There is perhaps no franchise riddled with crimes as a mechanic than Grand Theft Auto. The famed series has players shoot, steal, and everything in between. The only thing that can make Grand Theft Auto seem somewhat reasonable with its carnage, is to provide the player with more ruthless ways of grounding them in this specific reality from Rockstar Games.
There have been some great characters in the Grand Theft Auto franchise over the years, and with GTA 6 well underway, there's bound to be more. However, some of these characters are ruthless in their methods, no matter the location or the hardships.
8 Officer Tenpenny
As the main antagonist to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it’s no surprise that this villainous character would be ruthless. From the moment audiences are introduced to Tenpenny, they see that not only does he have the voice talents of Samuel L. Jackson, but he is entirely abusive to other people, and has an intimidating “ownership” over the protagonist, Carl Johnson.
What makes Tenpenny more ruthless than others is the fact that he is a police officer. He is supposed to uphold the law and respect those trying to turn a new leaf. For Tenpenny, a former convict is someone to be pressed and used. Tenpenny is an entirely corrupt cop.
7 GTA Online Protagonist
What character could be crueler than that the player? GTA Online offers the player plenty of opportunities throughout their time in the game, but none are without crime. As one of 30 players on a map, the GTA Online protagonist can do whatever they want. From stealing cars, killing people, or starting a war with Grand Theft Auto’s version of Mark Zuckerberg.
There are plenty of ruthless activities that the GTA Online protagonist gets up to in the game, and there’s a deeper connection to said character, considering they are the personification and identity of the player controlling them.
6 Ricardo Diaz
By 1986, Ricardo Diaz became the drug baron of Vice City. This character is exactly what is expected from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and demands respect from others as he rises through the ranks as the leader of his drug cartel. Diaz sees life as brilliant, as he has everything he needs. However, his needs revolve entirely around drugs and money, everything that he equates to power.
Diaz sees himself as somewhat untouchable. The police expect him to get away with almost 20 murders, and that’s only the ones they think they know about. Diaz is no stranger to allowing people to get horrifically tortured, and will manipulate others beneath him to get his way.
5 Carl Johnson
As the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, audiences will become familiar with Carl Johnson the moment his first act is to steal a bicycle. Carl is somewhat sympathetic, as he always feels dragged down by the very home he grew up in, with the people he surrounds himself with being dreamless and stuck in the same place he left them in.
However, Carl Johnson’s sympathy does not make him any less ruthless. Whether it’s with a spray can in hand, or a jetpack on his back, Carl Johnson will kill gang members and police to fight his way through a cruel life. CJ is responsible for many deaths in the game and returned specifically to get revenge on those that wronged him and take Grove Street by force.
4 Avery Duggan
A character introduced in GTA Online, Avery Duggan was a great threat to the protagonists and the Diamond Casino & Resort. Avery Duggan acted as the antagonist for this DLC and was the leader of his own family of Texans with great power and wealth. Duggan sought to bankrupt the Diamond Casino through any violent means to have the owners sell the casino to him for a cheap price.
Duggan threatens the GTA Online protagonists with his vast wealth, and as a businessman, it’s untold just how many pies he has his fingers in from around the world. Duggan shows his ruthlessness in the ways that he tries to have the player killed, with an abundance of attack helicopters and mercenaries.
3 Martin Madrazo
Martin may have a few disagreements with the Grand Theft Auto 5 cast of characters, but that is to be expected. After all, he had one of his houses destroyed by Michael, and his wife kidnapped by Trevor. Needless to say, Martin deserves his revenge, but as the head of his drug cartel, Madrazo is certainly someone that players do not want to need revenge on.
Martin Madrazo is one of the supporting characters of Grand Theft Auto 5 and is not afraid to use his wealth and power to get what he wants. He craves money and power, just like any other ruthless businessman. Madrazo isn’t afraid of killing witnesses that may accuse him of running a Mexican-American gang, and it is unknown just how deep his crimes go.
2 Niko Bellic
Growing up in Yugoslavia, Niko Bellic had a hard life, in which he killed, smuggled, and sold people. Niko leaves his old life behind and puts away his job as a hired gun and organized crime syndicate member to become a humble taxi driver with his cousin in Liberty City. However, as a Grand Theft Auto 4 protagonist, it wouldn’t be the right series if things went haywire, and Niko returned to his old ways.
Niko has been a veteran of war, and therefore is not afraid to pick up a gun and do what he needs to do. Grand Theft Auto 4 presents a great story on immigration and the American Dream, but it seems that Niko’s ideal for the American Dream is to find and kill two men, a ruthless act of revenge rather than a fresh start.
1 Trevor Philips
Perhaps no character in Grand Theft Auto history has been more vulgar and violent than Trevor Philips. This character was introduced in Grand Theft Auto 5 and has since gone on to be one of the franchise’s defining characters. Trevor is entirely ruthless and isn’t afraid to go on a killing spree over something as simple as a Canadian accent joke, or not being given a sip of a stranger’s beer.
Not only is Trevor brutally ruthless, but he’s certainly someone that lacks friends for a good reason. He’s entirely abusive to them and uses them for everything they have and all their worth. Trevor has killed an unknown amount of people, and despite a career in crimes, he still lives in squaller.