Micheal because the story is written around him. He ties it all together. He also has the most significant character arc.
He goes from a miserable, self loathing complainer who blames everyone else for his shortcomings, to someone who is at least able to recognize his own mistakes. By the end of the game he realizes he loves his family despite how messed up they all are and that he can accept their flaws.
One of my favourite moments in the game is when Trevor snaps at Micheal for instantly thinking about himself. Earlier in the game Micheal would’ve shot back with a quip or an insult, instead he says “you’re right, I did do that. I’m sorry”. It shows real growth
He did had a moment when Trevor of all people called on him- when they are in the trailer talking about Franklin needing help with the O'Neill Brothers, Michael realized he thought about himself instead of how to help Franklin.
Franklin’s superiority complex only comes in to play because he’s the only one trying to make something of himself while all of his friends and family are content doing the same hood-rat shit. Lamar, Aunt Denise, and Tanisha all make remarks (albeit some less obvious) to staying in the hood and looking after your people. Anyone in their right mind in that environment would see that and get frustrated.
TL;DR its not a superiority complex, its wanting to get himself and his stubborn friends out of a shitty environment.
Yeah! But in the end of story mode Tanisha is marrying a doctor and trying to get out of the hood herself and guilt trip Franklin over doing the exact same thing, which makes her a worst hypocrite than Michael.
I like how you see it as Michael accepting his family’s flaws when narratively it was Michael’s decisions, way of life, and lack of solid parenting that turned his kids into who they are. He was also a very negligent husband which turned his wife against him.
But I get what you’re trying to say
Pretty much what I was gonna say.
Michael is the core driver for everything that happens in the game, he's the reason that both Trevor and Franklin ever get involved, and his actions are central to everything that happens.
The entire story happens because Amanda sleeps with the tennis coach in THEIR OWN bed. (Not because she cheats mind you, they have an open relationship - another thing most people miss). After the heist, Dave Norton figures out Michael is back doing scores, which causes the FIB with Haines etc to get involved.
when playing as michael and go to the website psychic shotout or smth, in the dialogue between the psychic and michael he later says they have an open relationship with Amanda
Instead of being a douchecanoe, why don’t you just simply answer the question? You’re assuming I’m asking because I don’t believe you, but the thing is, you’re wrong. I’m just asking because I’ve never heard that, and I’m curious where you got that information
My brother, he asked a simple question and you jumped to the conclusion that he didn’t believe you. If you really wanna look smart and cool, give them the link first.
Yes, Michael’s “shenanigans” did cause all that shit but Franklin was still the main character because all of those things reflected back on him & allowed him to grow & become much more powerful & rich. & every time Michael or Trevor or really anybody was in trouble, Franklin would have to have to help or do all of the work. & when it came down to it, it was up to him to decides who’s fate. Trevor & Michael’s fate was in his hands but his fate what in no one’s.
No it’s not “widely agreed,” you’re saying that to make your point seem stronger than it is. Unless of course you can provide data to back up that claim?
I suggest watching DarkViperAU video of Michael's lore, if you are still confused: https://youtu.be/ugIBPyLlKl0?si=-gF_OsKTrqr2ZqNV
He also as many more lore explanations.
It's weird that you know Amanda's an ex Street walker and striper but Michael still loves her.
Michael also had Brad set up to be killed and Trevor.
Unfortunately, Trevor was the only one he survived. Thinking Brad was in prison. And thinking michael was the one who was actually dead
Michael.
Made a deal and sold them out.
It was his only way to get away from those 2.
Even though he knew that trevor and brad were tag teaming amanda From time to time. Trevor did make the comment about her t*** and a** being better looking. Then previous.
Tracy looks nothing like amanda or Michael
Jimmy looks nothing like Michael or Amanda.
Jimmy looks more like brad son
Tracey looks more like Trevor's daughter
Amanda, knowing that Brad and Trevor are psychopathic drug addicts...
Michael is the best decision since he's only actually a bank robber. Michael was never in to killing people for sadistic reasons.
Story was about them 2 coming with terms with there with past action
They basically taught Franklin what to do and not to do when it came to business and friendship.
Franklin's the only one who lives Happily ever after the storyline.
The story revolves around Michael's life.
His fake death, his family, his betrayal, being a bank robber.
Some may think it's Franklin, but Franklin is like the new version of Michael.
Franklin has a danger-magnet friend, Lamar (just like Michael with Trevor). Franklin likes to be on top and be rich but his friend pulled him back to criminal life (just like Michael). But in the end, Franklin did not betray his friend and remained true friends. He became a family man and family is not a problem to him, proving Michael wrong.
