Roman Bellic (Serbian: Роман Белић; Roman Belić) is the deuteragonist and a friend in Grand Theft Auto IV and a minor character in The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Roman is the older cousin of GTA IV's protagonist, Niko Bellic.
He is voiced by Jason Zumwalt.
History
Background
Roman was born in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and moved to Liberty City in 1998, aged twenty-one. He later claims to be living the "American Dream" and that he has two women, four hot tubs and fifteen sports cars. This encourages Niko to join him in America, where Niko discovers that Roman lied about living in paradise; his cousin is actually the owner of a small, gritty taxi firm, a small, roach infested apartment in Broker, and has large gambling debts, owed to the Albanians and Vladimir Glebov. Roman later marries Mallorie Bardas. He is the nephew of Milica Bellic.
Early Life
Roman Bellic was born in the area of Yugoslavia which is now modern-day Serbia, in Eastern Europe. He and Niko grew up together, and Niko claims that Roman's mother raised both of them. Before Roman eventually left Yugoslavia, he and Niko once went to a bar only to find it in a demolished state with only one bottle of Vodka surviving; they sat down and drank the Vodka. After the war, she used all of the money she had saved to send Roman to the United States of America. She also wanted to send Niko to the United States, but he stayed behind to fight in the Yugoslav War. After arriving in Liberty City, Roman eventually saved up enough money, and bought two taxis, the cab depot, and eventually an apartment. It is implied that upon arriving in Liberty City, he began to put on weight, as Bernie Crane describes Roman as "putting on a few vanity pounds", proving that Roman must have gained weight after leaving Yugoslavia. When Niko complained about Roman's "shitty" apartment, Roman told him he slept under at his desk at his taxi depot for over a year before he was finally able to get the apartment.
In a conversation with Kate McReary, Niko says that he found Roman's mother raped and murdered, although Niko told Roman that she died in a house fire. In conversations between Niko and Roman and other characters, it is revealed that both Niko and Roman's fathers were alcoholic, wife-beating bullies.
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV
Niko's arrival
When Niko arrives in Liberty City, he soon finds out that Roman is heavily in debt with various powerful underworld figures in the city, including the Russian and Albanian Mafias, mostly due to his gambling addiction. Roman employs his girlfriend Mallorie at his taxi depot; although he is unaware that she is having an affair with Vlad Glebov. Niko kills Dardan Petrela, Kalem and Bledar Morina, three Albanians, when they attempt to collect their money.
Involvement with the Russians
When Roman finds out about Mallorie's affair with Vlad, he is upset, and Niko confronts and kills Vlad for him. Vlad's death causes Roman to become paranoid because he fears retaliation from Vlad's boss, Mikhail Faustin. His worst fears proved to be correct. He and Niko are later kidnapped on orders from Faustin. Faustin shoots Roman in the stomach (because his screaming would alert Ilyena, his wife, upstairs, who was watching television at the time), but he survives. This leads to Niko doing a couple of jobs for Faustin such as killing a patched member of The Lost MC – Jason Michaels.
Later events
After Niko kills Faustin for Dimitri Rascalov, Rascalov and Ray Bulgarin betray Niko, burning down his apartment in Hove Beach and Roman's taxi depot. The cousins move into Mallorie's cousin's apartment in Bohan, where he also opens another taxi depot with the insurance money he received from the fire.
Roman later has a "cold streak" in his poker games, leading the Russians to hire Johnny Klebitz with the help of Malc to kidnap him, taking him to a warehouse in the Industrial area of Bohan. The Russians hope that they can kill Niko when he tries to rescue Roman. But, Niko would later rescue him.
After Niko rescues Roman, he continues gambling. He goes on a hot streak, wins a lot of money, upgrades his taxis from Esperantos to Cavalcades and buys a luxury penthouse in Algonquin, telling Niko they are finally going to live the dream.
Ending
Towards the end of the storyline in GTA IV, Niko has to decide if he will kill Dimitri in revenge for his betrayal or work with him again in a heroin deal for Jimmy Pegorino. Roman urges Niko to forget revenge and work with Dimitri, considering the large amount of money he could receive for his work. He tells Niko he would be able to afford a great honeymoon with Mallorie and that maybe he and Niko could take a private jet to Vice City.
If Niko decides to get revenge on Dimitri, Jimmy Pegorino will be furious about his business being ruined. During Roman's and Mallorie's wedding, Pegorino attempts to kill Niko in a drive-by shooting, but kills Kate McReary, Niko's love interest, by accident.
After Niko kills Pegorino, Roman tells him that Mallorie is pregnant, and that if it's a girl, her name will be Kate. Niko is still in mourning over Kate's death, but is relieved that now he, Roman and their allies will be able to live calmly without fear of mob retaliations.
If Niko decides to strike a deal, Dimitri betrays Niko again during the mission and was forced to steal the money afterwards, he sends an assassin to kill Niko at Roman's and Mallorie's wedding. Niko fights and kills the assassin, but in the struggle, Roman is accidentally shot in the chest and killed.
