Niko Bellic

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Niko Bellic Нико Белић
Game series	Grand Theft Auto
First game	Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
Voiced by	Michael Hollick[1][2][3]

Niko Bellic (Serbian: Нико Белић, Niko Belić) is the main protagonist and playable character in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. He is a 30 year old from Serbia, who fought in the Yugoslav wars.^[4][5] When speaking in his native tongue, he speaks Serbian and it is revealed in The Lost and Damned that he is an ethnic Serb.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Personality 3 Role in Games 3.1 Grand Theft Auto IV 3.2 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned 3.3 Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony 4 Characterization 5 Reception 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Biography

Although it is not specified in the game which country in Eastern Europe Niko is from^[6], based on his past history as described in the game and other related publications, he is most likely from Serbia — it is mentioned that he is speaking Serbian. Niko's father was an alcoholic who bullied him. His mother, Milica, had a maternal and caring nature, and regretted that a decent person like Niko was forced to grow up in such a harsh environment. He grew up during the harsh times of the Yugoslav wars, in which he participated as an angry youth. Niko witnessed and committed numerous atrocities during the war^[7], which led to his cynical perspective on life, and a certain degree of regret, depression, and emotional detachment. A defining moment in the war, for Niko, was when his army unit of fifteen young men were ambushed by the enemy. Niko barely escaped and most of his friends were killed. He later discovers that two other members of the unit also survived, and concludes that one of those two sold the unit out for money. Niko vows to track down the culprit, motivated not solely by revenge, but a need for closure and to move on with his own life. Niko also possesses some skills while in the miliitary which includes: boxing(or kickboxing), shooting and swimming.^[8][9]

When the war ended, Niko had difficulty finding work and continuing a normal life. His cousin, Roman, moved to America to start a new life in Liberty City. Niko, knowing only violence, turned to the Eastern European criminal underworld for the next ten years, while at the same time trying to track the two other men who survived the ambush. At some point during this interval, he was briefly imprisoned. After he was released, Niko joined a human trafficking ring run by Russian criminal Rodislav Bulgarin. Eventually, Niko discovered that Florian Cravic, one of the two survivors of the ambush, was also living in Liberty City.

During one smuggling run into Italy, the boat that Niko was working on was attacked and sank into the Adriatic Sea^[10]. Niko managed to swim to safety, but everything else was lost. Bulgarin, needing someone to blame, accused Niko of sinking the boat and escaping with the money on board. Niko denied this, but Bulgarin refused to believe him and was too powerful to argue with, so Niko joined the merchant navy to flee from Bulgarin. He spent the next seven months at sea, befriending the crew of the Platypus ^[11] and contemplating Roman's request for him to come to America. Roman had been asking Niko to come to Liberty City^[12] to share his lavish life ^[13][14] of a mansion, cars, money and women, which Niko desired, but his taking Roman up on his invitations was primarily motivated by needing to locate Cravic and evade Bulgarin's wrath.

Upon arriving in Liberty City, Niko realizes that Roman's tales of success were embellished^[15]; he actually lives in a tiny apartment^[16][17], runs a small taxi depot^[13] and owes gambling debts across the city to several criminals^[18]. Niko's hardened past proves useful for his cousin, and Niko ends up protecting Roman and himself from the loan sharks that keep harassing him. Roman soon introduces Niko to friends and enemies alike, which Niko — although somewhat angry — accepts, needing the money and contacts that can help him to find that "special someone". ^[19] Starting from Roman, Niko's relationships keep expanding over the course of the game.^[20]

During the game it is shown that Niko's view of American culture is one of confusion and mild disgust. The rampant materialism annoys him and he has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country. And, after working for so many criminals, his cynicism is reinforced in Liberty City.^[21]

[edit] Personality

Niko is portrayed as a very down-to-business person, and is very protective when it comes to his family and loved ones, especially Roman, despite the fact that Roman often gets him into trouble. During the game, many of his female acquaintances often point out that Niko has sophisticated manners and appears to be a very decent person. Niko also maintains a no-nonsense attitude, and at many times throughout the game attempts to resolve conflicts between two parties without the use of violence. However, he is shown to get angry easily when he is argued with irrationally, falsely blamed or cheated - a trait that might have been aggravated by his past experiences during the war, and he is often sarcastic. But he is also portrayed as a caring figure: the player can make Niko help various random people on the streets who are having problems; Niko also consoles the family of a friend after one of their family members dies. He appears to be a more mature and sensible person than many of his acquaintances; for example, Niko criticizes his friend Packie when Packie jokes over the death of his own brother, and brings people down to reality in a flat-out way, e.g. during a chase sequence, when an acquaintance makes a trivial comment about the ride, Niko responds by saying "We're not on a sight-seeing cruise!" Also, Niko possesses an ability to manipulate people into giving him his own way — for instance, when Francis McReary is trying to get him to assassinate someone threatening to expose him, Niko simply refuses unless he is paid for his services.