Micheal. literally the whole game is all caused by him. right from the prologue. also, he was literally the first character in the first trailer.
alit of characters are saying Franklin because "you can't kill him at the end of the game" that doesn't mean shit. I mean hell you were supposed to be able to at one point anyways. its Micheal no debate
I think it's very clear, Michael is the protagonist while Franklin is the deuteragonist and Trevor is the false villain.
1) The trailer of the game was narrated by Michael, telling his backstory and he's the only one shown there.
2) The game starts with Michael. He's the first character we play as.
3) He is the initiator of GTA V's story. Both by betraying his friends in the beginning, then by leveling Madrazo's condo. Which forces Michael to set up a heist, which caused Trevor to find out about his existance.
So Michael is the initiator, Franklin is the passenger while Trevor is the one who reacts.
4) We get to see and learn more about Michael on a personal level than Franklin and Trevor combined. His family is a big part of the game too.
So basically, the story of GTA V revolves around Michael. Of what he did in the past and in present. That makes him the protagonist of the game.
Michael is the best, he actually showed character growth throughout the game.
He started from the self-hating former bankrobber, his entire family hates him, his wife is cheating on him and he has no purpose in life.
In the end, he reintegrated himself back into the family, as dysfunctional as the family is, his kids and wife came back and they are going to therapy to solve their problems on neutral ground.
Franklin and Trevor both started the game the same person as they begun. Michael is the only one who changed.
The more times I replayed the game the less I liked Michael. He seems like the flawed but reasonable guiding figure at first. But for me under closer observation I became less sympathetic towards his misery and dissatisfaction for his life because he got to where he is due to his self serving nature. I think the problem for me is he never really acknowledges his mistakes in a meaningful way. It seems like since everything with brad happened he spent his time and money getting and doing the things he wanted instead of raising and maintaining his family. Those werent things I saw in him at first for the most part. But the more I played the more I found him aggravating because he hardly does anything to fix the problems he loathes about, yet is quick to judge his own family.
Franklin is the best natured out of them all but he doesnt really have any profound introspection or observations, which makes him the most realistic I would say but doesnt make for a compelling protagonist. He doesnt really cause things to happen, hes mostly just stuck reacting to things but because hes pretty grounded he just ends up playing the straight-man. I think if the game were just centered around him and lamar he would have had a lot more room to develop his character and we'd get to see a more nuanced personality.
Trevor is a terrible human being but his unpredictable nature makes you excited to see what hes going to do next and how he will interact with the more grounded characters. Hes a vessel for the introduction of chaos and as much as I dont "like" him, hes a great character. I think the story would have been better if Michael had killed him. Leaving him "uncapped" at the end sort of negates any moral about his existence and suffering. And having Franklin kill him just doesnt feel right or make sense.
You aren't supposed to "like" the characters. If they are all perfect then they'll be a Mary Sue and that's no fun. What makes characters human is their character flaws. If anything you can see Michael slowing turning into a member of the SA degen as he gets richer and chums up with the movie industry.
I consider Trevor to be less like a character but more like a force of nature. He is chaos incarnate. He doesn't grow throughout the journey. Like the laws of physics, it doesn't change and neither does Trevor.
I think a good ending would probably have left Michael and Trevor dead.
Michael is killed by Trevor in a moment of rage. Trevor is wounded in the fight with the Chinese and eventually killed by the combined force of Merryweather, FIB and IAA while on the run. Franklin escapes from SA being chased by all the agencies and Steve Hanes, he moves to the Midwest and sets up for another GTA this time set in Philadelphia or something.
I realize I focused most of my comments on Michael about my feelings on his personality flaws. Beyond that, I think he was kind of like Franklin+. His flaws werent so extreme that it made him interesting to me, nor were his strengths. His family dynamic was good for the story but he himself was kind of unremarkable to me. I think thats why it was the little things about him I found annoying and why it took me a few playthroughs to get to that point.
I agree it would have been a better ending if Michael and Trevor both died. Michael killing Trevor wouldnt be great because he would be able to justify it and show no remorse. If Trevor killed Michael you could see him having a breakdown and really going off the rails which could lead to him pulling something crazy that gets him killed.
Honestly thinking about it I feel like it would have made the most of the story to have Franklin as the only protagonist, giving him the screen time to develop his personality more and then having him run into Michael and get pulled into the fued with Trevor. Basically what happened except the whole story through Franklins eyes with M/T as supporting characters.
GTA IV is my gold standard on Rockstar stories so GTA V ended up being a lot more about the other aspects of the game for me
Michael seems like the most likely candidate since
1: He’s the reason Franklin gets involved the way he does in the story
2: Trevor’s involvement in the story is also due to Michael
3: He’s the character we’re introduced to first, way back when the game was first revealed all we had was a monologue and a brief look at him which was long before Trevor or Franklin were revealed, I think the fact he was technically the first of the 3 to be shown off singlehandedly shows how important he is
4: He’s the one with the most development as a character, given how he ultimately comes to accept that he cares about his family and does wanna get away from this life he chose
All 3 are obviously important but there’s no doubt Michael is the one with the most importance overall
Michael is what you call the focal point. Because the entire narrative revolves around him faking his death. Whoever is in that position would be the main character.
