Niko Bellic – Protagonist:
Niko Bellic, voiced by Michael Hollic, is the protagonist Grand Theft Auto IV. Niko is of Serbian descent, and previously fought in the Yugoslav Wars, however it is unclear for which side. He is brought to Liberty City by promises of living the American Dream from his cousin Roman Bellic, but when his plans go south, he turns to the seedy underworld of Liberty City to build his way to the top. Niko is a serious, calm, self-reflective character and possesses a deeper intellect and stronger moral guidance than perhaps any other GTA protagonist. As he fought in the war, he has been trained extensively in weapon use and hand-to-hand fighting skills. He often argues with his cousin Roman because he always gets into trouble which Niko has to save him from, and because Niko’s violent actions often send underworld figures to Roman’s way.
Dimitri Rascalov – Antagonist:
Dimitri, who is voiced by Moti Margolin, is introduced as Mikhail Faustin’s friend and associate. He causes trouble in Niko’s life and in later sequences, he is purported to be heading to the rise of Russian immigrant organized crime in Liberty City. At the end of the story, he’s killed by Niko Bellic.
Roman Bellic – Major Character:
Roman Bellic, voiced by Jason Zumwalt, is Niko’s cousin who has lived in Liberty City for 10 years. He claims to be living the “American Dream” and that he has two women, four hot tubs and fifteen sports cars, but really he owns a gritty taxi firm and lives in a small apartment in Hove Beach. Roman is also in some extreme debt thanks to his gambling addiction. When Niko arrives, everything seems to go down south altogether, but they work their way up. Roman is often harassed and intimidated by the various criminal figured he owes money to.
Little Jacob – Major Character:
Little Jacob is a Jamaican arms/drug dealer who is voiced by Coolie Ranx. He and Roman Bellic are good friends, and Niko Bellic purchases weaponry from him when he gets a good friendship level with him. He offers several missions to Niko. He has a great Jamaican accent, and besides the shootouts with his enemies he is a peaceful character.
Patrick McReary – Major Character:
Packie, voiced by Ryan Johnston, is the youngest of the McReary family and is with the Irish mob. He lives with his mother and sister in Meadows Park near the Monoglobe. He occasionally works for Elizabeta Torres, but has his own agenda after his brother’s return to Liberty City. Through him, Niko Bellic is introduced to some of the more popular missions in the game, such as Three Leaf Clover where you break into the Bank of Liberty.
Brucie Kibbutz – Major Character:
Brucie, voiced by Timothy Adams, is a super-strange character. He is a steroid-abusing fitness buff which is very proud of what he has achieved in wealth and body. In a “rage”, he offers missions for Niko Bellic that involve racing vehicles, killing people and even going on a gay date with someone called French Tom. He is fairly wealthy and makes appearances on the radio. He sends Niko many emails and is the main character involved in both the racing and car theft side quests. Brucie also makes an appearance in GTA V when he’s seen to be robbing a store.
Dwayne Forge – Major Character:
Dwayne Forge, voiced by Devin Richards, is an “old-school” gangster who’s been in prison since the early 90s for crack distribution, only to be released into a completely unfamiliar environment, with an emphasis on “show-boating” and “bling”. His life got extremely out of hand after he went to prison, and said he might even want to kill himself for it. He needs Niko’s help to rebuild his reputation. During the story, Dwayne’s so-called buddy, Playboy X, tells Niko that Dwayne needs to be ‘removed’. Niko has the choice to follow Playboy X’s orders and take out Dwayne, or help Dwayne and kill Playboy X. If you kill Dwayne, you get a load of money, if you kill Playboy X, you get his apartment, Claude’s GTA3-looking outfit and keep Dwayne as a friend.
Kate McReary – Major Character:
Kate McReary, voiced by Mary Catherine Donnelly, constantly tries to influence the lives of her brothers positively, but fails. She is too shy to talk to Niko at first, however progression does happen as the story goes on. Packie first warns Niko away from her, but later encourages Niko to take her out. Niko and Kate become a couple however depending on the ending you choose, it may not be a very nice one.
Michelle / Karen – Major Character:
Michelle, or Karen, is voiced by Rebecca Henderson. She is introduced in the mission Three’s a Crowd at the start of the story. After completing this mission, Niko is told to purchase some clothes from the Russian clothing store, after which he can call her to set up a date. Mallorie encourages Niko to take her out. She then later on in the story confirms to Niko that she is actually working for the government and has set him up. She also makes an appearance in GTAV’s story in the mission Three’s Company. She is seen in the IAA building with a flash light.
