Credit: Rockstar Games
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Top 5 GTA V Side Characters
June 26, 2026·7 min read
Grand Theft Auto V is not just about Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. It is an entire ecosystem of colorful supporting characters that give Los Santos its depth and personality. Some are hilarious, others are terrifying, and a few are surprisingly sympathetic. Despite being side characters, they have a huge impact on the overall quality of the game.
After all, what fan of the series does not remember Lance Vance or Roman Bellic? Below are five supporting characters that, in our opinion, stand out the most throughout the game.
5. Jimmy De Santa - A Directionless Gangster's Son
James "Jimmy" De Santa, also known as Jizzle, J-Dog, or Dangerous J, is a 22-year-old trapped in a world of video games and drugs. He grew up in a trailer park in the American Midwest, but after the infamous 2004 robbery involving his father Michael, the entire family was forced to change their surname from Townley to De Santa and relocate to a luxury mansion in Rockford Hills. In other words, Jimmy went from poverty to wealth. Unfortunately, he learned nothing from the experience.
In the game, he serves as a constant presence in Michael's dysfunctional family life. He is lazy, entitled, yet surprisingly human. During one mission, he secretly tries to sell the family's yacht without telling his father and nearly gets killed after being kidnapped by the buyers.
He also drugs Michael during a car ride, causing him to pass out behind the wheel. Later, when Merryweather mercenaries attack the family mansion during the finale, Jimmy knocks out one of the attackers with his bong and saves Michael's life.
Jimmy appears in numerous story missions before returning in GTA Online as an employee at the Arcade, where Lester Crest hires him through a recommendation. Much to Jimmy's disappointment, he originally thought the job involved esports.
Jimmy is such an interesting character because he reflects a modern generation addicted to screens while also being deeply lost in the world around him. His relationship with Michael is one of the most realistically written father-son dynamics in gaming. They love each other while constantly hurting one another. That is exactly what makes Jimmy so memorable.
4. Devin Weston - The Faceless Billionaire with an Advertising Smile
Devin Weston was born in 1962 and became one of the wealthiest men in San Andreas. His fortune is estimated at 12 billion dollars, with investments including the Banner Hotel & Spa, Patriot Beer, and the private military company Merryweather Security. According to his official profile, one of his investments is even the country of Greece. He wears expensive tracksuits, casually walks around his mansion in Tongva Hills, and speaks in the polished language of corporate optimism. Beneath that polished exterior, however, is a ruthless and cold-blooded predator.
Throughout the game, Weston recruits all three protagonists to steal five luxury cars before refusing to pay them. He also interferes with Meltdown, the movie produced by Michael, doing everything possible to prevent its release. When that fails, he sends Merryweather operatives to murder Michael's wife and daughter. After that plan also collapses, he approaches Franklin and personally orders him to kill Michael.
He appears in ten key story missions, from the early chapters to the finale, where in the canonical Ending C he is kidnapped by Trevor, locked inside a car trunk, and pushed off a cliff by all three protagonists.
Weston is fascinating because Rockstar created the perfect satire of modern corporate capitalism through him. He is charismatic, cheerful, and endlessly talkative, yet completely devoid of conscience.
As an antagonist, he works brilliantly because his power comes not from physical strength, but from money and influence. I have to admit that watching karma finally catch up with him during the ending was one of the most satisfying moments in the entire game.
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3. Ron Jakowski - Paranoia in the Service of Madness
Ronald "Ron" Jakowski is Trevor Philips' best friend and closest associate in Sandy Shores. His surname suggests Polish roots. He hosts a radio show on Blaine County Talk Radio, where he shares conspiracy theories about governments and corporations. He believes in the simulation theory, and during one broadcast he even tries to convince listeners about the supposed benefits of a homemade "drug" made from fermented waste.
In the game, Ron serves as Vice President of Trevor Philips Enterprises and organizes many story missions around Sandy Shores, including attacks on drug suppliers, sabotage operations against rival gangs, and jobs for GTA Online players. He is also the character who introduces players to Trevor's storyline.
His relationship with Trevor is one of the most psychologically interesting in the game. Ron is clearly terrified of Trevor, yet he idolizes him at the same time. He depends on him completely while constantly praising him, even on his radio show. Ron appears in numerous GTA V story missions as well as dozens of GTA Online missions, where he spent years serving as one of the game's primary mission givers.
Ron perfectly represents the dynamics of toxic loyalty. He is a man living in the shadow of someone far more dangerous than himself, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to escape that relationship. His paranoia, mood swings, and contradictory conspiracy theories make him a comedic character, yet one with an unmistakable sense of sadness beneath the surface.
2. Lester Crest - The Genius in the Flannel Shirt
Lester Crest is arguably the most influential supporting character in the entire game and one of the most underrated geniuses in GTA history. He suffers from progressive myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease, uses either a cane or a wheelchair, and lives in a neglected house. He looks like someone you would avoid on the street, and that is exactly what makes his disguise so effective.
Lester serves as the mastermind behind all five major story heists, including the famous Pacific Standard robbery and the final Union Depository heist. He hacks security systems, analyzes defenses, recruits specialists, and manages every operation from an intellectual perspective.
He also gives Franklin his own series of assassination missions, targeting corrupt corporate executives. Officially, the jobs are about profiting from stock market manipulation, but they clearly carry an anti-establishment message as well. Lester appears throughout dozens of story missions and remains a central figure in GTA Online, where he served for years as the primary contact for players planning heists.
Lester is fascinating because he proves that real power does not have to be physical. In a world filled with criminals, soldiers, and psychopaths, the quiet man behind the keyboard is the one truly in control. His cynicism, intelligence, and unique sense of humor make him one of the best-written characters in the game. What makes him even more compelling is the simple fact that his plans actually work.
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1. Lamar Davis - The Soul of Los Santos
Lamar Davis is the embodiment of Los Santos. If I had to choose someone to show me every corner of the city, I would pick Franklin Clinton's best friend without hesitation. He is loud, impulsive, and often unpredictable. He talks before he thinks. He gets himself into trouble faster than anyone can solve it. Despite all of that, he is a character many players fell in love with from their very first interaction.
Lamar accompanies Franklin from the very first story mission, where the two steal cars for Simeon Yetarian. Throughout the game, he constantly drags Franklin into gang business, puts him in dangerous situations, and repeatedly gets himself into serious trouble. This all comes to a head in the mission "Lamar Down," where Franklin and Trevor must rescue him after he is lured into an ambush by the traitor Stretch.
Lamar appears in numerous missions and cutscenes, while his interactions with Franklin, Trevor, and the rest of the cast consistently rank among the best-written and best-performed scenes in the game.
What sets Lamar apart from everyone else is his language and energy. His conversations with Franklin, filled with constant teasing, genuine affection, and street slang, are among GTA V's greatest writing achievements. Lamar is also easy to admire because of his loyalty, even if that loyalty often expresses itself in the most chaotic ways imaginable. At the end of the day, he never wants anything more than to be part of something bigger than himself. Lamar Davis proves that a side character can steal the entire show.
Grand Theft Auto
Open-world action game & GTA Online by Rockstar Games
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