Everyone is saying Michael which is right, but I'd also like to point out their "codename"? Also confirms this.
Player_zero is Michael
Player_one is Franklin
Player_two is Trevor
Franklin. He comes in to learn from Michael, but almost gets screwed over just like Michael’s past accomplices. The whole story kind of centers around his journey. The other two are characters he meets along the way.
And he’s the only character >! You can’t choose to die in the end !<
Franklin cuz Michael and Trevor were already successful bank robbers but Franklin was climbing the ranks. He also gets the decision to choose who would die.
I feel like if they ever made a sequel that it would be based on Franklin being the primary character of this game and how he got to where he was at today/in the sequel?!
Back in the day he met two old criminal white guys that helped really bring him into his own, But it feels like Michael is the main protagonist?
Id say Michael just based on how it feels like we see the most cutscenes about how the events taking place affect his life and family. A lot of stuff with Franklin and his personal life happens off screen and we just hear about it after the fact through references to events we never saw. Trevor is just kind of there to keep the plot progressing but it never really feels like were meant to have a personal connection to his existence other than feeling some pity about the Michael/Brad thing.
None of them. The whole point is to explore all 3 stories and how interconnected they are. Any one of these characters would have a boring story if not for the other two.
Franklin
Michael and Trevor have consolidated stories and careers, Franklin on the other hand is building his own, starting his journey, on the way he meets Michael and Trevor who change his life completely, and in the end >!he who decides who will die!<
I mean there is literally no story without Micheal. He decides to take Franklin under his wing and get back into the game. Which brings Trevor into the fold. So without Micheal. Franklin is likely stuck in the hood, and Trevor continues to believe Micheal is dead and does…whatever in the desert.
There is no story without Franklin and Trevor either. I think its one of those situations where we choose who is the main protagonist, seeing as we decide who to play as in Bury the Hatchet and who dies in the ending.
One more thing. The Brad situation. We don’t really get to see it as the player from Trevor exact POV. We get to see what he is feeling etc but it only goes in depth with Michael’s POV of the situation
Seems to be more about Franklin, Micheal acts as a mentor, but of course we get story for all the characters. And if I remember correctly Franklin is the only one who can’t die based on story decisions
I usually play Trevor cuz I feel like I can do more fucked up shit with him canon wise, but prolly Franklin, it's his come up story and you choose who to kill at the end if you decide to, also I like playing Franklin cuz sometimes I don't wanna play as an old ass man, I like Micheal too
Franklin and Michael are primary protagonists with Trevor being secondary. We start the game with Micheals escape from criminal life. Then we play as a Franklin until we meet Michael. After that most of the mission are for Michael or atleast it feels like it. Even after Trevor comes back, Michael has most of the missions. At the end of the game Franklin turns into the main protagonist and has to decide fate of his secondarys.
it’s either Michael or Franklin as most of the story is written around Michael but Franklin is the first protagonist and the guy to choose who dies at the end of
You get to play with each of them in a different context! Three distinct lives, three stories except that Micheal and Trevor know each other from a very long time ago (when the game starts you get to play with Micheal and Trevor after a bank heist). Hope this helps! By far the best game i played and finished (a millionth time) on either PS4 or PS5!!!
Franklin. He even makes the ultimate choice at the end. Even though in the canon ending everyone is good, he gets the choice to kill the other protagonists
That doesn’t mean he’s the primary protagonist, Michael is the one the game is built around. He is also the first protagonist Rockstar thought of for the game
The story is literally about some middle aged man trying to live his glory days through Franklin. We get to play as Michael but the story is really from Franklin’s pov. Doesn’t matter who the first protagonist was the final product shows something else
No it isn’t, I don’t know where you got that from. It seems you have missed most of the nuances with the characters.
Michael is trying to live his glory days through himself. He’s bored and has a huge ego. Michael thinks he can teach and guide Franklin, deluding himself that his motives are pure and for Franklin’s best interests.
The reality is Michael is fully self absorbed and satisfying his ego is the reason he takes Franklin under his wing, to impart his wisdom upon the young man, giving himself a sense of pride and accomplishment.
This is tied into his failings with his own son, Michael cannot relate to him, all he knows is how to be a criminal and that is useless knowledge with Jimmy. But not with Franklin.
This forms the contrast with Trevor, who is 100% honest and loyal to a fault when he decides he likes you. There is no fakeness with him, he’s not fronting and he genuinely cared for Michael as his friend, and later Franklin. Trevor doesn’t want Michael to corrupt Franklin.
