You Don’t Understand GTA 5’s Story - I Spent 10000 Hours Discovering Michael’s Untold Lore

0:00 Introduction
0:36 How did Michael evolve in terms of family relations over the game?
4:34 What was the financial status of Michael before the Jewel Store Heist?
8:53 Did Michael only get involved into the FIB’s plans because of the Jewel Store Heist?
10:16 Why did Michael have to work for Steve Haines?
12:14 Why did Steve ambush Michael in The Wrap Up?
14:07 Why did Michael trust Franklin to rob a jewellery store?
16:59 After Michael gets shot by Dave, how did he manage to survive with the police showing up?
18:25 Why does Michael’s family hate him at the beginning of the game?
19:42 On the mission Complications, why is Michael in the back of Jimmy’s car?
20:11 Why did Michael pull down the tennis coach’s house?
21:36 Why does Amanda get mad at Michael when she is the one cheating with other guys?
23:36 Is it true that Michael was using Franklin?
24:53 Do we know when or how Michael met Dave?
25:28 Did Dave actually shoot Michael or was he just acting?
26:32 Was the train a part of Dave and Michael’s plan?
27:11 Why did Michael fake his death in the first place?
28:56 Does Tracy actually go to college after the story ends?
31:04 What would’ve happened if Michael never said “You forget a thousand things every day?” during the Jewel Store Heist?
34:50 Why doesn’t Michael just pay Martin after the Jewel Store Heist and end the game?
35:36 Why does Michael not worry about Trevor finding him, knowing that he ran away during Prologue?
37:43 What would’ve happened if Dave actually shot Trevor instead of Brad?
38:21 Does Michael’s family actually know what he does for a living?
40:30 Where did Michael’s family go when they left him?
42:09 Why did Michael decide to move to Los Santos, and not any other place?
43:05 Why is Michael involved with a movie?
44:47 Did Michael’s movie “Meltdown” ever get released? Is it mentioned in the story?
45:37 Did Michael ever get his boat back?
46:16 Were the hallucinations in Did Somebody Say Yoga (monkey, UFO, aliens, falling) actually real?
47:19 Did Michael stash all his money in his boat, and that’s why he didn’t want to lose it?
48:18 Doesn’t Michael’s rant confirm that Amanda was in Prologue?
48:42 Conclusion
Unearth the untold aspects of Michael's life in Grand Theft Auto 5 that everyone has overlooked in this detailed video explanation! Discover the intricate layers of GTA 5’s law and the unseen evolution of Michael’s relationships with his family, changing his perspective and making you appreciate the game more than ever before. Delve into the thrilling journey from a state of financial breakdown to the exciting heists, unmasking the reasons behind his family's departure and his unforeseen self-realization.
Go beyond the surface level and explore Michael's transformation as he confronts his own flaws, stops blaming his family, and finds satisfaction in new endeavors within GTA 5’s expansive universe. Gain insights into his financial struggles, extravagant expenses, and how he managed to find happiness and contentment amidst the chaos. As a die-hard GTA 5 fan with extensive experience in single-player mode, I'm here to answer your most burning questions about the game, its characters, and their fascinating backstories.
By the end of this video, not only will you learn endless new things about Grand Theft Auto 5, you’ll come to appreciate the game and its characters in a whole new light. Break the myths, unravel the mysteries, and embark on an unforgettable journey into the depths of GTA 5's Michael and his mesmerizing world. Join us as we decode his life's ups and downs, laying out the unexpected paths he traversed within the iconic realm of Grand Theft Auto 5!
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[@ned_luke]

Jesus...I finally understand myself. All that time wasted on Friedlander. Impressive amount of effort into this vid, kid. Awesome job. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@dimitriousdrake]

I was wondering why I read this in Michael's voice... No way, it's actually you. You're a legend man, Michael is one of my favourite characters in fiction

[@click8708]

I forget a thousand things everyday I'll make sure this isn't one of them :o

[@Acfan226]

no way

[@OreganoParsley]

The man himself

[@maxzapom]

The one and only

[@dungeonmaster9123]

Matt has spent 10k more hours on his research than Michael has been under witness protection

[@Madanbek_The_Dragon_Lover]

Ah, fuck, again... Just you wait for those replies, proving that you're wrong

[@Mr-LionYT]

Witness Protection for WHAT!!

[@user-fv8uy5kv4c]

0:13 So Michael was in witness protection for 745 hours got it

[@mayortheogalavan]

Yes, he's spent 10,000 hours just analysing the story, no chaos, cutscene-skipping speedruns or any other creative runs, plus online content.

[@joejs4613]

@@Mr-LionYTNO ONE WAS CONVICTED OF ANYTHING!!

[@DeezNutsOvaYoFace]

The most unrealistic part of the entire storyline is that Michael tells Franklin to drop by for a beer as a friendly way of parting ways and Franklin takes it as an invitation and drops by twice, once when the boat is stolen and then next time when the tennis coach is caught with Amanda. The man just wanted to have that beer with Michael so badly.

[@Rad-Dude63andathird]

thankfully you can actually have them go grab one by hanging out together outside a story mission. here's hoping GTA 6 will let us actually drink inside the bars with our buddies in crime.

[@whitezombie10]

He was obviously hoping Michael would get him in the professional criminal world

[@ooooothatsshit158]

@@whitezombie10 nah he was thirsty for some beer

[@abigails4088]

@@ooooothatsshit158 mean, two things you NEVER turn down... free pizza...and free beer unless you're like me and someone put PINEAPPLE on it... I love tropical citrus but it's sin on a pizza

[@Budumpum]

Really? That was the most unrealistic part???

[@shittacos416]

A nice little detail I've always liked: In the Fame or Shame mission when Trevor barges into the kitchen, Michael puts himself in front of Jimmy in a protective manner. Even though he's disappointed in his son, especially after finding a whole ass brick of weed in the fridge, Michael still loves him enough to take a blow from Trevor.

[@DarkViperAU]

Ah I should have mentioned that! Yeah I like that detail too.