After Niko kills Dimitri with the help of Little Jacob, Mallorie will reveal that she is pregnant with Roman's son. She struggles that her son will grow up without a father, but Niko explains that her son will never have to worry about anything.Further Notes
In Grand Theft Auto V, after the player chooses either Ending C (canon finale) or Ending A, one potential scenario in Michael De Santa's house sees his family gathered around the dining room table. Jimmy, Michael's son, is writing his résumé on a laptop.[3] However, the screen displays a Lifeinvader profile page as an Easter egg.
By using a camera to zoom in, the page is revealed to be that of Niko Bellic, complete with an image of the character. He now lives in Broker, still working as a taxi driver for Bellic Cab Service, and is still in contact with Mallorie Bardas, Little Jacob, and Brucie Kibbutz, who all liked his latest status. There is also a Happy Birthday note for Roman which was dated as being posted 40 minutes prior. As Rockstar Games have officially stated that there are no "true paths" for the Grand Theft Auto IV's storyline, and it's all determinant to the player, and this official stance was issued after the release of GTA V, Niko Bellic's LifeInvader profile in GTA V (including Roman as a friend) is considered an Easter egg.[4]
Character
Personality
Roman mainly appears to be concerned more about making money, possibly being more desperate to prosper than any of the other characters, which has led him to build a bad reputation in the city for his gambling addiction, of which he is constantly reminded by Niko. Despite his love of money and his problems, he cares a lot about his friends and family, and is sometimes annoyed at Niko's affiliation with organized crime. Out of all the characters, Roman appears to be the least interested in organized crime, as he only wishes to earn money and live the "American Dream."
Roman understands that Niko is unable to find regular work, and does not trouble him about his life as a criminal, but instead tells him to be careful, as some of the crimes Niko commits (racketeering, armed robbery, car thefts, assassinations, delivering drugs, etc.), could get Niko an extremely long jail sentence.
Outfits
Roman has three outfits:
- A black and white tracksuit top with olive trousers and bowling shoes.
- A black shirt with square and circle patterns.
- A black suit with a bordeaux untucked dress shirt. (seen only on his wedding day, the final mission, and TBoGT)
Favorite Friend Activity Hangouts
These are Roman's favorite places during a friend activity with him:
- Eating at any Burger Shot will increase his likeness by 7%
- Drinking at any bar (Uncle Vlad needs to be completed to drink at Comrades Bar without Roman worrying about Vlad being there) will increase the player by 5%.
- Going to any of the two strip clubs will increase his likeness by 8%
- Playing darts will increase his likeness to the player by 4%
After completion of Bull in a China Shop, getting his likeness percentage above 75% will unlock his special ability to service taxi rides for Niko for free, also unlocking the achievement, Driving Mr. Bellic.
LCPD Database Record
2006 - Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct
- Heavily in debt.
- Owns a livery cab service believed to be used by criminals for illegal purposes.
Prominent Appearances in Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto IV
- The Cousins Bellic (Boss)
- It's Your Call (Boss)
- Three's a Crowd (Boss)
- First Date (Phone call/Only if Bleed Out is completed second)
- Bleed Out (Boss)
- Easy Fare (Boss)
- Jamaican Heat (Boss)
- Uncle Vlad (Boss)
- Crime and Punishment (Boss)
- Logging On (Boss)
- Shadow (Phone call)
- Rigged to Blow (Phone call)
- Roman's Sorrow (Boss)
- Out of the Closet
- Hostile Negotiation
- Dust Off (Phone call/Only if Hostile Negotiation is completed first)
- Weekend at Florian's
- That Special Someone
- One Last Thing (Phone call)
Deal Ending
- If the Price is Right (Post-mission phone call)
- Mr. & Mrs. Bellic (Boss/Killed)
Revenge Ending
- A Dish Served Cold (Post-mission phone call)
- Mr. & Mrs. Bellic (Boss)
- Out of Commission
The Lost and Damned
The Ballad of Gay Tony
Post-mission Phone Calls
After completing certain GTA IV missions, Niko can call Roman; this keeps Niko in touch with his cousin, while also showing Niko's opinion regarding the various situations he gets in, revealing more detail about his character.
- It's Your Call
- Concrete Jungle
- Crime and Punishment
- Shadow
- No. 1
- Have a Heart
- The Holland Play (only if Hostile Negotiation is completed first)
- Three Leaf Clover
- Museum Piece
- Weekend at Florian's (Roman calls Niko to talk about his engagement. This is different from other post-mission phone calls and unlike the others, Niko does not initiate the call)
- I'll Take Her
- Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
- Truck Hustle
- Pegorino's Pride
- Entourage
- Pest Control
Gallery
Videos
Trivia
General
- The Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition incorrectly states that Roman is Niko's brother.
