Who’s the True Protagonist of Grand Theft Auto V?

When Grand Theft Auto V launched back in 2013, it was one of the most expensive undertakings in gaming, and also one of the biggest success stories. I had a blast exploring Los Santos on Xbox 360, and it’s a small miracle that a game of its stature worked so well on inferior hardware. Recently, I’ve revisited the title on a beefy PC to experience it in a new light. While I sifted through the stellar story, I had a thought: “which of these three playable characters should be considered the main character?”

You start off the story of GTAV playing as Michael Townley in the midst of a heist that goes wrong in the end. When it comes to the present day, you’re then set up with Franklin Clinton in Los Santos. You’re not greeted with the third playable character, Trevor Phillips, until after Michael and Franklin pull off their first heist together. After this point and for the majority of the rest of the game, you have free reign to switch between these three at will, unless one or both are lying low and avoiding heat.

Michael is characterized as the career criminal, the guy that’s stuck in the past and can’t manage to adjust to his cushy, paid-off life of faux luxury. Franklin is a hustler, always on the search for the next way to move up in the world of crime, full of ambition and drive to do so. Trevor is mentally scarred from past events in his life and is a downright maniac with no sense of discipline or remorse for any of his actions.

One can make a case that Michael is the most efficient mobster of the three, earning his early retirement through an easy way out. He’s the most knowledgeable on how the heists in the game go and is a go-to shot caller. However, he’s a sociopathic drunk that can’t manage to pull his life together despite being in a dream house. Hence his therapy stints and broken home life that have him seeking escapism in old movies and staying as far away from his family as he can.

While Trevor is an unhinged, antagonistic ticking time bomb, his way of navigating conversations with other characters (particularly Michael) has him making the most sense. He picks apart Michael’s arguments without effort and commands respect from pretty much anyone else he comes across, making him a natural leader. His chaotic nature contributes to the game’s climax though, and he’s regularly wanted dead by the most enemies of the three characters.

That’s why I’d consider Franklin, the most neutral and driven of the three, to be the game’s true main character. As he makes the big decision at the end of the game, he’s earned the trust of the F.I.B., Lester, and anyone he works for, thanks to always getting the job done without causing trouble like Michael or Trevor would. Who would you consider to be the most significant character of the bunch in Grand Theft Auto V? Let us know in the comments below!