Yusuf Amir (Arabic: يوسف أمير) is the tritagonist in The Ballad of Gay Tony and a main character in Grand Theft Auto Online, as part of The Chop Shop update.
Prior to his physical debut, he was briefly mentioned in Grand Theft Auto IV.
He is voiced by comedian Omid Djalili.
History[]
Background[]
Yusuf Amir was born in Dubai, UAE to Abdul Amir, an extremely wealthy real estate developer. Throughout his life he seeks to impress his father, a highly conservative businessman who frowns upon Yusuf's life as "a reckless orgy of sex, drugs and spending". He was born wealthy, as he claims to have had a golden train set as a child and got his first Grotti car aged 14. He is also a trained helicopter pilot.
At some point he moved from Dubai to Liberty City to further develop luxury properties. His first project's construction site was locked down by Messina Crime Family construction unions, until Playboy X hired Niko Bellic to kill them all hoping to gain favor with Yusuf. He would not meet with Playboy, instead temporarily shutting down the site and building a memorial for the workers.
He wants to franchise Tony Prince's nightclub Maisonette 9, and hires Prince's bodyguard Luis Fernando Lopez as a mercenary.
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV[]
In Grand Theft Auto IV, Yusuf is only mentioned by Playboy X twice and makes no physical appearance. Playboy's first assignment to protagonist Niko Bellic was taking out the Union Leaders stationed at Yusuf's shut-down construction site, hoping to gain leverage with Yusuf. Niko did so successfully and called Playboy after killing the last Union Leader, and told him that someone will have to hire a clean-up crew to the site before any workers come in. The post-mission Liberty Tree headline said the site was shut down due to severe disagreements with Yusuf. Despite Niko successfully taking them out, Yusuf instead started building a memorial for all the workers who died in accidents. Playboy didn't like this, and told Niko there were other problems to be taken care of. Yusuf is never mentioned again.
Events of The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Yusuf is first seen at Tony Prince's Maisonette 9 nightclub with two women as Tony and his business partner Luis Fernando Lopez are leaving to attend a business deal in Chinatown. Tony briefly introduces Luis to Yusuf, who greets him. Yusuf offers Luis and Tony to join him for some drinks and cocaine, but Tony refuses, arguing that they have unfinished business. Yusuf reminds Tony that he is still interested in franchising his club.
Soon after the meeting with the Triads in Chinatown goes wrong, Luis receives a phone call from Yusuf, saying Tony gave him his number and wants to talk personally at his luxurious penthouse in Middle Park East about franchising Tony's nightclub.
At the penthouse, Yusuf shows the real estate developments he is planning for Liberty City. He takes a very fast shining to Luis in particular, seeking to impress him with his gold-made possessions. After being convinced by Yusuf, Luis accepts working for him.
Yusuf hires Luis to steal an attack helicopter from a yacht owned by arms dealer and slave trader Frickie Van Hardenburg, to be gifted to his father Abdul Amir. After hearing of Frickie's background, he suggests Luis use their own firepower against him and his terrorist group, which he does. Luis destroys Frickie's yacht, killing him and his men before delivering the helicopter to Yusuf's associate Ahmed Khaleel.
Soon after, Yusuf is seen having a phone call with Ahmed, which is interrupted by a phone call from his father. Luis realizes that all of the money, wealth and material possessions around him aren't really his, but his father's. Undeterred, Yusuf needs Luis to come along with him to somehow legitimize it.
On the way to the meeting with Ahmed and another associate named Tahir Saaed at the Rotterdam Tower, Yusuf calls him on his phone again. Yusuf begins suspecting something from the way Ahmed is talking to him, so he asks Luis to go up and scope things out. It turns out to be an ambush by the National Office of Security Enforcement (NOOSE). After killing Tahir and fighting the NOOSE agents at the top of the tower, he eventually corners Ahmed at the very top, where Ahmed reveals that he and Tahir wanted to get Yusuf on a wire for NOOSE so that they could take over his business. Ahmed then gives Luis a parachute he was planning to make his escape with, before Luis lunges at Ahmed, who steps back, falling off the spire to his death.
