier who decides to embark on a journey to reconnect with a relative who is supposedly living well and is an important businessman. However, as soon as he arrives in the city, he discovers that it was all a lie, as his relative is deeply entangled with The Mafiya, forcing him to navigate the world of organized crime. He's also a meticulous Professional Killer who's trying to protect his loved ones in a hostile environment. Are we talking about Niko Bellic or Danila Bagrov?
  • To Sasha as well. Both are skilled marksmen of Slavic descent, both have Dark And Troubled Pasts, and both are hired assassins. According to Sasha's actor, Vladimir Mashkov, he was even invited to voice Niko, invoked but he refused. As if to cement this, Sasha's ensemble is available for purchase at the Russian Shop.
• Fatal Flaw: His inability to let go of the past and adjust to civilian life.
• Forgiveness: In the Deal ending, Niko elects to forgive Dimitri for backstabbing him earlier in the game in the interest of making one last buttload of money. Even when Dimitri murders the buyer to keep the heroin for himself, nearly getting Niko killed by the buyer's men, Niko flatly states that he's done seeking revenge and that if he wanted Dimitri dead, he would have taken the Revenge ending. Dimitri finally pushes his luck too far when he sends an assassin to Roman's wedding who ends up killing Roman.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Despite being a Shell-Shocked Veteran, several characters actually points out his heavy war drama does not excuse his numerous betrayals, bribes, and Hot-Blooded Leeroy Jenkins behavior. For one, he betrays several people over the course of the game, some willingly and others under orders, he always bribes the people he's working with at least $5000, and he always lets his anger get the best of him. Bernie is actually a perfect example by comparison: Bernie himself is also a Shell-Shocked Veteran, but he never lets his own war experiences cloud his judgement, which Roman lampshades. Darko committed similar crimes himself and calls Niko a Hypocrite since it makes Niko realize they're no different. The only thing Niko avoided was hard drugs, but Darko's point still struck a cord.
• Freak Out: Regardless of who dies in the wedding scene, Niko will reach the breaking point and freak out on either Roman or the assassin that killed Roman.
• From Camouflage to Criminal: He was once a trained marksman and helicopter pilot in the Serbian Army, but he now puts his skills to use as a Professional Killer. To be fair, he tried his hand at a mostly-legitimate job in the merchant navy for a time, but that didn't pan out so well.
• Funny Background Event: When you play as Johnny in ''The Lost and Damned", you can call the Bryce Dawkins bug and can hear him going on rampages despite being one of sane characters in the setting.
• Genius Bruiser: He is pretty intelligent, skilled with many different types of weapons, knows Krav Maga, and is one of the most dangerous characters in the series if he's after you. Despite his lack of formal education, Niko is a tactical genius and remarkably fluent in English: He is quite articulate during conversations and also demonstrates good grammar when writing emails. How much of a badass he really is? He has survived the war, the disaster of a ship, dozens of shootouts, and still managed to survive all this, almost as if he were supernatural! The best evidence of this is the resúme he submits to a law firm. It is incredibly well-informed and well-written, which is very jarring coming from a non-native speaker of English. Makes you think that Niko would make a good lawyer himself if he got a better education.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: There are many things that can set him off. But if you go out of your way to piss him off, he will actually do something about it. Several characters that know first hand on what he's capable of forgets the number one rule if he works for you: If you betray him, you're going six feet under, and as if your corpse is even recognizable.
• Heartbroken Badass: When his backstory is revealed. Even more so after Kate or Roman's death.
• Heroic BSoD: During "Mr. & Mrs. Bellic", either Roman or Kate will be inadvertently killed by someone gunning for Niko, depending on whether you chose the Deal or Revenge route before. Niko walks away from the scene clearly distraught, and when you regain control of him, several days have passed and he's holed up in the Bohan safehouse, wearing his original ragged outfit from when he first arrived in Liberty City and bemoaning the tragic turn of events.
  If Kate died: Poor girl...she should never have got close to me. (alternatively) Damn...I was meant to protect her...
  If Roman died: Roman...I'm so sorry, cousin.
• Hidden Depths: He's very polite, and more often than not, respectful. Often comes off as much more intelligent than the two-bit crooks he works for.
• Hitman with a Heart: Niko has some degree of compassion for a number of people he's sent to kill, especially if he knows they don't deserve death. The player can choose to indulge it and let the targets go, or ignore it and kill them anyway.
• Hypocrite: This is the criticism levelled against him as he stands bewildered over the revelation that Darko betrayed him and The Squad for a measly thousand dollars. Darko points out that not so long ago, Niko charged roughly that amount to kill people as well. Given that he feels unsatisfied if he executes Darko, it seems that insult hit close to home.
  • As much as Niko claims to value honesty and loyalty, he often denies involvement in certain past activities (with an unconvincing "I don't know what you're talking about"), and he ends up betraying and killing most of his employers over the course of the game. While his reasons for doing these things vary and aren't necessarily unjustifiable, they still end up making his assertions ring rather hollow.
• Iconic Outfit: His default attire, a brown leather jacket over a tracksuit, has become the series' most recognizable ensemble since Tommy Vercetti's Hawaiian shirt.
• I Just Want to Be Loved: Incredibly, Niko confesses this to Alex Chilton, who doesn't care.
• The Illegal: Unlike Roman (presumably), he illegally entered America through a merchant navy ship. However, he subverts most expectations of this trope due to the reasons why he's being exploited.
• Jade-Colored Glasses: Very cynical, but given all that he's been through (most notably a war that he admits ruined him), it's hard to blame him.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a criminal who specializes in hitman jobs, and he's prone to insult and/or snarky remarks to pretty much everyone, but he still manages to have a decent set of morals and very much cares about his friends and family.
