Grand Theft Auto 5 is filled with a variety of great characters and fantastic moments, the game has one of the stronger scripts that a video game has ever seen. From Michael’s sarcastic wit to Trevor’s absolutely lunatic turns of phrase, there are a number of great quotes among the three protagonists.
However, Franklin is the real lead character of Grand Theft Auto 5. Despite being young and inexperienced in the world of crime, he makes up for it by being a quick learner and a brave man. His style and wit are apparent, but never quite as set in one direction or style as Michael or Trevor, leading to some fantastic quotes throughout the game.
7 “You Cool? Cool What? Slinging Dope And Throwing Up Gang Signs?”
Franklin is a small-time criminal who doesn’t seem that interested in the life he’s leading when Grand Theft Auto 5 opens. He quickly falls in with the likes of Michael and Trevor and becomes a much bigger-time criminal over the course of the game, but he becomes more exasperated with the people he used to hang around with, especially Lamar.
Originally, Lamar appears much more interested in the life of crime than Franklin, but for all his blustering, he doesn’t seem to be smart enough or resourceful enough to get to the high level of crime that Franklin manages. This leads to Franklin finally getting fed up with Lamar’s bravado and telling him what he thinks of his lifestyle.
6 “I Just Came By To See If There’s Something I Can Help You With”
Franklin is a go-getter, beyond anything else. He is happy to do the work with Lamar repossessing cars because he believes it can get him to where he wants to be. For the same reason, he surprises Michael by turning up at his house and trying to turn him into his mentor, in spite of Michael forcing Franklin to crash a car into Simeon’s garage, which can actually be returned to in a rare encounter.
Instead of fearing Michael and staying away from him, Franklin is smart enough and level-headed enough to see that what he so desperately wants is what Michael represents. Michael has the family, the house, the money, and the comfortable life, and Franklin can tell that he achieved all of this in the same way Franklin is looking to achieve it.
5 “Peach Body Oil, Fake Guns, Hair Extensions. Sh*t, I Love You!”
Franklin is a hilarious character, particularly when players get him drunk. While inside one of the strip clubs that Los Santos has to offer, Franklin tries to compliment a bartender with this ridiculous line. If delivered by Michael, this line would seem snarky and sarcastic, but Franklin seems to be genuinely loving all of these aspects.
This is the sort of line that makes it easy to remember Franklin’s youthfulness and naivety, often forgotten about during the more serious moments of Grand Theft Auto 5. His childish ways come out more in less serious moments such as this, reminders that all the glamour and glitz are new to him.
4 “Nothing’s Real In This Town”
Some of the best ways in which players can see the progression of Franklin’s character over the course of Grand Theft Auto 5 are in his interactions with Lamar. Once his best friend, Franklin tires quickly of Lamar’s hair-brained schemes and idiotic nature as he learns more about the world of crime and Los Santos.
When Lamar thinks he’s found a great deal of his own with some drugs, Franklin tries to warn him, having learned a lot from Michael’s cynical view of the world. But it doesn’t work, and luckily Trevor helps them both avoid disaster by figuring out that Lamar’s drugs are fake before the deal goes any further.
3 “You Two Motherf*ckers Terrify Me Of That Middle Age”
Franklin is often left later in the game witnessing the various squabbles that Michael and Trevor have continually in their relationship. After witnessing one of these in particular, Franklin remarks that he is scared of the idea of becoming a middle-aged man because of these two, who are at varying stages of their lives but are of a similar age.
This is a highly amusing reminder of how much younger Franklin is than either of the other two protagonists in Grand Theft Auto 5. But it is also a reminder of how crazy it is that Michael and Trevor are still engaging in this kind of criminal activity at their age.
2 “You’re A Genetic Experiment Gone Wrong, Dog”
Franklin is at his weirdest and worst when trying to hit on women in Grand Theft Auto 5. One positively insane moment is when he tries to pick up a prostitute on the street by calling her a genetic experiment gone wrong, and later saying she’s nothing but a punk.
Franklin isn’t the smoothest with women, or with anybody really, but it is surprising to see such a random line come out of him when there isn’t even anything wrong with the woman’s appearance. It is a reminder of Franklin’s immaturity in some respects, even though he is clearly a pretty smart guy in general.
1 “Yeah Bro, Of Course I Did”
Franklin’s story throughout Grand Theft Auto 5 is primarily about moving up in the world of crime and forming a close bond with Michael, whose story involves not feeling close to his own son. The dynamic between them is shown in a culminating moment when Franklin saves Michael’s life, and after being thanked, merely shrugs off the heroic act.
This shows how Franklin is different from Michael, who never had such a level of loyalty or stuck around long enough to help his friends. Franklin helps change this side of Michael as much as Michael helps Franklin learn to be a more high-level criminal.
Grand Theft Auto 5 was released on 17th September 2013 and is currently available on PC, PlayStation 3, 4 & 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.