Claude

This article is about the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto III. For other characters see Claude (disambiguation)

Life until 2001
Claude in 1992 had emerged as a top contender in an illegal racing ring and owned an abandoned garage in Doherty, San Fierro. He became involved with Catalina, who had recently split up with Carl &quot;CJ&quot; Johnson, before racing CJ in a losing effort. Following the loss, he hands over his garage to Carl Johnson, before leaving San Andreas with Catalina. The two head to Liberty City.

2001
Claude and Catalina robbed a bank in Liberty City. Catalina, however, turns on her boyfriend, shooting him and leaving him for dead, explaining that he is 'small time'. Claude is later arrested by the Liberty City Police Department. He is convicted of all charges and is sentenced to ten years in prison. While being transferred to a prison in Portland View, Claude escapes from a police convoy after the Colombian Cartel attack the convoy to free the Oriental Gentleman. Claude and 8-Ball escape to a safehouse in the Red Light District, before moving on to Luigi's Sex Club 7. Luigi Goterelli, the owner, gives Claude his first job in the city, to drive Misty from the hospital back to the club.

Claude, successful in his errand, continues to be employed by Goterelli, who also has him kill a drug dealer and two pimps, before having him drive Misty to Joey Leone's Garage. Claude then begins to work for Joey, killing both Mike Forelli and Lee Chong, before chauffering Toni Cipriani, later working for him against the Triads. Claude, impressing the Leone Family hierarchy, is introduced to the Don, Salvatore Leone. Salvatore, 'seeing nothing but good things' for Claude, has him looking after his 'girl' Maria for the evening, kill Curly Bob (who was selling secrets to the Colombian Cartel, now co-led by Catalina) and later destroy a freighter used as a factory for the drug SPANK. During this time, Claude also works for El Burro, the leader of the Diablos, helping him on various tasks, and Marty Chonks in his attempts to get out of his various problems.

After destroying the Cartel freighter, a paranoid Salvatore attempts to kill Claude by having him enter a bomb-laden car. Salvatore's wife Maria, however, pages Claude and directs him to a small pier where the two meet Asuka Kasen, co-leader of the Yakuza, and flee to Staunton Island after Maria had told her husband that she and Claude were an "item". Asuka, unconvinced of Claude's loyalty, has him kill Salvatore Leone to prove himself, before having him kill a number of other people causing her problems. She later introduces him to her brother Kenji and Ray Machowski, a corrupt police man working for the Yakuza. Claude helps Kenji with his problems, including settling debts and freeing a man from prison, and helps Machowski in his attempts to remain unnoticed, eventually helping him flee the city by the airport.

Claude continues to look for work and finds employment with King Courtney, who has him attack the Diablos before attempting to kill him on orders from Catalina, and Donald Love, who has him try to kill Kenji Kasen disguised as a Colombian Cartel gangster, to provoke a war (in GTA IV an easter egg states that Kenji survived his near death experience). Asuka, unaware of Claude's role in her brother's near death, launches an assault on a Cartel-controlled building site and begins to torture Miguel, co-leader of the Cartel, into giving away Cartel secrets. Armed with the information, Asuka sends Claude on various missions to hurt Cartel operations, including stopping the selling of and stealing a shipment of SPANK. Claude briefly finds employment with D-Ice, leader of the Red Jacks sub-sect of the Southside Hoods, and attacks the rival Purple Nines into defeat. Claude returns to the building site and finds Asuka unconscious and Miguel dead, whilst a ransom note for Maria is left for him. Claude goes to the Cartel mansion, escapes an ambush, destroys a helicopter piloted by Catalina (killing her) and rescues Maria. Claude, at the end of GTA III, may have killed Maria as he fires a shot whilst she is talking.

Personality
Claude is a laid-back man that appears almost emotionless regardless of the situation. Provided he is paid for his services, he will take orders from his bosses without restraint and usually gives a nod or two to show that he understands; even when he is getting scolded or shouted at by his bosses for doing something wrong. He also bows down to his bosses if required (as in Kenji Kasen's case when Kenji bows down to Claude). He never speaks, and will only make a slight grunt when he is hurt, or an "Oh!" whenever he is killed. Unlike other protagonists, he doesn't even comment or deride his enemies, but may give a driver in a passing vehicle a finger while crossing roads.