• Kick the Dog: Gets one in "No Way on the Subway" when he kills Jim Fitzgerald's friend and makes some callous taunts over it afterwards.
• Knight Templar Cousin: Harming Roman is a good way to get yourself killed.
• Last-Name Basis: Due to One-Steve Limit being averted, he addresses people by their last names to avoid this. An example when he tells Packie about Ray Bulgarin, and addresses him by his last name to avoid mentioning Ray Boccino by mistake.
• Legendary in the Sequel: Niko's exploits have reached even the ears of the criminal underworld in Los Santos. He's never been heard from again after the events of GTA IV though. Packie assumes that he's dead, but it's just as possible that he finally abandoned his life of crime and settled down.
• Lightning Bruiser: Observable in-game: Niko can run faster and jump higher than the other two protagonists of the game, allowing him to avoid gunfire and traverse uneven terrain better, but he can also absorb the same amount of damage they can (discounting Johnny's added resiliency in motorcycle collisions).
• Lying to Protect Your Feelings: He doesn’t tell Roman the real reason why of how his mother (also his aunt) died in war and instead tells him she died in a house fire because he couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth about the woman being brutally gang-raped and murdered and how he found her body after the heinous ordeal.
• Made of Iron: Besides the inhuman amount of punishment he can absorb in-game, it seems he had this trait even in his younger days, when he survived the ambush that killed his squadmen, and later the accident that left him the Sole Survivor of the Merchant Navy vessel ferrying Ray Bulgarin's merchandise.
• Morality Pet: Roman and Kate. Bernie/Florian may be one as well, given that a lot of the errands that Niko undertakes for him are more personal than his usual line of work. They may count as a full-on Morality Chain, as they both represent Niko's yearning to live a normal life and at the same time, his inability to let go of his past.
• Nerves of Steel: Niko is damn near impossible to intimidate. He'll casually snark at anyone who's acting foolish, regardless of their personality and status. Even tied to a chair with a gun pressed against his head, he never lets up mocking his captors.
• Nice Mean And In Between: Niko is the nice one. He's generally less rough mannered while interacting with others compared to Johnny and Luis.
• Noble Demon: Has a strong moral code despite being a freelance criminal for hire. You can play further into this by having him spare certain characters he was sent to kill.
• One-Man Army: In almost the whole game.
  • Especially in Museum Piece, Johnny is impressed, and sounds a bit frightened, when he comes across the mounds of bodies Niko left.
  • Even more so in the final mission. Both versions.
  • He's ESPECIALLY notable, even among GTA Protagonists. Prior to him, the highest named body count in the series was 19, by Tommy Vercetti. Niko's named body count? 50. And that's not counting optional murders.
• Only in It for the Money: He's typically only concerned with getting paid for his "services", and finds some of his bosses ridiculous for trying to persuade him that it's for a good cause.
• Only Sane Man: Kind of unavoidable when you hang out with Roman, Brucie and Jacob.
• Papa Wolf: Attempting to hurt those he cares about is not advised. Successfully hurting them guarantees that you will be on the receiving end of a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
• Perma-Stubble: A pretty thick example.
• Pet the Dog: He can potentially have some of these, ranging from sparing some lives to lending help to people who need it during random encounters.
• Politically Correct Villain: Niko is pretty disgusted with the fact that Bernie’s boyfriend is a right-wing politician that spews homophobic rhetoric (despite being secretly gay). He also does not approve of homophobic hate crimes as he willingly protects Bernie from being assaulted by homophobes on several occasions.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: The above entry doesn't stop Niko from calling a Bernie a "fag" (in Serbian) during one of the mission intros. He also refers to the Italian-American Pegorino family as "guido" during a phone call.
• Pretty Fly for a White Guy: "How about we roll together and scope some bitches at the strip club?"
• Professional Killer: He's an hired-gun for several crime syndicates from Liberty City. Consequently, in-story, he easily has the highest bodycount of any GTA protagonist.
• Promoted to Playable: Inverted. He's an NPC in "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony".
• Properly Paranoid: Highlighted in the mission "Buoys Ahoy" for Bernie. The latter invites Niko for a day of fun boating, but the two end up running into Dimitri's men and Niko has to gun them down. Then Niko points out to Bernie that he doesn't have time for fun and has to be alert at all times, with all the people trying to kill him.
• The Protagonist: For the main game and the GTA IV era as a whole.
• Pummeling the Corpse: After he kills the assassin sent after him in the Deal route, who inadvertently kills Roman during their struggle, Niko unloads his gun into his corpse, then starts kicking him once it's empty.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Unlike pretty much all of the other GTA protagonists, Niko finds no pleasure in his criminal lifestyle and only does it because he's good at it.
• Reformed Criminal: In Grand Theft Auto V it's revealed that Niko retired from his life of crime after the events of IV and has been quiet ever since. He apparently has been running Roman's cab business.
• Revenge Before Reason: Kills Vlad despite his claims that doing so will anger Mikhail Faustin, and Roman's pleading with him to let it go. Fortunately, Faustin didn't think much of Vlad either, and has Niko work for him instead. Niko has the option of doing this during the endgame by killing Dimitri rather than making a deal with him on Jimmy Pegorino's behalf, which results in Kate getting gunned down at Roman's wedding by the ruined mob boss.
• Revenge Myopia: The circumstances are unclear, but there could be an element of this in his quest for vegeance against Darko Brevic. While Darko admits to being motivated mostly by money and addiction, he also claims that their squad killed other friends of his. Considering Niko and his comrades were active partisans in the Serbian war effort, it's unlikely that their hands were entirely clean.