- Roman's voice actor, Jason Zumwalt, is heard on one of the radio stations in Saints Row 2, in which he narrates an ad for "Ship It", a boat dealership. He uses, quite nearly, the same accent with his narration as he does with Roman. Coincidentally, the name of the narrator is Vlad, the same as the first antagonist in Grand Theft Auto IV.
- In Tom Clancy's The Division, the player can find a purple bowling ball with "cousin" written on it. This is an obvious reference to Roman calling Niko to go bowling.
- Roman is one of the three deuteragonists that are related to the protagonist, the other two being Sweet Johnson and Lance Vance.
- Roman has appeared in almost every game in the HD Universe in some way. In GTA IV, he was the deuteragonist to his cousin Niko Bellic, in The Lost and Damned he was kidnapped by Johnny Klebitz, in The Ballad of Gay Tony he interacted with Luis Lopez in Maisonette 9, in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars his cab depot was seen, rebuilt, and in Grand Theft Auto V the player can see his Lifeinvader account on Jimmy's laptop, as well as learn about his cab company from Tavell Clinton's Lifeinvader page.
Grand Theft Auto IV
- Roman drives a black taxi named Roman's Taxi from his depot, which is a custom Esperanto. After getting the Middle Park East penthouse, they are replaced with Cavalcades and cannot be gained again.
- Roman has forgotten some of his native language during his ten-year stay in America. This can be seen in The Cousins Bellic, as Niko greets him in Serbian and Roman doesn't understand, responding with 'What?', and randomly saying 'Cabbages?' He also mentions this himself that he has forgotten his native language a little.
- Roman's favorite radio station is apparently The Vibe 98.8 as he will respond positively when the radio station is turned on.
- Like most characters in the game, Roman will don a unique helmet when riding alongside Niko on a motorbike. His helmet is white, with two horizontal green stripes along the temples.
- Roman is one of only two characters to interact with the three protagonists (the other one being Isaac Roth). He helps Niko throughout the story, he gets kidnapped by Johnny, and briefly meets with Luis.
- From It's Your Call onwards, his voicemail will say, "Ladies, this is Roman Bellic, but I guess you already know that. Leave a message". Although Mallorie's voicemail will change later in the game to reference her engagement, Roman's will not.
- There are a few hidden carjacking quotes from Roman when bringing him home from a friend activity. They can only be heard if the player parks in the marker so that the passenger side door is blocked. Roman will punch Niko and says lines such as: "I'm sorry but that is mine!", "I need that car back!", "Give me that!", "Fuck you! Now mine!", or "Funny guy! Give me that back!" and switch to the driver's seat for a few moments before getting out of the car and disappearing as usual. Brucie, Packie, Little Jacob, and Dwayne also have their own hidden carjacking quotes as well during friend activities. Footage of some of Roman's carjacking quotes can be seen here.
- If he is picked up on a friend activity in a helicopter, he will say "Niko, you are really stepping up in the world! Let's go."
- If Revenge is chosen and the player takes him to a club in a drinking activity, Roman might say: "I would have sealed the deal there if I didn't have to see Mallorie later!". This makes it clear that Roman still has desires for other women, but will stay loyal to Mallorie.
- If Deal is chosen, Roman's phone number will remain on Niko's cell phone until getting a call from Kate.
Grand Theft Auto V
- In GTA V, it is possible to see Niko's Lifeinvader page on Jimmy's laptop; Roman is listed under Niko's family.
- If watched closely, Niko seems to have written "Happy Birthday Roman!" on his wall.
Roman's Lifeinvader photo.
- Also in GTA V, Tavell Clinton mentions Roman's cab depot by name on Lifeinvader and calls it the "worst cab company ever". However, it is unknown whether Roman is still alive or whether his cab depot kept his name after his death.
- A certain hidden underwater hatch in GTA V produces a series of morse code signals. The community of gtaforums.com translated it, and it produced the sentence: "Hey, you never call. How do you fancy we go bowling?", an obvious reference to the bowling meme of GTA IV.
- During one of the fares for Downtown Cab Co, Franklin has to bring a man down to the docks to deal with some bikers. They will be standing next to two Albany Emperors with customised number plates, one reading "ROMANB" and the other one "NIKOB" (Niko Bellic).
External Link
References
- ↑ Rockstar Games websiteRockstar Games have officially stated that there are no "true paths" for the game's storyline, and it's all determinant to the player.“...we really don’t have a straight and true path for how the Niko ‘character’ would react in life or death situations – it’s all down to the individual who plays him.”
As this official stance was issued after the release of GTA V, Niko Bellic's LifeInvader profile in GTA V (including Roman as a friend) is considered an Easter egg.
- ↑
- ↑ As confirmed by Jimmy's idle dialogue during this same random scenario in Grand Theft Auto V.
- ↑ Rockstar Games website“...we really don't have a straight and true path for how the Niko 'character' would react in life or death situations – it's all down to the individual who plays him.”
- ↑