[@monghanclan2330]

@@DarkViperAUSo.. Griefer Jesus… isn’t real right?

[@lunar_spectrum]

@@DarkViperAU no i wouldn't let you

[@sliceoflife91]

Nice detail but I don't see why Trevor would've attack Jimmy. As I understood from the story, Jimmy and Tracy loved Trevor, called him uncle and such

[@shittacos416]

@@sliceoflife91 That's true, he wouldn't have. But from Michael's perspective at the time when Trevor showed up, Michael didn't know that. His unstable and deranged best friend turned up alive after being sold out 9 years ago and Michael was unaware of how much Trevor exactly knew.

[@24Ninetynine]

Imagine lying so much that someone has to spend 10,000 hours to understand your story 😂😂

[@Havok_spc]

Bruh he didn't spend 10k hours learning Michaels lore he was speedrunning the game for 10 years

[@otterstonksedits]

liar@@Havok_spc

[@manelneedsaname1773]

​@@Havok_spcnot true

[@pokefire5]

@@Havok_spcThe joke clearly went over your head my guy.

[@ianisbad]

@@Havok_spcyou didn’t get the joke

[@ResoluteCS]

"If you find dead bodies, cheap women, or Trevor Phillips, then we're checking into the Rockford Hills Hotel" has always been one of my favorite lines in GTA 5

[@-eMpTy-]

Add a laugh track and it could be from a shitty sitcom.

[@whipitspillit]

@@-eMpTy-I’m just thinking about how many more scenes in GTA 5 could go with this. Really funny to imagine. And you just gave a tons of ideas lmao. Thanks.

[@abigails4088]

@@whipitspillit I would replay the everloving hell out of the game...if someone made a mod with strategic sitcom "audience cues" placed throughout... applause, laugh track, etc, and that "AWWWWW" one for the very few sweet things are in the game.

[@SirDankleberry]

Imagine it was just Trevor going on a bender in Michael's house while he was outta town and all three of those things are there.

[@RyanA__]

If people truly played the story without skipping cut scenes they’d see how much of a masterpiece this game truly is. It has a more elaborate and in depth plot then many movies and TV shows. This game is insanely amazing.

[@theLyzhendricks]

That's y I can't wait for gta 6 cause theirs nothing like it

[@dre0101v1]

The game is brilliant. I've 100% it twice.

[@Jiub_SN]

It's wild because 4 was better

[@jordonjones3423]

Nobody does it like rockstar

[@Raptorsified]

I don't think people underrated this story. 4s was just better directly preceding this.

[@ravingjam8218]

An added thing for Michael being sniped by Dave that I don’t see a lot of people mention, he keeps his chest facing in Dave’s direction completely open and unprotected so Dave could get a clean hit on the possible vest. I always love that little detail

[@LeeAndersonMusic]

You can even see the bullet hitting the (metal) plate he's carrying

[@justaserbiandoomer497]

That could be what the cutscene was trying to tell us, but then again it wouldn't be realistic

[@Rad-Dude63andathird]

​​@@justaserbiandoomer497 Because shrugging off RPG rounds through sheer tweaker rage is realistic lol

[@justaserbiandoomer497]

@@Rad-Dude63andathird gameplay and cutscenes obviously follow different rules. Michael storywise doesn't like unnecessary killing, yet you can kill as many civilians as you want. Trevor has the ability to become invincible, yet doesn't use it in ending A. Trevor and Michael don't respawn in hospitals after dying in their endings. Cutscenes follow a set cannon that's realistic while gameplay doesn't for obvious reason

[@beakboi9533]

Fun fact if you buy another boat for Michael, you can sometimes get a character swap where Michael is down at the docks admiring it.

[@StrongBoi765]

woah that’s awesome

[@GothicSnowLeopard]

Crazy attention to detail most will damn well never see nor pay attention to, impressive

[@GhemourMoncef]

Me want video as evidence

[@vailecia]

this kind of details hypes me up to see how many details like this we will se in gta 6

[@abrahamwashington8579]

In my game I switch and Michael is staring at an empty dock. I dont think it matters if you have a boat or not

[@RealityBoat]

michael is definitely the most fleshed out character, alot of people say franklin is the main character but michael is clearly the driving force in story progression

[@billybatts8283]

Well if you remember in the original announcement trailer it's about Michael.

[@filthyshoggoth]

They're misspeaking. Franklin is the one that is supposed to be the most relatable, so players can easily mistake him for the primary protagonist.

[@nobodyfamousX]

Honestly trevor is the only one that doesn't have a character arc. Franklin has the "started at the bottom, now I'm here" thing. Michael has "i need to get out and be with my family" Trevor went from being a crazy bastard killing anyone who challenges him, to a crazy bastard killing anyone who challenges him *but with millions*

[@RealityBoat]

@@nobodyfamousX trevor is deranged, his arc is not murdering Michael despite actually having a reasonable reason to do so

[@wgnd1614]

@@RealityBoat ''reasonable reason''???? what's that?

[@neilpatrickhairless]

Franklin's back story seems a lot more mysterious and interesting. Franklin is one of the most "normal" protagonists in GTA history, with Vic Vance being a similar character. Franklin is by far the most mentally stable character in GTA V and also doesn't seem to romanticize the crimes he commits the way Michael and Trevor and Lester do. He seems to not actually be doing it for the rush. He starts out living with an Aunt who hates him and it seems like he was dumped on her at some point - possibly Franklin was being neglected by his parents or something happened to his parents, possibly sometime during the timeline of GTA San Andreas. Franklin is just a normal ass young dude from the block that doesn't want to live in that neighborhood anymore and doesn't realize his own positive virtues, hence becoming a criminal

[@daboy5256]

I always thought Franklin was us people who wanna make it out where they’re at but can’t unless you’re willing to do some drastic decisions not a

[@KartonRealista2]

Franklin and his aunt inherited that house from his late grandma. They live together begrudgingly. "This is half my house" is one of Franklin's lines to his aunt

[@malif1279]

Also because even with how much he wants to get out from the hood (and he eventually does) he keeps getting pulled back in to all sorts of hood business out of sheer loyalty for his homies

[@dreamdesk7258]

The amount of voice lines in this video I’ve never heard after 10 years of playing this game 5 of them religiously absolutely blows my mind. Rockstar never fails to astonish me with the level of detail they put in their games that may very well never be seen.

