8-Ball

8-Ball is a firearms and explosives specialist who appears in Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto Advance and owns three bomb shops throughout Liberty City. In Grand theft Auto 3, 8-Ball meets Claude shortly after the beginning of the storyline, when he and Claude escape from a police convoy. As a token of his appreciation, 8-Ball introduces Claude to Luigi Goterelli, an old friend of his, for work. 8-Ball seems to be the closest thing Claude has to a friend throughout the game.

8-Ball can be seen with both hands bandaged from an injury during his appearances, leaving Claude to do most of the more intensive work (such as driving and shooting) when 8-Ball accompanies him. 8-Ball is believed to have sustained scaldings from hot fat accidentally poured onto his hands, during a scuffle with the police in a raid at his home, before he was arrested. However, in Grand Theft Auto Advance it is said that 8-Ball was ambushed with the game's protagonist, Mike, by the Colombian Cartel, in which they were predominatly using flamethrowers, resulting in the burning of 8-Balls hands, and then his subsequent arrest by the police as they raided his workshop.

While the character of 8-Ball is only present in Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto Advance, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, 8-Ball explosives shops can also be found additionally in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, he appears only breifly supplying Toni Cipriani with explosives which would be used to destroy Fort Staunton. In Grand Theft Auto Advance, 8-Ball is Mike's second boss after Vinnie was thought to be killed. Initially supplying Mike with several missions while aiding him in tracking Vinnie's murderer, 8-Ball would be on the run as he was chased by Vinnie's assassins. A mission near the end of the game features Mike ambushed by the Colombian Cartel while meeting 8-Ball at a diner. During this attack, the Cartel members use flamethrowers as their primary weapons; 8-Ball was caught in the crossfire. Upon completion of the mission, 8-Ball reveals that he has been severely burned, and tells Mike to escape as police arrive on the scene. He is eventually arrested by the police, connecting to the start of Grand Theft Auto III's storyline (in which he would later escape, with his "messed up" hands wrapped in bandages, from police custody along with Claude in GTA III). This is disputed, however, as an article from the Liberty Tree's website, created as a teaser for GTA III, states that 8-Ball's hands were scalded by a pot of burning fat while involved in a scuffle with police.

8-Ball's Name
Although not confirmed, 8-Ball's name is speculated to be Mullan. Such evidence is seen in authentic production artwork featured on www.gouranga.com, in which a sketch of 8-Ball's face depicts his name as Mullan, A.K.A 8-Ball. This name was never used in the games themselves, so may have ceased to be used.

From Grand Theft Wiki, a Wikia wiki.