Being the second and breakthrough game in Grand Theft Auto's 3D Universe, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City features a large amount of characters, including some who go on to appear in later games in the 3D Universe. As such, they have been given their own page. For information on characters from other GTA games, see their respective sections of the main GTA Characters Index.
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Vercetti Criminal Organization
Tommy Vercetti
"I'm fifteen years out of the loop. I'm a bit rusty on family etiquette."
Voiced by: Ray Liotta
"You sent me to kill one man. One man! They knew I was coming, Sonny!"
The protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Tommy was a member of the Forelli Crime Family in Liberty City before being sent to whack a rival gang member in Harwood. However, he was ambushed, but managed to take down his would-be assassins, racking up a body count of 11. This incident lead to him gaining not only infamy as "The Harwood Butcher", but also 15 years behind bars. Upon his release, Sonny Forelli knows that Tommy is too hot for Liberty and sends him "down south" to Vice City to expand the empire, starting with a cocaine deal with the Vance Brothers. Unfortunately, the deal goes south, ending in yet another ambush that leaves Vic Vance dead and Tommy with neither the coke nor Sonny's money. With nothing but the clothes on his back, a hotel room and his new partner, attorney Ken Rosenberg, Tommy then sets out to find out who set him up, get Sonny's cash back, and perhaps get a slice of the action for himself.
Other Appearance: San Andreas (mentioned only)
- Affably Evil: Very affable if you're on his side, but completely ruthless if you are his enemy. Despite being a ruthless murderer, Tommy shows politeness at several times, and has a strong sense of honor.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: He tends to draw the female attention, as seen in The Party where he catches the eye of a maid and Mercedes.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He takes control of Diaz's criminal empire by besieging his base of operations and killing him, and he remains his own primary enforcer for most of the gang's business. His underlings, on the other hand, are basically dead weight.
- Ax-Crazy: A very subtle example. We rarely ever see him lose his cool demeanor, and he comes off as a rational individual. However, he has a Hair-Trigger Temper and kills without hesitation. Not for nothing he's nicknamed "The Harwood Butcher".
- Badass in a Nice Suit: He seems to have very good taste in suits, as evidenced in the yacht party. And if the player wishes, he can wear a classy black suit.
- Benevolent Boss: Despite his violent behavior, he's a very friendly boss. For example: he sends Rosie to rehab, the dialogue towards his underlings, and actually bothering to try and calm down Lance and Kent Paul when the latter two starts threatening him towards the end of the game and after the end of the game respectively.
- The Butcher: He's known as "The Harwood Butcher" because of a hit that went down badly. He ended up killing eleven men that day.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After Tommy's worked with the Cubans a bit, Auntie Poulet (a matriarch of the Haitian gang, which is at war with the Cubans) gets her hands on him, drugs him with a strange stew, and has him commit hits on the Cubans against his will. He forgets all about it afterwards; after completing a mission for Auntie Poulet and returning to her place, he thinks it's the first time he's ever been there and seems to be in a daze.
- Brooklyn Rage: He's from Liberty City (New York City in the Grand Theft Auto universe), a member of the LC-based Forelli crime family, and one of the most violent protagonists of the Grand Theft Auto series.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Casually refers to himself as a psychotic murderer.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: He's the first Grand Theft Auto protagonist to be an actual fleshed-out character instead of a not-so-Heroic Mime. In addition, while his predecessors and most of his successors are freelance thugs, Tommy seeks to forge his own criminal empire.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: His ultimate goal in Vice City is to buy the most important businesses in the city. He succeeds.
- Deadpan Snarker: Has a very sarcastic wit. Quite a few cutscenes even end with his voiceover making some snarky remark after the fade to black.
- Diabolical Mastermind: At the end of the game, he's at the top of the criminal empire of Vice City. He's both The Don and a Corrupt Corporate Executive.
- The Don: After having taken all the operations of Vice City, Tommy becomes the absolute kingpin of Vice City. In fact, he's one of the few mob bosses in the entire GTA franchise whose immensely powerful organization oscillates between the legal and the illegal.
- The Dreaded: Tommy makes it clear throughout the game that controlling the streets with fear and violence is the most effective way of making himself known. This is best emphasized in mission "Shakedown" where Tommy personally destroys every store in the mall just to make himself more famous. By the end of the game, Tommy is widely feared among the criminal underworld of Vice City.
- Et Tu, Brute?: His reaction upon learning that Lance betrayed him and Sonny implied that he set Tommy up back in Harwood. He sure goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge after this.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Averted. Tommy is implied to have had a negative relationship with his mother growing up. One of his quotes when aiming a gun at a pedestrian is "blame my mother. I do". However, Tommy does speak fondly about his father.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- He flips out when he finds out Earnest Kelly has been mauled by Sonny's hitmen.
- Tommy also calls out Maude Hanson (the Ice Cream Lady) over her hatred of children, telling her that kids obviously love soft ice cream, and appropriately calling her a "psycho".
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- According to his dialogues with Earnest Kelly, he appears to have had a good relationship with his father. His relationship with his mother however is implied to have been a whole different story.
- Earnest Kelly as well, since he works in a print shop, just like his father. Tommy (who even calls him "Pop") is furious when Sonny's goons injure Earnest.
- Tommy also seems to respect Colonel Cortez a lot, even though he doesn't share his... odd culinary tastes.
- Evil Virtues: Loyalty. Tommy might be a ruthless bastard, but he always sticks by his friends even when they prove troublesome for him (ex. Lance). That said, by the time San Andreas rolls around he has cut Ken Rosenberg out of his life entirely due to the latter's cocaine addiction.
- Expy:
- He shows many characteristics in common with Tony Montana, the drug lord played by Al Pacino in 1983's Scarface. Both served time in prison and end up in exile, both arrive in the city wearing Hawaiian shirts, both rise to power in the city in Florida using great amounts of violence (Tony in Miami; Tommy in Vice City), both build an empire from a large estate and mansion, both have short tempers and are prone to violence, both work as contract killers, and both killed their collaborators and took their ex-bosses' empires. The interior of the Vercetti Estate is even modeled after Montana's mansion, save for the lack of an indoor pool. There are, however, key differences, most notably that Tommy did not become addicted to his own narcotics and that Tommy survived the shootout in his mansion, as opposed to Montana who was killed, and Tony Montana is of Cuban descent, whereas Tommy Vercetti is of Italian descent, making him more akin to Montana's original counterpart Tony Camonte in that regard.
- Tommy Vercetti also bears some resemblance to 'Mr. Blonde' from the film Reservoir Dogs. The film sees 'Mr. Blonde' released from prison after loyally doing time for his crime family, as Tommy did after the "Harwood Incident". Tommy later performs contract killings for a 'Mr. Black', whilst he is referred to as 'Mr. Teal' (a reference to the then deceased Leo Teal).