[@Jabler-]

Just look at R*'s The Warriors. Linear fighting game yet there is 100's of thousands of lines of dialogue, for what? They always go beyond the minimum.

[@shariqhasan6220]

I just decided to do the Sonar Collections Business side missions in Paleto Bay because I was bored. 😂 Anyway, in this mission you have to use the mini sub to find nuclear waste barrels all over the sea floor surrounding the GTA V map. This missions absolutely blew me away as gave me the chance to explore the underwater sea floor of the GTA 5 map. I was expecting low quality but Rockstar made the sea floor incredibly detailed filled with coral reafs and other underwater life. I agree the amount of detail Rockstar put in the map of GTA V, I can't find any other single player open world game with that level of detail. This is one of the reasons why I am so hyped for GTA VI.

[@Cjcoolherc]

I’m just now realizing how Tony Soprano inspired Michael’s family dynamic is in terms of addressing “the business” and how he views his family from the beginning of the show to the end.

[@TCRYTV]

Yeah man, this only hit me on my last playthrough. I mean Ffs the main game opens in a shrink's office

[@fawazmashdee7605]

Reminds me of Walter white too

[@whitezombie10]

@@fawazmashdee7605yeah but Amanda is way more involved and supportive than Skyler. She dropped everything to live with Michael

[@duckyduck34]

@@whitezombie10Well, Amanda married a man while understanding who he is and what he does for living. Skyler married a fucking chemist. So it is very odd expecting her to be more “supportive” of her high school teacher husband in his drug empire shenanigans.

[@duckyduck34]

Most certainly. Though to me it felt like Soprano’s family was much more functional and normal (still fucked up though). Even if we compare the children: Meadow was an excellent student with her own ambitions and goals, while Tracey is… an outgoing kind of girl. Even Anthony while being more similar to Jimmy in that he lacks lifegoals and has done questionable things, he is not a manipulative bastard like Jimmy and just seems to be lost in life due to lack of proper guidance. I think it comes down to the difference in their mothers. Carmela is simply a better parent than Amanda that has done not a such bad job of raising her kids. In case with Michael’s family it seems like kids face no consequences for their actions. Jimmy steals his dad’s fucking boat and loses it. And we don’t see any parenting from Amanda, she absolutely enables this kind of behaviour.

[@Pepperoni_Toni]

Dave’s treatment of Michael is indicative of him being the only one who really understands the trio’s power. He knew actually going against Michael would result in his death

[@jent14]

Bro knew Michael has those exploding bullets cheats

[@ayyanali2639]

Bro what?

[@ayyanali2639]

@@jent14 bro what?

[@maximilianeissner4759]

@@ayyanali2639 you good?

[@areaxisthegurkha]

​@@maximilianeissner4759bro what?

[@Gorialis]

A thought I had - after the jewel store heist, Michael asserts to Dave that "Trevor's dead - he's gotta be". Dave's supposedly been sending letters to Trevor as Brad for years - wouldn't he know (or at least be able to insinuate) that Trevor is alive based on whether the letters made it or not (presuming undelivered mail would have been returned)? At this point Michael doesn't actually know Dave is sending the letters since he only learns of that thanks to Trevor believing Dave might commute the sentence, which Michael only knows after the reunion. But you'd think Dave would have more bargaining power in telling Michael to wise up if he had evidence that Trevor is alive - maybe Dave had a reason to keep it from him, if he did truly know. A great video as always - it's amazing how deep GTA V's story is considering how little people seem to pay attention to it.

[@Harishiv18]

Listen to the dialogue between Michael and Dave in By the Book, esp the part where he reveals about the letters. Dave says ‘I was doing you a favour’ which was basically ‘yeah I know Trevor is alive and we’re monitoring him. But I didn’t want u to worry about him so didn’t tell u he was still alive’

[@josevelagonzales]

My reasoning for Michael hiding in Jimmy's car was that because Franklin was such an amateur thief, Michael probably saw him hopping the gate from the bedroom window and saw that he was going for the car so he simply waited for him.

[@frozenfoxgames5300]

Either that or he could've memorized the schedule of the guy using the wind blower and realized the sound of it got cut off.

[@filthyshoggoth]

Gotcha. So when the landscaper stops working for any reason, it means my son's car is about to be stolen and I should grab my piece and hide in the back. It's very weird that you would imply memorizing a 'schedule' for the operation of a lawn tool isn't weird.

[@frozenfoxgames5300]

@@filthyshoggoth 1st. The sound of it getting cutoff early should probably be a good reason to at least check on why it did. 2nd. If I had an arrangement with my wife that lets her get together with other men as long as it's not in my house or bed, I'd want to memorize the schedule of any male worker that I've hired just in case.

[@sethoquinn7122]

The lore reason why he’s sleeping in the back is because Amanda won’t let him sleep in the bed

[@josevelagonzales]

@@sethoquinn7122 That's not true at all.

[@pipsqueack]

About Tracey going to college, I’m not 100% sure but I feel like I remember once you beat the game and visit Tracey at the house, she’s voicing her frustrations at the difficulty of the lectures or about how much she needs to study, something among those lines. If it wasn’t always a thing I’d suspect it came with certain online updates, particularly the one where Jimmy starts working at the arcade.

[@pipsqueack]

This all with ending C of course, forgot to mention that.

[@itsHaniiMusic]

​@@pipsqueackwell it's a Canon ending so yeah...

[@ayyanali2639]

Bro what?

[@ayyanali2639]

@@pipsqueack ok

[@ayyanali2639]

@@itsHaniiMusic is it though?

