Unraveling the Secrets Behind Franklin's Epic Undertakings in Grand Theft Auto 5

Highlights

Playing GTA V as a paragon still results in killing at least 726 people, according to calculations of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor's kill count.

According to a Reddit post, it was alleged that employing a Pacifist strategy led to a total of 726 fatalities, Franklin being responsible for the highest count of 295 kills, followed by Trevor with 258, and Michael with 172. However, this assertion has been challenged as a YouTuber provided evidence of much lower figures, with Franklin only eliminating 10 non-playable characters during a Pacifist playthrough, predominantly utilizing melee combat for dispatching opponents.

In games that involve violence, bodies tend to accumulate without players even realizing the extent of the virtual bloodshed they engage in to complete action-packed titles. Unleashing a barrage of bullets and targeting enemies is a core element of gaming, and the allure of chaotic quests and assassinations in games like Assassin's Creed and the Grand Theft Auto series is a major draw. However, constantly mowing down foes and innocent civilians can become monotonous, leading players to experiment with a law-abiding approach, especially in the expansive world of GTA. Grand Theft Auto 5 is notorious for its violence and high body count, with each of its three protagonists required to contribute to the mayhem in order to progress through the game.

Los Santos, the setting of GTA 5, is a hotbed of criminal activity, with various degrees of heinous acts occurring throughout the city. Franklin, Trevor, and Michael, the three playable characters, are driven by a desire for wealth and fame, and they climb the ranks of the criminal underworld through a multitude of illegal activities. Debates have arisen regarding the minimum number of deaths that the protagonists must cause, and while there are differing opinions and extravagant claims, there is a general consensus about the number of characters that must meet their demise for completionists to successfully navigate through Rockstar's open-world masterpiece.

GTA 5's Stack of Bodies Climbs into the Sky

Rockstar's games often appeal to the aggressive nature of their player base, as gamers embark on crime-filled journeys with somber undertones through the Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto franchises. In GTA 5's main storyline, players assume the roles of Franklin, Trevor, or Michael, inevitably encountering law enforcement and other non-playable characters, often resulting in fatal consequences. A Reddit post from 2021 went viral after claiming that adopting a Pacifist approach in GTA 5 led to the deaths of 726 characters. Franklin was responsible for the highest number of kills with 295, followed by Trevor with 258, and Michael trailing behind with 172.

These individual figures do not include the murder of Devin Weston, one of the game's main antagonists, who was pushed off a cliff by all three player-characters, resulting in his demise. While these numbers may seem high, they are not unusual for Rockstar games, given the generous use of bullets by Max Payne in Max Payne 3. The Reddit user asserted that they always opted for stealth whenever possible and refrained from running over civilians or instigating police pursuits to stay true to the Pacifist mission.

The user violated the rules once in order to save all three main characters by selecting The Third Way, resulting in the death of 93 non-playable characters (NPCs). However, this claim has been disputed by some individuals, who point to the Pacifist playthrough of popular YouTuber DarkViperAU as a reference. DarkViperAU's playthrough took approximately three years to complete and consisted of 27 uploaded videos, resulting in a total of 96 NPC deaths. DarkViperAU primarily used melee tactics and only caused the demise of ten characters in GTA 5.

This number is significantly lower than other reported Pacifist playthroughs and is closer to the minimum requirement of the GTA 5 story. Depending on the chosen ending, Franklin must eliminate six or seven characters to complete the game, with a maximum of 18 story-related kills, not including any additional casualties or accidental deaths. The Pacifist playthrough is extremely challenging and generally unrealistic for the average Grand Theft Auto player. However, the lowest number of kills ever achieved by Franklin in a GTA 5 playthrough is ten, which is unlikely to be surpassed.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.