A few days later, Luis returns to Yusuf's penthouse, where he finds him without pants, holding a Gold SMG, and snorting cocaine with a prostitute, Jonelle. Yusuf tells Luis about a NOOSE Tank (APC) that he is interested about. Yusuf's father Abdul Amir suddenly enters his penthouse, horrified and ashamed by the scene. Yusuf tries to explain himself, claiming Jonelle and Luis are husband and wife, and Luis is his business partner, and tells them both to leave the penthouse. Shortly after, Yusuf calls Luis telling him to meet him in his Swift helicopter at Star Junction.
Once there, Yusuf provides Luis with an Advanced Sniper with which he needs to free the APC being carried by a Skylift helicopter, steal the APC and deliver it to his construction site once losing the cops.
Yusuf later convinces Luis to help him steal a subway car from the LTA to be converted into a submarine for a Liberty City-themed park in an 11-star underwater hotel and casino in the Persian Gulf. After jumping on a train from an overpass and fighting against several NOOSE agents and attack helicopters for a while, Luis detaches the subway car, allowing Yusuf to steal it with a Skylift.
Soon after Russian mobster Ray Bulgarin finds out Luis and Tony are in possession of some diamonds (which were robbed from him and sold to Tony by a cook), Bulgarin sends several of his henchmen to kill both Luis and Tony. Luis decides to go alone after Bulgarin and his men in a last effort to save Tony and his club. Upon killing many of Bulgarin's henchmen and destroying their heroin stash at the Funland amusement park, he finds out that Bulgarin is about to leave the country in a plane.
On the way to the airport, Luis gets a phone call from Yusuf Amir, where Luis explains the situation. Yusuf offers to help, but Luis declines. However, upon reaching the Broker - Dukes Expressway, Yusuf appears in his gold Buzzard. Luis follows Yusuf, who destroys any pursuing Russian vehicles with homing missiles. After killing Ray Bulgarin, Luis goes to Meadows Park to meet with Tony, accidentally bumping into a homeless man and making him find the stolen bag of diamonds in the trash nearby.
Tony meets Luis, where the duo make amends. Yusuf arrives and congratulates the duo for "winning", later mentioning that he wants to franchise the clubs. Tony points out that his clubs are more about the people than the style, before Yusuf replies that Tony should "Whip out your dick and piss all over them!"
After the Events of The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Yusuf is not seen nor mentioned in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars or Grand Theft Auto V. However, it can be assumed that he did eventually work with Tony and Luis to franchise Maisonette 9 and Hercules internationally or at least throughout America.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Before the Events of The Chop Shop[]
While Yusuf did not make any physical appearance in Grand Theft Auto Online prior to the events of The Chop Shop, he is a buyer for the player's vehicle exporting business, as part of the Import/Export update.
Yusuf can purchase a collection comprising of a Roosevelt Valor and a Z-Type from the GTA Online Protagonist under the name "The Sultan of Amir".
Introduced in the Ill-Gotten Gains Part 1 update, some weapons can be modified with the "Yusuf Amir Luxury Finish", a golden-bronze design, in reference to his extravagant lifestyle and flashy possessions.
Under the name of Amir Group Investments, Yusuf is a buyer for the player's cargo during Special Cargo Sell Missions and Special Orders in Nightclub Sell Goods missions.
The Chop Shop[]
In December 2023, fifteen years after the events of The Ballad of Gay Tony, Yusuf is looking for a new way to expand his luxury car collection. He is interested in vehicles with unique stories behind them – used in movies, celebrity vehicles, etc. He flies to Los Santos, the land of Vinewood celebrities, where he and his young cousin Jamal Amir set up an unlicensed salvage yard business under the name of Red's Auto Parts.
Yusuf hears about a potential investor with "Los Santos in the palm of their hands", the GTA Online Protagonist, who has previously invested in several businesses across the state. After a long search, Yusuf finally gets in contact with the GTA Online Protagonist, and offers them a new profitable business opportunity in the form of a Salvage Yard.
