There are seven major gangs and one minor gang in Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto III.
Major Gangs[]
Leone Family (aka the Mafia)[]
Led by Salvatore Leone, the Leone Crime Family is an Italian mafia that has been a force in Liberty City longer than any other gang. They are based in Portland, in particular Saint Mark's, but also have interests in the Red Light District, Chinatown and Trenton. They had previously controlled more of the city, but since 1999 they saw their influence greatly reduced. They have a fierce rivalry with the Triads. They become hostile towards Claude after he kills their leader Salvatore Leone under orders of Yakuza leader Asuka Kasen in the mission Sayonara Salvatore.
Triads[]
The Triads are a Chinese criminal organization that arrived in the city in 1997[1], with help from the Sicilian Mafia. They control the Chinatown and the Callahan Point areas of Portland and are the enemies of the Leone Family. The leader of the Triads is unknown. They become hostile to the player after the missions Trial By Fire or The Pick-Up.
Diablos[]
The Diablos are a Latin American gang[2] led by El Burro and based in Hepburn Heights, Portland. They arrived in 1998 but, due to their limited fire power, could only gain control of one district. Three years later, the gang still has limited fire power, however, and they continue to hold onto Hepburn Heights. They are arch rivals of the Uptown Yardies. They become hostile towards Claude after he commits a massacre of Diablo members under orders of Yardies leader King Courtney.
Colombian Cartel[]
The Colombian Cartel or simply the Cartel is a Colombian drug cartel co-led by Catalina and Miguel. First arriving in 1998, they quickly gained control of parts of Staunton Island and Shoreside Vale. They are heavily involved in the drugs trade and are known to deal with the Uptown Yardies. Their main enemies are the Leone Family and the Yakuza. Since it is the gang Catalina is leading, they are hostile to the player since the beginning of the game (even though their territory is not reachable by normal means before the mission Last Requests is completed).
Yakuza[]
The Yakuza is a Japanese criminal organization based in Staunton Island. Since they arrived in Liberty City in 1998, their influence has fallen but they are still a prominent force in the city. They are co-led by Asuka and Kenji Kasen. They are arch rivals of the Colombian Cartel; both gangs divide their territories in Fort Staunton.
Uptown Yardies[]
The Uptown Yardies or simply the Yardies are an African-Caribbean (mostly Jamaican) criminal organization led by King Courtney, based in Staunton Island. Their rivals are the Diablos, and they are known to deal with the Colombian Cartel. They arrived in the city in 1998, and took control of some of the Forelli Family's territories, but have limited influence. They become hostile towards Claude after they ally to the Colombian Cartel and betray him in the mission Kingdom Come.
Southside Hoods[]
The Southside Hoods are an African-American street gang led by D-Ice and based in the poorer areas of Shoreside Vale (appearing more often in Wichita Gardens). They arrived in the city in 1998 and later conflicts in the gang began to show. Eventually, the gang split into two subdivisions, the Red Jacks and the Purple Nines. Despite their differences, they continue to work together. After the mission Rumble, the Purple Nines are permanently wiped out from the game, meanwhile the Red Jacks continue to walk its turf on the streets.
Minor Gangs[]
Forelli Brothers[]
The Forelli Brothers, formerly known as the Forelli Family, are the smallest organization in Liberty City. Their current boss is unknown, though it is possible they are led by Mike Forelli. In the 1980s the Forelli Family had been a major force in the city, but their influence greatly decreased during 1986 after the killings of their Don Sonny Forelli and several other members in Vice City, Florida. Their hold on Liberty's criminal underworld was weakened even further in 1992, with the deaths of several of their members at the hands of Carl Johnson, and again during 1998 due to Toni Cipriani and the Leone Family. According to police files on the GTA III website, they became subordinate to the Leones prior to 2001, but would later strive to break free from the latter. This would cause tensions to rise once more between the two crime families. By 2001, their only territory is Marco's Bistro in Saint Mark's. However, their members are never seen walking the streets during normal gameplay.
Trivia[]
- By the end of the game, 5 of the 7 acting gangs (Colombian Cartel, Yardies, Diablos, Leone Family and the Triads) become hostile to Claude, meaning that if the player walks inside their territories, the gang members will automatically attack Claude on sight. The most dangerous gang is the Leone Family, since they have powerful shotguns, which can easily blow up a normal car in two shots.
- The Yakuza and the Southside Hoods are the only gangs that do not become hostile to Claude.
- The Yakuza is the only gang in this game to be carried over from the previous games.
- The Forelli Brothers never appear during normal gameplay, although the Forellis do appear during missions, sharing the same models as the Leone family.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Gangs Rife on our City Streets, Corruption Everywhere" - Liberty Tree (Official GTA III website)
- ↑ Ambiguous ethnicity. Referred to as "Hispanic youths" in a Liberty Tree article and as a Latin American street gang on promotional website