"Mike" redirects here. For other uses, see Michael.
For one of the protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V, nicknamed Mike, see Michael De Santa.
Mike is the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto Advance.
History[]
Mike is a Liberty City-based small-time criminal working with his partner and best friend Vinnie. The two make plans to leave the city with all the money they have earned over the years, but after Vinnie is seemingly killed by a car bomb which also destroys all their money, Mike vows revenge and begins working for various prominent figures of Liberty City's criminal underworld in exchange for answers. Mike eventually learns the truth about Vinnie's apparent death and, after defeating all his enemies, flees to Colombia to start a new life with his newfound wealth.
Background[]
The only known information about Mike's background is that he was a homeless kid in Liberty City. At some point in his life, he met Vinnie and the two became friends and partners-in-crime, engaging in various illegal activites together, with Vinnie becoming somewhat of a mentor figure for Mike.[1][2] For some time, Mike has harbored ambitions to raise enough to leave Liberty City for good with Vinnie, which serves as the initial plot point in Grand Theft Auto Advance's storyline. [3]
Events of Grand Theft Auto Advance[]
At the beginning of the game, Mike and Vinnie have earned enough money to leave Liberty City and start a comfortable life far away from the crime-ridden metropolis. However, Mike is coaxed by Vinnie to take a few more jobs from the Mafia at Momma's Restaurante before leaving. After Vinnie is seemingly killed by a car bomb, which also destroys all the money the pair have earned over the years, Mike attempts to trace the mysterious assassin, while attracting negative attention from all gangs in the city.
Mike's first boss is 8-Ball, an associate of Vinnie's, who helps him with his investigation in exchange for Mike carrying out several jobs for him. While 8-Ball is unable to bring Mike any closer to finding Vinnie's killer, he points him to a bartender named Jonnie, who has several connections in Liberty City. Jonnie is initially reluctant to assist Mike due to his paranoia, but eventually agrees to do so in exchange for Mike helping him out of a few situations he has found himself in. Mike is annoyed by Jonnie's constant paranoia, but it rings true when Jonnie is later found murdered while Mike is on an errand. Mike follows who he believes to be the assailant to Staunton Island, which leads him to King Courtney, leader of the Uptown Yardies.
Mike suspects King Courtney to be behind Jonnie's death, but King Courtney explains that he is also after the killer because Jonnie owed him money. Mike strikes an uneasy partnership with King Courtney, who agrees to assist Mike in his hunt for the killer in exchange for his services. However, his work for King Courtney brings him no closer to finding the truth. Eventually, Mike loses his patience and confronts King Courtney who tells him that the Colombian Cartel leader, Cisco, is behind everything. When Mike attempts to kill Cisco, however, he learns that the latter is innocent and that King Courtney has been using him.
Mike subsequently cuts ties with the Yardies and begins working for Cisco and the Cartel, who are at war with the Yakuza. After kidnapping Yuka, the niece of Yakuza leader Asuka Kasen, for Cisco, Mike is contacted by Asuka, who is unaware of his work for the Cartel and hires him to rescue Yuka and do additional jobs for the Yakuza. However, during Mike's work for the two gangs, Cisco is murdered, similarly to Jonnie, for coming too close to uncovering the truth. Mike pursues the assailant and this time manages to catch him, revealing that Vinnie was behind everything. Vinnie explains that he faked his death to leave Liberty City with all their money, but ended up following Mike and killing Jonnie and Cisco to prevent him from learning the truth. In the ensuing shootout, Mike mortally wounds Vinnie, who warns him that he is now a gang target before dying.
Vinnie's warnings ring true, as Mike later finds himself targeted by both the Cartel, who assumed he had killed Cisco, and the Yardies, who are after his newly gained wealth. After a police raid during a fight with the Cartel, 8-Ball, who was also present and helped Mike escape, is arrested. Mike subsequently deals with the Cartel's new boss before planning an assault of King Courtney's compound with Asuka's help. However, the Yakuza never show up for the attack, leaving Mike to face King Courtney on his own. Before Mike can finish him off, the police arrive and Mike is forced to escape. He heads to the airport and finds Cisco's private jet, finally accomplishing his dream of leaving Liberty City.
After Grand Theft Auto Advance[]
Not much is known about Mike's life after the events of Grand Theft Auto Advance, but one of the lines during the final mission Freedom Flies implies that he left the United States and settled for a peaceful life in Colombia with his gained wealth.
Character[]
Personality[]
Due to the lack of character and story development in the game, Mike, like Claude, lacks much personality. However, Mike is very loyal to his bosses; he will go through with any job they give him and in the event of their deaths he would go out of his way to avenge them. He is also shown to not take betrayal lightly, as seen when he kills Vinnie.
