5 most disappointing characters in the GTA series

At times, fans are disappointed to see a character with so much potential go nowhere in the GTA series.

A player can often remember when they first see a character in a GTA game. Sometimes, they're amazed or mesmerized by the events associated with this character, only for the character to end up doing nothing important.

Perhaps they die uselessly, or they vanish from the rest of the game for no apparent reason. Not every character can be important, but it doesn't make seeing these GTA characters' wasted potential any less disappointing.

It should go without saying that not every character can live up to their potential. A minor mook that uses a regular pedestrian model is never intended to be more significant than what they currently are.

However, there are minor characters with unique models that appear for a mission or two, and that's it. This leaves fans thinking, "Wait, that's it? Where did they go?" Alternatively, fans forget about their existence altogether.

Five most disappointing characters in the GTA series

#5 - Johnny Klebitz

Johnny Klebitz's downfall is realistic, and it does paint a harsh reality for bikers like him, but it doesn't make his death at the hands of Trevor Philips any less disappointing.

His death in GTA 5 makes replaying GTA 4: The Lost and Damned pointless for some fans. After all, Johnny looks like a wimp in his GTA 5 portrayal.

Some players can compare it to Victor Vance dying in GTA Vice City, but it wasn't like Victor became weak or anything. He was ambushed, while Johnny Klebitz fell into a downward spiral that was more painful for some fans to watch.

#4 - Big Bear

It should be noted that Big Bear has a unique, fatter model never seen in-game via normal means.

Instead, the player only sees the skinny, crack-addicted version of Big Bear, and even that version of Big Bear doesn't do much in GTA San Andreas. Rather, he's only seen in two missions as a minor character with a distinctly unique model.

The idea of him going to rehab to recover is pretty cool, but some of the beta content in GTA San Andreas suggested he would help CJ take down Big Smoke in the beta mission "All-Terrain Take Down."

Here, Big Bear would help CJ find a Russian mafia member and coerce him to tell them where Big Smoke is located.

"Yeah, but only to a select circle of cats. Yo, even B-Dup got cut off. Wait, there is a Russian cat. Just stays in his spot on the other side of town. I think he copped off Smoke."

#3 - Stretch

Stretch is a mostly forgettable antagonist in GTA 5. He only appears in two missions in-person (with his other four appearances being limited to phone calls), so he fails to compare to other major antagonists within the GTA series.

Considering two of the game's endings have nothing to do with Stretch, it's quite disappointing to see his potential squandered like this.

His limited screentime also makes him forgettable from a personality standpoint. He doesn't stand out like the other GTA V antagonists, and his involvement in the game feels like it could've been so much more. He can be a memorable, despicable antagonist but ends up just being another body to kill.

#2 - Ryder

It's disappointing how little respect Ryder gets in GTA San Andreas after it was revealed he was helping Big Smoke and C.R.A.S.H. out with their operations.

Instead, every major character ignores him and focuses on the other prominent members of the operation. It's a stark departure from how he was portrayed at the beginning of the game.

Regardless of whether one would believe in the theory that he wasn't always intended to be a villain or not, Ryder doesn't do much after Los Santos's events.

Given how non-existent his presence is in the San Fierro storyline, his death feels forgettable. He was once a close member of the Grove Street Families, yet there was no impact after his death.

#1 - Ling Shan

Female representation is severely lacking within the GTA series, so it's a shame when a woman with so much potential dies a few missions into the game. Worse yet, Ling Shan is only around for basic tutorial-esque missions in the GTA Chinatown Wars. It's not like the player can see her in the more interesting parts of the game.

Plus, Ling Shan was heavily involved in the marketing of GTA Chinatown Wars. She has about as much official art as other significant characters like Big Smoke, yet her prominence is non-existent.

Other eye candy figures in art never got as much focus as she did, so it's a strange anomaly, to say the least.

It would be fine if she died for something important, but falling in her second appearance anticlimactically is certainly disappointing, especially since she had a solid personality and was able to keep up with Huang Lee in a battle of wits.

Note: This article reflects the writer’s personal views.

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