Niko Bellic - Personality

Personality

Niko is portrayed as a very down-to-business person, and is very protective when it comes to his family and those closest to him, especially Roman, despite the fact that Roman often gets him into further 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. He is portrayed as a caring figure; the player can have Niko help various random people on the streets who are having problems. However, he is shown to get angry easily when he is met with irrationality, is falsely blamed or cheated - a trait that might have been aggravated by his past experiences during the war - and he is often quite sarcastic. In addition, although he feels regret for his past crimes, he feels that his soul is permanently tainted, and that killing is all he can do. This split attitude occasionally leads to moments of hypocrisy from Niko. For instance, he is genuinely sympathetic to Kate and Packie McReary after the death of their brother (either Derrick or Francis), even though he secretly committed that murder. Another example is when Mallorie calls him, worried that Elizabeta Torres may have killed Manny, he responds with "Really?", even though he witnessed the murder and transported Manny's body to a black market organ dealer. He appears to be a more mature and sensible person than many of his acquaintances. 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 - when McReary tells him that the target sells drugs to kids, he responds "the world is full of bad people, Mr. McReary."

The most significant aspect of Niko's personality is his cynicism, which he gained in the war. He criticises 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 criticised 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 the United States 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 criticises Brucie's steroid addiction, expresses disgust for the heroin he deals with, and usually refuses to drink alcohol, (the exceptions being in the cut-scene after his confrontation with Darko and when controlled by the player. Playboy X at one point offers him a drink, but when Niko sits, he simply stares at the glass thoughtfully, before changing his mind and putting it down) Niko does however enjoy drinking but knows the time and place for it. Along with this, Niko also has a somewhat positive view of law enforcement. He willingly goes to the funeral of slain police commissioner Francis McReary and he also has said that cops are just people trying to survive. He also criticises Roman for prank calling the police because he thinks that Roman may someday need the help of the police. He still has these views even though many of the people around him do not and in some missions Niko can only succeed by killing or shooting at law enforcement.

Though Niko doesn't much talk about American politics, he is shown to have a disliking for American politicians. This is reinforced by the frequent hypocritical statements made by politicians in-game, but he also remarks that the war gave him a cynical view of all political figures in general. He also dislikes communism and capitalism, as shown in the game's cut-scenes.