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He starts off as a common mook for the Forelli family and ends up the undisputed drug kingpin of Vice City.
- Genius Bruiser: He is smart enough to manage a considerable number of businesses and is undoubtedly one of the most physically strong characters in the series.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: He has an incredibly short temper and usually explodes when he's truly angry.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: His default oufit - many characters comment on its tackiness during the first few missions.
- Hidden Depths:
- Despite being a career criminal, Tommy seemed to have actually wanted some of his businesses, namely the Cherry Popper Ice Cream Company and the Print Works, to be legitimate.
- He also seems to be a surprisingly clean individual, never once seen (willingly) taking any drugs or drinking alcohol.
- While obviously not to fanboy levels, he seems to be genuine when he says he likes Love Fist’s music upon meeting them.
- Honor Among Thieves: His Fatal Flaw. Believes that loyalty and honor among the family are ideals everyone else within the organisation should hold. He is wrong. And none too happy about the discovery.
- Honorary True Companion: According to Umberto Robina, Tommy is as good as Cuban, after what he did for his gang.
- It Amused Me: His reasons for giving Sonny the counterfeit cash.Sonny: Tommy, what was the big plan? You think I'd just take the fake cash? Save face and run away with my tail between my legs?!
Tommy: No. I just wanted to piss you off before I kill you. - Jerkass: About half the time, whether he's roughing up Kent Paul out of impatience, insulting Ken throughout the game, or when Lance tells Tommy he'll "handle" a bar that won't pay protection money and Tommy screams at him "YOU CALL THIS 'HANDLING IT'?!" because Lance wasn't doing anything about it right that second. To name just a few examples.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be a temperamental and violent douche, but he's shown to have a soft spot for those who have helped him. Such examples include letting Ken live due to him helping Tommy setting up his empire and viewing Lance as an equal partner despite his bumbling tendencies, as well as the entirety of his relationship with Earnest Kelly.
- Karma Houdini: Best seen in "Messing With The Man"; he causes widespread destruction across Vice City, with the express purpose of attracting the attention of the law, yet he gets off scot-free if he manages to clear his Wanted Meter after he's finished the mission. And even if the police catches him after all that, he doesn't go to prison. He also gets a happy ending.
- Large Ham: Due to his rage and Ax-Crazy tendencies, he is this.
- Made of Iron: He can survive falling from very tall heights with minimal health and armor loss, unlike other protagonists who typically suffer instakills (with the exception of CJ, who can survive a death drop with 1 HP if he starts with full health).
- The Mafia: A member of the Forelli crime family, and he breaks away from them (not that he had much of a choice) and starts his own operation that is structured similarly to a mafia family and employs Italian mobsters as foot soldiers.
- Mommy Issues: It's implied that he had a bad relationship with his mother growing up.
- Must Have Caffeine: Played for Laughs in the Cuban missions. Every time Tommy tries to order a coffee at Umberto's cafe, he is somehow interrupted and pulled into another one of Umberto's escapades.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Tommy Vercetti's story is extremely similar to famous real-life mobster Joseph Iannuzzi. In the 1980's Joseph was sent to Florida to be a representative for his mob boss Tommy Argo. Like the relationship between Tommy and Sonny in game, the relationship between Joseph Iannuzzi and Tommy Argo became strained over a large sum of money. When Joseph was forced to flee Florida with a large sum of Argo's money. As a result, Argo ambushed Joseph in Florida and nearly killed him.
- No Indoor Voice: He is prone to yelling at the top of his lungs.
- Only Sane Man: At least when you compare him to the other characters not named Cortez or Earnest in the game.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: He drops his hamminess after realizing not only was Sonny behind the Harwood set-up that landed him in prison for 15 years, but his top lieutenant Lance sold him out to Sonny.
- Pet the Dog: Psychotic moments aside, he does have his moments.
- He is good friends with Colonel Cortez.
- He also has a romantic relationship with Cortez' daughter, Mercedes.
- He considers Earnest Kelly to be like a father.
- He gets disgusted by Maude's hatred of children.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: His underlings, in complete contrast to their own boss, are content with standing around and talking about stuff. Heck, except for one mission, Tommy doesn't seem to need them and they seem to do nicely protecting his assets despite only being armed with handguns.
- Real Men Wear Pink: The "Mr Vercetti" outfit is a grey pinstriped suit with a pink shirt underneath, fitting the theme of 1980's Florida.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: After Tommy is released, Sonny sends him down south to Vice City to start "expanding the business". In reality, it's to keep the notoriously hot-headed Tommy in a place where he can't hurt the business and the Forelli family's influence in Liberty. It's also done to keep Tommy, aka 'The Harwood Butcher' away from the general populace of Liberty City, whose recognition of Tommy would likely cause a panic that would be bad for Sonny's business.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After learning that Lance betrayed him and Sonny implied that he set Tommy up back in Harwood, Tommy doesn't waste too much time in killing them both.
- Sadist: He has no qualms about violence, and is implied to enjoy it.
- Super Drowning Skills: In a beach town. Fanon accepts the "Liberty City's water is unsafe" explanation and extrapolates it into "Tommy thus never learned how to swim, having grown up there." He also seems to be extremely fearful of sharks and overreacts to the rumors that Vice City's waters have them (they do; you can sometimes see a huge shark swimming around the city).
- The Syndicate: His criminal organization (Vercetti crime family
) operates as a powerful organization based in and around Vice City. - The Teetotaler: Strongly implied. He prefers coffee over alcohol. While he will deal drugs, he doesn't voluntarily take them (the Auntie Poulet missions and the boomshine mission were involuntary cases). Avery Carrington even calls attention to this at one point ("A clean thinker! I like that."). This may be a major factor as to why he doesn't go the way of Tony Montana in the end.
- Tranquil Fury: During the last mission, Tommy keeps a completely calm demeanor, even after getting betrayed by Lance.
- Universal Driver's License: Tommy is the first GTA protagonist who can use vehicles on air, land and sea.
- Unknown Rival: To Ricardo Diaz. Tommy spends half the game first figuring out that he was behind the drug deal sabotage, and then plotting to kill him and take over his empire. Meanwhile, Ricardo Diaz never once suspects that Tommy was involved in the deal and doesn't realize his new hired killer is gunning for him until he's practically looking down the barrel.
- Uriah Gambit: He's been at the receiving end of at least one, possibly two. The Harwood mission was deliberately set up by Sonny Forelli to kill Tommy; Tommy ended up killing his potential killers (all 11 of them), and he got only a 15-year prison sentence. The mission at the start of the game may have been another attempt to off Tommy, again set up by Forelli, but again Tommy escaped with his life.
- Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: A rare Villain Protagonist example, in which he is the dangerous and competent Vile Villain to Ken and Lance's Laughable Lackeys since the former is a neurotic mess while the latter is far more impulsive and heavily relies on Tommy to do most of the hard work.