Vladimir Glebov – Major Character:
Vlad, voiced by Misha Kuznetsov, is a Russian loan-shark and mobster who gets Roman into a lot of trouble. He claims to be very powerful in the underworld, but actually runs a low function. He runs the Hove Beach neighborhood in Broker with an iron fist. He offers Niko’s first real batch of missions working for money. He treats Niko like shit with disrespect, and refers to him by derogatory names such as “yokel” and “serf”. Vlad is employed by Mikhail Faustin. When Niko finds out that Vlad has been sleeping with Roman’s girlfriend, Niko chases after him and kills him.
Mikhail Faustin – Major Character:
Mikhail Faustin, voiced by Karel Roden, is the Russian Syndicate Leader. He is brought into the story after the mission Uncle Vlad. Mikhail happens to be a heavy user of cocaine, and has a very short temper, as we see in a few cutscenes. According to his wife, this used to be different before he got to drugs. He owns the Perestroika cabaret club in Broker where he is killed by Niko.
Elizabeta Torrez – Major Character:
Elizabeta Torrez, voiced by Charlie Parker, is a powerful drug dealer from Bohan. Her addictions eventually cause her to overreact and lash out at those around her, a we see at the start of The Snow Storm when she gets mad with Jacob, and even when she kills Manny.
Playboy X – Major Character:
Playboy X is an associate of Elizabeta Torres. He’s voiced by Postell Pringle and is also friends with Dwayne Forge, who is serving a term in prison for drug trafficking. He constantly goes on about how he wants to support the community and use the money he gains from drug sales to fund schools and community centers “once he gets rich,” though it is obvious by the apartment that he lives in that he is fairly wealthy already. Playboy X gets killed by Niko if that is the chosen choice. (See ‘Dwayne Forge’ for more info about that decision).
United Liberty Paper – Major Character:
United Liberty Paper, voiced by Milton James, is the alias of a shady government worker whose true name is anonymous. He blackmails Niko into doing several dangerous jobs, trying to play the different criminal organizations off of each other. He says that he is not a “good guy,” and that he only works for the “good guys.”
Francis McReary – Major Character:
Francis McReary is voiced by Thomas Lyons. He is a corrupt cop who is aware of felonies made by Niko Bellic. His missions usually involve a contract killing on a person who knows or has incriminating evidence against him. Even though he is one of the McReary siblings, his brothers have a strong dislike on him.
Derrick Mcreary – Major Character:
After just getting back from Ireland, the oldest of the McReary brothers seems to have a background with the Irish Republican Army. Derrick, voiced by George Feaster, possesses a good knowledge of weapons and explosives, which is rivalled only by his knowledge of narcotics.
Gerald McReary – Major Character:
Gerry McReary, voiced by PJ Sosko, is a clever, yet dangerous guy who uses his information to prevent Francis from moving in on his other siblings. He is the head of the Irish mob based in Dukes.
Ray Boccino – Major Character:
Joe Barbara is the man behind Ray’s voice. Ray Boccino is a tall, well-dressed, Italian man. He may be ambitious however isn’t very likable; Niko describes him as “slimy” even to the other criminals. They meet him through the McReary family. He is one of the three major players in the Pegorino family, an Italian crime family based in Alderney.
Phil Bell – Major Character:
Phil Bell, voiced by Frank Bonsangue, is a half-Irish, half-Italian front operator for the Pegorino family. The character bears a resemblance to Tony Soprano. He is one of the three major players in the Pegorino family, and the most likable of them.
Bernie Crane – Major Character:
Bernie Crane, voiced by Tomothy J. Alex, is an old friend of Niko Bellic and Roman’s, though they knew him as Florian Cravic. He is one of the men which Niko comes to Liberty City to find. He finds out through Ray Boccino where he is located and he breaks into the apartment with Roman to find out that he has reinvented himself as Bernie Crane, an openly gay man in a secret relationship with Deputy Mayor Bryce Dawkins.
Jimmy Pegorino – Major Character:
Jimmy Pegorino is voiced by Tony Patellis. He is the head of the Pegorino crime family. Near the end of the story, he becomes concerned about his family’s decline and wants it to remain even with the Liberty City families. He is ruthless and intelligent, but watching his family dynasty crumble before him has made him erratic and dangerous.