The most significant aspect of Niko's personality is his cynicism^[22][23], which he gained in the war. He criticizes his acquaintances for expecting him to have fun amidst his troubled situation. Niko's biggest weakness is his inability to let go of the past - which causes him much aggression when the issue of finding his betrayers comes up; Niko is criticized by many of his friends and most notably Roman, for this weakness. Despite that, Niko holds on firm to his belief that one of the main reasons he is in America is to resolve and put closure to his past. Niko also has a prominent distaste for drugs— he regularly refuses Little Jacob's offers of marijuana, frequently detests of Brucie's steroid use, and occasionally expresses disgust for the heroin he deals with.

[edit] Role in Games

[edit] Grand Theft Auto IV

Niko is the main protagonist and playable character in Grand Theft Auto IV, with the player following his experiences upon arriving, and settling in Liberty City.

[edit] Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

Niko makes a minor appearance in the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion pack, The Lost and Damned^[24], which crosses into Niko’s storyline at various points in the game. Niko meets the game’s protagonist, Johnny Klebitz, twice during the game much like in his main story along with a cameo in the game’s intro. Niko is also responsible at playing a hand in some of the events that conspired in The Lost and Damned. One of these events was killing Lost MC member Jason Michaels, which lead to The Lost’s leader, Billy Grey, to mistake it as an attack by their rivals The Angels of Death, provoking the gang war between them. Later, when Niko works for Ray Boccino, he assassinates the treasurer of The Lost, Jim Fitzgerald, after Johnny steals Ray’s money during a diamond trade. This event acts as part of a chain of events that leads to the break up of The Lost.

[edit] Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

Niko is expected to make an apperance in the second expansion pack, The Ballad of Gay Tony.

[edit] Characterization

Niko Bellic is voiced by Michael Hollick.^[1] Hollick was paid about $100,000 for his voice acting and motion-capture work over the course of about 15 months from 2006 to 2008. Hollick was paid about $1,050 a day for his work on the game, about 50% more than the standard Screen Actors Guild-negotiated rate for actors, although he claimed it was still a fraction of the income he would get from a movie or TV-show performance, and that he was upset about not getting residuals from game sales, putting the blame on the union for not securing such agreements^[25]. Hollick told The New York Times that while he was a theater student at Carnegie Mellon University he developed a talent for dialects.^[25]

[edit] Reception

This section requires expansion.

Niko's character has been well received by critics. GameTrailers commented "The first likable GTA protagonist. You want him to win, and cracking a sense of humour makes him an all round nice guy".^[26] IGN comments "...Niko's struggles with his ruthless nature never inhibit the gameplay, but instead enhance the emotional gravity of a brilliant storyline. The more absurd the action becomes, the greater we feel the very real pathos of Niko Bellic..."^[27] Eurogamer says "[Niko] himself is quickly sympathetic - his moral latitude is rooted in horrible war stories, but he's warm-hearted - and imposing.."^[28]

[edit] See also

• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Grand Theft Auto (series)
• List of characters in Grand Theft Auto IV

[edit] References

v • d • e Grand Theft Auto series Games Grand Theft Auto (London Mission Packs) · Grand Theft Auto 2 · Grand Theft Auto III · Vice City · San Andreas · Advance · Liberty City Stories · Vice City Stories · Grand Theft Auto IV (The Lost and Damned · The Ballad of Gay Tony) · Chinatown Wars Protagonists Claude · Tommy Vercetti · Carl Johnson · Mike · Toni Cipriani · Victor Vance · Niko Bellic · Johnny Klebitz · Luis Fernando Lopez · Huang Lee Antagonists Catalina · Sonny Forelli · Officer Frank Tenpenny · Vinnie · Massimo Torini · Sgt. Jerry Martinez · Dimitri Rascalov · Billy Grey · Wu Lee Characters Grand Theft Auto III · Vice City · San Andreas · Advance · Liberty City Stories · Vice City Stories · Grand Theft Auto IV · The Lost and Damned · Chinatown Wars Locations Liberty City (Alderney) · Vice City · San Andreas · London Soundtracks Grand Theft Auto · Grand Theft Auto 2 · Grand Theft Auto III · Vice City · San Andreas · Liberty City Stories · Vice City Stories · Grand Theft Auto IV and The Lost and Damned Other Voice actors · Marketing for Grand Theft Auto IV · Grand Theft Auto IV controversies · List of gangs · Compilation packs · Multi Theft Auto · Hot Coffee controversy · Grand Theft Auto clone List of media · Category