- Villain Protagonist: It is certainly the most definitive trait of the character. Although he appears to be criminal out of necessity in the beginning, he's not just punching a clock; he's been a lifelong career murderer who never wanted to be anything else (apart from mentioning that he once wanted to go into printing like his father). There are no lines he isn't willing to cross, and isn't that much better as a person than his enemies. Added to this is the fact that he doesn't use drugs like Trevor Philips. In other words, he is of sound mind and fully aware of the things he's doing.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: It is implied that one of the reasons Tommy can't swim is that he really hates sharks.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Tommy believes in loyalty being the defining principle of the Family. Sonny Forelli delights in telling him he's mistaken and has been using him the entire time.
- You Fight Like a Cow: Loves to hurl insults at pursuing cops.
Ken Rosenberg
"Hey, hey Tommy, Tommy, look, I had this mini-bar installed."
Voiced by: William Fichtner
"What about me? The person who brought you here, the person who has helped you to no end in this town?"
A neurotic mob lawyer with connections to various big figures in Vice City and a serious coke habit. He's Tommy's first contact in Vice City, and serves as his main business advisor and legal counsel, helping him establish a criminal empire in Vice City all their - er, Tommy's - own.
Unfortunately, by 1991, his coke habit caught up with him, and Tommy had him sent to a rehab center in San Andreas. There, he cleaned up his act, regained his confidence, and planned his triumphant return home... only for Tommy to stop returning his calls. Distraught and lacking in connections, he eventually found work managing a casino for the Sindacco family, eventually encountering Carl "CJ" Johnson - and through him, finding better work.
Other Appearance: San Andreas
- Addled Addict: By the time of San Andreas, his addiction to cocaine clearly affected his ability to think straight and costed his place in Tommy's empire in Vice City, forcing him into the unsavory position of being the mediator of the three Liberty City mafia families in Las Venturas.
- Ambulance Chaser: Despite being very good at what he does, he isn't above such antics for money.
- Amoral Attorney: Pretty unavoidable when Tommy Vercetti's your client.
- Blatant Lies: If you listen closely to his background voice that is sometimes heard if Tommy got busted by cops, everything Rosenberg said to defend and free Tommy is Blatant Lies.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite his quirks, he's heavily implied to be the reason you don't get a prison sentence if the police arrest you.
- Expy: He was undoubtedly heavily influenced by Dave Kleinfeld from Carlito's Way. Both worked as lawyers, helped the protagonists of their respective franchises, and were heavily addicted to cocaine and both did something that made the protagonist sever their ties with them (in Kleinfeld's case, he was going to testify against Carlito and Tommy severed his ties with Rosenberg because of his drug addiction). The interior of Rosenberg's office in Vice City is also remarkably similar to Dave Klenfield's office.
- Functional Addict: He's clearly an addict but is still an asset to Tommy regardless. When we meet him in San Andreas it appears this lifestyle eventually caught up to him.
- Heroic BSoD: As seen in San Andreas, he didn't take Tommy's abandonment of him well.
- Hypocritical Humor: After Tommy killed Lance in the finale, he said he never liked Lance because Lance was neurotic. Coming from a guy like Ken...
- Nervous Wreck: Very paranoid; the majority of his appearances have him worried that someone (usually Sonny Forelli's guys) is coming to kill him. Of course, his worries aren't exactly unfounded.
- Nice Guy: Despite helping Tommy in his criminal empire, he's cordial, non-violent, and one of the most loyal characters of the game.
- Odd Friendship: Between Vice City and San Andreas, it seems that he and Kent Paul became friends, which is strange considering that the only time Paul mentions Ken in Vice City is to insult him. Likewise Ken doesn't seem to think highly of Paul in Vice City either, referring to him as a music industry Slime Ball.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Easily the most laughable character in the entire game.
- Servile Snarker: Despite ostensibly working for Tommy, Ken is quick to point any objections he has.
- Stimulant Speedtalk: In San Andreas, Ken spends his first few scenes too crushed with anxiety to say anything until encouraged by Kent Paul. However, after getting back on cocaine a couple of missions later, he's talking at a million miles an hour and able to deliver non-stop exposition, interspersed with the occasional loud sniff. Plus, he's easily distracted by "my beautiful wall" during his initial rant.
- Undying Loyalty: You'd expect the Amoral Attorney to be the first person to turn on you, right? Wrong.
- Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: As a neurotic lawyer who is overly worried and has attempts to tag along with Tommy's criminal activities with laughable responses, he's the Laughable Lackey to Tommy's Vile Villain.
Lance Vance
"It's time for the Lance Vance Dance."
Voiced by: Philip Michael Thomas
"Good shooting, my friend. You're a real, proper, grade A, lunatic."
The incredibly childish younger brother of Vic Vance, Lance was always looking for ways to prove himself, as he'd spent most of his life either in his brother's shadow or getting picked on by his peers. After his brother's death, he sets out to get revenge on the person that set him up, teaming up with Tommy and eventually becoming his right-hand man.
Other appearance: Vice City Stories
- AM/FM Characterization: His favourite radio station is Fever 105, as it is the default radio station in his Infernus.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Vic definitely regards him as this due to his immaturity and impulsive behavior.
- Asshole Victim: He betrays Tommy, and dies for it.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Despite portraying himself as a master criminal, he's completely hopeless without Vic and Tommy. When he tries to double-cross Tommy, he quickly proves to be out of his depth.
- Big Little Brother: The cutscenes of Vice City Stories show him being about half a head taller than his older brother Vic.
- Bright Is Not Good: Lance wears bright colors in most of his appearances, and Vice City has him in a white suit. He's also a hardened career criminal, and then he turns on Tommy.
- Bullying a Dragon: Lance apparently forgot how Tommy earned the nickname "The Harwood Butcher" if he thought betraying Tommy and taunting him into chasing him on top of the roof while attempting to kill him was such a great idea. It ultimately gets him killed as a result.
- Character Catchphrase: "Let's pop!", in Vice City Stories.
- Cool Car: He drives a unique, white-colored Infernus.
- Deuteragonist: In Vice City Stories.
- Dirty Coward: Will do anything to escape violence instead of helping Tommy and Vic fight off against their enemies. In "Keep Your Friends Close" the very second Tommy shoots at him, he runs away to the rooftop.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The seeds for Lance's eventual betrayal happen because...Tommy yelled at him once after he botched an operation up and then spent the aftermath of said failure drinking rather than trying to fix it.
- The Ditz: Again, in Vice City Stories.
- The Dragon: Throughout the games set in Vice City, he acts as the second-in-command to Victor Vance, then Tommy Vercetti, and finally to Sonny Forelli in the climax of Vice City within their respective criminal organizations.
- Embarrassing First Name: He got picked on all the time in school over his name, and it's quite a touchy subject for him. When he's working with Diaz, he calls himself "Quentin" instead.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite his many antics, he genuinely cares about his brother and seriously wants to avenge his brother's death.
