Niko Bellic: Difference between revisions

|affiliations = [[Roman Bellic]]<br>[[Bernie Crane|Florian Cravic]]<br>[[Elizabeta Torres]]<br>[[Playboy X]]<br>[[Dwayne Forge]]<br>[[Phil Bell]]<br>[[Jon Gravelli]]<br>[[Patrick McReary]]<br>[[Derrick McReary]]<br>[[Gerald McReary]]<br>[[Francis McReary]]<br>[[McReary Family]]<br>[[United Liberty Paper]]<br>[[Brucie Kibbutz]]<br>[[Stevie]]

It is suggested that Niko was born in Yugoslavia and grew up in a small town in modern day [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia Serbia]. His father was an alcoholic abuser whom Niko despised. His mother, [[Milica Bellic]], was a long-suffering woman, unhappy that her son grew up in such a harsh place. In a conversation with [[Kate McReary]], Niko says that he found his aunt (the mother of his cousin, [[Roman Bellic]]) raped and murdered some time after Roman's departure; knowing Roman would be even more devastated if he knew the true circumstances of his mother's death, Niko covered up what happened, telling him that she died in a house fire.

 

Niko grew up in the harsh environment of the [[:wp:Yugoslav Wars|Bosnian Wars]], in which he participated as an angry youth. Niko witnessed and committed numerous atrocities during the war, which led to his cynical perspective on life, and a certain degree of regret, depression, and emotional detachment. During the war, his unit of fifteen men (most of them Niko's friends from his home town) was ambushed by enemy forces, and all but three were killed: [[Darko Brevic]], [[Florian Cravic]], and Niko himself. Niko concluded that either Florian or Darko had sold the group out, and he vowed to uncover and kill the culprit, motivated not solely by revenge, but also by a need for closure and to move on with his own life.  

 

Work was hard to come by following the war. Niko's cousin, [[Roman]], had moved to [[America]] to start a new life in Liberty City; Niko spent the next decade working in the European criminal underworld, which led to him being briefly incarcerated. After being released from prison, he began working for a human trafficking ring led by [[Rodislav Bulgarin]]. When a boat involved in the operation sank in the Adriatic during a smuggling run into Italy, Niko swam to safety, but everything and everyone else was lost; Bulgarin believed that Niko had intentionally scuttled the ship and stole his money. Bulgarin's influence was too powerful in Europe, so Niko joined the merchant navy to get away from him.

 

Niko spent seven months with the cargo ship [[Platypus]], which eventually headed for [[Liberty City in GTA IV|Liberty City]]. Niko parted ways with the Platypus crew at Liberty City, partly to reunite with his cousin, and partly to track down Florian Cravic, who had moved to Liberty City after the war. Roman had been boasting of great success in Liberty City, but in truth his assets amounted to a small taxi depot and rundown apartment, and he was saddled with heavy debts due to his gambling habit. Niko ended up working for Roman in his taxi business, and protected his cousin from the loan sharks that were harassing him. Roman's connections eventually led to Niko taking work with the Russian Mafia, setting in motion the events of the game.

At the end of the game, a [[Weazel News]] report states that Niko is wanted for questioning by the [[LCPD|police]], though not as a suspect, for the events at his [[Mr and Mrs Bellic|cousin's wedding]].

Niko is very protective of his family and loved ones, particularly his cousin Roman, despite Roman's indiscreet nature frequently getting the pair into trouble. He is withdrawn among strangers, but has good manners, and shows a softer side with love interests like [[Kate McReary]] and [[Michelle]]; that said, the horrors of war, both witnessed and perpetrated by Niko, have given him a great sense of guilt, and an ambivalence about the value of human life — he warns away pursuers and expresses regret over his past violence, but also feels that killing is all that he can do, readily taking on jobs which will involve murder. His personality suggests an idealism which was wounded by his wartime experiences, giving him an explosive temper when he is lied to, manipulated, or his loyalty is questioned, but also leading him to help the defenseless and unfortunate, even [[Random Characters|those he meets in passing]]. Unfortunately, having such split attitudes can lead to hypocrisy -- Niko appears to genuinely sympathise with the [[McReary]]s' grief over the demise of one of their brothers, despite having secretly committed that murder himself.

Niko's bitterness at the murder of his friends during the war has consumed him, and he is unable to let it go, taking on several highly dangerous jobs merely to enable his quest for vengeance. He is urged by many of his friends, most notably Roman, to find a new reason to live, but it is only after Niko finally has the opportunity for revenge that the player may choose for him to take it, or let it go.

Niko's businesslike manner usually leads him to behave more maturely and cautiously than his acquaintances, although with acquaintances like [[Brucie Kibbutz]], [[Bernie Crane]] and Roman, this is no surprise. He is a binge drinker, but has an apparent distaste for illicit drugs, turning down [[Little Jacob]]'s offer of marijuana and warning against Packie's cocaine habit; he also finds it distasteful to traffick in cocaine and particularly heroin, although this may be due to the heavy jail sentences they attract as much as their debilitating effects on users. He is skeptical of American mainstream culture, which he sees as shallow, hypocritical and debauched, and has trouble relating to Roman's fascination with the country.

The surname "Bellic" would not exist in either the Serbian or Croatian languages, as these do not allow consecutive consonants (ie, the double-L in "Bellic"); "Bellic" is also pronounced with a hard 'C' ("Bellik") throughout the game -- a proper pronunciation would use a hard 'ch' (as used in-game with the names "[[Darko Brevic]]" and "[[Florian Cravic]]"). A more authentic rendering of Niko's surname would be ''Belić''.

Niko's first name is distinctively Croatian -- the Serbian equivalent would be "Nikola".