Claude remains true to his mission of finding and taking revenge on Catalina for leaving him for dead, even showing the slightest bit of pity for Maria when he allows her to live after freeing her, only to possibly kill her himself.

Trivia

 * Claude appears on a poster inside of the Ocean View Hotel in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as an easter egg.
 * Claude does not speak in any of his appearances, remaining silent, and is the only protagonist in the GTA III Era to do so. Maria Latore discusses this with Lazlow on Chatterbox FM, saying that a man she's just met "don't talk too much". However, as radio stations repeat everything over and over again, you can hear her saying that before she even meets Claude.
 * Claude's name is only revealed in GTA San Andreas, having been nameless throughout his appearance as protagonist in GTA III. He is the only protagonist in the series to not be named in the game in which he or she is protagonist-but named "Fido" some time, by Maria in "Chaperone".
 * An easter egg in GTA IV states that Claude, along with the other GTA III Era protagonists, are deceased as of 2008. However, the GTA IV Era is a reboot of the GTA canon, and is not related to the storylines of the GTA III Era.
 * In GTA IV, the player can unlock a set of clothes exactly the same as Claude's for Niko Bellic. They are obtainable in your wardrobe at Playboy X's penthouse.
 * It was revealed in data files of GTA III that the player was once allowed to enter their own character name, and the "DEFNAM" (default name) value for it was "Claude".
 * Some people believed he was Claude Speed in Grand Theft Auto 2 because Maria called him "Fido" in "Chaperone", GTA III and their pronounciations are resemble each other, but actually "Fido" means "faithful", "loyal" in Italian. So that's just Claude's nickname because Maria has been with the Leone Mafia Family since 1992.
 * Carl Johnson referred to him as "a mute asshole" in the mission Wear Flowers in Your Hair
 * He is the only protagonist to appear in the same mission as two other protagonists in the GTA III era. He encounters Carl Johnson during Farewell, My Love... in GTA San Andreas, while he encounters Toni Cipriani as a boss in GTA III.
 * In the intro video of GTA 2 the name 'Claude Speed' appears, which some people believe means that Claude from GTA III has the last name 'Speed'
 * Claude is addicted to adrenaline.
 * Claude is seen wearing the exact same clothes in GTA III and in GTA San Andreas, which is rather odd as it is presumed that 8-Ball got him whatever clothes that he could in Give Me Liberty.
 * Claude has the fourth most murders in the GTA III era, with a body count of 8 (not counting optional murders).
 * Claude has striking similarities to Max Payne. They both have problems with the mafia, normally wield pistols and wear leather jackets. They both can slow down time. However Claude can only slow down time when he takes adrenaline.
 * In the beta trailer, he is shown he was going to have a voice, but this was cut for no known reason.
 * In the GTA San Andreas official webpage, in the character section, there is a character named Claude Speed, and it is captioned "snake without a tongue."
 * Claude kills three of Toni Cipriani's former employers (Salvatore Leone, Leon McAffrey and possibly Maria Latore).

Mission appearances

 * GTA III
 * As the protagonist, he appears in every mission.


 * GTA San Andreas
 * Wu Zi Mu
 * Farewell, My Love...

Murders committed

 * Mike Forelli - killed on orders from Joey Leone after the Forelli Brothers did not repay their debts.
 * Lee Chong - killed on orders from Joey Leone for selling SPANK through his noodle stands.
 * Curly Bob - killed on orders from Salvatore Leone.
 * Salvatore Leone - killed on orders from Asuka Kasen to prove his loyalty to the Yakuza.
 * Tanner - killed on orders from Asuka Kasen for being an undercover policeman.
 * Leon McAffrey - killed on orders from Ray Machowski.
 * Kenji Kasen - killed on orders from Donald Love.
 * Catalina - killed for betraying him during a bank heist.

Optional murders

 * Carl - can be killed after he kills Marty Chonks.
 * Chico - can be killed after he sells drugs to Maria.
 * Maria Latore - possibly killed after being rescued from the Colombian Cartel.


 * An Easter egg in Grand Theft Auto IV states that Claude Speed, Tommy Vercetti, and Carl Johnson are all deceased as of 2008, but the GTA IV era is a spin-off, not a sequel era to the GTA III era, this this may be possibly untrue.

Gallery
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