- Face–Heel Turn: He betrays Tommy at the end of the game and sells him out to Sonny Forelli. His real reason for this is that he can't stand being treated like crap and long wanted a bigger cut of the slice.
- Fatal Flaw: His desperate need to prove himself. Lance often makes remarks about his unhappy childhood in a manner that strongly indicates he never really overcame that, and in the present he shows himself to be extremely reckless and greedy when he thinks he's not getting what he's owed. It culminates in him betraying Tommy to the Forellis because he thinks he's not getting his fair share, even though he degenerated into The Load after Tommy took over Diaz's operation.
- Faux Affably Evil: He is a great talker and possesses enough charisma to trick and manipulate others for his own personal gain, but his massive ego always shines through.
- Foil: To Tommy Vercetti — All the way. Both men chose to make a living being mob bosses and drug lords, both are natural leaders, both enjoy many luxuries, and both are very ruthless in running their businesses. However, the big difference is that while Tommy is smart, cunning and values loyalty above all else, Lance is Ditzy, childish, and a Smug Snake who's willing to betray his own partners to benefit himself.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Vic's responsible sibling.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: It is implied that several things that happened in his life, like Parental Abandonment, the murder of his brother, and his own drug addiction, turned him into a greedy jerkass. However, none of this justifies the fact that he is a parasite that only causes problems towards his friends and family. Victor Vance, himself a drug lord, was a far more decent person than his brother.
- Hate Sink: Easily the most hated character in the entire game, and for very good reasons. He has a tendency to make easy money, is lazy, childish, and a complete parasite for almost everyone around him. He constantly causes trouble for Tommy, but he also whines that Tommy isn't treating him fairly even though Tommy not only saved his life, but carried him throughout all of their criminal endeavors. His subsequent betrayal in the final mission makes it very satisfying to finally put him out to pasture. He's even much worse in the Vice City Stories. The trouble he makes Vic go through throughout the entire game is astounding.
- Hypocrite: For a guy who doesn't like it when Tommy treats him like crap, Lance doesn't seem to be much better to his own underlings. The "Cop Land" mission begins with Lance angrily berating and insulting a guy who screwed up the wiring on a bomb set to go off in the mall.
- Insufferable Imbecile: He's both idiotic and vengeful to the point of pettiness over any slight he suffers, especially after he betrays Tommy for such a petty reason. Even in Vice City Stories, he acts rather rude and spiteful when he decides to get rid of all the cocaine he had been surreptitiously sampling behind Vic's back.
- Jerkass:
- Despite contributing very little to Tommy's operations, he acts like he's a godlike criminal mastermind and that Tommy should be grateful for his service. It gets even worse after he betrays Tommy.
- Combined with No Sympathy, he continues to badmouth a recently deceased Louise, right within Vic's earshot despite the latter being in no mood for his antics and silently grieving the woman. He is lucky Vic doesn't punch him straight in the face for this.
- The Lancer: Pun aside, he's supposed to be this for Tommy in Vice City.
- Laughably Evil: You really can't take him seriously, even when he's stabbing you in the back.
- Lethally Stupid: In Vice City Stories, where he constantly makes decisions that put both himself and Vic in danger, such as stealing Martinez' coke. Vic even lampshades this flaw several times throughout the story.
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted in Vice City Stories, where he wears glasses and a red t-shirt during the first part of the game, before switching to a blue soiree suit after he and Vic become big players in Vice City.
- The Load: Nearly every single one of his appearances in both games involve Tommy or Vic having to bail him out of yet another mess. Carries over into gameplay, too, as he's pretty much completely useless in any missions where he accompanies you, usually turning them into escort missions. Exceptions in the main game are the boat mission where he's either driving the boat or shooting at other boats while you drive and thus in no danger at any time, and the attack on Diaz's place where he's likely to be okay as long you kill the enemies fast enough and keep yourself between them and him. But on other missions (such as "Cop Land") he'll die easily due to him being squishier than Tommy and possibly also because his AI does something stupid.
- The Millstone: He's the source of most of Vic's (and some of Tommy's) problems.
- Mistaken for Cheating: In Vice City Stories, Vic accuses him and Louise of having an affair. Turns out they're not - Lance was just giving her a taste of his drugs. This makes Vic even angrier.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: He certainly thinks he's been mistreated by Tommy, and he isn't entirely wrong. The "Bar Brawl" mission starts with Tommy screaming at Lance in front of his mooks for not immediately dealing with a bar that won't pay protection, and the Backhanded Apology Tommy gives in the following conversation doesn't help...Lance: Tommy, we gotta talk about stuff.
Tommy: What's the problem, Lance?
Lance: It's you, my friend. I feel you're not giving me a fair slice. And more than that, you been embarrassing me in front of the boys. I can't have that.
Tommy: Lance, it ain't like that. You've been making mistakes.
Lance: Tommy, I'm not your message boy. I'm not your running boy.
Tommy: Lance, don't screw up and we won't have any problems! I screw up, you can lay into me any time.
Lance: Tommy, I've done everything for you, you treat me like a fool. Don't do that.
Tommy: Lance, I won't rip you off or stab you in the back, okay? Just take it easy. This is tough enough without you getting all emotional on me. Trust me, do you hear me? Do you hear me?
Lance: I hear you Tommy, but I can't take this much more.
Tommy: Lance, don't be like this. Now I'm warning you...Just relax, okay? Take a few days off. I'll talk to you. - Narcissist: Believes he's a genius and the best man alive even though he barely does anything and even betrays Tommy to Sonny just so he can have Tommy's business for himself because he wanted more.
- Never My Fault: One of Lance's defining negative traits, he never learns from his mistakes and shifts the blame on anyone else other than himself. Whenever Vic or even Tommy calls him out for any screwups he makes, Lance resorts to deflection by making pathetic excuses. Vic will simply chew him out until push comes to shove. Tommy, on the other hand, tries to be more reasonable in calling out Lance.
- Out of Focus: After rubbing out the Disc-One Final Boss in Vice City, he only appears in the three missions in Tommy's mission strand and the second Print Works mission before the finale. This is because he dies in the final mission, and the open-ended nature of the game means that most missions can be undertaken after the credits roll.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Despite being a grown man, he's incredibly immature, is as insecure as a teenager, and is prone to take vengeance for any slight he suffers.
- Revenge Before Reason: The cause of "Death Row". Lance, tired of waiting for revenge against Diaz for murdering his brother, jumps him. Unfortunately, he doesn't jump high enough, and Tommy soon finds himself having to save his skin from Diaz's goons.
- Rhyming Names: His name is Lance Vance. Deconstructed in that he was apparently picked on for it in school and is rather touchy about the subject.
- Rhymes on a Dime: He frequently does this.
- "I'm Lance Vance and I'm here to dance!"