Once the protagonist purchases a Salvage Yard and arrives at the property, Yusuf welcomes them and reveals his plan to acquire luxurious vehicles in Los Santos to be added to his collection in Liberty City. He introduces his cousin Jamal to the GTA Online Protagonist, who will act as a business partner at the property. Jamal uses his connections with wealthy people across the city to get tip-offs on valuable cars from Yusuf's wishlist, before setting up the planning board for each vehicle robbery. Yusuf leaves them to party while they plan the first robbery together.
Once the protagonist acquires the car, Yusuf returns to the Salvage Yard one last time to celebrate with the protagonist and offers them the chance to deliver the car to him for a big payout, or break it down to salvage for parts at a lower price.
The first time the GTA Online Protagonist deliver a vehicle to Yusuf via Terminal, he'll call them and inform them he'll make sure everyone in Liberty City learns of their legends.
Character[]
Personality[]
Yusuf is a very relaxed and carefree man. He very rarely worries about the problems in his life and is instead very cheerful and hyperactive.
Yusuf likes to use American slang expressions, like "let's bounce" and "fuckin' A", although he doesn't always use them in an appropriate context. He also regularly uses the word "ni**a," though not in an insulting way, despite Luis advising him not to.
Yusuf is used as a plot device to symbolize extreme wealth, materialism, and the temptation for Tony and Luis (especially towards the ending). Unlike Ray Bulgarin, whose character shares some of these themes, Yusuf is a good guy in that he is clearly out to help Tony and Luis, as well as a more light-hearted comic relief.
In Grand Theft Auto IV, however, Playboy X describes Yusuf as a serious and overworked person, most likely due to the character being only partially written at that point.
In The Chop Shop update for GTA Online, he is still his usual self, but his old age and devotion to his business have caused him to be less energetic and less bubbly, as seen when Yusuf offers the GTA Online Protagonist champagne, but the offer is refused. Instead of forcing them to join in on the fun as he did with Luis on occasion, he seemed to respect the player's decision. He is now more concerned about his business enterprises than he used to be about his previous business in Liberty City. Evidently, like his father, he is shown to be a little bit disappointed in his younger cousin Jamal Amir for not showing proper etiquette when meeting with his business associate in the protagonist's garage property, which is reminiscent of how Yusuf was discovered by his father back in Liberty City.
Yusuf's Developments[]
Yusuf is somewhat well-known for his lavish, excessive real estate developments. Despite being an ideal candidate for I'm Rich, he does not seem to be famous outside circles of architecture or real estate buffs. His developments include:
- Persian Gulf: "Hanging Gardens of Amir," an apartment complex suspended by hot air balloons. The name is a clear reference to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
- Dubai, UAE: Yusuf "made headlines around the world" when he built the world's tallest building in 2005, only to tear it down the following day just to prove he could.
- Qatar, Persian Gulf: An 11-star underwater hotel and casino. It is meant to be Liberty City-themed, in the shape of a tiger, and contains a genuine Liberty City subway train (stolen by Luis) to give tours of a delicate coral reef. It is mainly a parody of the Hydropolis, a planned $500 million underwater resort near Dubai that was unfortunately cancelled. It may have also been inspired by Poseidon in Fiji or Jules' in Florida.
- Outer Space: He is seriously considering several zero-gravity developments in space, much like the real-life Galactic Suite project. He also says he wants a Maisonette 9 on the moon, if allowed to franchise the clubs.
- Liberty City, USA: Yusuf plans to build sixty-nine luxury condo towers in Algonquin. He also discusses building a zoo alongside Luis with, "sabre-toothed dodos and shit, women in gold cages, you name it!"