[@TheEvilStranger]

What people dont talk about is Ned Luke as Michael is one of the best voice acting ever in a game

[@1_Enzou]

Acting overall, not just voice

[@ipepesan]

Lamar is OP

[@LuciusGeronimo]

Lmao what

[@TheEvilStranger]

? @@LuciusGeronimo

[@zachmontgomery1698]

It really helps when they model the character after the voice actor rather than just tack the voice on a random character

[@therealbongos]

I actually think the GTA V story is great. Especially at the end, it gives the player a really tough choice between characters that you've come to love and grow emotionally with, or you can choose the third way, but even then, the tension between Mike and Trevor is still so obvious that you almost wish one of them died anyway. Lastly, if you kill Mike, Trevor tells you to never speak to him again, showing that Trev loved Mike the entire time. The GTA V story is honestly one of the best things I've had the pleasure of playing through.

[@SorchaSublime]

I wish you had to unlock the kill them all ending by completing all the side quests for Franklin and Trevor so that some players actually had to pick

[@Dante...]

I think the most surprising bit of lore here is the one about Micheal and Amanda being in an open relationship. I always thought that line where the tennis coach mentions "an arrangement" was just a lie Amanda told him to get him to sleep with her.

[@Rad-Dude63andathird]

Dude same, I thought they were just openly cheating on each other but it's more of a "we're both going to do it anyways, we might as well stop fighting about it" kinda thing.

[@karlobs2779]

As a person who has 200 hours michael is in witness protection

[@AlkeralexExists]

this is very true and confirmed by someone with an asounding 0 hours

[@thatunknownfella]

As a person who has 260 hours, I didn’t even know michael wasnt in witness protection, or even mentioned it all without this channel

[@thatunknownfella]

@@ItsDarkHUDapologies, I meant that I had no idea about any witness protection

[@gabrielmolenda6061]

i have almost 250 hours by now, can confirm, hes in witness protection

[@ItsDarkHUD]

@@thatunknownfella no worries

[@zainabosama97]

Micheal is already my favorite GTA V character but hearing more facts and stories about him will always be appreciated

[@CrypticAeon]

I mean, if you need 10k hours, it's still a bad story

[@CarlBank250]

My favourite GTAV character is Matto!

[@SoraFan23]

I sometimes wonder if Rockstar would've done a Story DLC maybe it would shed light on what was going on during the events of GTA 5. GTA 4 did that with Episodes from Liberty City.

[@zainabosama97]

@@SoraFan23 they were supposed to but ditched the idea for GTA online DLC’s

[@SoraFan23]

@@zainabosama97 I know.

[@BrutalCarnage]

in terms of Michael "using" Franklin, I saw Franklin as the son Michael always wanted compared to Jimmy and having that son/mentor dynamic. You could argue that's what Franklin meant, that Michael just wanted someone to boost his ego, whereas I never saw it like that.

[@FlyingKipperEh]

At the ending C where Trevor name drops Dave Norton I find it cute that Michael steps in and saves his life like Dave tried to do before. There is clearly friendship and respect among them.

[@ItzzzBeamo]

I like how in depth this is. Definitely feel like Franklin and Trevor breakdowns are good ways to continue this. Franklin's probably a lot shorter, unless multiple people in his life are included, but Trevor definitely.

[@tokell1735]

Currently at college… saving this for the watch later! Love the videos Matt. Can’t wait to see how you pull apart the next game and make endlessly entertaining content!

[@EnglishDave.]

Can relate

[@tokell1735]

@@EnglishDave. thank you, Federal Bureau of Investigation. 👍🏻

[@MurihSantos]

Liking for you to remind

[@Moon___man]

drop out and speedrun gta 5, trust me bro

[@_1_05_]

@@Moon___man tryna set bro up for life 😭🙏

[@secretmilo]

I think the idea the Michael might've been alive was something that was sitting in the back of Trevor's head for a long time, and hearing Michael's old movie quote on the news just brought everything forward for him.

[@thindon6661]

It would be like a dog running away and you never find it.

[@Gianluca0000]

The most interesting thing about Trevor is that no matter how horrible he is as a human being, he possesses 2 of the greatest human virtues, loyalty and sincerity. Both Michael and Franklin contradict each other in several moments as they try to be better, but end up giving in to save themselves.

[@thatkidbruno]

you didn't mention the part where Micky goes into witness protection

[@kingMT514]

21:41 I’ve always wondered about this and was always confused by this. I thought Mike cheated just once and Amanda overdid it, but nope. Thanks Matt for clearing this up.

[@SpiderMan-gf1lc]

I mean, even if it was once, there's no "overdoing" it. Your partner broke your trust, you have all the right to simply go have intercourse with anyone you want.

[@ziwuri]

Uhhh... not necessarily, no? @@SpiderMan-gf1lc

[@gifi4]

LUL. So 2 wrongs make a right? No. Your partner cheated, that's it. Split up. Don't cheat aswell. @@SpiderMan-gf1lc

[@SpectreXS]

Most of these things can be observed by simply watching the cutscenes and hearing the dialogues from the main storyline missions, did people really go lazy on those? I really like this game's story, and if people didn't appreciate it because they skipped on the cutsecnes and dialogues, that's a shame.

[@magicaltour1]

People really are terrible at processing what they see in media. It’s why so many movies and TV shows have to hammer their themes, people really are that dense.

[@MVPMTKING]

I didnt like how it felt silly compared to Red Dead 1 and 2, and GTA 4. It's fun but I wish it was more serious, Das just me.

[@th3g00se]

About Michael using Franklin, I think both can be true. Yes he really cares about Franklin and yes he uses him. Michael was stuck in a trailer park and resorted to crime to try and better his situation. Franklin is stuck in the hood and sees crime as his way out to a better situation. Michael really did want the best for Franklin, and figured if he was returning to his old life of crime then he could use that to give Franklin opportunities. But as things became more complicated with Trevor and the FIB, Michael was using Franklin's willingness to help to get out of his own shit without actually helping him beyond putting him in contact with Lester. Michael told himself he was gonna help Franklin once he sorted everything out, but Franklin realized that Michael was trapped in the same cycle Franklin wanted out of, but instead of being trapped in the hood Michael was trapped with the FIB. Same shit, different people.