- "Let's find the next lane of pain!"
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
- In Vice City, he tries to pull one off against Diaz after he gets tired of doing errands for him. He fails the first time and ends up being nearly tortured to death, but succeeds after teaming up with Tommy, who was on his own Roaring Rampage.
- In Vice City Stories he is initially reluctant to help Vic save Louise after she is kidnapped by the Mendez Brothers. Then one of his goons destroys his Infernus and he goes ballistic and charges at the Mendez Mansion. This fails and he ends up lying unconscious next to a dying Louise.
- Sibling Team: With Vic in Vice City Stories.
- The Sociopath: Lance checks all the boxes. He has a pronounced sense of entitlement and self-worth; a problem with substance abuse and the foul temper of a petulant child to the point of vindictiveness over a mere slight against him. His incompetence comes from his impulsiveness and inability to think things through; giving Vic and even Tommy a hard time doing damage control for his mistakes, and taking no responsibility whatsoever for the blunders he causes and shifts the blame on anyone other than himself.
- Soul Brotha: He comes off as this initially, with a cool, easy-going, streetwise persona, but this gradually slips.
- The Starscream: To Tommy at the end of the game, becoming Sonny's Dragon in the process.
- Too Dumb to Live:
- Just about every time he tries to do things his way inevitably ends up creating even worse problems than what is wanted for both him and his allies. But when you decide to side with the wrong person and betray your former boss out of spite, you're officially just asking to get iced.
- One of the most egregious examples is when he decides to dump Vic's drugs all over Ocean Beach, forcing Vic to collect packages of drugs.
- The Unapologetic: Instead of apologizing to Tommy for screwing up and lazing around and actually owning up to his mistake, he calls Tommy complaining about being shouted at for not doing his job properly. And then he betrays Tommy without a qualm.
- Ungrateful Bastard: He deludes himself into thinking Tommy owes him some great debt (even saying "I did everything for you"), when in reality he does very little and always expects Tommy to do 95 percent of the work. Under Tommy's wing he rises from a small time crook who is only the shadow of his brother at the beginning of Vice City into a wealthy and powerful lieutenant in Tommy's organization. Yet he betrays Tommy because he wanted even more, and because he was shouted at a couple of times (when he wasn't doing his job properly...again).
- Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey:
- He's the Laughable Lackey to Tommy's Vile Villain since he does very little work after the two take over Vice City.
- He also retains his role as the Laughable Lackey when paired with his brother Vic, who is the one who works on the business empires and has to fix the messes Lance makes.
- Villain in a White Suit: He's always wearing a slick white suit in Vice City. Being as he's a criminal (who goes so far as to betray Tommy for ultimately petty reasons), the sinister connotations of the trope fit.
Vercetti's Associates
Avery Carrington
Voiced by: Burt Reynolds
A wealthy businessman from Texas, and owner of Shady Acres. He becomes one of Tommy's associates via Ken Rosenberg. He's also the mentor of Donald Love.
Other Appearance: Liberty City Stories
- Affably Evil: Very professional and friendly towards Tommy, while also practicing ruthless business methods.
- Asshole Victim: Gets killed by Toni (under Donald Love's orders) in Liberty City Stories. However, based on his "business methods" and his rude interactions with Donald in GTA: Vice City, it's safe to say that Avery wasn't a nice guy to begin with.
- Bastard Understudy: A victim of this by former protégé Donald Love.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Very much so. He has Tommy do all the dirty work for him, ranging from demolition to collect insurance money to instigating gang wars to lower real estate prices.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: He gets one of the most unceremonious deaths of a major character in the series in Liberty City Stories, being abruptly killed off without any dialogue in his first appearance and later being eaten by Donald Love.
- Humiliation Conga: Posthumously. He was unceremoniously killed by Toni Cipriani in Liberty City Stories and had his corpse eaten by his own former protégé, Donald Love. Moreover, Love also discovers he wore a wig while examining his corpse.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He resembles his voice actor Burt Reynolds.
- Jerkass to One: While mostly polite to Tommy, Avery acts very rude and abrasive to Donald Love in the scenes where they're together. He is shown telling Donald to shut up or calling him names. Might be another possible reason why Donald has Toni kill him in Liberty City Stories.
- Mob War: Instigates these in order to take advantage of real estate prices going down from one.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Killed by Toni on the orders of Donald Love upon setting foot in Liberty City.
Kent Paul
Voiced by: Danny Dyer
Paul is a cocky youth from Kent, England. He works in the music business, but claims to be a criminal mastermind. He is also Vice City's informant.
He returns in San Andreas.
Other Appearance: San Andreas
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: In Vice City. He comes off as a loser who's constantly drinking and fails to attract girls while doing so, but he does manage to give some valuable information and job opportunities to Tommy.
- Butt-Monkey: Is this in Vice City. His interactions with Tommy Vercetti usually end up with Vercetti beating up Paul to extract information.
- Good with Numbers: He may have experience with accounting, as Ken Rosenberg mentioned in a post-mission phone call that "Paul is good with figures".
- Hidden Depths: Who would have thought that a loud mouthed skirt chasing music industry guy like Paul would be good with numbers? At least Rosenberg seems to think so.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Has become this in his appearance in San Andreas. Paul appears more quiet in San Andreas and shows concern towards Ken 'Rosie' Rosenberg.
- London Gangster: Claims to be one, but has a lack of criminal record to prove this.
- Motor Mouth: This guy sure likes to talk.
- Noodle Incident: His falling out with Big Mitch Baker.
- Odd Friendship: With Ken Rosenberg. In Vice City, Rosenberg and Paul know of each other, but don't seem to think highly of each other. Rosenberg refers to Paul as a "music industry slimeball" and Paul refers to Rosenberg as a "bonkers ambulance chaser". By the events of San Andreas, Paul and Rosenberg have somehow become good friends and rely on each other.
- Punny Name: His name is a play on "can't pull," which is British slang for being unable to seduce anyone. Given his track record with women, this isn't a coincidence.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Maccer.
Forelli Crime Family
- They have their own page here.
Diaz's Organization
Ricardo Diaz
Voiced by: Luis Guzman
"Life is amazing. Look at me. I got porn. I got drugs. I got money. I'm happy."
A self-centered, self-serving drug lord whose only reasons to live are in and around his mansion. He is helped by Victor Vance in his rise to power, and by 1986 is considered the most powerful drug lord in Vice City.
Other Appearance: Vice City Stories
- Asshole Victim: After ambushing the drug deal in the beginning, he pays with his life big time.
- Ax-Crazy: Mainly due to his cocaine addiction.
- Climax Boss: He's the final opponent of the first part of the game, being the one who instigated the plot by ambushing the deal at the beginning and being fought in a big epic siege of his base of operations. Once you rub him out, Tommy starts to build his own criminal empire, which forms the meat of the game.