- Castle Gardens, Liberty City, USA: Yusuf's first project in the U.S. , called the "Imperial Amir Towers." It will feature mostly solid gold and jewel-encrusted features, a floor-to-ceiling aquarium in the lobby, a dolphin pool with glory holes, and a Roman-style vomitorium (a common feature in stadiums that isn't directly associated with vomiting). Their services will include 24-hour plastic surgeons, dwarf bellhops, all furniture thrown out and replaced daily (including "chaise lounges with seal skin coverings moisteurized daily by the moistness of Icelandic virgins"). Air is imported from the Himalayas. It is meant to be taller than Rotterdam Tower. It was quickly surrounded by controversy, after local groups criticized that it would "ruin the skyline of Castle Gardens"[3] and it became the site of a union strike massacre, after which Amir cancelled the project out of respect to the dead. It is probably inspired by the cancelled South Ferry Plaza in New York City.
Yusuf's Residence[]
Yusuf lives is an ultra-luxury two story penthouse located in Middle Park East, filled with his collection of gold-plated items. These include a cell phone, an Uzi, and a scale model of Algonquin, among others. It also includes arcade machines, a big screen television (showing the end credits of GTA IV), and a unique flame painted Lycan (inaccessible to the player). He refers to a billion dollars as "chump change" when talking to a real estate businessman (mentioning that it can't even buy a million dollars), also telling Luis in "Caught With Your Pants Down," "If only my father gave me a few billion I could really call my own, then maybe I would grow up." In a conversation with his father during "High Dive," he refers to $10 million as, "maybe a little bit too much to spend in a month, but it was necessary!" In a photo attached to a newspaper article about Yusuf, he is pictured beside a black Infernus with a black Maverick helicopter in the background. This picture was taken outside a house in Northern Alderney, suggesting either that he also owns this house in addition to his penthouse apartment, or that Rockstar had originally planned to have him live there.
Name's Origins[]
Yusuf is a common given name in Arabic countries. It is the Arabic variation of Joseph, and its meaning is, "God will add," rather fitting Yusuf's ambitious nature. The definition of Amir, in Arabic, is prince, or commander. Also, Amir, when pronounced as “Ameer”, which means “rich”, is also a hint that he is rich.
Characters Murdered by Yusuf Amir[]
- Bulgarin Crime Syndicate - Wiped out using a golden Buzzard while helping Luis Lopez kill Ray Bulgarin before he escapes in his private jet.
Mission Appearances[]
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
- Chinese Takeout
- Sexy Time (Boss)
- High Dive (Boss)
- Caught With Your Pants Down (Boss)
- Not So Fast (Phone call)
- Dropping In (Post-mission phone call)
- In the Crosshairs (Post-mission phone call)
- For the Man Who Has Everything (Boss)
- Departure Time
- Credits
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Salvage Yard Robberies (Introduction; Semi-boss)
Gallery[]
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Character Trailer[]
Trivia[]
- Leslie Mitchell, a Weazel News reporter, claims Yusuf Amir is a personal friend of his, and as a result, does not restrain himself in defending Yusuf's construction project in Castle Gardens. He even goes as far as calling groups who are not in favor of Yusuf's project as "leftist loonies" who are arresting property development in the city.[3]
- Yusuf likes the song, "Arab Money," by Busta Rhymes, and is seen in cutscenes playing the song and dancing to it. He also sings the song in the end cutscene of For the Man Who Has Everything. This song can be heard on The Beat 102.7. It was also added to the soundtrack with The Lost and Damned before The Ballad of Gay Tony was released.
- In his pre-release trailer, during scenes from "Departure Time," he's seen flying in a black Buzzard Attack Chopper. In the final version of the game, the Buzzard Attack Chopper is already gold at this point.
- In Yusuf's mission cutscenes, on his TV, the player can see either Grand Theft Auto IV end credits or "The History of Liberty" end credits.
- Yusuf likes to replace the "s" in his name with a "$" in his messages to Luis Lopez.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 GTA Online: Import/Export:
Vehicle Cargo Collections - ↑ Buyer for Warehouse/Nightclub Sell missions in GTA Online
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "A-mir $5 Million for a Penthouse View of Hell" by Leslie Mitchell, Weazel News (www.weazelnews.com) (In game website.)