Claude (Grand Theft Auto)

Much of Claude's background was intentionally left vague by Rockstar Games. The only information given by the developer about the character was that he is a drifter, likely originating from the west coast of the United States.[1] As such, Claude was most likely born in the fictional state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada), where the events of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas take place. By 1992, Claude had become the owner of a defunct garage in the city of San Fierro, and a top contender in a local illegal racing ring

Claude is first seen in-game competing against protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson in a street race organized by blind Triad leader Wu Zi Mu, which CJ wins. Shortly thereafter, he meets Catalina, CJ's former criminal partner and lover, and quickly enters a relationship with her. At the next race, Catalina briefly introduces Claude to CJ in a failed attempt to make the latter jealous. After Claude loses to CJ once again, Catalina gives the latter the deeds to Claude's garage, but intentionally omits telling him of its poor condition. Following this, Claude and Catalina embark on a nine-year journey to Liberty City to pursue a better life. Catalina calls CJ several more times throughout the storyline to tease him over her relationship with Claude, culminating with a call in which the two can be heard having sex.

In 2001, Claude and Catalina arrive in Liberty City and swiftly become involved with the Colombian Cartel. However, during a bank robbery, Claude is betrayed and left for dead by Catalina. Though arrested, he escapes during his transfer to prison when members of the Cartel ambush his transport to abduct another prisoner. Through fellow escapee 8-Ball, Claude is introduced to the Leone Mafia family, who employ him for various jobs. He eventually earns the trust of Don Salvatore Leone, and meets his trophy wife Maria Latore, who develops an affection for Claude. After Maria lies to Salvatore about having an affair with Claude, Salvatore tries to exact revenge upon the latter by killing him with a car bomb, but Maria warns him in time of the trap, and the two move to the Staunton Island district to escape Salvatore's wrath.

After assassinating Salvatore to cut his ties with the Mafia, Claude begins working for the Yakuza, led by Maria's friend Asuka Kasen, as well as other prominent crime figures, such as corrupt detective Ray Machowski and media mogul Donald Love. Over the course of Love's jobs, Claude kills Asuka's brother Kenji under the guise of a Colombian Cartel attack to start a gang war that will allow Love to obtain real estate, and encounters Catalina again, who has since become the leader of the Cartel. After Catalina barely escapes from him, Claude finds himself tasked by Asuka with hitting the Cartel's operations as revenge for Kenji's death. Catalina retaliates by murdering Asuka and kidnapping Maria, ransoming the latter for $500,000. When Claude delivers the ransom money to the Cartel, Catalina betrays and tries to kill him again, but he survives the ambush and murders Catalina. After rescuing Maria, the pair flee the scene, though as she begins to complain about the kidnapping, Claude fires a gunshot and Maria's voice is silenced. Maria's fate was intentionally left ambiguous, as the screen fades to black before the gunshot.[1]

Claude's name can be seen in a grafitti as an easter egg in Grand Theft Auto IV. The grafitti contains numerous "RIP" messages, which implies that Claude is dead, though Rockstar later clarified it was a joke for longtime fans of the series.[6] Furthermore, Claude's outfit can be unlocked in the game, if the player gains access to a specific safehouse.[7] In Grand Theft Auto Online, players can choose what their character looks like by selecting between different parents; Claude is one of the special parents available, meaning that players can select him so that their character has a level of resemblance to him. An image of Claude is displayed in high definition.[8][9]