- Cool Boat: He prides himself on owning the fastest boat on the east coast, and if he finds out someone has an even faster one, he steals it. Justified in that a lot of his suppliers sell their cargo on a first come, first serve basis from offshore, meaning a faster boat gives him a competitive edge in the drug trade.
- Disc-One Final Boss: He's dealt with about a third of the way through the game in a mission that's basically the final shootout in Scarface (1983), only with you as the assassin. Once you rub him out and take over his mansion, then the game really begins, with you building your empire.
- Expy:
- Of Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) from Scarface. Ironically, he's also like Tony Montana personality-wise in which he falls victim to his addiction of his own cocaine supply and even gets killed during a shootout at his mansion.
- He may possibly be based on Miguel Revilla from the Miami Vice episode "The Prodigal Son" who is also played by Luis Guzman. He takes out opposing gangs to assert his dominance in the Drug Trade, much like Diaz.
- Fat Bastard: Easily one of the most heavyset characters in the series, and definitely a bastard.
- Faux Affably Evil: He tries to put up a courteous demeanor, but it quickly evaporates when he gets angry.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: It really doesn't take much to set him off. When his VCR "eats" his favorite porno VHS, he gets so angry that he grabs his gun and shoots it twice. Then Tommy comes in and points out that the VCR wasn't plugged in.
- Hopeless with Tech: In the opening cutscene for "Supply & Demand", he shoots his VCR in a blind rage when it refuses to play his tape. Tommy has to point out it's not plugged in.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He resembles his voice actor Luis Guzman, although Ricardo is thinning on top.
- Laughably Evil: He may be a complete and utter slimeball, but he's also pretty difficult to take seriously and quite fun to watch.
- The Napoleon: Not very tall at all, but very loud, boorish and prone to temperamental outbursts. Ironically, he's huge in terms of width.
- Reckless Gun Usage: Whenever he's got a gun in his Vice City cutscenes, he all too often casually waves it in Tommy's direction, resulting in Tommy moving out of the way. At one point, he even uses it to scratch his crotch.
- Starter Villain: In Vice City, he is an early mission giver for Tommy; however, when Tommy finds out that Diaz was responsible for the ambush, Tommy and Lance infiltrate Diaz's mansion and assassinate him.
- Surrounded by Idiots: By his own admission. "All I have now is dickheads! Dickheads everywhere, yo!"
- Tantrum Throwing: Every mission he gives in Vice City begins with him smashing something, shooting something, or both, because something hasn't gone his way.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: To Victor Vance, though to be honest, it was the Vance brothers who broke the promise of never ever returning to Vice City again.
Cortez's Organization
Juan Garcia Cortez
Voiced by: Robert Davi
A retired Colonel who helped arrange the botched drug deal between Tommy and Lance. He becomes one of Tommy's closest contacts in Vice City.
- Affably Evil: He's very polite and friendly towards Tommy, and he also makes a living by steal military equipment from the Americans and French, as well as participating in smuggling and drug rings.
- But Now I Must Go: His final mission has him forced out of Vice City by French Intelligence units. He has Tommy cover his yacht all the way up to the open ocean.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
- He shares some similarities with Juan Domingo Perón, a former President of Argentina: Both are usually referred to by their title (General/Colonel), both are widowed (Perón's wife Eva predeceased him), both were promoted after being arrested during a coup (Perón was a former minister of war and work before being arrested. He was liberated and less than a year later was elected President), and also have a similar physical resemblance.
- He may be a parody of Manuel Noriega, the de facto leader of Panama and a major drug trafficker during the 1980s. For bonus points, his voice actor also played another character based on Noriega: Franz Sanchez from License To Kill.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He has a disliking of the French and accuses them of hypocrisy for stealing from poor nations for centuries.
- Retired Badass: A retired Latin American Colonel.
- Villainous Friendship: Is one of the few people Tommy genuinely respects and Juan in turns sees him as a valued friend. So much so that Tommy more than willingly comes to his aid when he needs it and, in the final mission, part on amicable terms.
- Wealthy Yacht Owner: He even throws a party on it during one of the first missions of the game.
Mercedes Cortez
Voiced by: Fairuza Balk
Colonel Cortez's free-spirited daughter, she becomes Tommy's associate after meeting him at her father's boat party.
- Implied Love Interest: She flirts with Tommy outrageously and there seem to be some affection but he doesn't mind her starring in a porn film for him either and servicing Love Fist. Cut conversations indicate she and Tommy are in a sexual relationship.
- My Girl Is a Slut: Despite their implied relationship, Tommy doesn't mind Mercedes sleeping around with other men. In fact he actively uses this to his advantage and gets Mercedes to appear in a pornographic movie and serve as "entertainment" for Love Fist. Mercedes doesn't need to be convinced for any of it either, as all Tommy has to do is ask her.
- Really Gets Around: She has a quite extensive sexual history that her father may not know about, such as sleeping with Love Fist, starring in a porn film, possibly working at the Pole Position Club, and apparently working as a prostitute in Little Havana if Kent Paul is to be believed.
Gonzalez
Voiced by: Jorge Pupo
Cortez's right hand man who is secretly Diaz's mole.
Other Appearance: Vice City Stories
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He stole a small portion of Cortez's cocaine to make a profit for himself and is also one of the people responsible for Vic's death due to his status as The Mole for Diaz.
- Dirty Coward: When Tommy comes to kill him, he tries to escape by running into a police station.
- Diplomatic Impunity: He is untouchable due to his diplomatic immunity. Moreover, killing him also attracts the attention of the VCPD.
- Fat Bastard: He is an overweight man who only cares about himself.
- The Mole: In Vice City Stories, he was forced to become Diaz's inside man inside Cortez's gang to feed him the information regarding Cortez's drug shipments, so Diaz would spare his life.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He informs Diaz about a drug deal between the Vance brothers and Forelli Family, igniting the events of Vice City.
InterGlobal Studios
Candy Suxxx
Voiced by: Jenna Jameson
A porn actress recruited by Tommy.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Her breasts are even part of her personal logo.
Word of God says they're implants, however. - Flag Bikini: Wears one as part of her Limited Wardrobe.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She's shown to be a kind person, and when she's older and has left the porn industry, she goes on to be an educator and humanitarian.
- The Mistress: Is having an affair with Congressman Shrub.
- Ms. Fanservice: Always seen in her Flag Bikini, and according to a description of her, she never seems to get cold.
- Really Gets Around: She is a porn actress, and it's also implied that she is (or once was) a prostitute.
- Stage Names: Candy Suxxx is her stage name. Her real name is Candice Shand.
Steve Scott
Voiced by: Dennis Hopper
Described by Mercedes Cortez as a "pseudo intellectual film director", Scott is a director whose main body of work is porn films. He usually works in a studio on Prawn Island that can be purchased by Tommy.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's a pastiche of Steven Spielberg, especially about his obsession with sharks.