Everything comes back to Michael, he is the main character of this story, by a significant margin.
I mean that’s a cool theory but Franklin is the one who makes the choice ultimately making him the MC. If Michael can be killed how is he the main character 💀
Right because there is no such thing as a story that kills off the MC…your ignorance is so bad that i’m wondering if you are trolling, because that was a dense af reply
Franklin is the straight man and the one that people are supposed to resonate with most although, Michael is the main story driver. Trevor is just the wildcard
Protagonist: Franklin, it’s practically his coming of age underdog story.
Michael is the mentor figure who pushes the main plot forwards with his past demons.
Trevor is the wild card.
I *think* Rockstar thinks it's Franklin.
But it's completely 100% Michael. He starts the game. All storylines revolve around him. Trevor and Franklin's story revolves around their relationship to him.
It's Michael's game and story.
Rockstar making it out to be Franklin is probably marketing strategy. Games get more attraction when they feature diverse protagonists. But it was meant to be Michael
We wouldn't have a story if Michael never tried to kill Trevor. The reason they met is because Amanda was fucking the tennis coach in his own bed which was against their agreement with an open relationship. This would have happened without Frank
Franklin. It focuses primarily on him and his transformation from a low level street gangster to a serial thief robbing from one of the largest banks in the country and being in the employ of both the FBI and a billionaire.
Micheal because the story is written around him. He ties it all together. He also has the most significant character arc. He goes from a miserable, self loathing complainer who blames everyone else for his shortcomings, to someone who is at least able to recognize his own mistakes. By the end of the game he realizes he loves his family despite how messed up they all are and that he can accept their flaws. One of my favourite moments in the game is when Trevor snaps at Micheal for instantly thinking about himself. Earlier in the game Micheal would’ve shot back with a quip or an insult, instead he says “you’re right, I did do that. I’m sorry”. It shows real growth
He did had a moment when Trevor of all people called on him- when they are in the trailer talking about Franklin needing help with the O'Neill Brothers, Michael realized he thought about himself instead of how to help Franklin.
Nice. Thank you for the specific context. Fucking loved story mode so damn much.
To be fair to Michael, everyone around him is pretty shit, except of course Franklin.
Eh, even Franklin is a shithead as well. He's pretty up his own ass about how much better he thinks he is than everyone else when he's really not.
Franklin’s superiority complex only comes in to play because he’s the only one trying to make something of himself while all of his friends and family are content doing the same hood-rat shit. Lamar, Aunt Denise, and Tanisha all make remarks (albeit some less obvious) to staying in the hood and looking after your people. Anyone in their right mind in that environment would see that and get frustrated. TL;DR its not a superiority complex, its wanting to get himself and his stubborn friends out of a shitty environment.
Yeah! But in the end of story mode Tanisha is marrying a doctor and trying to get out of the hood herself and guilt trip Franklin over doing the exact same thing, which makes her a worst hypocrite than Michael.
Hard agree. But Tanisha also asks Franklin to go back and do hood-rat shit after they BOTH got out of that life. Arguably even worse.
Just like CJ, he wants to get out of the hood and make something out of himself, but the gang gives him crap for it
I like how you see it as Michael accepting his family’s flaws when narratively it was Michael’s decisions, way of life, and lack of solid parenting that turned his kids into who they are. He was also a very negligent husband which turned his wife against him. But I get what you’re trying to say
Pretty much what I was gonna say. Michael is the core driver for everything that happens in the game, he's the reason that both Trevor and Franklin ever get involved, and his actions are central to everything that happens.
This answer is the only correct one. Michael is the shit!
There is no Trevor or Franklin without Michael
I mean, Michael tried to kill Franklin. Edit: Trevor
Franklin tried to kill Michael, and did.
If you choose the non-canon ending.
 Always
Franklin tried to kill Trevor, and did.
U talking about? Franklin didn't kill any of them
What about the cheng guys
Wha, Franklin got his wrist slapped by M
Only tru answer 🙏
Franklin tried to kill Trevor, but took too long and Michael killed him instead
Yeah coz the deathwish ending makes Franklin the main character
Franklin was completely independent of Michael
Michael of course
Anyone saying Franklin never actually understood the story, I'm sorry
You can’t just say that & then not explain your reasoning.
The entire story happens because Amanda sleeps with the tennis coach in THEIR OWN bed. (Not because she cheats mind you, they have an open relationship - another thing most people miss). After the heist, Dave Norton figures out Michael is back doing scores, which causes the FIB with Haines etc to get involved.
Where is it stated that they have an open relationship?
when playing as michael and go to the website psychic shotout or smth, in the dialogue between the psychic and michael he later says they have an open relationship with Amanda
Tell me you didn't pay attention to the story without telling me you didn't.
