The Theme of Betrayal in the Grand Theft Auto Series

Betrayal is a theme that permeates almost all GTA games. It has been the focus of major storylines, it has appeared in side missions, and it has ruined many heroes who made the wrong choice. We have collected specific examples in this article.

Warning: this article contains plot spoilers.

Grand Theft Auto 3

In the opening cutscene, the main character Claude is shot by his accomplice Catalina. By that time, she had decided to do business with the Colombian cartel and was no longer interested in her old lover. The girl once again changed her boyfriend, this time the "lucky one" was Miguel. However, he did not live long — at a certain point, Catalina cut short his life. And Claude himself managed to escape and take revenge.

At the time of GTA 3, it seemed that the reason for the betrayal was the girl's cynicism. She decided to raise the stakes and become part of a serious organization, and friendship with Claude was not part of her plans. However, during the passage of San Andreas, it became clear that Catalina has a stormy temperament on the verge of madness. Perhaps it was this trait of her character that influenced her decision to open fire on a loved one.

And this is not the only betrayal in the story mode of the third Grand Theft Auto. In Portland, the hero actively collaborated with the Italian mafia in the person of Salvatore Leone. But the elderly gangster began to be jealous of Claude for his wife Maria and decided to kill the guy. On his orders, they mined the car, which the protagonist of GTA 3 was supposed to drive. Thus, the Sicilian betrayed Claude.

But the main character himself committed a meanness. After the hunt for him began, the yakuza leader named Asuka saved the guy from certain death. It is completely unclear why he decided to kill her brother Kenji. Yes, the death of the Japanese turned out to be beneficial to Donald Love, but on the part of Claude, such an act looks like black ingratitude.

GTA: Vice City and Vice City Stories

Tommy Vercetti built a criminal empire together with Lance Vance and Ken Rosenberg. However, the main character of Vice City made the key decisions himself. It was he who bought real estate in the city with his own money, went on major adventures in the spirit of robbing a bank and personally participated in all, even the most dangerous cases. Lance, however, over time began to neglect his duties, but at the same time took offense when he was criticized, and even demanded to increase his percentage of the income. As a result, he went over to the side of Sonny Forelli when he came to Vice City to take Tommy's business for himself.

Lance had a boyish stupidity in his character that prevented him from making balanced decisions, keeping quiet in time, or finding a compromise. This is felt in his relationship with his brother Victor in Vice City Stories, who also did not perceive him as an equal partner. Surely, if Tommy had died at the hands of Forelli fighters, Sonny would not have gotten along with Lance, and he would have been eliminated sooner or later. The guy's peculiar character did not allow him to conduct serious business.

Sonny managed to betray Vercetti twice. Back in 1971, the leader of the Forelli family set a trap for Tommy and ordered his people to kill him. The assassination attempt failed, because the guy killed all the attackers. He served 15 years and was released. Then he was sent to make a deal with Victor Vance in Vice City to buy illegal substances. It was thwarted by Diaz's thugs.

However, Sonny was clearly aware that an ambush was waiting for Vercetti at the docks of the Vice City. This is indicated by the table at which he sits at the beginning of the game. If at first Forelli has nothing in front of him, then after the deal there are bags of powder and wads of money in front of him. He clearly got his share.

You can also remember the story of Gonzalez. Initially, he was a close friend of Cortez. The man came to Vice City to study the situation. However, he soon began stealing substances from his ally, and later fell under the influence of Diaz and told him about the upcoming deal between Tommy and Victor. This was clearly not part of the French colonel's plans, and he perceived Gonzalez's actions as treason. Cortez's revenge was not long in coming.

Tommy himself also committed an ugly act, which can hardly be called betrayal. Ken Rosenberg was one of the few who remained loyal to Vercetti until the very end. A few years later, he was sent for compulsory treatment to another state. This can be attributed to necessity, because the lawyer suffered from drug addiction. However, even after his discharge, Tommy did not want to talk to him and cut off all contact with Ken. In our opinion, this is not how you treat friends and allies.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

It was obvious throughout the game that Melvin Harris (Big Smoke) was a traitor. There were subtle hints, like the bat he threw that broke a framed photo of CJ's mother, or his reluctance to shoot the Ballas while driving to get burgers. However, the key point is the location of Big Smoke's house. One of the leaders of Grove Street lives in the territory of a rival gang. It's obvious that they will come for him sooner or later. This will not happen only if the guy made a deal with the Ballas from the beginning.

The reasons for Big Smoke's betrayal are obvious. He wanted the Grove Street gang to sell heavy substances, but Sweet was against it. So Melvin decided to secretly go over to the Ballas. Later, he managed to lure Ryder to his side. In addition, he met the corrupt police officer Tenpenny, which provided him with additional protection. Even before CJ's arrival, there was an attempt to eliminate Sweet, but even after the return of the main character of San Andreas, Big Smoke and Ryder pretended for some time that they were on the side of Grove Street. Perhaps the guys were waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

GTA 4

For Niko, revenge was one of the main reasons to move to Liberty City. It was there that the guy hoped to find Darko Brevic. Let us recall that during the Yugoslav wars, he betrayed Belik's squad, which is why almost all of his fighters died from enemy bullets. The reason turned out to be banal — the Serb needed money to buy drugs. Darko valued the lives of his brothers in arms at a thousand dollars.

In Liberty City itself, Niko has to deal with the Russian mafia. Dmitry Rascalov persuades him to eliminate the crime boss Mikhail Faustin. However, instead of payment for the completed task, the hero is lured into a trap. Later, Belik will face a choice: make a deal with Dmitry or take revenge on him. Regardless of your decision, Rascalov will die.

Grand Theft Auto 5

In the fifth part of the series, we are offered to play as a real traitor. Michael wanted to quit crime and contacted the feds, who ordered him to hand over his accomplices. The FIB was interested in Trevor, but they failed to take him. Instead, their colleague in a dangerous business named Brad died. Michael himself was placed under witness protection and lived in Los Santos for several years under an assumed name.

Years later, when Trevor returns and learns about what happened, he does not try to take revenge. The madman reproaches his former friend, but still works with him.

Their reaction to Franklin's choice at the end of the game is especially interesting. If he decides to kill Michael and tells Trevor about it, the man will start freaking out and stop communicating with him. But De Santa himself will calmly react to the order to kill his former accomplice.

According to many players, Michael's elimination is the most interesting and logical ending to GTA 5. The traitor got what he deserved, and the end of his life was put by a person he trusted.

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What scenes of betrayal from the GTA series games do you remember? Share your opinions in the comments!