• The Scapegoat: Ray Bulgarin believes Niko is responsible for sinking a merchant navy freighter carrying his cargo and stealing a batch of his diamonds worth two million dollars. Turns out Niko was just the Sole Survivor of an accidental shipwreck, and the cook serving aboard one of Niko's later posts stole the diamonds.
• Sensual Slavs: A male example. He manages to charm many of the young women he meets in Liberty City, and can potentially juggle up to four different girlfriends. His meeting with Gracie Ancelotti best exemplifies this trope, as he is sent to seduce her long enough so she can be kidnapped.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: This conversation with Michelle says it all:
  Michelle: Did you fight in the war?
  Niko: Sure.
  Michelle: How was that?
  Niko: How do you think it was? Seeing your friends die? Seeing men have their legs blown off? It was... it was... it ruined me.
• The Teetotaler:
  • Downplayed. Niko will get drunk at social occasions with his friends, but he never drinks otherwise, and he outright abstains when he is talking business, asking for water instead. It is especially notable when Playboy X pours him a drink, and Niko is about to take a sip before realizing what he is about to do, and puts it down again.
  • There is a notable exception during a business talk with Jimmy Pegorino where he has a vodka on the rocks. But this happens right after Niko's confrontation with Darko, so there is a very understandable reason for it.
• Thicker Than Water: Niko probably has the healthiest familial relationships of all the protagonists (save for his Abusive Dad). He's very protective of Roman, loves his mother and had a close bond with his deceased brother.
• Tragic Hero: Niko presents an interesting example; as the game has Multiple Endings, he has as many Fatal Flaws that could potentially cause his downfall for different reasons. And given that there is no third option available to him, the situation can come off as reaching Greek levels of tragedy:
  • In the Revenge ending, Niko is undone by his inability to let go of the past when Pegorino kills Kate in retaliation for Niko's murder of Dimitri.
  • In the Deal ending, Greed^note And/or foolish trust in someone clearly untrustworthy proves to be Niko's undoing. Choosing to work with Dimitri again on the heroin deal doesn't save Roman from Dimitri's assassin.
• Tragic Villain: Despite his flaws, Niko is the most tragic Grand Theft Auto protagonist. He is a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds who is involved with a life of crime because it's all he feels he's good at. He comes to Liberty City looking for a better life and to escape his past, which includes being chased by a Russian mobster who believes Niko owes him money. He's also looking for a man who got twelve of his childhood friends killed, hoping for revenge. Whether he remains this way depends on several situations in the game that force the player to choose between Niko's personal beliefs or money. Years later, several Easter Eggs in GTA V seem to suggest that he has grown tired of having this lifestyle and abandoned it.
• Unstoppable Rage: During the mission "Hostile Negotiation".
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In The Lost and Damned, wherein he is a minor character. On two separate occasions in the main game, Niko is hired to kill an unnamed biker on a routine hit. Lost reveals them to be Jason Michaels and Johnny's best friend, Jim Fitzgerald, two high-ranking members of The Lost's Alderney Chapter. These two deaths contribute to the chapter's dissolution. Johnny never finds out about this.
• Vengeance Feels Empty:
  • Of course. He feels nothing killing people in the game's Spare-Or-Kill choices, even if they've all caused him trouble, since to him, it's Nothing Personal. But when The Contact brings him Darko Brevic, he is confronted with a choice with very personal ramifications. He is surprised to find that he doesn't feel any different if he kills the man, now possibly desensitized by all the killing he's done.
  • Notably averted shortly afterward, when he's given the choice to get revenge on Dimitri or forgive him for the sake of a deal. You'd think the latter is the better choice, after the ordeal with Darko, but it just gets him betrayed by Dimitri again. On the contrary, killing him makes Niko feel much better, since Dimitri can no longer threaten him or his loved ones.
  • Played straight in both endings. Pegorino and Dimitri ends up becoming a problem of his recent grief (Kate or Roman is killed on Roman's wedding day), and despite executing either men, the results stay the same. He feels nothing, since the person he loves ends up dead, and he has no satisfaction pulling the trigger.
• Villain Cred: Shows this towards Luis when the both of them meet up over the exchange the diamonds and Gracie while Packie and Tony becoming belligerent. They both want to go through the exchange without incident.
• Villain Protagonist: As per the norm with Grand Theft Auto protagonists, Niko can commit a variety of crimes under the player's control.
• Villain Team-Up: He teams up with Johnny Klebitz on two separate occasions to oversee a deal over one of the game's Mac Guffins. The heroin deal for Elizabeta Torres is foiled when their buyer turns out to be an informant, while the the diamond exchange between The Mafia and the Kosher Nostra is crashed by Luis Lopez, leaving Niko empty handed on both occasions.
• Wild Card: Despite working for several criminal organizations, Niko never actually joins one particular crime gang. His in-game criminal record says he is avoiding allegiance with anyone.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Niko Bellic is decidedly the most tragic protagonist in GTA. He is a veteran of The Yugoslav Wars with a history of parental abuse and having experienced and committed a series of war crimes during that conflict. His dual consciousness and contradictions, as well as his internal conflict between revenge, finding a better option for himself in America, or being caught in a wave of murders and organized crime, are largely the focal points of his story.
• Would Hit a Girl: It's telling when he would rather avoid doing this, but when he encounters Gracie just to kidnap her, he gets fed up over her nearly getting him and her killed that he decks her in the face to get her to stop.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Inverted. He is the one who frequently murders his ex-employers once they go too far with him.