He also exhibits a somewhat macabre/dark sense of humor, making sarcastic remarks as well as snide comments when killing or injuring enemies. There are times, though, when Mike shows standards: He shows concern for the safety of Yuka during her time in the Cartel's custody, and expresses distaste towards Asuka's sexual obsession with him, as well as the more questionable jobs that she gives to him, and sometimes ponders whether he should go ahead with killing/harming a person or take another route to accomplishing a task.
Appearance[]
Mike is a Caucasian male, presumably in his late twenties to early thirties. He has short black hair, and is known for wearing a shabby outfit consisting of a light gray jacket, white T-shirt, green pants, and brown shoes.
Murders Committed by Mike[]
| Victim | Mission Killed | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Federico | Dirty Laundry | Murdered on the Mafia's orders for competing against them in the drug trade. |
| Unnamed Valet | Hot Wheels | Murdered for trying to stop him from stealing a getaway vehicle and for attempting to kill him. |
| Scorelli's goon | Scorelli | Murdered on 8-Ball's orders to avenge his friend that Scorelli put in the hospital. |
| Pat | Flying High | Murdered for attempting to kill him. |
| Georgie | Flying High | Murdered for trying to protect Pat and attempting to kill him. |
| Rafael | Flying High | Murdered for trying to protect Pat and attempting to kill him. |
| Tomas | Flying High | Murdered for trying to protect Pat and attempting to kill him. |
| Unnamed pimp | Bad Pimpin' | Murdered on Asuka Kasen's orders for stalking some of her prostitutes. |
| Xox | Mystery Killer | Murdered for attempting to kill him. |
| Vinnie | Truth Revealed | Murdered for betraying him, killing Jonnie and Cisco, and attempting to kill him. |
Optional Murders[]
| Victim | Mission | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Freddy | Show the Money | If Mike waits, Freddy betrays Mike and returns with his associates to kill him, but Mike kills all of them. |
| Biff Rock | Scorned Lover | Can be killed during Scorned Lover, though his death does not affect the storyline. |
| Unnamed actress | Scorned Lover | Can be killed during Scorned Lover, though her death does not affect the storyline. |
| Unnamed technician | Factory Wages | Can be killed during Factory Wages, though his death does not affect the storyline. |
| Corrupt Police Officer | Ante Up | If Mike chooses not to torch the casino, he must find and kill the officer so that the casino owner will no longer have to pay him protection money. |
| Unnamed truck driver | Sue Me Sushi | Can be killed or spared during Sue Me Sushi, resulting in a different dialogue at the end of the mission. |
| Colombian Cartel Lieutenant | Taking Revenge | Can be killed or spared during Taking Revenge, resulting in a different line of dialogue from Mike at the end of the mission. |
| Asuka's goon | Assault Joint | Can be killed during Assault Joint, though his death does not affect the storyline. |
Mission Appearances[]
Grand Theft Auto Advance[]
- As the protagonist, he appears in all missions.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Mike commits the fewest canonical murders in the 3D Universe, with a total body count of 10.
- Mike is the only protagonist who was originally homeless.
- Mike is one of six protagonists in the Grand Theft Auto series after Grand Theft Auto III who do not appear outside their respective games, the others being Tommy Vercetti, Carl Johnson, Huang Lee and Michael De Santa.
- Mike is also the only protagonist of the 3D Universe to never encounter another protagonist.
- Mike's name was not included in the graffiti easter egg in Grand Theft Auto IV.
- He is the one of six protagonists that shares name with another protagonist. In this instance, it is Michael De Santa from Grand Theft Auto V. Others are Claude Speed and Claude from Grand Theft Auto 2 and Grand Theft Auto III, and Johnny Hawtorn and Johnny Klebitz from Grand Theft Auto: London and The Lost and Damned, respectively.
- Mike's sprites and animations were later reused in the Grand Theft Auto Online arcade game Street Crimes: Gang Wars Edition, added as part of The Diamond Casino & Resort update.
References[]
- ↑ “I've got your back, Vinnie. You got me off the streets and back on my feet.— Mike to Vinnie in Jump Start.
- ↑ “Whatever, Vinnie brought me out of the dumps and taught me how to take care of myself.— Mike to King Courtney in Latin Coffee.
- ↑ “This is our big chance, Mike. We've almost got enough money to leave Liberty City for good. I'm tired of playing errand boy. We need to strike off on our own and lead the good life.— Vinnie to Mike in Jump Start.