Grand Theft Auto 5: Franklin's Minimal Body Count Explained

Summary

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.
A Reddit post claimed a Pacifist approach resulted in 726 deaths, with Franklin having the most kills at 295, followed by Trevor with 258, and Michael with 172.
The claim has been disputed, with a YouTuber recording significantly lower numbers, with Franklin only killing 10 NPCs in a Pacifist run using melee as the preferred execution method.

Bodies have a way of piling up in games that require violence, and many players don't realize just how deep the rivers of NPC blood they wade through in completing an action title run. Spraying bullets and hitting targets is a fundamental experience of gaming, and the encouragement for mayhem through criminal quests and assassinations in games like Assassin's Creed and the Grand Theft Auto franchise are a centerpiece of their charm. However, running through enemies and civilians alike in every playthrough can get a little tiring, and in GTA, players often try being law-abiding citizens for a change. Grand Theft Auto 5 features a lot of violence and death, and there's a minimum body count each of its three protagonists must meet to complete the game.

The Los Santos map is a hotbed of crime, and heinous acts of various degrees occur everywhere across the map. Franklin, Trevor, and Michael -- the three player-characters -- are after glory and riches, climbing up the ladder of the Grand Theft Auto financial world through a myriad of illegal means. Discussions have been tabled as to the least amount of deaths the protagonists can perpetuate, and although there are some disagreements and outlandish claims in this regard, there's a general idea of how many characters have to die for completionists to run through the Rockstar title.

GTA 5's Stack of Bodies Climbs into the Sky

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Rockstar's games typically appeal to the brutish side of its player base, as gamers follow the protagonists of its Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto franchises on a crime-filled journey with sad undertones. Whether playing as Franklin, Trevor, or Michael, run-ins with the law and other NPCs are inevitable as players progress along GTA 5's main storyline, and usually wind up being fatal for one of the parties. Back in 2021, a Reddit post went viral for claiming a Pacifist approach to GTA 5 resulted in the deaths of 726 characters; Franklin was responsible for the most with 295 kills, followed by Trevor with 258, and Michael lagging behind with a 'measly' 172.

Their individual figures don't account for the murder of Devin Weston, one of GTA 5's main antagonists, who all three player-characters pushed off a cliff to fall to his demise. The numbers, although high, are not terribly out of place for Rockstar games, as Max Payne is notably generous with his bullets in Max Payne 3. The Reddit user claimed to always choose stealth where it was an option, and never ran over civilians or triggered police chases to stay true to the Pacifist mission.

The user eventually broke the rules once to keep all three protagonists alive by choosing The Third Way, which ended in 93 NPC deaths. However, the claims have come under dispute in some circles, with many referencing the Pacifist run of popular YouTuber DarkViperAU, who records significantly lower numbers. The streamer's run took about three years to complete, and he completed GTA 5 over the course of 27 uploaded videos, personally responsible for 96 NPCs in total. With melee being the preferred execution method, Franklin introduced just ten characters to an early grave in DarkViperAU's gameplay.

This figure is significantly lower than all other reported Pacifist values and is much closer to the minimum GTA 5 story requirements. Depending on the ending chosen, Franklin must finish off six or seven characters to complete the game, although he can top out at 18 story kills -- without counting any security detail or unfortunate passerby. The Pacifist run is incredibly difficult and largely unrealistic for the average Grand Theft Auto player, but the absolute minimum body count ever achieved by Franklin in a GTA 5 playthrough stands at ten, which is unlikely to be beaten.