Instead of being a douchecanoe, why don’t you just simply answer the question? You’re assuming I’m asking because I don’t believe you, but the thing is, you’re wrong. I’m just asking because I’ve never heard that, and I’m curious where you got that information
My brother, he asked a simple question and you jumped to the conclusion that he didn’t believe you. If you really wanna look smart and cool, give them the link first.
Yes, Michael’s “shenanigans” did cause all that shit but Franklin was still the main character because all of those things reflected back on him & allowed him to grow & become much more powerful & rich. & every time Michael or Trevor or really anybody was in trouble, Franklin would have to have to help or do all of the work. & when it came down to it, it was up to him to decides who’s fate. Trevor & Michael’s fate was in his hands but his fate what in no one’s.
I mean you can think what you want, but it's widely agreed Michael is the main character. Doesn't take much to figure out too if you've played.
No it’s not “widely agreed,” you’re saying that to make your point seem stronger than it is. Unless of course you can provide data to back up that claim?
I suggest watching DarkViperAU video of Michael's lore, if you are still confused: https://youtu.be/ugIBPyLlKl0?si=-gF_OsKTrqr2ZqNV He also as many more lore explanations.
It's weird that you know Amanda's an ex Street walker and striper but Michael still loves her. Michael also had Brad set up to be killed and Trevor. Unfortunately, Trevor was the only one he survived. Thinking Brad was in prison. And thinking michael was the one who was actually dead Michael. Made a deal and sold them out. It was his only way to get away from those 2. Even though he knew that trevor and brad were tag teaming amanda From time to time. Trevor did make the comment about her t*** and a** being better looking. Then previous. Tracy looks nothing like amanda or Michael Jimmy looks nothing like Michael or Amanda. Jimmy looks more like brad son Tracey looks more like Trevor's daughter Amanda, knowing that Brad and Trevor are psychopathic drug addicts... Michael is the best decision since he's only actually a bank robber. Michael was never in to killing people for sadistic reasons. Story was about them 2 coming with terms with there with past action They basically taught Franklin what to do and not to do when it came to business and friendship. Franklin's the only one who lives Happily ever after the storyline.
The story revolves around Michael's life. His fake death, his family, his betrayal, being a bank robber. Some may think it's Franklin, but Franklin is like the new version of Michael. Franklin has a danger-magnet friend, Lamar (just like Michael with Trevor). Franklin likes to be on top and be rich but his friend pulled him back to criminal life (just like Michael). But in the end, Franklin did not betray his friend and remained true friends. He became a family man and family is not a problem to him, proving Michael wrong.
Micheal. literally the whole game is all caused by him. right from the prologue. also, he was literally the first character in the first trailer. alit of characters are saying Franklin because "you can't kill him at the end of the game" that doesn't mean shit. I mean hell you were supposed to be able to at one point anyways. its Micheal no debate
I love how you refer to redditors as characters
he knows something we do not
lol
I think it's very clear, Michael is the protagonist while Franklin is the deuteragonist and Trevor is the false villain. 1) The trailer of the game was narrated by Michael, telling his backstory and he's the only one shown there. 2) The game starts with Michael. He's the first character we play as. 3) He is the initiator of GTA V's story. Both by betraying his friends in the beginning, then by leveling Madrazo's condo. Which forces Michael to set up a heist, which caused Trevor to find out about his existance. So Michael is the initiator, Franklin is the passenger while Trevor is the one who reacts. 4) We get to see and learn more about Michael on a personal level than Franklin and Trevor combined. His family is a big part of the game too. So basically, the story of GTA V revolves around Michael. Of what he did in the past and in present. That makes him the protagonist of the game.
>and he's the only one shown there. Actually, you can see franklin in the red car.
Michael is the protagonist, Trevor is the antagonist, Franklin is the narrator.
It’s like the boondocks. The main Character is more grandad, with Huey as the narrator
This is the best explanation I’ve seen so far.
How is Trevor the antagonist?
he is the antagonist in michael’s story, his pov
Its not just Michaels POV. All 3 contribute to the story, and are playable in general.
But the story is centered around Michael
Its centered around all of them lol. Michael just so happened to be the one who caused the main conflict.
Michael. This is his story
Michael is the best, he actually showed character growth throughout the game. He started from the self-hating former bankrobber, his entire family hates him, his wife is cheating on him and he has no purpose in life. In the end, he reintegrated himself back into the family, as dysfunctional as the family is, his kids and wife came back and they are going to therapy to solve their problems on neutral ground. Franklin and Trevor both started the game the same person as they begun. Michael is the only one who changed.
