There is a reason thatGrand Theft Autois one of the most popular open-world franchises in gaming history. Not only are the innovative open-worlds and exciting crime-riddled cities something to love, but the memorable characters certainly make each virtual city feel alive and complex, especially with the fates that await them.
Given how violent theGrand Theft Autofranchise can be, it’s easy to see whysome of the characters in this seriesdon’t receive a picturesque conclusion. In fact, some of these games can be downright brutal in how they handle the endings of certain people. Whether it be in the form of emotional turmoil or physical harm that is hard to comprehend, it’s easy to see why fans won’t be able to stop themselves from empathizing with certain characters who are done away with in an unceremonious fashion.
5Johnny Klebitz
Grand Theft Auto 4received two of the best DLCs in gaming history, withThe Lost and the Damnedchanneling a ton ofSons of Anarchyenergy by letting players take on the role of a high-ranking member in a biker gang. As one would expect, this DLC is full to the brim with high-stakes motorcycle chases, tense shootouts, and gang betrayals, with Johnny Klebitz at the heart of all these narrative developments. It’s easy to see why players form a bond with this character throughout this expansion’s story, makinghis fate in the sequelall the more hard to digest.
Trevor may be one of the mostmemorableGrand Theft Autoprotagonistsof all time, but this comes at the cost of Johnny’s life. After finding out that his best friend Michael was alive all along, Johnny ends up poking the bull when he tries to get in Trevor’s face for getting steamy with his girlfriend. An unhinged Trevor breaks a bottle on his head, repeatedly stomping his cranium in a fit of rage until the gangster is cruelly finished off. It’s a sudden demise that no player expects, making them feel bad for a protagonist whom they enjoyed controlling inThe Lost and the Damned.
4Frank Tenpenny
Vilified By The Masses Before Dying At The Feet Of The Man Who Hated Him The Most
One of the greatest antagonists in gaming history,Samuel L. Jackson’s inspiring performanceas Officer Tenpenny lends a ton of venom to his voice whenever he addresses CJ and the other members of the Grove Street Families. Even after leaving the city of Los Santos, Tenpenny is a constant thorn in the protagonist’s side. Aside from driving a stake through this gang’s heart, it’s revealed that the unit he’s a part of, C.R.A.S.H., is corrupt to the core. They brutalize innocents, tamper with crime scenes, intimidate people, and plant evidence to convict people.
Despite being convicted for his crimes, a lack of witnesses and evidence leads to Tenpenny walking free, This causes major riots in Los Santos, turning Tenpenny into a villain who is chased by CJ and his friends in an epic final mission. Poetically enough,this corrupt officercrashes right outside Grove Street and dies a pathetic death while his enemies and rivals walk away from his corpse, content that his reign of terror is finally at an end.
3Devin Weston
Begs For This Life Until His Last Breath Until He’s Brutally Executed
Devin Weston’s ties with Merryweather Security let him use an armed force for his selfish needs. Despite pretending to help out the three protagonists, Devin wastes no time in screwing them over by either withholding payment or pulling out from Michael’s movie for a pathetic tax write-off. When an unfortunate series of events leads to the death of his lawyer, he goes off the deep end and tries to kill Michael’s family in a fit of rage.
It’s a turning point in the story, with Franklin being contacted by him and Haines for their selfish needs. He can shun the demands of both characters andopt for a Deathwishwhere he teams up with his friends to take out every foe standing in their way. This leads to a cinematic final mission where all the antagonists ofGTA 5are done away with before the trio eventually stuffs Weston in a trunk. Till his dying breath, he pleads for his life to be spared and promises endless riches for the trio, only to be silenced as the trunk is slammed down and the car is sent down a cliff, leading to a painful demise full of crashes and bumps before the vehicle explodes and signals the end forGrand Theft Auto 5.
2Catalina
Dies At Claude’s Hands Despite The Odds Wholly In Her Favor
Catalina is one of the most self-serving charactersin theGrand Theft Autoseries. She uses both CJ and Claude for her own success, betraying the latter in an iconic introduction toGrand Theft Auto 3that places her as the central antagonist of the tale. Claude starts from the ground up and forms several connections in the underworld before coming face-to-face with Catalina. However, things aren’t as simple as they seem, and this villain takes Maria as a hostage and tells Claude to come by his lonesome with a hefty sum of cash.
Despite being disarmed and on death’s door, Claude fights against all odds to acquire a means of defending himself, securing Maria along the way. Catalina is humiliated by her ex-boyfriend, but she feels like she has the last laugh as she flees in a helicopter with the ransom amount. However, Claude puts a permanent end to her criminal aspirations, using a rocket launcher to blast her and the copter to smithereens in one of the most explosive and humiliating ends to an antagonist’s life in gaming history.
1Niko Bellic
Niko Is Forced To Either Lose His Cousin Or His Girlfriend
The violence inGrand Theft Automight make players think that the worst fate awaiting any character is a gruesome death. However, one can argue that Niko Bellic’s ending is the saddest one of the bunch, simply because he doesn’t enjoy a happy ending no matter what path he chooses at the end. Regardless of Niko’s path, either Rascalov or Pegorino initiates an assassination attempt at Niko’s cousin’s wedding.
Players are unable to stop either Kate or Roman from dying,leading to a revenge missionwhere Niko hunts down the perpetrator and gives him a taste of his own medicine. Unfortunately, despite getting his revenge, one can’t help but feel that this act rings hollow for the protagonist. The loss that he’s endured will bear heavily on him, and this can be felt in the post-game conversations that are as melancholic as they come.
