GTA: San Andreas was perhaps the most ambitious game ever made when it first released in 2004. The game world was massive for the time and developer Rockstar pushed hardware of the era to its absolute limit. Along with this came a great soundtrack, major improvements to the gameplay of the series, and memorable characters. Especially when it came to its main character, Carl "CJ" Johnson.
Not only was CJ the first black protagonist of the series but was also one of the more memorable due to his growth over the course of the game (more on that later). Here are 10 facts about him that most fans may not know about him.
10 He May Or May Not Be Dead
An Easter egg that can be found in GTA IV in Liberty City, there is graffiti in a subway station in Bohan with the names PS2 era GTA protagonists, such as GTA III's Claude and Vice City's Tommy Vercetti.
CJ's first name, Carl, can be found to the right of where it says "mo blood" along with "RIP" right above his name. While Rockstar has said that the Easter egg was thrown in to commemorate the start of a new era for GTA, it still makes one wonder if that is truly the case.
9 He Worked For A GTA III Character At One Point
While CJ works for mob boss Salvatore Leone, a GTA III character, during his time in Las Venturas. CJ also happened to work for his son Joey, another GTA III character, when the former was living in Liberty City.
Joey ran a garage in GTA III where he worked as a mechanic though not necessarily an honest one. CJ will say he stole cars for Joey when he meets Salvatore for the first time. This is proven in The Introduction short film that serves as a prequel to the game in which CJ steals a car and calls Joey about it.
8 First Protagonist To Meet Another Protagonist
Speaking of GTA III, CJ unknowingly meets the protagonist of that game in Claude when they race each other, in which CJ is able to pick up the win. The garage in San Fierro that CJ acquires as a business originally belonged to Claude after Claude leaves San Andreas with Catalina.
This is the first time a GTA protagonist has met the protagonist of another game. While it may not seem like a big deal, these things rarely happen so it is nice to see a nod to an older game.
7 He Had A Close Relationship With His Brother Brian
Though never seen, Brian Johnson is CJ's other sibling along with Kendl and Sweet. He is mentioned throughout the game since he died five years prior to the game's events and is the reason CJ moved to Liberty City in the first place.
This is likely over guilt since it is implied that the two were really close and that CJ had let Brian die. This is hinted at being due to the latter being attacked by rival gangs while CJ did nothing to help him.
6 Street Gangs Will Recognize Him
Gangs are a big part of San Andreas not just in terms of story but gameplay as well. The gangs of Los Santos will recognize him, regardless of whether they are the Grove Street families, Ballas or Vagos. They will even throw gang signs at him.
It is a nice nod to realism and helps to immerse the player more into the world of San Andreas and helps to make it feel more alive.
5 He Sings For An Idle Animation
The game's soundtrack captures its setting of the West Coast in 1992 perfectly with classic songs like Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine and A Good Day by Ice Cube.
CJ will actually sing some of the songs in the game as an idle animation. A few examples are Dr. Dre's Ain't Nothin But A G Thang, En Vogue's My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), and The Gap Band's You Dropped a Bomb on Me.
4 The Most Customizable Character In The Series
While future games allowed players only to customize their clothes, hair, and tattoos, San Andreas had more ways to customize CJ than other entries. Players can do this on top of also changing the color of CJ's hair with blonde being a possible hair color.
They can also affect CJ's body type by performing certain actions. Make CJ more muscular by hitting the gym and working out or make him fat by eating too much at the various fast-food restaurants. Players have a variety of ways to make their CJ unique from that of others.
3 Stats Makes Subtle Changes To What CJ Says And How He Plays
San Andreas was the first game to introduce an RPG-like stat system that ranges from shooting, stamina, driving, muscle, fat, and sex appeal. These changes affect what CJ says as banter and how he controls.
Making CJ fat for instance will make him slower and less agile and even lock him out of some missions. But he will also have a lot of fat and food-based banter, such as picking up money will have him say something along the lines of him having money for lunch. Another example is having a lower driving skill will have him look behind him when driving in reverse but uses the rear-view mirror instead at a higher level.
2 He Has More Morals Than Others
Unlike the previous two protagonists, CJ has more morals and actually regrets some of the killings he has committed. It was nice to see that despite all the crazy things happening around him, CJ is still a human being beneath that exterior.
This is highlighted after Big Smoke's death when he says "what a waste." Though Smoke betrayed him and turned his back on his roots, he still saw the Smoke he knew as a friend beneath it. A similar instance happens when he kills Ryder earlier in the game.
1 Has The Most Growth Out Of Any Character
CJ goes from a guy constantly on the run from his past from using it to better himself and to build a better future. He initially wants to leave Los Santos behind after making it elsewhere throughout the game but is reminded of his roots by his brother Sweet.
Perhaps the biggest sign of growth was when he admits to Sweet in the End of The Line mission how he let his brother, Brian die. This is a huge moment for him since it shows he is willing to make up for his mistakes and not be as selfish as he might have come across at first to both Sweet and the player. Only Niko Bellic comes closest in terms to matching Carl's growth. It is because of this he is able to make amends for his sins and look to the future with his family.