Antagonist

Antagonists, or simply enemies, are the main villains and the opposite of the protagonist of the Grand Theft Auto games. The antagonist of a Grand Theft Auto game is usually a person that has betrayed or hurt the protagonist on a personal and social level, and spends the game moving against the protagonist in multiple ways. In this list the main antagonist is listed first for each game.

Description of most antagonists
In the GTA games, the main antagonist is sometimes introduced at the very beginning of the game (i.e. Frank Tenpenny), often as an ally or friend (Catalina, Sonny Forelli). Sometimes, the antagonist is the main reason that the protagonist visits the area that the game is set in (and the reason the game takes place; a perfect example of this is Darko Brevic). In most GTA games, the antagonist usually fakes a friendship or business relationship with the protagonist then eventually reveal their true intentions for the protagonist and betrays them later on, and becomes their main enemy (Lance Vance, Big Smoke, Dimitri Rascalov). This often occurs when he/she abruptly opens fire on the protagonist. The main character always hunts down and eliminates the main antagonist eventually, usually in a major battle at the end of the game.

There are both main and secondary antagonists of the game; the main antagonist is generally the one who causes the most drama to the game's story and ultimately commits the crimes that causes the most emotional anger in the protagonist. Secondary antagonists are characters who end up playing muchly the same role, but to a lesser degree. Often, the secondary and primary antagonists have some sort of affiliation with each other (Sonny Forelli and Lance Vance, Frank Tenpenny and Big Smoke).

Antagonists usually have a gang behind them for protection. The protagonist will battle the antagonist's group and sometimes take over their gang. In every GTA game, the main antagonist dies (in every case but one by the protagonist's hand) and is sometimes joined by the secondary antagonist at the end of the game in a final battle, which wraps up the main storyline.

Trivia

 * Darko Brevic, Devin Weston, Steve Haines, Wei Cheng and Stretch are the only antagonists whose fates are determinant.
 * King Courtney is the only antagonist not to die in anyway.
 * Miguel, Ricardo Diaz, and Jimmy Pegorino (Deal only) are the only antagonists to be killed by someone other than the protagonist (both killed by another antagonist).
 * Rocco Pelosi, Paulie Sindacco, Armando Mendez, Ray Boccino, Salvatore Leone, Zhou Ming and Chan Jaoming are the only secondary antagonists not to be killed in the final storyline mission.
 * Frank Tenpenny is the only antagonist who (accidentally) kills himself. However, if Michael De Santa is chosen as the antagonist in GTA V, the player (as Franklin Clinton) has the choice to kill him by throwing him off a water tower or spare him by lifting him back up; if they choose to spare him, Michael forces his way out of Franklin's arms anyway, effectively killing himself.
 * Vinnie and Dimitri Rascalov (Revenge only) are the only main antagonists not to be killed in the final mission.
 * Ray Boccino, Rocco Pelosi and Ray Bulgarin are the only antagonists to be killed by another protagonist (Ray Boccino was the rival of Johnny Klebitz and was killed by Niko Bellic, Rocco Pelosi was the rival of Luis Lopez and was killed by Michael De Santa and Ray Bulgarin was the rival of Niko Bellic and was killed by Luis Lopez), although Bulgarin was enemies with both Niko and Luis.
 * Ray Bulgarin, King Courtney and Rocco Pelosi are the only antagonists to be enemies with more than one protagonist. (Niko Bellic and Luis Lopez; Mike and Claude; Luis Lopez and Michael De Santa), as well as all the antagonists in GTA V.
 * Massimo Torini is the main antagonist with the fewest appearances.
 * Big Smoke, Dimitri Rascalov, Vincenzo Cilli and Billy Grey are the only antagonists to disappear after their betrayal and to reappear only so they can be killed. Of those four, Billy Grey is the only one who doesn't disappear of their own volition, as he was arrested.
 * Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, Ray Bulgarin (GTA IV), Darko Brevic and Rocco Pelosi are the only antagonists that are enemies before the events of the game.
 * Catalina, Lance Vance and Dimitri Rascalov (Deal only) are the only antagonists to kill another antagonist.
 * Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, Rocco Pelosi and Catalina are the only antagonists that give missions to the protagonist as known antagonists.
 * Miguel, Lance Vance, Massimo Torini, Paulie Sindacco, Darko Brevic, Brian Jeremy and Timur are the only antagonists not to give the protagonist missions in their games (although Lance, Jeremy, and Timur accompany the protagonist on several occasions, and Lance gives missions to another protagonist).
 * Lance Vance, Vinnie and Wu Lee are the only antagonists to be killed in the same mission as their betrayal of the protagonist.
 * Miguel, Timur, Vinnie, Catalina and King Courtney are the only antagonists whose last names are not revealed.
 * Sonny Forelli and Lance Vance, Frank Tenpenny and Big Smoke, Jerry Martinez and Diego Mendez, Dimitri Rascalov and Jimmy Pegorino (Deal only), and Ray Bulgarin and Timur are the only pairs of antagonists to be killed in the same mission.
 * Marty Jay Williams, Jimmy Pegorino, Salvatore Leone, and Frank Tenpenny are the only known antagonists to be married. Of these four, Tenpenny is the only one who never had children.
 * Lance Vance and Wu Lee are the only antagonists to be related to a protagonist.
 * Miguel, Ryder, and Rocco Pelosi are the only antagonists that did not directly attempt to kill the protagonist.
 * Massimo Torini and Diego Mendez are the only antagonists who do not directly talk to the protagonist.
 * Frank Tenpenny, Eddie Pulaski, Jerry Martinez and Steve Haines are the only antagonists to serve in the force. Of these four, Martinez serves in the military, Haines is in the FIB, while Tenpenny and Pulaski are in the police.
 * Armando Mendez and Diego Mendez are the only antagonists to be related to each other.
 * Most of the antagonists in the 3D Universe are either close friends or acquintances of the protagonist.
 * All the major antagonists in GTA Vice City are killed at the Vercetti Estate.
 * The voice actors of Big Smoke, Vincenzo Cilli, Jerry Martinez, Dimitri Rascalov, and Brian Jeremy were all billed fourth in the end credits of their respective games.
 * Lance Vance and Salvatore Leone are the only secondary antagonists to be a deuteragonist in another game.
 * Grand Theft Auto V and Vice City are the only games in which you can kill more than two antagonists in only one mission.
 * Grand Theft Auto V is the only game in which all of the main antagonists can survive, as the player (as Franklin) can choose to kill one of the other two protagonists.
 * Grand Theft Auto V is the only game in which a protagonist can be an antagonist in the same game, as Michael or Trevor are targets in The Time's Come and Something Sensible.
 * The only games so far in which a protagonist can betray an antagonist, instead of the other way around, are Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto V, and The Lost and Damned (in which it was Niko who betrayed Jimmy, Franklin who betrayed Devin, and Johnny who betrayed Ray).
 * King Courtney, Jimmy Pegorino (Revenge only), Rocco Pelosi, and Ray Boccino are the only secondary antagonists to outlive the main antagonist.
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the only game in which all antagonists are killed in the same location.

AntagonistaAntagonistas