Leading with GTA 6's female protagonist is a move that should have happened a long time ago
Dec. 6, 2023Grand Theft Advent | Why Lucia taking center stage as GTA’s first proper female (anti)hero is a big deal
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When theGTA 6 trailer 1dropped on Monday, about 15 or so hours ahead of schedule thanks to some leak shenanigans, it focused not only on the world of Vice City, but also on the woman at the center of the story – Lucia. She’s the driving force throughout, with the trailer opening with her in a prison jumpsuit, spouting similar patter spoken by Michael and Nico before her in the firstGTA 5andGTA 4trailers respectively. She’s the one who’s striding into the shop bandana’d up at the end, and literally in the driving seat post-robbery as she and an unnamed man drive away from the scene.
A game of two
This Latina woman is at the center of the GTA 6 story right now and, by introducing her first, Rockstar is giving her time in the spotlight. If the leaks that happened in September last year are anything to go by (and by how much this trailer matches up, we’d say it is) Lucia’s unnamed male friend is the other protagonist who will form the core narrative. The fact he’s featured so heavily in the trailer and key art you can see below seems to support that too. According to the leaks, he’s allegedly called Jason and GTA 6 will also feature the character-switching mechanic made famous by GTA 5.
But Rockstar’s made a decision not to name him now, to instead lead with Lucia. It’s a clear and provocative statement about the importance of this character from the developer. Of course, it’s been met with a certain amount of backlash – as we’ve seen from any games with female protagonists or diverse character creation – with some accusing the game of being too “woke”. Thankfully, those negative voices are increasingly being overshadowed by those who welcome Lucia’s addition to the series.
For many, having a couple at the center of the story is the true lure, myself included, with ties already being drawn between the duo and Bonnie and Clyde as loved-up, but probably ultimately ill-fated criminals. Introducing such a dynamic has the potential to make these characters more relatable and more sympathetic heroes, despite the depths of the criminality the duo will no doubt entertain at our hands.
I’m also intrigued by her motivations. Theories born from the trailer’s teaser image read (probably too much) into the trio of birds and palms in the background, suggesting Lucia and Jason are parents. I can’t imagine that Rockstar would let Lucia be pregnant during the story (perhaps aside from flashbacks) due to the sheer amount of violence possible, but all these early signs are pointing to the game exploring the more human sides of these characters away from the chaos of being a criminal.
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