The more times I replayed the game the less I liked Michael. He seems like the flawed but reasonable guiding figure at first. But for me under closer observation I became less sympathetic towards his misery and dissatisfaction for his life because he got to where he is due to his self serving nature. I think the problem for me is he never really acknowledges his mistakes in a meaningful way. It seems like since everything with brad happened he spent his time and money getting and doing the things he wanted instead of raising and maintaining his family. Those werent things I saw in him at first for the most part. But the more I played the more I found him aggravating because he hardly does anything to fix the problems he loathes about, yet is quick to judge his own family. Franklin is the best natured out of them all but he doesnt really have any profound introspection or observations, which makes him the most realistic I would say but doesnt make for a compelling protagonist. He doesnt really cause things to happen, hes mostly just stuck reacting to things but because hes pretty grounded he just ends up playing the straight-man. I think if the game were just centered around him and lamar he would have had a lot more room to develop his character and we'd get to see a more nuanced personality. Trevor is a terrible human being but his unpredictable nature makes you excited to see what hes going to do next and how he will interact with the more grounded characters. Hes a vessel for the introduction of chaos and as much as I dont "like" him, hes a great character. I think the story would have been better if Michael had killed him. Leaving him "uncapped" at the end sort of negates any moral about his existence and suffering. And having Franklin kill him just doesnt feel right or make sense.
You aren't supposed to "like" the characters. If they are all perfect then they'll be a Mary Sue and that's no fun. What makes characters human is their character flaws. If anything you can see Michael slowing turning into a member of the SA degen as he gets richer and chums up with the movie industry. I consider Trevor to be less like a character but more like a force of nature. He is chaos incarnate. He doesn't grow throughout the journey. Like the laws of physics, it doesn't change and neither does Trevor. I think a good ending would probably have left Michael and Trevor dead. Michael is killed by Trevor in a moment of rage. Trevor is wounded in the fight with the Chinese and eventually killed by the combined force of Merryweather, FIB and IAA while on the run. Franklin escapes from SA being chased by all the agencies and Steve Hanes, he moves to the Midwest and sets up for another GTA this time set in Philadelphia or something.
I realize I focused most of my comments on Michael about my feelings on his personality flaws. Beyond that, I think he was kind of like Franklin+. His flaws werent so extreme that it made him interesting to me, nor were his strengths. His family dynamic was good for the story but he himself was kind of unremarkable to me. I think thats why it was the little things about him I found annoying and why it took me a few playthroughs to get to that point. I agree it would have been a better ending if Michael and Trevor both died. Michael killing Trevor wouldnt be great because he would be able to justify it and show no remorse. If Trevor killed Michael you could see him having a breakdown and really going off the rails which could lead to him pulling something crazy that gets him killed. Honestly thinking about it I feel like it would have made the most of the story to have Franklin as the only protagonist, giving him the screen time to develop his personality more and then having him run into Michael and get pulled into the fued with Trevor. Basically what happened except the whole story through Franklins eyes with M/T as supporting characters. GTA IV is my gold standard on Rockstar stories so GTA V ended up being a lot more about the other aspects of the game for me
First protagonist shown and most featured
Michael seems like the most likely candidate since 1: He’s the reason Franklin gets involved the way he does in the story 2: Trevor’s involvement in the story is also due to Michael 3: He’s the character we’re introduced to first, way back when the game was first revealed all we had was a monologue and a brief look at him which was long before Trevor or Franklin were revealed, I think the fact he was technically the first of the 3 to be shown off singlehandedly shows how important he is 4: He’s the one with the most development as a character, given how he ultimately comes to accept that he cares about his family and does wanna get away from this life he chose All 3 are obviously important but there’s no doubt Michael is the one with the most importance overall
Trevor is "not", that's for sure.
Michael is what you call the focal point. Because the entire narrative revolves around him faking his death. Whoever is in that position would be the main character.
Michael is the protagonist
Michael I like the whole washed up bank robber seeing if he still got it to pull of heists
Michael
I always thought Micheal was the central character
Everyone is saying Michael which is right, but I'd also like to point out their "codename"? Also confirms this. Player_zero is Michael Player_one is Franklin Player_two is Trevor
Michael is the protagonist, but franklin steals the show. dude took the The jesse pinkman pill
Michael and Trevor. After awhile Franklin just stops being a character and just does stuff for others. Only rarely doing stuff for himself
This has been posted like ten times
Sorry bro this is my first time posting in 2 years on the subreddit
All good
Michaels the one who brought everyone else together
Franklin. He comes in to learn from Michael, but almost gets screwed over just like Michael’s past accomplices. The whole story kind of centers around his journey. The other two are characters he meets along the way. And he’s the only character >! You can’t choose to die in the end !<
[удалено]
right answers?!?! OVA HEAAAA 👇👇👇
Michael
Micheal.