- Porn with Plot: Scott specializes in making these, even if the plot is absolutely bizarre.
- Prima Donna Director: He's a short-tempered auteur who absolutely hates someone messing with his vision.
Cubans/Los Cabrones
Umberto Robina
Voiced by: Danny Trejo
The leader of the Cuban gang located in Little Havana, he's waging a turf war with the Haitians over the control of the western island.
Other appearance: Vice City Stories
- Casanova Wannabe: He tries to be a ladies' man, but his boorish attitude repulses them.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Umberto may be a ruthless gangster, but he takes accusations that he doesn't like women and especially his mother seriously. He also cries when he is certain his father will be killed by the Cholos, leading him to get Vic to pick the old man up.
- Hot-Blooded: Perhaps the most impulsive person that Tommy has to deal with.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He heavily resembles his voice actor Danny Trejo.
- Local Hangout: He and his men mainly hang out at Café Robina.
- Locked Out of the Loop: He considers Tommy a True Companion of his for helping him and his gang defeat the Haitians in a gang war, and is one of the two gang leaders (alongside Mitch Baker) to be on friendly terms with. However, he never learned of the actual reason behind the Cuban/Los Cabrones-Haitian war; Tommy, under Avery's orders, instigated a war between the two by disguising himself as a Los Cabrones and gunning down the new Haitian gang lord at a funeral (the Haitians, at that time, were uncertain whether the Los Cabrones are responsible for the previous gang lord's death or not) in order to lower property prices for the land.
- Macho Latino: He exudes masculinity and treats people who don't confirm to his idea of manliness with disdain, such as berating Tommy for his Hawaiian shirt.
- Manly Facial Hair: He has a big handlebar mustache that gives him a tough guy appearance.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Despite them never interacting, he could be seen as the red oni to Mitch Baker's blue oni. They're both criminal gang leaders that Tommy does odd jobs for, but while Mitch is calm and reasonable and treats his gang like a family brought together by being outcasts, Umberto is hot blooded and short tempered and both him and his gang seem obsessed with proving their manliness and are motivated by racism against Vice City's Haitian gang.
Alberto Robina
Voiced by: Unknown (Vice City), Jorge Pupo (Vice City Stories)
Umberto's father and the owner of Café Robina.
Other appearance: Vice City Stories
- Hollywood Heart Attack: He has a heart condition that might be syncope, which means he will die in a heart attack if Vic drives his car too fast, crashes into something or someone else fires a gun at it.
- Misplaced Retribution: The Cholos attempt to assassinate him for being Umberto's father. Fortunately, Vic manages to pick him up safely.
Haitians
Auntie Poulet
Voiced by: Miss Cleo
The mysterious leader of Little Haiti, she's trying to keep the Cubans from completely dominating the western island and expand her own territory.
- Bilingual Bonus: Her name "poulet" is actually a French word for chicken.
- Compelling Voice: Tommy seems to obey her orders without any hesitation when she speaks to him, but it's more likely that he's under the effect of hallucinogenic drugs.
- Funetik Aksent: She speaks with a thick Haitian accent, and the subtitles replicate her speech patterns.
- Hollywood Voodoo: She claims to be talking to the spirits of the dead, able to create juju amulets, and turns Tommy into a "zombie" to do her bidding.
- Karma Houdini: One of the most cunning criminal minds in the GTA series, to the point where she gets away with her actions without any consequences.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's not clear if she has mystical powers or just knows how to use hallucinogens to her advantage.
- Mushroom Samba: She gives Tommy drugs to make him do her bidding, slipping them into his tea.
Vice City Bikers
"Big" Mitch Baker
Voiced by: Lee Majors
The leader of a local biker gang, he's contacted by Tommy to provide security details for the Love Fist concert in Vice City at Kent Paul's behest.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: He and his gang are directly based on Hell's Angels, especially knowing their history of providing additional security at rock concerts.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: He's a Vietnam veteran who has become the leader of a criminal biker gang.
- Noble Demon: On one hand, he's an Affably Evil ally of Tommy whom he treats with mutual friendship and respect (at least, once Tommy proves himself). On the other hand, he's the leader of criminal biker gang, and one of his missions, Messing with the Man, literally revolves around Tommy just causing as much death and destruction as possible.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Despite them never interacting, he could be seen as the blue oni to Umberto Robina's red oni. They're both criminal gang leaders that Tommy does odd jobs for, but while Mitch is calm and reasonable and treats his gang like a family brought together by being outcasts, Umberto is hot blooded and short tempered and both him and his gang seem obsessed with proving their manliness and are motivated by racism against Vice City's Haitian gang.
- Smarter Than You Look: The opening cutscene for the mission Messing with the Man shows that just because he's the leader of a biker gang, it doesn't mean he's just Dumb Muscle, as he not only knows about Tommy's Dark and Troubled Past ("We don't ask a man to do the dirty work and then let him do fifteen years hard time. Yeah, that's right, I've done my homework."), he also in the span of less than thirty seconds manages to convince/manipulate Tommy, who was getting annoyed at having to run errands for Mitch and flat-out threatened to fight him, into rampaging in the city, killing civilians and police officers.
- The Vietnam Vet: He's spent at least a tour in 'Nam, even earning a Purple Heart for his service, and found that he wasn't really welcome at home, causing him to become bitter and cynical.
Print Works
Earnest Kelly
Voiced by: George DiCenzo
An old print works employee who has an extensive experience with printing counterfeit money, he starts working for Tommy and even becomes sort of a parental figure for him.
- Counterfeit Cash: He uses the print works to make that, and he can make even better bills if he gets counterfeit plates.
- Nice Guy: He sure is a pleasant man for a career criminal, although his crimes are entirely non-violent as far as his participance in them goes.
- Parental Substitute: Tommy projects some of the affection he felt for his father onto him due to the latter also working in the print works. As such, he becomes enraged upon learning that Sonny's people hurt him.
Other Characters
Victor Vance
Voiced by: Armando Riesco (Vice City), Dorian Missick (Vice City Stories)
Technically, Victor Vance first appeared in Vice City albeit unnamed. He becomes the main protagonist in Vice City Stories.
Other Appearance: Vice City Stories
- Abusive Parents: Vic's mother, Janet, is a crackhead who neglected him and his siblings, which eventually led to them living with their aunt.
- Accent Relapse: After only two years of working in Central America, Vic speaks with a thick Spanish accent in Vice City.
- Affably Evil: Despite being a ruthless mob boss and drug lord, he's probably one of the least evil protagonists of the GTA series.
- Alliterative Name: Victor Vance. Martinez lampshades it early on.Martinez: Hey, Victor Vance! Wow, did anyone ever tell you you got a really dumb name?
Vic: No. No one's ever mentioned that before. - Ascended Extra: He first appeared in the opening of Vice City. In the prequel, Vice City Stories, he is the main protagonist.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Vic obtains a lot of classy suits over the course of the game, and all of them are brightly colored pastel suits.