Johnny Klebitz

Jonathan "Johnny" Klebitz

"No wonder you keep getting caught then, Billy. You can't stay away from it."

Voiced by: Scott Hill

Protagonist of: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

"A brother might stab you in the back, a woman certainly will, but a bike will never let you down."

Born in the industrial neighborhood of Acter in Alderney to a jewish family, Johnny Klebitz always lived in the shadow of his older brother, Michael, an upstanding citizen currently serving a tour of duty in Iraq. He took solace in his friendship with Billy Grey, a fellow troublemaker and motorcycle enthusiast, and the two eventually joined the Lost MC's Alderney chapter.

The duo took to the outlaw lifestyle like fish to water, earning Johnny a six-year prison sentence in 1994. Despite this, he continued to dedicate himself to the gang, as he'd come to view his "brothers" as family. Unfortunately, things started to go wrong fast. His long-time girlfriend, Ashley Butler, found herself addicted to meth and in debt to her dealers, often turning to prostitution to fund her habit, and Billy went down on a drug offense shortly thereafter.

Naturally, it was left up to Johnny, the club's most dedicated member, to keep things running smoothly in Billy's absence, and he became acting president of the club. During this period, he ended the long-standing war between the Lost and their rivals, the Angels of Death, and set up a number of criminal deals to keep the gang financially afloat. This all comes crashing down, however, when Billy returns from rehab, crazier than ever, and kicks off the war with the AoD once again...

For tropes relating to his appearance in Grand Theft Auto V, see his entry in this character sheet.

