Is Michael De Santa the best protagonist in GTA 5?

Michael De Santa is the glue that holds GTA 5's story together.

Some fans find GTA 5's story to be lacking, but imagine how much worse it would be without Michael's presence. He is instrumental in bringing Franklin together with Trevor, as Trevor would never have a reason to otherwise associate himself with Franklin.

Yet, it isn't just what Michael does for the other protagonists that qualifies him as the best protagonist in GTA 5. It's also his own individual story. His overarching storyline is the most cohesive and compelling out of the three main protagonists. While it might not be as appealing as main storyline of past GTA titles, it's arguably more interesting than both Trevor and Franklin's overall story arcs.

Why Michael De Santa is the best protagonist in GTA 5

GTA protagonists are seldom seen as a family man type. Some, like GTA Liberty City Stories' main protagonist Toni Cipriani, are manipulated by their family.. In Michael's case, his manipulation is what starts to drive his family apart (if Amanda is to be believed regarding his first affair). He eventually rekindles with his family, but that only happens after he consistently helps sort out his family's problems.

His role in GTA 5's story

GTA 5 starts with Michael, Trevor, and a minor character named Brad doing a heist in North Yankton. Considering the heist goes disastrously for the crew (although not in the way Michael wanted), Michael eventually feigns his death, changes his identity, and moves to Los Santos with his newfound wealth. Brad is buried in Michael's grave, and poor old Trevor is left to his own devices.

Predictably, Trevor is furious at seeing a heist occur in Los Santos, as he correctly assumes Michael was behind it. Here, the player can see how much influence Michael has as the main protagonist over GTA 5's story. Trevor would obviously not care about Franklin being a part of the heist; rather, it's Michael's involvement that unites the three protagonists.

Of course, before that happens, Michael meets Franklin when the latter tries to repossess Jimmy De Santa's SUV. Despite a rocky start to their friendship, the two eventually bond. Unfortunately for Michael, his presumptuous attitude leads him to chase a tennis coach (who slept with Amanda) and tear down a large part of the home he was inside.

Considering it wasn't the tennis coach's home (rather it was the home of Martin Madrazo), he had to get the funds to fix it. Afterward, Michael returns to a life of crime that heavily involves the other two protagonists.

The other protagonists

Franklin often just goes along with whatever Michael does, despite being the main protagonist that can never die in the GTA 5 story (as well as being the first protagonist in GTA 5). It's hard to argue that Franklin is the best protagonist when he feels like an afterthought. His straight man personality makes him fairly forgettable, especially compared to the bizarre tendencies of Trevor Philips.

While Trevor Philips is iconic as far as GTA 5 characters go, he's not necessarily the best protagonist. His individual story arc with The Lost MC is largely overshadowed by his involvement with Michael's story, which only serves to make Michael all the more important.

Michael is the true main protagonist of GTA 5

While this point of discussion is nothing new to GTA 5 fans, it's still worth mentioning given the topic is how Michael is the best protagonist in GTA 5. If somebody is the true main protagonist in GTA 5, that should make them the de facto best protagonist.

All of the other main characters are heavily tied into his story. Without Michael, there is no GTA 5. Trevor would likely be doing something insignificant in Blaine County, while Franklin would still be a small-time nobody, if Michael De Santa ceased to exist.

The main antagonist of GTA 5

Considering Devin Weston is the true main antagonist in GTA 5, it would be logical that his adversary would be the most important protagonist. Unsurprisingly, Michael De Santa is the one who hates him the most, as Devin Weston tried to kill his family and tries to get Michael killed in one of the alternate, non-canon endings.

This ties into the fact that Michael De Santa is the most important character in the story. Sure, some GTA 5 fans might argue that his story isn't as fun as Trevor's. However, it's difficult to claim that Trevor is more relevant to the story than Michael is, which only helps prove the point that Michael is the best protagonist in GTA 5.

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