Niko Bellic is a contentious character. Easily the most level-headed, thoughtful, and empathetic protagonist in the series, many fans were bowled over by the more serious, drawn out, and downright human character in Grand Theft Auto IV. At the same time, though, many fans were unable to separate this relatively sane, reasonable character from the actions he committed in the game. Whether free r🐽oaming or following the trajectory of the story, Niko frequently engages in bouts of mayhem and mass life taꦛking, causing unimaginable grief for those he directly effects with his actions and the inhabitants of Liberty City at large.
Niko is the perfect protagonist for the most divisive game in the series. Again, much like Bellic himself, GTA IV splits the series' fans straight down the middle. Some (like the author of this article) loved the more serious and dramatic style of෴ the game and its story, embracing the gritty realism as an affirmation that this is the most immersive, and possibly the best game in the whole series. Others, however, lamented this change and were dismayed by the stripped-down gameplay and straight-faced narrative, especially when juxtaposed with the chaos and frantic gunplay. There is no doubt that these detractors have a valid point, and when scrutinized thoroughly, it is hard to accept that someone with a past and present as violent as Niko’s could also maintain that same level of poise and self-reflection. Therefore, in this list, we are going to look at some of the things that make Niko Bellic, at times, a walking contradiction.
Warning, this article contains MAJOR SPOILERS
25 Niko Would Never Fall For Roma𓆏n's Stories ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ
If there’s one thing about Niko’s character that’s constant throughout the ga𒀰me, it's his cynicism. Forged through war and violence, Niko has developed a naturally pessimistic outlook on life, rejecting the p📖ossibility of future happiness and prosperity.
It’s amazing, then, that his cousin Roman’s emails detailing his luxurious life of mansions, sports cars, and women didn’t raise any alarm bells in his mind. In🌠stead, he travels from Eastern Europe to live the U.S. lifestyle with his cousin. Who knew Niko’d be that naive?
24 🦄 Niko's R😼elationships Don't Make Any Sense
Sister of “Packie” McReary, and dater of Niko Bellic, Kate is the only member of her family (mother notwithstanding) who isn’t a criminal. She’s an almost angelic counterpart to Niko’s chaotic violent life and they soon fall in love, with Niko overtly expressing his desire to be exclusive with her. It’s ironic, then, that the GTA🥂 game whose protagonist has a consistent partner also allows for the most freedom to pursue other women, whether through online dating or other means. We could imagine Tommy Vercetti playing the field, but not Niko!
23 ꦺ He Also Wouldn't Blindly Follow Orders 🍨
During a mission with associate Phil Bell, he and Niko discuss following orders. Bell, the compliant𝓡 soldier, believes in doing what he’s told, while Niko, a hired gun, acknowledges that this must be done, but not always, and never blindly.
However, it's ironic that earlier iꦕn the game, Niko took out the son of the powe🅺rful Kenny Petrovic via employer Mikhail Faustin’s orders, in spite of Dimitri Rascalov’s pleas not to do so since it could (and did) lead to huge personal and professional repercussions. Hypocrite much?
22 His Allegiance 𝄹To Some Characters Makes Zero Sen꧑se
Niko aligns himself with some questionable ch♌aracters. However, they usually serve him somehow, like helping him find those he’s looking for or forging personal or professional ♏relationships.
Trey Stewart doesn’t really fulfill any of these for Niko, aside from paying him. He’s also the most unlikeable of Niko’s employers and is basically Niko’s polar opposite: boastful and disloyal. The only benefit of their relationship is that Niko can inherit his penthouse if he ﷽decides to take him out for his former friend Dwayne, 🌊speaking of which…
21 Potentia🃏lly Eliminating Dwayne 🉐
If Trey is one of the more repugnant characters that Niko deals with, Dwayne Forge is one of 𓃲the most genuine, as far as criminals go that is. Just released from prison, Dwayne has lost everything: his money, his “business,” and even his woman. Niko, who helps Dwayne get back on his feet, feels a kinship with him as his downtrodden persona reminds him of himself. That’s why it's baffling that Niko even has to think about who to take out between him and Tr🐓ey. It’s nice to have options, but c’mon!
20 The Lost And Jermaine Is Too Ri🍃diculous For Words
This is as much of a knock at Rockstar as it is at Niko himself. Early on in the game, Niko picks up a fare for his cousin's cab business and the customer’s name is Jermaine, who knows Roman personally. During the mission, Niko drives him to a deal that turns out to be a setup, helping familiarize the player with GTA IV’s wanted🐈 system. Aside from this, Jermaine is charismatic, loyal, and knows the streets, making him a pot𓆉entially great character and contact for Niko who, surprisingly, never meets him again.
19 Why Does Niko Seem So Unhappy With His Friends? 𓃲
The ability to socialize with a friend in GTA IV is one of the most divisive elements of the game. Some people🍃 find it an inco🌱nvenience, while some feel it adds an extra element of immersion and realism to it.
What’s curious, though, is how Niko doesn’t seem to enjoy the company of his friends. Brucie is hilarious and a fa๊n favorite, but Niko can't seem to stand him. Even characters like Roman and Dwayne seem to vex Niko more than relax him. With friends like that, well, we’ve seen his enemies…
18 Michelle Never Would Have Been Able To Trick💦 Niko
That Michelle ends up being a government informant who betrays N꧅iko is not totally far-fetched (he is an active criminal af📖ter all), but Niko not being able to spot it sooner is a little harder to believe.
If you go on enough dates with Michelle, her questions, which pry into Niko’s personal life, do ♑have a touch of interrogation and desperation about them. Now, I was fooled, but I’m merely a law-abiding civilian. How a street-savvy, intuitive veteran of war and criminality like Niko was so oblivious to it is mind-boggling.
17 The Whole Teddy 💎Benav♈idez Thing Is A Bit Silly
There are various missions in GTA IV where Niko is told to take out a rival or an antagonist of one of his employers. One of the features of the game is✅ Niko’s ability to either go through with the order or spare the individual. During one mission, Niko must take out Teddy Benavidez, who’s holding out on funds to his boss and Niko’s employer, R✃ay Boccino. After eliminating his soldiers, Niko confronts an unarmed, defenseless Benevidez, but, unlike other situations, he’s not given the choice to spare the man.
16 𝓰 Yeah, The Eddie Low Business Is Silly Too
This💦 is another examꦯple of surprising naivety on the part of Niko. Eddie Low is one of the random strangers Niko encounters in the game. He is also the serial eliminator that you hear about on the radio.
Niko encounters him twice, but he should’ve learned during his first encounter that Eddie isn’t quite right. Helping him is bad for two reasons: one, it's repugnant; two, it’d be hard for Niko to stay under the radar if he’d gotten implicated i🔯n Low’s “hobby.”