- Bald of Authority: He's bald and the leader of a criminal organization that controls the entire city by the end.
- The Comically Serious: He's so serious it's hilarious. In his brief appearance in Vice City, he seems much more jovial, however.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's especially this towards Lance.
- Doomed by Canon: One of the first plot points in Vice City is that Lance is looking to avenge his death.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In Vice City, he is balding and hunchbacked, with a thick Hispanic accent. In Vice City Stories, he is far more straightlaced in demeanor and speaks with an American accent.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: To Louise and his younger brother Pete, who he turns to crime to help pay for his medical bills. It's also clear he cares about Lance despite his annoyance at him constantly getting them into more trouble.
- Felony Misdemeanor: Downplayed. Vic is kicked out of the army after Martinez' drugs are found stashed under Vic's bed, and because he is caught with a hooker Martinez ordered him to hire. While Martinez was the one who roped Vic into his criminal ways and thus holds the lion's share of the blame, there's no readily apparent reason Vic couldn't have reported him to a higher-up once he realized he was duped into taking possession of illegal drugs.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The level-headed responsible sibling to Lance's coked-up foolish sibling.
- From Camouflage to Criminal: Vic was drummed out of the Army due to trumped up charges by his CO, and turns to crime to support himself and his family.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He goes from being the errand boy for low-life scum like Marty to becoming the most powerful drug lord in Vice City.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: He's half Dominican, and was targeted by a white supremacist biker gang called the White Stallionz due to this.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: During the deal with Tommy in Vice City, Vic wears a red Hawaiian shirt.
- Hypocrite: He constantly says he wants nothing to do with drugs despite the fact that he builds drug empires. It costs him his life after he promises to Ricardo Diaz at the end of Vice City Stories to not return to Vice City and gives up his empire to him, but two years after that he returns anyway for a drug deal with the Forellis.
- It's Personal: After Louise's death, he goes all-out in his pursuit of revenge.
- Justified Criminal: A first for the series - whereas other protagonists commit crimes because they're good at it, Vic does so because he is manipulated into it by his commanding officer, and later because he has been kicked out of the Army and needs money for his sick brother.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: His motivation throughout the game is earning money for his sick younger brother, Pete. Oh, and also keeping Lance alive. When he feels like it.
- Like Father, Like Son: Vic, like his father, joined the army to support the family.
- Military Brat: According to Vic, their father had few oppurtunities after leaving the Dominican Republic, and had to join the army to support his family.
- Mommy Issues: He and Lance really don't get along with their crackhead mother, Janet. It helps that she didn't even raise them, instead leaving it to their aunt, Enid.
- Promoted to Playable: Was a minor character in Vice City, but is the Player Character in Vice City Stories
- Porn Stache: He has a very thin one in Vice City Stories. He grows a full one in Vice City.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: A lot of comments are made about Vic's height, and he is admittedly a bit shorter than several characters.
- Rags to Riches: After getting kicked out of the army, Vic is virtually broke, and only has a place to stay because he helped Phil Cassidy clear out Phil's old place of gang members. At the end of the game, Vic is the leader of a massive drug empire with countless operations all over Vice City.
- Revenge Before Reason: Him agreeing to help Lance steal the coke they thought belonged to Martinez at an attempt for Vic to get back at Martinez for getting him discharged from the army is what put the two brothers in deeper shit with the Mendez brothers.
- Sibling Team: With Lance, despite the latter's antics.
- Spiteful Spit: To Martinez's corpse in the final mission.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Louise, Phil's younger sister.
- Together in Death: With Louise after she dies towards the end of Vice City Stories and he dies in the beginning of Vice City.
- Undignified Death: He is unceremoniously shot to death at the beginning of Vice City's first mission, a rather undignified and anticlimactic way to die for someone who was once the city's biggest drug lord.
- Universal Driver's License: Averted, since Vic was in the military, and as such got training in aviation, marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, which explains why he is so good at said things.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: His attempt to improve his situation and that of his family is often undermined by circumstances beyond his control. At first, he is nothing more than an honest, upright, and decent man simply doing his job in the army. However, Martinez's corruption and his brother's greed, combined with the fact that he becomes entangled in a world of violence and organized crime in Vice City after being expelled from the army due to Martinez, pave the way for him to become the most powerful drug lord in the city. Nevertheless, a part of his humanity is still there, with both Pete and Louise being his Morality Pets.
Dwaine and Jethro
Voiced by: Navid Khonsari (Dwaine), John Zurhellen (Jethro)
The owners of the Vice City boatyard, they decided to move to San Fierro after their business was bought by Tommy Vercetti, where they eventually became acquainted with Carl "CJ" Johnson.
Other Appearance: San Andreas
- Ascended Extra: They went from being featured in only one cutscene in Vice City to being part of the main storyline in San Andreas.
- Gadgeteer Genius: They are such great mechanics that are able to turn CJ's fledgling garage into a profitable business.
- Erudite Stoner: Both of them seem to be habitually smoking marijuana, but are quite knowledgeable about various vehicles and boats.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: After moving to San Fierro, they're unable to find any mechanic jobs, working as a hot dog vendor and a gas station employee, respectively, until CJ and the Truth recruit them for the former's chop shop business.
Alex Shrub
Voiced by: Christopher Lucas
A sleazy and unethical congressman who maintains a clear-cut persona of a wholesome and friendly man while cheating on his wife Laura with porn stars.
- Creepy Crossdresser: He likes to dress up in lingerie and call himself "Martha" while in private, and one of the missions involved Tommy taking photos of him to blackmail him.
- Hypocrite: He attempts to ban pornography in his state while also maintaining a secret affair with Candy Suxxx, a porn star.
- Strawman Political: He's a caricature of Reagan-era conservatives, being an outwardly wholesome person who hides tons of skeletons in his closet, having an extreme hatred of liberals and also perpetuating some extreme right-wing political decisions.
Love Fist
Voiced by: Kevin McKidd (Jezz Torrent), Paul Mackie (Percy), Peter McKay (Dick), Mark Hanlon (Willy, VC), Craig Connor (Willy, V)
A Scottish rock band that has been taking the world by storm, consisting of Jezz Torrent (vocals), Percy (guitar), Willy (bass) and Dick (drums). During the game's events they're on an American tour with Kent Paul representing them.
Other Appearance: V (Willy only)
- British Rockstar: The very best example of this trope, straight out of Rockstar North's homeland of Scotland.
- Punny Name: All of their names are sex jokes - Jezz Torrent ("Jizz" if said with a Scottish accent, a slang term for semen) and Willy, Dick, and Percy (all slang terms for the penis).
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: The band is an expy of The Rolling Stones.
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: They practically exist on a diet of drugs and women, barely breaking it to perform on their shows.