[@superdash_]

I love to see you reference all the voice lines and phone calls that people don't get to see. I've played the whole story countless times and there's still so much I haven't seen

[@matejpaprnak3467]

This idea absolutely deserves a sequel! I've got a couple of questions that only someone with over 10k hours in story mode can answer: In the beggining of Father/son, Franklin mentions "a corpse [that] briefly reanimates itself and terrorizes everyone". Is he referring to Michael and does that mean he somehow made the connection between Micheal DeSanta ans Michael Townley? The bike Franklin and Lamar try to repossess for Simeon in the mission Repossession ultimately ends up in Franklin's ownership, bearing his initials and birthyear on its licence plate. Does this mean Franklin at some point actually and legitimately registered the stolen bike for himself? What exactly happened between Franklin and Tonya and what is his relation to JB? I think I have a pretty good idea but it would be great to have confirmation. At what point did Stretch defect to Ballas and what was the thought process behind such decision? If someone reading this feels like they know the answer, please feel free to tell, as i recognize the chances of these questions making it into a video are.... not great :)

[@ryantalley5284]

I only know the Franklin/Tonya/JB one for certain. Franklin, Lamar, Tonya and JB all went to school together, and Franklin had a crush on Tonya in high school, but then she and JB became drug addicts. Franklin's mom died of an overdose, so when they both refused to get clean, he cut all contact with both of them. It's a big reason why Lamar is Franklin's best friend. They're the only two from their childhood friend group left.

[@modonohue9980]

1 - Franklin speaks about Michael like that because when he first met Michael in Complications, he saw Michael's psychotic side when he pressed a gun to Franklin's head and told him to drive into Simeon's window. After that, in Father Son, Franklin sees Michael's other side, the lazy retiree lounging around with nothing to do, reminiscent of a corpse. Franklin thus remarks about how Michael, who claims to be retired, will occasionally do something psychotic and crazy. It is also implied in conversations between Michael/Jimmy and Michael/Dr Friedlander, that Michael will sometimes just run people over with his car because he's a maniac. 2 - In GTA V, you can modify vehicles that you have stolen. So Franklin having a custom plate doesn't necessarily mean that he is the registered owner. 3 - I'm not entirely sure about Franklin and Tonya. As far as I know, Franklin, Tonya, and JB are childhood friends. 4 - Stretch defected to the Ballas when he was in prison. He likely did it because he was targeted by the Ballas for being a rival gangster and because he believed that the Ballas had become the dominant gang in Los Santos, so he reasoned that joining them was the best way to secure his gangster life outside of prison. However, before he could join, he had to prove himself. So Stretch worked with the Ballas to set up Franklin and Lamar, with the intention of getting them killed or arrested. We can reason that the Ballas are dominant because they are the gang that occupy Grove Street, the namesake of their former rivals, Franklin and Lamar are no longer active gangsters, working as repo men, and Franklin mocks Stretch, an OG gangster, in certain conversations, implying Franklin's belief that the gang life is over. In fact, Franklin even state's his belief to Lamar that the gang life his over, because Lamar still believes that he can still be a badass gangster.

[@Supersmosh]

QUANTUM BREAK FAN DETECTED

[@megaman6710]

With Simeon and his legitimate business, and his business in online, I'm sure it's somewhat possible he can wash the titles of vehicles, and maybe does that preemptively. It would explain why Simeon wants you to steal certain cars on certain days in online. If there was more technology at the release, I'm sure Simeon would want you to steal a certain car, with a certain plate, similar to import/export. But the limitations at the time led to stealing a select few types.

[@flamingscar5263]

can answer all of those 1. Franklin is more so refrencing the fact that micheal at the time was retired from crime and that "reanimated corpse" was micheal getting a taste of the game again 2. Franklin has dialogue on father/son saying "I know a mechanic up here where we can get the ride fixed" meaning Franklin has connections to at least 1 mechanic, meaning he could have had his stolen bike worked on by this mechanic, not needing to worry about doing it legally 3. its not directly stated but its hinted with Franklin saying "man Tonya wtf happened to you" and with her heavy use of drugs that JB and Tonya ended up with a drug problem that could have caused a rift in the friendship 4. Probably in prison, you meet Stretch in game right after he left prison, he probably met some Ballas in there who helped him out and he then promised his loyalty to them and the gang

[@sportypt2417]

Michael will always remain the most underrated GTA protagonist narrative wise.

[@Junkie67]

46:05, there is also a cutscene that can happen after daddies little girl, i think. where Micheal is having a smoke against the railing in Vespucci saying "man, I loved that boat". guessing that he never got his boat back.

[@DarkViperAU]

True, that would have been a good inclusion

[@darkomilosevic1659]

Fantastic video. Would definitely want to see more lore videos. GTA V's story isn't talked about enough and is constantly brushed aside as some "soulless action flick with no meaning" but looking at the finer details like *this* is what makes me absolutely love it. Sure, it isn't IV or San Andreas, but it definitely deserves some more recognition as a good story.

[@spideyfan1024]

fr, The story is extremely underrated. I feel many pass it off as "Soulless" because characters aren't talking 24/7 about how shitty life is or whatever.

[@thedrewbster8636]

I honestly believe V is better than IV and SA. IV is too formulaic with its story, and most of the characters aren't really that important to the whole plot, whereas almost everything in GTA V's story is interconnected. I consider V to be Rockstar's masterpiece in the GTA series.