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• AM/FM Characterization: Classic Rock. Johnny Klebitz's favorite station is Liberty Rock Radio.
• Anti-Hero: Johnny is a criminal mastermind, outlaw and drug dealer who at the same time is a good at heart person, was rather selfless towards other Lost MC Members and wants to help his ex-girlfriend Ashley go to rehab, even if she makes his life worse than it already is. His main goal was also to have the Lost MC think before acting. Besides Jim and Angus, Johnny was probably the closest thing The Lost's Alderney Chapter had to a good guy.
• Affably Evil: He respects and cares about everyone in the Lost MC, and looks out for every single one of them, even the ones he doesn't like and is nice to anyone who he believes won't turn against The Lost.
• Ambiguously Absent Parent: Unlike Niko and Luis, we don't know anything about Johnny's parents as they're never mentioned by him or anyone else.
• Anti-Villain: He's an unrepentant criminal for sure, but he has a sense of honor and cares about his fellow bikers.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: This is invoked by his older brother Michael, a Captain in the USMC, who constantly berates him on his outlaw lifestyle and the toll it has taken on their family.
• Anti-Mutiny: How his tenure as the Lost MC's head turns out. After being declared president following Billy's latest arrest, half the club turns against him and sides with Brian, out of loyalty to Billy Grey, which results in them getting massacred by Johnny and his friends.
• Ascended Extra: Went from a minor character in the main story of GTA IV to the protagonist of his own episode.
• Badass Biker: Rides a custom Hexer painted in the colors of the Israeli flag. He has a perk unique among the protagonists that makes him less likely to be ejected in a motorcycle collision. He also takes less damage when ejected.
• Born in the Wrong Century: He's constantly reminded by non-Lost associates and enemies that his biker lifestyle went out of date in the last century. This is rarely presented as a good thing, as it leads to him being manipulated and later, killed by more ambitious or progressive criminals. Stubbs notes in his post-game phone call that Johnny's ideals wouldn't be out of place of medieval times.
• Broken Pedestal: His relationship with Billy Grey has been completely ruined by the time he gets out of rehab.
• The Big Guy: Of the protagonists. While Niko's athletic and Luis is muscular, Johnny's a lot more bulky than either of them.
• Byronic Hero: He is a firmer Anti-Hero compared to the other protagonists. On the outset, he's portrayed as noble for wanting The Lost to prosper. However, he admits to being entrenched in a life of crime since his youth, and has no pretensions of leaving said life. He is also completely unapologetic about running The Lost as a drug-dealing enterprise, though this aspect of the club is not shown during the storyline.
• The Chains of Commanding: His first act after being officially instated as chapter president was to attempt to quell a dispute regarding the validity of his position, which later erupted into a Civil War.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Johnny always comes to the aid of his brothers should they need it, and he admits himself to Angus that he always has a soft spot for someone in need of help.
• Cluster F-Bomb:
  Johnny: [during a shootout]: FUCK! YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!
• Deadpan Snarker: Not as much as Niko or Luis, but he definitely has a dry wit, particularly when talking with Billy or Brian.
• Demoted to Extra: In GTA 5, he's a minor character killed by Trevor immediately after being introduced.
• Dented Iron: Much more scarred than Niko. He also runs slower, which is implied to be because of some sort of bike-related injury.
• The Dreaded: If Playboy X's comments about him are anything to go by, it seems he was quite a notorious figure even prior to the events of the game, thanks to his participation in a Mob War.
• Drugs Are Bad: Unlike his fellow bikers, Johnny is never seen using drugs, and actually has a level of disdain towards them. He does however off-handedly mention that he smokes marijuana, so it's likely that he just avoids the heavier stuff.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: During his appearance in the base game for Grand Theft Auto IV, Johnny wore a beige vest over his jacket. When he became playable for The Lost and Damned expansion, the vest went from beige to black.
• Embarrassing First Name: Because of the slightly mocking and teasing tune his fellow club members puts on every time they say "Jonathan", it can be assumed to be one.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He cares for everyone in his gang as if they were his family, even if he disagrees with them or dislikes them.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Judging by his taunts when fighting the Angels of Death, Johnny really dislikes the fact that they're white supremacists. Whether this is because Johnny himself is Jewish, that two of his closest friends are minorities, or just club standards in general isn't remarked upon.
• Evil Sounds Raspy: He has a raspy voice, which goes quite nicely with his Badass Biker persona.
• Face of a Thug: Definitely looks the most thuggish out of the three protagonists, having facial scars, a broken-looking nose, a buzzcut with a biker mustache, tattoos and always decked out in biker attire, but he's surprisingly one of the nicer Lost MC members you can encounter.
• A Father to His Men: One of his few redeeming qualities. While he may not have personally liked all of them, he always looked out for for everyone in The Lost. His actions during the club's Civil War may be debatable, but it can't be denied that he only started killing his fellow brothers when they shot at him first.
• Foil: Relating to Niko's Double Consciousness, he mirrors the side of Niko that clings to the past. He is protective of his friends, but refuses to leave a violent criminal lifestyle now long out of date. His fate arguably shows the consequences of this way of life; his friends either die, betray him, or fail him in some way, and he is killed when his lifestyle finally catches up to him.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Foolish lawbreaker biker to his brother Michael's Responsible law-abiding citizen.
• Genre Blind: Johnny can competently run his biker gang, but noticeably lacks the instinct or foresight of other GTA protagonists. He'd be up the creek without his brothers in the Lost, and he knows it.
• Greed: A subtle part of his personality. While his loyalty to his fellow bikers is absolute, he has no problem with turning on his current boss if he can get money from it.
• Heartbroken Badass: He becomes this at the end of The Lost and Damned. With the chapter's dissolution, Ashley's chronic return to addiction, and Jim's death at the hands of Niko Bellic, this is understandable.
• Hero of Another Story: In the main game, and we eventually explores it in TLAD.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Johnny is protective of people he's close to. He even admitted that he always had a soft side for someone in trouble.
• Homeless Hero: While Niko and Luis both have apartments of their own, the closest thing Johnny has to a dwelling place is the store room of the Lost MC clubhouse.
