There are a surprising number of things that Grand Theft Auto 6's story and protagonists could take away from the leads of past games like Tommy and CJ. Almost every protagonist in the series has a trait that they exemplify more than the others, and that helps to differentiate them from the other criminal protagonists. Some of these traits could be interesting to see reflected in GTA 6.
The stories of most Grand Theft Auto games carry similar beats. The main character starts with almost nothing. They have little money and influence to their name, and some of them don't even have cars at the start. However, they end up making a name for themselves and climbing up the ladder of the underworld. By the end, they take down their main enemy, who is almost always leagues more corrupt than the protagonist themselves, and have the city in the palm of their hand. Grand Theft Auto 6's movie-inspired story hasn't been revealed yet, but it is almost certain that similar themes will show up somewhere in the plot.
With the series having such a rich history at this point, the protagonists of past GTA games have plenty of signature traits that could be mirrored in GTA 6's story. Some would be easy to show, while others would requite more effort to make them clear. Taking these traits to heart could help the GTA 6 protagonists develop over the course of their own story.
GTA: Vice City's Tommy Vercetti Is The Embodiment Of Ambition
It can be difficult to find nice things to say about Tommy Vercetti. Arguably the most brutal of the GTA protagonists, he is relentless and unafraid of collateral damage in his mission to become the kingpin of Vice City. However, if there is one compliment that can be honestly applied to the man, he is definitely not short on ambition. Whatever happened to Tommy after Vice City, no one can take that away from him.
Tommy starts Vice City having been sent to the titular city by his boss after having caused too much trouble back home. However, Tommy quickly moves from giving his boss a foothold in Vice City to aiming to take power for himself. Over the course of his rampage across Vice City, he not only takes down everyone who has done him wrong, but collects more and more power for himself. He considered himself to be deserving of more than what he got as Sonny Forelli's henchman, and almost the entirety of the plot is spent proving that he is. By the end, Sonny's empire is gone and Tommy is unquestionably on top.
In GTA 6, although the protagonists are unlikely to match Tommy's level of ruthlessness, they could share his sense of ambition. Although GTA 6 risks ruining Vice City's reputation by returning to the iconic locale, seeing the new protagonists rise to the occasion in the same place as Tommy's rise could be a good opportunity to compare the two. Although Tommy may be GTA's toughest main character, it will be interesting to see how the newcomers perform.
GTA: San Andreas' Carl Johnson Holds Loyalty Close To Heart
Carl Johnson, the main character of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had to put up with a lot during his game. His older brother thinks that he went soft after moving away, and two of his best friends betray him in favor of his worst enemy. Despite all of that, CJ is still able to protect the people that he cares about. The thing that fuels him is the trait he holds strongest of any GTA protagonist, and that is loyalty.
CJ is loyal to his family, his gang, and his friends, even the ones who don't really deserve it, which makes GTA: San Andreas' Grove Street Family betrayal more painful to watch when it happens. Even someone like OG Loc, who repeatedly annoys CJ and the rest of Grove Street with his antics, still gets CJ's support because he's his friend. Despite this loyalty being misplaced early on, CJ's willingness to come through for his friends time and again earns him several strong alliances heading into the game's final act. CJ's loyalty earned him some very powerful friends and showed why it is one of the strongest virtues in the GTA universe.
In Grand Theft Auto 6, the strongest way to show loyalty for the protagonists is obviously towards each other. However, they could form a very strong web of allies by approaching situations the way that CJ did. By making themselves people that can be relied upon, they can find themselves with no shortage of useful partners in GTA 6's rumored Florida-inspired Vice City.
The Grand Theft Auto 5 Trio Are GTA's Biggest Argument For Teamwork
Michael, Trevor, and Franklin of Grand Theft Auto 5 are three very flawed people. However, despite their own eccentricities and clashes among themselves, they manage to form the series' most formidable criminal team. Their record of successful heists speaks for itself, but the skills that let them coordinate such operations deserves praise.
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor all have different skills that they bring to the table, and despite their contrasting personalities, they can work together flawlessly to get a job done. This is shown very well during missions as players switch seamlessly between them depending on whose duties are most pressing at the time. Even today, GTA 5's character swapping is still impressive, and it helps to make missions feel even more exciting. Even when they have to bring in more crew members for the big heists, they along with Lester can keep the squad running smoothly to earn a big payday for everyone. However, the best example of their teamwork would be in GTA 5's canonical ending, where they work in tandem to take down all of their enemies.
The GTA 6 protagonists obviously have to use teamwork in order to take the role that the series will demand of them. With two protagonists, they will need the same type of coordination that the GTA 5 trio used in order to succeed. With GTA 6 looking to exceed expectations, teamwork may be the virtue that GTA 6's leads need most.
Even though Grand Theft Auto protagonists are all criminals, one can find some admirable traits in them by taking a look at their actions. The more impressive sides of their personalities can make for some interesting parallels to other characters as well. Once Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out, it will be interesting to see if the new protagonists hold any of these virtues.