Many fans are familiar with Danny Trejo's performance as Umberto in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but he has appeared in a surprising number of other games as well. Danny has lent his voice and occasional likeness to genres ranging from RPGs to fighting games. Many of these games were also big titles that are well-known by many people, giving him a rather impressive resume.
Danny Trejo's iconic voice makes many of his characters instantly recognizable, even if they have no similarity to the man himself. Most of the time, his characters are tough, cool, and competent with a notable swagger to them. Ironically, despite Trejo getting his start in film playing villains, most of his gaming roles have been heroic, or at the very least neutral. Whether he plays a good or bad guy, his characters are always memorable. With Trejo's Umberto potentially returning for GTA 6, he may get the chance to add another game to his resume.
Players will often be able to point out Trejo's characters as soon as they appear, and they are frequently a highlight of the game. Appearing in multiple triple-A titles is impressive no matter how small of a role. Danny Trejo's surprisingly varied journey through the world of video games is worthy of a restrospective.
Trejo's First Game Role Was In Def Jam: Fight For NY
The first character that Danny Trejo voiced in a video game was Trejo, from Def Jam: Fight For NY. Modeled after the man himself, Trejo was one of Crow's lackeys who challenged the player to two early boss fights. With high health and strength, he is one of the first real obstacles that the player will encounter over the course of the game. Sadly, he disappears from the plot after his second battle, but his role in the PS2's best fighting game doesn't end there.
Thanks to Fight For NY's multiplayer mode, it is also Danny Trejo's first playable appearance in the game as well. Just like every other fighter in the game, the player can play as Trejo once they have unlocked him in the story mode. He is just as strong and durable in that mode as he is in the main story, and backs it up with a cool Blazin' move and excellent victory taunt. By featuring Danny Trejo as one of the game's first bosses, Fight For NY starts off on an impressive note.
Umberto Robina Was Trejo's Memorable Vice City Character
What may be Trejo's most mainstream video game role was Umberto Robina in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Vice City Stories. The leader of Vice City's Cuban gang, Umberto is a tough man with a lot of enemies in the city's underworld, but he managed to be one of the few characters to stay alive in GTA: Vice City. He is an intimidating presence, but he proves to be a solid ally of both Victor Vance and Tommy Vercetti.
In both games, the player can earn Umberto's loyalty by proving themselves useful to him or helping him out of a jam. Although he is a rather ruthless gang member in his own right, Umberto shows respect where it is deserved. Umberto never shows up in any missions outside of cutscenes, so the player doesn't get to see him in action on the street. Even though the player doesn't get to see him fight, Umberto still manages to radiate the toughness and authority one would expect from his position.
Danny Trejo Was The Ghoul Raul In Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas offered players a selection of potential companions to join them on their adventure, and Danny Trejo may have voiced the most interesting one. New Vegas is brilliant right from Goodsprings at its outset, but Trejo's character Raul is one of its most interesting figures in the wider story. An old ghoul who had been around since before the war, Raul is a laid-back mechanic with a tragic backstory involving his deceased sister. By rescuing him from a remote location, the player can gain a new friend to travel the wasteland with.
Raul is one of the coolest customers in New Vegas. With a sarcastic personality and a quick wit, he has no shortage of quips during the player's travels. He also possesses the fighting skills that one would expect from a Danny Trejo character, being a dangerous gunslinger that the player can even encourage to become a hero of the people in his loyalty mission. Raul could still be alive after New Vegas, so fans may see the series' coolest ghoul again someday.
Danny Trejo Appeared In Two Call Of Duty Games
Call of Duty games are not usually known for their characters. Most of the time, story mode is not even a priority for many players, as the games are more famous for their multiplayer modes. Even with story not being a priority for Call of Duty, that didn't stop Danny Trejo from making a cameo in two different installments of the Black Ops games.
In the COD: Zombies map "Call of the Dead", Trejo was one of four playable real-world celebrities for the scenario, fighting off hordes of zombies summoned by a zombified version of George Romero. Danny would go on to make a second appearance in Black Ops 4. This time around, he was a playable character in Blackout, the game's version of a battle royale. With two separate game appearances, fans of both Danny Trejo and Call of Duty were likely delighted. Although Modern Warfare 2 has become surprisingly controversial, Trejo's mark on the series remains one of COD's better surprises.
Far Cry 6 Features A Danny Trejo DLC Mission
Far Cry 6 is a game with a rather sprawling world and story, but it's one that Danny Trejo doesn't appear in during the main plot. Instead, he is the focus of his own DLC mission, holding the catchy title "Danny and Dani vs. Everybody". Whle they may not be fighting the whole country like the title implies, the mission is a major battle regardless.
Dani is contracted to assist Danny, who is on a mission to fed the hungry people of Yara. Unfortunately, he comes under attack from the soldiers of the dictatorship, and needs Dani's help to fight them off. Danny is no slouch himself, fighting alongside Dani to bring down the entire platoon that threatened them. Although Far Cry 6's Trejo crossover DLC accidentally released early, it still does a good job of making him look awesome.
Danny Trejo Even Has A Cameo In OlliOlli World
Danny Trejo's most unexpected appearance in a game might be his most recent. In skateboarding platformer OlliOlli World, Danny Trejo is hidden in the game with his own side mission. What is especially unusual about this circumstance is that Danny is the only celebrity cameo in the game. Even professional skateboarders like Tony Hawk or Rodney Mullen don't make an appearance.
The player won't get a chance to meet Danny until near the end of the game, where a secret exit on one level will take them to a hidden stage, BB's Burgers. There, Danny will challenge the player to beat the stage. The course is as difficult as one would expect from the endgame, meaning that Trejo's role as an OlliOlli World quest giver gives him tough guy credentials even in a game without combat. Entertainingly, the reward for Danny's challenge is a mask of his face, letting the player character cosplay as the actor.
Danny Trejo's storied history in video games spans many years and genres. From AAA games to indie titles, his recognizable voice has graced many games and given life to several memorable characters. Umberto in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City may be his most famous video game role, but Trejo's footprint on the medium is bigger than that one appearance.