• Honor Among Thieves: He is a believer in this trope, at least within the confines of his club, doing everything to make sure The Lost MC prospers financially and its members stick together. Such is his loyalty that he deals product with the city's shadiest parties, or plays along with being forced into doing their dirty work, all in the interest of ensuring the club's profit or protection.
• Honor Before Reason: This proves to be a Fatal Flaw when a Civil War erupts within The Lost, and he finds himself too hurt and insulted to deal with Brian's faction outside of a Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Later, this proves to be the cause of his Tragic Mistake; he attempts to steal Ray Boccino's $2,000,000 for the club and entrusts it to Jim, only to get the latter tortured and killed in retaliation.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: He is a much more qualified leader of the Lost than club president Billy Grey ever was... but still tries to pull an incredibly transparent double-cross on one of the biggest mob bosses in town. It's implied by that point that Johnny no longer cares whether he lives or dies.
• Hypocrite: For all his (justified) criticism of Billy getting the Lost into trouble needlessly, Johnny doesn't hesitate to rip off two million dollars from a reasonably powerful mobster with little justification other than simply disliking the guy. Which might not be so bad except he brings along Jim as a partner in crime, who promptly gets tortured and later killed.
• Irony: He is seemingly straight with Niko, whom he met during Elizabetha's party, and the latter even set up a drug deal with them, and later was supposed to set up a diamond deal with Niko still treating him with friendliness. Johnny is completely unaware that the man whom he respects and fears is actually the cause of his problems, both of them being Mikhail's execution of Jason, and Ray Boccino's orders to kill Jim, and he is unaware of this.
• Informed Judaism: Is of Jewish descent, but has stated that he rarely practices the faith.
• Large and in Charge: He describes himself as weighing 230 lb (104kg), and he is noticeably bulkier than the other two protagonists.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Being a gang leader and drug dealer, Johnny is a stone cold killer, even compared to the other protagonists, but he's not a horrible man, since the mutual sense of brotherhood and loyalty he fosters in his gang makes him look like a saint compared to the xenophobic Angels of Death, the manipulative Ray Boccino, and even the sadistic Billy Grey.
• Limited Wardrobe: Unlike Niko and Luis, Johnny doesn't appear to wear anything but Lost leather jacket. Nor does he (or is even allowed in gameplay) buys more clothes.
• Lovable Rogue: A noble and rebellious outlaw, with a strong sense of honor to his deemed brothers.
• The Leader: He's officially the Vice President of the Lost, so he assumed this position while Billy was in rehab. He's obliged to become president again after Billy's arrest in "This Shit's Cursed".
• Morality Pet: His ex-girlfriend, Ashley, much to his chagrin. He helps her out many times during the story, but he's trying to break this relationship off because Ashley brings nothing but trouble with her drug addiction.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Ripping off Ray for the two million dollars in the diamond deal leads to Jim's death.
• Nice Mean And In Between: Johnny is the In-Between. He's not as well mannered as Niko but not as snarky as Luis.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: He is often forced into committing crimes on behalf of parties outside the club. Congressman Stubbs has Blackmailed him into doing various crimes to further the man's political campaign. He also destroyed Brian's faction at Ray Boccino's prodding, so the club can return to supplying The Mafia with product.
• One-Man Army: He kills even more people than Niko, seemingly, dealing with the massive wave attacks from the Angels of Death.
• Only Sane Man: He and Jim are the only Lost MC Members who realize how stupid gang war is. They're also the only ones who speak up, and stand up to Billy, who's just a borderline psychopath.
• The Pig-Pen: Not to the extent of Trevor Philips, but as a biker, he leads a much grungier lifestyle than either the upwardly mobile Niko or the comparatively ritzy Luis. In one of his idle animations, he recoils after smelling under his armpits.
• Politically Correct Villain: He doesn't approve of the racism within the Angels of Death.
• Pragmatic Villainy: His persistence in keeping The Lost's drug-running enterprise active is what puts him at odds with Billy Grey's insistence to reignite their rivalry with The Angels Of Death for shits and giggles.
• Promoted to Playable: Went from a non-playable character in the original GTAIV story to the main playable character of The Lost and Damned.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's the de-facto (later official) chapter president of The Lost.
• Sizable Semitic Nose: Johnny is of Jewish descent and has a big, hooked nose.
• Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: He is suddenly and brutally killed in Grand Theft Auto V during Trevor Phillips' introductory cutscene, happening five years after the events of TLaD.
• The Stoic: He acts very calm and cool at all time, to the point where he delivers snarky comments in even the most dangerous situations, except for the times Billy really gets on his nerves.
• Tattooed Crook: Though most of his tats are hidden under his gang colors.
• Tragic Hero: His compulsion to help every single member of The Lost in their troubles doomed his quest to bring the club out of its rut.
  • Had he refused to follow Billy Grey's plans, he would likely not have been implicated in the heroin theft or Billy's subsequent arrest. Free of those entanglements, he could have prevented the Civil War.
  • Had he left Ashley to deal with her own debts, he would not have been involved with the diamonds and by extension, Ray Boccino, who would later order Jim's death.
• True Companions: Johnny's relationship with the Lost. Deconstructed, as the group breaks out into a Civil War after Billy's latest arrest, and Johnny finds himself unable to deal with Brian's faction outside of murdering them all.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Every crime he committed over the course of the game was to protect his loved ones. He also mentioned in a phone call with Angus that he always had a soft spot for someone in trouble. He also wanted to leave The Lost, but didn't, because he was loyal, but also because he saw no hopes of redemption. He likewise showed plenty sides of remorse over the course of the game. It's implied that he had too big of a heart to remain President.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In the main game, wherein he is a minor character. Roman is kidnapped by The Mafiya, prompting Niko to bust him out. This leads to an escalation in his conflict with Dimitri Rascalov, which may or may not result in Roman's death. Lost reveals Johnny was forced into kidnapping Roman to settle Ashley's gambling debts with the Russians whilst unaware of Roman's relation to Niko. Niko never finds out about this.
• Villain Cred: Has this towards Niko.
• Villain Team-Up: He teams up with Niko Bellic on two separate occasions to oversee a deal over one of the game's Mac Guffins. First, the heroin deal he set up with Elizabeta Torres is foiled when their buyer is revealed to be an informant. Later, he takes the opportunity to escape with The Mafia's money when the diamond exchange is crashed by Luis Lopez.
• What the Hell, Hero?: His older brother Michael criticizes him for his criminal lifestyle that took a toll on their family.