[@veckstocks9710]

@@thedrewbster8636 GTA IV's story is a cliche "revenge is bad and toxic" story that has been done hundreds of times in various forms of media and provides nothing thought-provoking and interesting. Most of the missions are "go to this place, shoot some people, come back". Sure GTA V is also like that sometimes and has a lot of shitty missions, but at least it often tries to be creative with the missions, and more importantly, it has few filler missions. 90% of the missions in GTA IV could straight up be deleted and the story would almost not change, there are so many filler shooting missions that barely move the story forward. Niko has no personality besides "i did this job for you, give me the people i asked you for". There are few scenarios in GTA IV's story where you have to read between the lines, while that's the norm in GTA V. The fact that we're discussing Michael's character after 10 years is a testimony to how well written he is.

[@thedrewbster8636]

@@veckstocks9710 100% agreed

[@flamingscar5263]

IMO GTA V has the best story FOR a GTA game, not IN a GTA game, but FOR one what I mean is that the other games the story tends to feel very disconnected from the gameplay outside of the missions, for example in GTA IV Niko once he kills someone in a mission for the first time says "Man I promised I wouldn't kill anyone here" for me this 1 line completely breaks immersion because outside of the missions I have been a menace, who doesn't kill innocent civilians in a GTA game? so to me it felt off him saying that because, well, I have killed many people outside of the missions in GTA V its much more believable that the 3 characters would act in the way they do when you control them, while Michael and Franklins characters don't 100% line up, they do so better then other GTA protagonists, but when we get to Trevor now we can safely say that anything you do as trevor, inside or outside of missions, can easily be considered cannon, I mean so many of the character switches to Trevor see him doing insane crazy shit, chasing people down in a car chase, throwing people off a bridge, in an active police chase, these are all things that you would do as the player and Trevor does these things in universe as well, Trevor IMO is the best GTA protagonist because he embodies the gameplay perfectly, he may not be the best when looked at in a bubble of character building, but Trevor embodies the idea of GTA more then any other GTA protagonist has ever, even more so then your online character who is literally a murderess psychopathic mute

[@micab9564]

I think that the reason Michael got mad at Trevor for killing the security guard in Prologue is because Dave said no casualties and it could’ve messed up their arrangement

[@antoniodelaugger9236]

I genuinely think he has ethics and wouldn't killed unarmed enemies. No one told him to not kill the security guard during his first heist with Franklin yet he did spare him which kickstarted the entire story with Trevor. He also refused to kill the armoured van guard and gave him a gold bar to silence him when killing him would literally be more "sensible". Trevor's sarcastic reply of there "being plenty of time to mourn" seems like Michael does feel guilt killing someone who can't fight back. Obviously, the player's merciless mass murder with Michael isn't canon.

[@Arck171_Br]

That's why Im convinced that Michael is the best character of this game. Not because he's charismatic, but because his story and development that most people don't understand.

[@PerryDognipz]

Shows how much of a masterpiece this game is that someone is doing a deep dive on the lore considering this game is 10 years old. GTA 6 can’t come fast enough.

[@skydragongaming7840]

This is a must watch if you are a GTA V Story Fan. Matto, Hats off for this one. Really well done, really well edited and so much stuff i didnt knew about. Hope this reaches a lot of people!

[@trombonerist2856]

This video was so good that I have to rewatch it again. Surprisingly, I always liked GTA V’s story. While it being the only GTA I have ever finished, I really liked the characters. Having 3 protagonists that you can switch between and play as was always cool. It’s definitely one of my favorite stories.

[@DCshandle]

Having multiple characters 10 years ago was groundbreaking, 6 is gonna only have 2 but it’s gonna be exciting to see how much more they’ve evolved it

[@captaindavenport6480]

28:56 I believe there are voicelines of Tracey after Ending C where she says stuff like: "This college stuff is so hard" and so on. You can here those when dhe appears to do homework in her room.

[@ianeons9278]

I like how the video starts out with the Super Mario 3D World Theme. Both games came out in 2013, a decade ago, and are still some of my favorite games of all time period.

[@thetato1273]

Better than game theory

[@SomeAustrianGuy_]

Say what you want, but Michael was always the main protagonist of GTA V, without him, non of this chaotic bs would have ever happened

[@justinh4576]

It’s honestly crazy to think that Franklin’s fate had essentially been sealed the day he met Michael but Trevor is the one that ultimately stopped it from coming to pass. I like that idea.

[@reptarien]

Great video. I also think that GTA5 has a genuinely nice, concise, and fun story, and it's far from shallow too, even if it is pretty easy to understand for the media literate. I would definitely enjoy a few more of these on Trevor, Franklin, and Lester at least!

[@Pharoom]

Matt finally found a use for his psych degree, analyzing video game characters

[@gmh14]

I appreciate the tiny clips he adds like Michael blowing up at the Kortz center if it wasn't for Trevor, or Michael in a coffin instead of Brad... Just shows clever creativity and his attention to detail in his content

[@criff]

This was an absolute banger of a video Matto! I would be very interested in a series of these videos, where you bless us with your benevolence of content 😁👍

[@jacobslater485]

You know, i haven’t been watching your videos of late but a few seconds nearly every day you pop into my head and I think “I hope he’s well, he’s great people” ❤

[@lamxdblessed3383]

I like his character development, especially the moment when he says "I'm michael townley and i was in witness protection for doing grand theft auto"

[@cyan3714]

I really love when you make gta lore videos because so much of this story is hidden behind double speak, optional hangouts and phone calls and apparently messages in websites! i think most people (myself included) will eat this up

[@-BUGZ-]

Making me want to play this again! It’s been like 4 years since I played it last and I’m about due. I always go with everyone living though, I can’t kill off any characters.

[@Cedricson]

I enjoyed the editing. I like it when you include all of the cutscenes and quotes from the game, really helps to jog the memory as well as learn some of the deeper nuanced things

[@Hydropathy]

This might honestly be one of my favorite videos from Matt, i find it to be a greatly improved rendition of the Michael Witness video, mostly cause I find it better when Matt is clear minded and level headed

[@SuperWeapons2770]

I have a question: Assuming that Dave was just in it for the glory, why would he not just betray Michael and kill him in prologue? I think that may point to the money being a factor for him.