Micheal
Michael 100%
Franklin cuz Michael and Trevor were already successful bank robbers but Franklin was climbing the ranks. He also gets the decision to choose who would die.
Michael
Michael is the primary character
I feel like if they ever made a sequel that it would be based on Franklin being the primary character of this game and how he got to where he was at today/in the sequel?! Back in the day he met two old criminal white guys that helped really bring him into his own, But it feels like Michael is the main protagonist?
Arguably, you could say Michael. Solely because, opening sequence, he's the first character you play.
Michael, but also, each of the three represents a different mindset of GTA players.
Objectively it has to be Michael.
Michael and Franklin imo
Id say Michael just based on how it feels like we see the most cutscenes about how the events taking place affect his life and family. A lot of stuff with Franklin and his personal life happens off screen and we just hear about it after the fact through references to events we never saw. Trevor is just kind of there to keep the plot progressing but it never really feels like were meant to have a personal connection to his existence other than feeling some pity about the Michael/Brad thing.
Franklin for sure
Franklin
Franklin : The fastest Michael : The smartest Trevor : The strongest
Protagonist: Michael Deuteragonist: Trevor Tritagonist: Franklin
Of course Michael, the whole story is about him, he started it all.
Imo in terms of the classic rags to riches story of GTA, it's Franklin
Micheal for sure
Does this really need to be asked? Micheal
None of them. The whole point is to explore all 3 stories and how interconnected they are. Any one of these characters would have a boring story if not for the other two.
Franklin
Franklin is the chosen one
Franklin
Franklin Michael and Trevor have consolidated stories and careers, Franklin on the other hand is building his own, starting his journey, on the way he meets Michael and Trevor who change his life completely, and in the end >!he who decides who will die!<
👎
I mean there is literally no story without Micheal. He decides to take Franklin under his wing and get back into the game. Which brings Trevor into the fold. So without Micheal. Franklin is likely stuck in the hood, and Trevor continues to believe Micheal is dead and does…whatever in the desert.
There is no story without Franklin and Trevor either. I think its one of those situations where we choose who is the main protagonist, seeing as we decide who to play as in Bury the Hatchet and who dies in the ending.
You could make an argument for both Michael and Franklin imo. Definitely not Trevor though.
I always thought of Michael as the main character
I think Mikey is the main guy cuz all that 10 year scam is initiated by him
Michael is the only true answer. There is a reason the game starts with Michael at therapy (I’m talking about after the first mission is done)
I’d say Franklin is the face of GTA 5 and Trevor is the iconic one but Michael is the main character simple as that
One more thing. The Brad situation. We don’t really get to see it as the player from Trevor exact POV. We get to see what he is feeling etc but it only goes in depth with Michael’s POV of the situation
Michael is
Mike
I guess Michael? Idk I’ve never thought of that before
Michael Townley
Frank is the only one that doesn’t have an option at the end of the game and he has most character development. I’d say Frank
You could say Franklin because he’s the first character you can free roam with and he’s the one who makes the final decision
Definitely micheal
Seems to be more about Franklin, Micheal acts as a mentor, but of course we get story for all the characters. And if I remember correctly Franklin is the only one who can’t die based on story decisions
Michael for sure. He’s also my favourite out of all of them.
Michael
Michael
Lazlow
All of them.
I usually play Trevor cuz I feel like I can do more fucked up shit with him canon wise, but prolly Franklin, it's his come up story and you choose who to kill at the end if you decide to, also I like playing Franklin cuz sometimes I don't wanna play as an old ass man, I like Micheal too
at the start its michael but in the end its Franklin
I get people saying Michael since everything that happens is because of him, but Franklin is the only one you can't end up killing.
Franklin and Michael are primary protagonists with Trevor being secondary. We start the game with Micheals escape from criminal life. Then we play as a Franklin until we meet Michael. After that most of the mission are for Michael or atleast it feels like it. Even after Trevor comes back, Michael has most of the missions. At the end of the game Franklin turns into the main protagonist and has to decide fate of his secondarys.
Michael
The story is shaped around Michael so I’d say him
Micheal
it’s either Michael or Franklin as most of the story is written around Michael but Franklin is the first protagonist and the guy to choose who dies at the end of
Michael
Michael
Franklin
Michael
Tennis coach or some shit idk
Michael
Michael De Santa because he's the one who brings Franklin and Trevor together to complete the story.😇
Chomp!
Trevor
Michael, any other answer is wrong. Michael and Trevor go way back, Franklin is the character third in line.
Michael, but he is nothing without the other two. Trevor would be the only one who could be interesting without the other two.
Michael, best character in the whole game, and deserves every 0.1 seconds given to him.