Luis Fernando Lopez

Luis Fernando Lopez

"Like I said man, everything's a little fuzzy."

Voiced by: Mario D'Leon

Protagonist of: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

"Hey, I know who I am. Sure, I do bad shit, but that ain't what I'm going to be forever."

Born in the latino neighborhood of Northwood in Algonquin, Luis Lopez was the middle child of his family, and as such, the least respected. His father, a US Marine, ran out on the family when he was young, forcing his mother to raise her three children alone. This stressful home life, combined with the influence of his best friends, Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas, made Luis something of a troublemaker, culminating in an incident where he shot a teacher who had felt up his sister.

Sentenced to 2 years in juvenile hall, followed by a series of prison sentences when he came of age, Luis became hardened, working out more and getting involved in illegal cage fighting rings. He became heavily involved with the Northwood Dominican Drug Dealers alongside Armando and Henrique, and found himself constantly harassed by the police. All this changed, however, when he accepted a bodyguard job for famed nightclub owner and socialite Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince, who helped turn his life around.

Cutting ties with his gang and involving himself more and more in the glamorous nightlife of Liberty City, Luis eventually became Tony's right hand man, managing the clubs and organizing the business side of things while Tony handled publicity. However, after being caught up in a robbery perpetrated by Niko Bellic and Patrick McReary, Luis's life is turned upside down, as Tony's mafia creditors decide all at once to collect on their debts...

