First Appearance: Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) Niko Bellic the timeless symbol of the American Dreams failure and GTA IVs loveable protagonist has been through an awful lot. Coming from an abusive family, Bellic participated in a war when he was younger. He witnessed many atrocities during this conflict and also lost his elder brother. During one pivotal moment, Niko's unit were ambushed by the enemy but he managed to escape, later realising he had been betrayed by one his own. Niko dug up the corpses and identified the missing men to see who was responsible and he later exacts his revenge on this cowardly traitor. Along with being a war veteran, Niko also worked in a crime-ring until he angered the boss and was forced to flee to a life of apparent luxury with his cousin Roman stateside. Despite his change in continent, crime always seems to follow Niko. Like with all GTA protagonists, h arsenal of skills allows him to rise to dominance in Liberty City by eliminating - or intimidating - the citys criminal populace. Niko's relentless desire to achieve his goals, his world-cynicism and comical dry wit make him a very likeable character who is the toughest ever presented to us in the GTA franchise. We very nearly gave this spot to GTA Vs Trevor but realised that Nikos more astute tactical mind give him the edge in a hypothetical brawl between the two.