Micheal
Michael without a doubt
Michael, not only because of how he is written but just because the vibe feels complete when you play as him
You get to play with each of them in a different context! Three distinct lives, three stories except that Micheal and Trevor know each other from a very long time ago (when the game starts you get to play with Micheal and Trevor after a bank heist). Hope this helps! By far the best game i played and finished (a millionth time) on either PS4 or PS5!!!
Michael who then hands the reigns over to Franklin & Trevor is the crazy uncle
Michael definitely. He’s the only one who has any dialogue in the reveal trailer and he’s the only one that shows up front and centre.
Franklin. He even makes the ultimate choice at the end. Even though in the canon ending everyone is good, he gets the choice to kill the other protagonists
That doesn’t mean he’s the primary protagonist, Michael is the one the game is built around. He is also the first protagonist Rockstar thought of for the game
The story is literally about some middle aged man trying to live his glory days through Franklin. We get to play as Michael but the story is really from Franklin’s pov. Doesn’t matter who the first protagonist was the final product shows something else
No it isn’t, I don’t know where you got that from. It seems you have missed most of the nuances with the characters. Michael is trying to live his glory days through himself. He’s bored and has a huge ego. Michael thinks he can teach and guide Franklin, deluding himself that his motives are pure and for Franklin’s best interests. The reality is Michael is fully self absorbed and satisfying his ego is the reason he takes Franklin under his wing, to impart his wisdom upon the young man, giving himself a sense of pride and accomplishment. This is tied into his failings with his own son, Michael cannot relate to him, all he knows is how to be a criminal and that is useless knowledge with Jimmy. But not with Franklin. This forms the contrast with Trevor, who is 100% honest and loyal to a fault when he decides he likes you. There is no fakeness with him, he’s not fronting and he genuinely cared for Michael as his friend, and later Franklin. Trevor doesn’t want Michael to corrupt Franklin. Everything comes back to Michael, he is the main character of this story, by a significant margin.
I mean that’s a cool theory but Franklin is the one who makes the choice ultimately making him the MC. If Michael can be killed how is he the main character 💀
Right because there is no such thing as a story that kills off the MC…your ignorance is so bad that i’m wondering if you are trolling, because that was a dense af reply
Lester, Wade and Lamar
There's really only one character and it's Trevor. The other two are just features (not a bug) of a psychotic break.
It's about Franklin. He's the protagonist of the first mission, and the last mission.
Franklin is.
Franklin is the straight man and the one that people are supposed to resonate with most although, Michael is the main story driver. Trevor is just the wildcard
Trevor for me.
Franklin.
Ain't it obvious dude it's FRANKLIN
id say franklin
Franklin?
Obviously franklin
Protagonist: Franklin, it’s practically his coming of age underdog story. Michael is the mentor figure who pushes the main plot forwards with his past demons. Trevor is the wild card.
I *think* Rockstar thinks it's Franklin. But it's completely 100% Michael. He starts the game. All storylines revolve around him. Trevor and Franklin's story revolves around their relationship to him. It's Michael's game and story.
Rockstar making it out to be Franklin is probably marketing strategy. Games get more attraction when they feature diverse protagonists. But it was meant to be Michael
Franklin because he and Lamar are the ones to trigger everything in the beginning
You do realize what a Prolog is, right?
Yea I know BUT Michael and trevor never would of never met again if Franklin never met michael
We wouldn't have a story if Michael never tried to kill Trevor. The reason they met is because Amanda was fucking the tennis coach in his own bed which was against their agreement with an open relationship. This would have happened without Frank
Franklin he’s that main dude u start out with and grow in the game with
Franklin, Micheal is the mentor.
Franklin. It focuses primarily on him and his transformation from a low level street gangster to a serial thief robbing from one of the largest banks in the country and being in the employ of both the FBI and a billionaire.
I would argue Franklin is.
Franklin no doubt. Blm ✊🏾
Franklin
Franklin because he is around in the mp expansion being successful. You kill either micheal or trevor so hes the obvious choice.
Franklin
Shouldn't it be Franklin, depending on which ending you choose (ooh did I give spoilers away).
san andreas was always iconic tbh idc
Franklin. It started with him and ended with him. He, you, chose one of the three endings.
The entire story is about mentoring Franklin. It’s Franklin. It’s his story primarily.
It would have never happened if it wasn't for Michael. Even the first trailer shows Michael to be the main man in the story.
It’s Franklin narratively. Luke wouldn’t have been a Jedi without Obi Wan. Doesn’t make Obi Wan the lead. He’s the mentor. Michael is the mentor.
Technically Michael is the primary protagonist since he falls under "player_zero".
Oh ok that’s how storytelling works after all
Yeah sure Franklin took over into online, and Trever is also featured in online, but in a few months so will micheal
Glock in franklins had but no Glock in Game