[@bigbossh2o188]

Cuz hes in love with Michael

[@shinji2898]

@@bigbossh2o188So true!

[@nobodyfamousX]

Killing michael now wouldn't give him more glory. He already got credit for that kill. If he killed michael, and anyone looked into it they would just end up finding out about his crimes from the first time he "killed" michael.

[@bigbossh2o188]

@@nobodyfamousX he said killing him during prologue

[@justanotheranimeprofilepic]

You got to imagine during the conversation where they planned out the betrayal that Dave would know that Michael has a family. Dave enjoys Micheal on a person to person level and so is ok with allowing him to slip through so he's not ruining the life of an, at this point, 14 year old girl and a 12 year old boy.

[@Imaproshaman7]

This was done really done! It was really thorough and enjoyable. I'd totally love to see more like this in the future.

[@alexdeghost2729]

I think Trevor’s actions are the main reasons Michael needed an out. He mentions to Franklin in a triple hang out session that Trevor would kill someone and they’d have to flee but Trevor dismisses it as Michael being a pussy. Further evidence is how much heat and enemies Trevor makes during the story that drag Michael and Franklin along, including the MerryWeather Heist which would have resulted in their deaths had Lester not intervened. This is also why I believe ending A id the best written even if a more sad ending.

[@thedrewbster8636]

GTA 5s story is seriously under appreciated, probably due to fatigue. I think it has the best writing in the series. The entire story is interconnected, and nothing really seems out of place. The only exceptions I can think of is Minor Turbulence and Derailed. Even then, they're written in more seamlessly compared to other mission threads in GTA games. GTA IV is a close second, it just falls short due to a lack of focus in the middle of the story. And I feel like GTA IV's story doesn't challenge the audience as much as V, in regards to thematics. In GTA IV you're always rooting for Niko. GTA 5 offered us 3 different perspectives with complicated backgrounds, each with their own thematic purpose. To this day, I still talk with people who have unique stances on the characters, and I think that shows how timeless the story really is.

[@aldiros8074]

After listening to Matto for 10000 hours (or however many hours it is) I've determined he could possibly be a voice actor for GTA6. Great video man, 10/10.

[@nuancedhumour]

Source: he IS a voice actor for GTA6.

[@gergopiroska5749]

It would be dope if he would voice an npc If you would insult him he would say something like "you ... dense mofo"

[@stinkymonke3622]

im glad Matthew has finally realised Michael IS in witness protection

[@oscarmeow5348]

Micheal telling the crew not to draw attention to themselves by splashing money around after the big score then immediately says ok to financing an entire movie

[@HeisenbergFam]

For a guy who spent 10k analyzing GTA 5 Matt looks sane, impressive

[@enchantedfriend8002]

first replay

[@AdminAbuse]

@@enchantedfriend8002 cringe, also the word is reply

[@TherealTNCjah]

BRO I SEE U EVERYWHERE

[@jacobsucks]

@@AdminAbuse no he's just trying to say that matt is on his first replay of the story, he spent 10,000 hours on his first playthrough and is now moving onto his second

[@TopicalEssay]

I see you everywhere I go on KZbin bruv it's like we've got exactly the same interests

[@acealchemist3036]

Really loved this video! I feel like there is so much dialogue in the game that can be missed from hangouts or side missions, but the lore videos find that info and help build the story of the game.

[@mcdoofius6418]

Brilliant video, I was hoping Matt would cover GTA5's lore to a greater extent. It's really filled in some of the small gaps that I kept questioning about Michael in the story.

[@chrisbeynon8700]

This is genuinely one of the best character analysis I've ever watched. Well done!

[@callumjones9664]

I would like to see something like this for both Trevor and Franklin, just small questions we have over time that we may have missed the answer to

[@diemonder]

well you're in luck because he just put out a video for franklin and he has also made one for trevor

[@drunkbottlemaniac]

This video gives off some "The Professional" lore video vibes and I like that.

[@chickencurry420]

Please make more of these, there are so many interesting characters and I love deep dives into fiction like this. I'm especially interested in Lester, Franklin, the dude that follows Trevor around (I think his name's Duane?), and of course Trevor and Brad

[@jessepanosh]

26:30 I always liked the theory that Michael was wearing a squib underneath his jacket because he's a movie nerd

[@Cmdr__Exo]

Aside from his old bud, Trevor, Franklin was the best possible character to be in Micheal’s story. He’s the keep it 100 friend when Micheal’s head is up in the clouds thinking about the old days, or feeling sorry for himself. Couldn’t have been a better guy for him honestly.

[@gonenjoyer9764]

Great video, Matto. But at 26:13, in my opinion, I think Michael was the only one wearing a bulletproof vest without Trevor and Brad knowing since there was no shootout planned, as clearly stated by Dave at 17:13 and Michael at 27:05. And from then on, everything would happen as you said at 26:40 without the shootout at the parking lot. I'm not a gun or ammunition expert, so I don't want to get into that if the vest or ammo is strong enough to stop or penetrate.

[@ned_luke]

Dave reloaded with rubber bullet...maybe...or maybe not. I'll let you know when I get out of Witsec

[@Vextis-mv7bd]

@@ned_luke the actual ned luke? thats crazy

[@ooooothatsshit158]

@@ned_luke yooooo!!!!!