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• Abusive Mom: His mother constant browbeats him for his prior crimes while simultaneously criticizing his new line of work despite him making an honest living because it wasn't specifically what she wanted for him. It doesn't help that she constantly treats Luis' old friends better than him despite them still being drug dealers and constantly forces Luis to bale her out of her various debts while being completely ungrateful when he does help out.
• Accent Relapse: Inverted. Luis has a noticeably thicker accent in IV, which was lost when his lines were re-recorded for The Ballad of Gay Tony.
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: Armando often accuses him of having this, arguing that his fortune from managing clubs has gone to his head and caused him to forget about his old friends, and neighborhood. He usually responds by telling Armando to shut up.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: Luis was made more conventionally attractive when he made the leap from Tony's bouncer to a notorious ladies' man in TBOGT.
• Alliterative Name: His first and last name both start with the same letter.
• AM/FM Characterization: Reggaeton and Reggae. Luis' favorite radio stations appear to be San Juan Sounds and RamJam FM.
• Anger Born of Worry: He frequently argues with Tony over the latter's cocaine addiction. This is most apparent during Tony's failed suicide attempt, after which he punched Tony.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: His brother Ernesto sees him as this, as evident by his hostile emails.
• Anti-Hero: He sincerely wants to leave his life of crime and legitimately manage Tony's clubs, but his loyalty to Tony and his friends hold him back. Many of the morally reprehensible (and outlandish) things he does over the storyline are done either in the interest of pulling Tony out of debt or of helping Armando and Henrique set up their business.
• Ascended Extra: Went from a minor character in the main story of GTAIV to the protagonist of his own episode.
• Badass Spaniard: He's a One-Man Army of Dominican descent and one of the biggest badasses in the IV trilogy. Even Gay Tony mentioned this in the final mission.
  Gay Tony: Okay, Lou. Shit. You'll be fine. Shit. No one in this whole crazy town is crazy enough to take you down.
• Bigger Is Better in Bed: Averted. Several women who Luis had sex with joke about him having a small penis, but it doesn't prevent him from being The Casanova.
• Black Is Bigger in Bed: Averted. He is Afro-Latino and several characters comment on him having a small penis.
• Bouncer: His job when he first met Gay Tony. Even though Tony's since hired another bouncer after taking Luis on as a protege, Luis' job as Maisonette 9's manager still basically boils down to this trope.
  • Admittedly, he doesn't exactly wait the door. It's just most of his 'business meetings' involve gunplay.
• Brutal Honesty: Luis has no qualms about letting other people what he thinks of them.
• Calling the Old Man Out: When he goes to pick up his friends at his mother's place, his mother has the gall to call him out over him going over his criminal lifestyle meanwhile, he calls her out over taking the money he legally earned, and tells her "call one of your other kids. The ones you ain't ashamed of".
• The Casanova: He is known to have dated and had sex with quite a few women, some of them celebrities, and can have casual flings with the female clubgoers at Maisonette 9 should he impress them with his dancing.
• Category Traitor: Because he aspires to leave the drug dealing lifestyle behind and become legitimate, he catches some flack from his peers for leaving them behind.
• Chick Magnet: Lampshaded by Tony saying that half of the city's women fell for Luis at least once.
• Cop Killer: Defied. Luis remarks sometimes that he does not like killing cops.
• Deadpan Snarker: Even more than Niko.
• Didn't See That Coming: His role in the diamond exchange between The Mafia and the Kosher Nostra, which is also the mission in which all three protagonists meet. The Mafia certainly felt that the diamonds were as good as theirs with Niko Bellic and Johnny Klebitz overseeing the deal. They didn't count on Luis having the balls to steal the stones back for Gay Tony.
• Disappeared Dad: His father skipped out on his family to be with another woman.
• The Dutiful Son: Luis has been forced into the role of his mother's caretaker because his brother and sister haven't been seeing her after moving out.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Is waiting in line at the Bank of Liberty when Niko and the McRearys rob it in the main game.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In his cameos in the base game, his face is very different and his accent is a lot thicker.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Compared to Niko and Johnny, Luis' story comes to a much happier ending, as Bulgarin is dead and Tony's business is saved.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Luis is very protective of his mother, and even provides for her far better than his more well-off siblings.
  • When a loan shark threatens his mother, Luis is quite visibly angered, unlike his normal, emotionless frame of mind.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Genuinely cares for his mom, sister, boss and friends. Averted with his brother.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Luis, despite being comfortable with gunning down hundreds of people throughout the game is clearly horrified upon seeing the decapitated head of a guy who crossed Ray Bulgarin.
• Foil: Relating to Niko's Double Consciousness, he mirrors the side of Niko that wants a fresh start in America. He wants to stay legitimate, but always finds himself relying on his old talents. His fate arguably shows the consequences of this way of life; he is of respectable social standing, but is often exploited by the criminal elite due to his mounting debts. Also, his old associates mock him for his lifestyle choices.
• Hero of Another Story: Same as Johnny, he's just a minor character in the main but we do see his story in TBOGT.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Technically hyper-competent business partner, but Gay Tony would've gotten himself shot, blown up, lit on fire, and dumped in the ocean ages ago without Luis to handle things.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He might be snarky towards everyone he comes across, but he is willing to help them if he can.
• Knight Templar Big Brother: He served a sentence in juvenile hall after shooting a teacher who felt up his sister.
  • Averted with his brother Ernesto, who Luis couldn't think any less of.
• Like a Son to Me: Similarly to how Luis feels about Tony, Tony considers Luis the closest he ever had to a son.
• Mature Younger Sibling: He's the middle child of the family, and he's less of a jerkass and more caring for his mother than his brother Ernesto.
• Military Brat: His father was in the Navy.
• Mistaken for Gay: His friends, Ray Bulgarin, and others believe Luis has to be Tony's lover. They can't believe anyone would otherwise work for him.
• Morality Pet: Tony. He tried to do this with his mother but failed miserably.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Luis working for Bulgarin leads to the latter discovering that they bought the diamonds that were stolen off him by the cook, and thus planning to kill them.
• Nice Mean And In Between: Luis is the snarkiest and most sharp-tongued of the three, making him the mean one.
• Not So Stoic: Luis gets visibly angry when a loanshark threatens his mother, and he falls back in horror after seeing the decapitated head of the Cook.
• Only Sane Employee: Despite being manager for Gay Tony's clubs, he doesn't seem to do much managing, instead being forced into situations that flagrantly defy common sense to appease his clientèle and subsequently bail his boss out of debt. Even in Club Management missions, he is forced into running zany errands at the whims of his celebrity clients.
• Politically Correct Villain: He commits numerous illegal activities throughout the story but seems to have no problem with Tony being gay and scoffs at Troy when he expresses his displeasure at working as a bouncer at the gay nightclub Hercules which is owned by Tony.
• Promoted to Playable: Went from a non-playable character in the original GTAIV story to the main playable character of The Ballad of Gay Tony.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Much like Niko, Luis wouldn't be doing anything awful if he wasn't paid for it.
• Really Gets Around: Multiple characters comment on his promiscuity.
• Sibling Rivalry: Luis has a less-than stellar relationship with his brother Ernesto, who constantly makes judgements about his lifestyle, as well as bashing Luis for not giving their mother financial support, despite having a well-paid job as an accountant.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: During Club Management missions, Luis will don a casual plain black suit. He also has two black plaid suits in his wardrobe.
• The Stoic: He's calm, collected, and always maintains his emotions in check.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Judging by the pictures in his apartment, Luis looks exactly like his father.
• Stupidity Is the Only Option: Much like Carl Johnson, he loves to lampshade the utter stupidity of a lot of the things he's forced into doing.
• Spicy Latino: Averted. Luis is more even-tempered and collected than Niko.
• Supporting Protagonist: While he is the Player Character in Ballad, he simply serves as the point of view from which the player observes the episode's eponymous nightclub owner, who undergoes the most Character Development over the course of the story.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: As mentioned below, he's tall and has dark hair, and is also known to date several women who find him attractive.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He’s tall, dark-haired and snarks like no tomorrow.
• Toxic Friend Influence: His friends drag him back into drug-dealing.
• Tritagonist: Obviously not for his own episode, but for the GTA IV era as a whole.
• True Companions: His relationship with Armando and Henrique. While he claims to abhor their drug-dealing lifestyle, he's always on hand to help them out with their operation and bail them out of trouble if need be.
• Undying Loyalty: As much trouble as he gets into helping Tony, and as much as Tony's neuroses frustrate him, he will not abandon him.
• Unknown Rival: He actually takes advantage to this trope, seeing as Ray Bulgarin has a personal vendetta over something Niko didn't even do. The payoff to this is how he's the one who gets to kill him at the end.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Despite being a hardened gangster (mainly in his younger days), he's a Punch-Clock Villain at worst, and even then he's just working to clear Gay Tony's debts.
• Villain Cred: Shows this towards Niko when the both of them meet up over the exchange the diamonds and Gracie while Packie and Tony becoming belligerent. They both want to go through the exchange without incident.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: At least compared to the other GTA IV protagonists. Luis genuinely believes it's possible to clean up and better yourself, which gets him treated like a chump by most of Liberty City's criminal population.
  • Becomes something of a Broken Aesop when he succeeds through massive criminal activity. Then again, since this is GTA, it could well be a Spoof Aesop.
• Would Hit a Girl: Like Niko, he would rather avoid hitting women, but ends up in the same wavelength as him when Gracie demands that he return to kill Niko and Packie despite going out of his and Tony's way to rescue her, and he's already has Russians after him. He gets so fed up with her that he punches her to shut her up.

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