Throughout the Grand Theft Auto series, there have been many memorable protagonists players have been able to control. Some are noteworthy for their backstories, while others stand the test of time due to their wit, combat skills, or sheer audacity in the face of danger. While the franchise has included many high-quality characters over the years, there's one Grand Theft Auto protagonist that stands out as the very best the series has ever had.
With Grand Theft Auto 6 likely releasing in 2024, there's the opportunity to take some time reflecting on past titles during the wait. When determining the best Grand Theft Auto character, there are two different schools of thought to consider: which protagonist has the best storyline, and which is the most fun to play, as some have much more strength in one area than the other. Out of all of Grand Theft Auto's protagonists, there stands one clear winner, although they aren't without some stiff competition.
GTA 4's Niko Bellic Is Grand Theft Auto's Best Protagonist
Out of all the main characters Grand Theft Auto has seen over the years, there's one that stands out as the best of them all: Niko Bellic. The protagonist of Grand Theft Auto 4 offers an extreme amount of depth, realism, wit, and combat prowess that together make him the peak example of what a Grand Theft Auto character should be. It's established that before GTA 4, Niko Bellic first joined the army as a teenager to fight in the Yugoslav Wars, which clearly continues to affect him well after it's over, which is already a more traumatic backstory than many other characters in the series.
His life continues to be difficult even after he's left the army, having to survive by doing various criminal dealings across Europe, even spending a stint in prison, and after his release partnering with Ray Bulgarin to work in his human trafficking operation. While this is undeniably an abhorrent act, it's indicative of part of what makes his character stand out: Niko Bellic is not an inherently good person, and is sometimes not even likable, but the game always gives insight into his headspace to explain why he does bad things. Niko has both a rough past and present, and he's just trying to survive it all.
Out of every Grand Theft Auto playable character, Niko comes off as one of the most grounded. His military background helps explain some of his combat skills - which some other protagonists just inexplicably possess - and he operates in a moral gray area that feels more human than others. The entire tone of Grand Theft Auto IV feels a bit different from others in the franchise, coming off less like a satirical thrill ride and more like a realistic story. Niko still has redeeming qualities, too, like his sharp wit and his strong sense of loyalty, that make it hard for players to truly dislike him even at his worst.
How Niko Bellic Compares To Other GTA Characters
The shift in tone between GTA 4 and GTA 5 really solidifies how unique of a character Niko is. In fact, there's an argument to be made that GTA 6 should be more like GTA 4, rather than take inspiration from Grand Theft Auto 5, and much of this is due to the strengths of GTA 4's protagonist. While GTA 5 having multiple main characters was certainly a fun change of pace, it made it harder for players to form any sort of deep understanding or connection to any of them.
The way characters in many other titles are presented, GTA 5 included, seems to focus more on being edgy or creating the coolest crime boss possible rather than pursuing actual character depth or likability. As players follow Niko in his day-to-day life in Liberty City they see his love for his cousin, his resiliency, his strength of character - he's a protagonist that's deeply layered in a way that makes players actively want to learn more about him. This contrasts sharply with people like Trevor - one of GTA's worst protagonists - who is never shown to be anything but a surface-level sadistic man.
The way Niko's goals differ from many other protagonists also helps him stand squarely as the best. The plot of many Grand Theft Auto entries revolve around players working their way up as a criminal, eventually gaining large amounts of power and wealth, but that isn't the case for Niko. Instead, Niko is after revenge, which ties in with his strong convictions about loyalty. Both his motivations and where he winds up at the end of the game feel much more realistic, and GTA 4's conclusion is all the more satisfying by Niko not having a stereotypical happy ending.
Niko is far from the biggest criminal mastermind in Grand Theft Auto, but he isn't designed to be, and that works to his advantage. Part of why it's difficult to connect with the protagonists of other games in the series is because the game feels more focused on the criminal missions themselves than the people involved. A great example of this is Vice City's Tommy Vercetti, an undoubtedly memorable character to be sure, but his motivations all have to do with mafia politics and rising through the ranks - Tommy is memorable because of how successful and cool he is, not because of the breadth of his character.
Conversely, Niko has motivation that's rooted in his backstory, a demeanor that draws from past trauma, and a flawed human nature that make him the perfect Grand Theft Auto protagonist. Even though GTA 4's ending choice isn't as hard as developers may have intended, what Niko brings to the game's story overall is something very special and rare for the GTA series, injecting more feeling and depth through his presence while still being fun to play. In a series full of criminal masterminds and over-the-top violence perpetrated by stone-faced, often surface-level characters, Niko Bellic stands alone as the best protagonist of the Grand Theft Auto series.
Source: Rockstar Games/YouTube