[@fudgethedog]

@@ned_luke how has he not noticed this

[@johniephillips9267]

A lot of people don’t fully understand how crucial Trevor was to Franklin and Michael’s survival throughout the story

[@mischiii6076]

Amazing Video Matt, top 10 of your best vids for sure

[@kevinb7649]

I appreciate you, Matt. I love your content, whether planned or spontaneous, and you just seem like such a chill dude. Be good to yourself

[@Susan-kh2kg]

0:00 intro 0:37 How did Micheal evolve in terms of family relations over the game? 4:35 What was the financial status of Michael before the jewel story heist? 8:53 Did Michael only get involved into the FIB's plans because of the Jewel Store Heist? 10:16 Why did Michael have to work for Steve Haines? 12:14 Why did Steve ambush Michael in The Wrap Up? 14:09 Why did Michael trust Franklin to rob a jewelry store? 17:00 After Michael gets shot by Dave How did he manage to survive with the police showing up? 18:26 Why does Michaels family hate him at the beginning of the game? 19:43 On the mission Complications Why is Michael in the back of Jimmy's car? 20:13 Why did Michael pull down tennis coach's house? Couldn't he just shoot him? 21:37 Why does Amanda get mad at Michael when she is the one cheating with other guys? 23:37 Is it true that Michael was using Franklin? 24:54 Do we know when or how Michael met Dave? 25:28 Did Dave actually shoot Michael or did he act like he got hit? 26:32 Was the train a part of Dave And Michael's plan? 27:12 Why did Michael fake his death in the first place? 28:57 During The Time's Come where Franklin kills Micheal He gets a call from Amanda saying Tracey's going to college Does she? And what about the other endings? 31:05 What would've happened if Michael never said ''You forget a thousand things everyday pal how about you make sure this is one of them'' During The Jewel Store Heist? 34:50 Why doesn't Michael just pay Martin after The Jewel Store Heist then end the game? 35:37 Why does Michael not worry about Trevor finding him since he ran away during Prologue? 37:43 What would've happened if Dave actully hit Trevor instead of Killing Brad? 38:21 Does Michael's family actually know what he does or are they oblivious? 40:32 Where did Michael's family go when they left him alone? 42:10 Why did Michael decide to move to Los Santos and not any other place? 43:06 Why is Michael involved with a movie? 44:48 Did Michael's movie ever get released? Did it get mentioned in the storyline? 45:38 Did Michael ever get his boat back? 46:18 In the mission Did Somebody Say Yoga Micheal meets a bunch of monkeys ends up on an UFO meets some aliens and then falls and lands on the ground Was any of that actually real? 47:20 Did Michael stash all his money in his boat and that's why he didn't want to lose it? 48:20 Doesn't Michaels rant confirm that amanda was actually there in the Prologue? 48:43 outro

[@zolbooenkhbold3221]

Thank you

[@Sandros94]

This is the type of content that Matto gifts us. And I still remain speechless. Of course we would like to see more lore content!

[@ivanr.7996]

Wow. This was genius. The amount of time and effort put into proving Micheal was in witness protection is insane! Keep it up

[@FRANK3NM3TRQ]

I gotta say, this has got to be one of my Favourite DarkViperAU videos. I do like your other content but I also like listening to things while I do other things, while your rambles are nice and often enlighten me on some topics, I find myself liking lore videos more by a wide margin. I hope you make more of these and thank you for wishing me and everyone else “all the best”. Have a great one :]

[@Andy-mt9pl]

I really like this type of content. Like the GTA lore videos, the Professional and now you are the only creators who do this stuff.

[@slosaibot468]

The algorithm finally got the best of me and I have finally subscribed to your channel after years of lurking. Great content bud

[@jag-hw7wd]

This vid is top tier. I wish you did more narrative analysis videos like this. It would be cool if you did Franklin or Trevor next.

[@lovepreetgames]

I haven’t watched Matts content in a while since he quit speed running but this was a very good video which does justice to Micheals character and GTA V’s story, GTA V had a good story and this video shows the lore behind it.

[@ackermomento677]

I really love this, it'd be awesome to see you talking about other aspects of videogame narratives, even though I never got the impression that it was something you particularly cared about. Adding cutscene and dialogue backing behind the things you said made the video much more compelling, as opposed to simply talking about it and having the viewer trust that you're not misguided in your conclusions. Great vid!

[@olliecole7163]

Love the lore videos, this is exactly the type of content I want. Watched the entire 49 minutes in one go

[@anthonyjensen5524]

Looking back, Micheal and Franklin had a very similar relationship to Walt and Jesse in breaking bad.

[@slashpointo]

The most anticipated, most informational video to date. Thank you Matto! Edit after watching the video: As someone who barely spoke English when they first played GTA5, I can not put into words how much this opened my eye up to small details in the game. For example, I never knew the concept of an open relationship (which may also be very cultural, as I don't see a reason why most 14 year old in the UK for example wouldn't understand such concepts, as weird as that may be) and didn't pick up any of the references to Michael being in such relationship with Amanda. Much like I didn't understand San Andreas's story and some of it's nuance when I first played it all those years ago, and had a blast replaying it much later, I'm feeling like replaying the GTA5 campaign now. Lot of nostalgic energy building up in me right now. Also, despite the video's quality, if more people are going to watch this than any part of the 'F* reaction content' saga, I will have truly given up on all hope for humanity.

[@mc-kingyolo1098]

this has to be one of your best videos Matt. Like normally i watch a video that is 50 min, in like 3/4 sittings. But i was interested beginning to end. Also great thumbnail, and hope you do more lore stuff. it is very interesting to see, how much i didnt know about the story.

[@markradick9213]

Love your videos. Truly unlike any other creator in the quality.

[@BrabyTheCool177]

25:14 these custom cutscenes are cool!

[@Ic3vid]

Love your content, and especially these type of GTA lore videos. Keep up the good work!

[@crakker347]

I love this video Matt,I hope we get to see even more gta v lore videos like this one in the near future

[@SankofaNYC]

This was great and i would love to see more of these… please! Great work here again and thanks for sharing

[@steveorsomthing7600]

This was pretty well done and has changed my mind on a few things. Would be nice to see some similar vids for the other characters

[@andrewislame]

This video was awesome, Matt! I've always enjoyed your content and I definitely think you should make some more lore videos! :)

[@convict3]

Have often wondered a lot of these questions myself, great video

[@become.ungovernable]

This was great Matto, genuinely asnwered some things I didn't get when I played the game

[@GuiSama8000]

Great content. Would be nice to see this for the other characters, specially Trevor, since it seems he has had a difficult life, both prior and after Prologue.