With a series as large as the GTA franchise, some protagonists are bound to feel underdeveloped compared to their contemporaries.
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of underdeveloped protagonists will come from either the earlier games in the series or the games on weaker consoles. Underdeveloped doesn't mean that the protagonists are bad by any means; rather, it means that these protagonists had more potential that Rockstar could've capitalized on.
Huang Lee isn't that underdeveloped, but there are only so many GTA protagonists to choose from, so somebody had to be ranked number five. That said, he is a fairly simple character throughout the events of GTA Chinatown Wars, so one could argue that he's underdeveloped to an extent.
Huang Lee is sarcastic, often poking fun at other characters. His quick wit makes him a charming protagonist, but there are moments where his character could be expanded upon.
GTA 5 is a phenomenal game, but there are flaws still worth noting. As far as the GTA 5 protagonists go, Franklin is often seen as the least interesting one. Even though he is the starting protagonist of the game, he lacks Trevor's memorable moments and Michael's overall importance. Hence, he seems the least memorable at times.
It's especially strange since GTA 5 is the most recent mainline game in the series. Of course, it doesn't mean that Franklin lacks a personality. However, one could argue that he's lacking that extra oomph that previous GTA protagonists had, which is exacerbated by the fact that GTA 5 splits up the stories so every protagonist can have their moment to shine.
GTA Advance is woefully underdeveloped when comparing it to the previous and later titles of the series. Understandably so, as the game did come out on the Gameboy Advance, and that handheld console's technical specs weren't ever going to make a GTA game that memorable.
Still, there are interesting facets of Mike's character that make him stand out compared to other characters in the series. He is unbelievably loyal, which makes him the complete opposite of Claude (who also lives in Liberty City). That said, he lacks much character thanks to how simplistic GTA Advance is compared to the rest of the series.
Claude Speed was the first solo protagonist in the GTA series, and he's unsurprisingly pretty simplistic as far as personality goes. He's bold, mean-spirited, and will do anything for money. He doesn't care about anybody else in the game; as long as he gets his money and gets out alive, that's all that matters.
Claude Speed isn't Claude from GTA III, although it should be noted that both protagonists do some similarities. That said, Claude Speed's primary reason for being so underdeveloped is because the game he came from was one of GTA's first ones, which meant that characterization and storylines weren't as relevant as they would be in later titles.
The 3D era of GTA games introduced a levy of lovable protagonists and memorable stories. GTA III does have a memorable story, but it would be difficult to call Claude a lovable protagonist. He's a silent protagonist, except he is neither an avatar character like the ones found in GTA Online, nor is he one of the few dozen choices for a protagonist in GTA 1 and GTA 2 (the Game Boy port).
There isn't much of a reason for Claude to be a silent protagonist except if it was a stylistic choice. However, even that reason falls apart when one analyzes what exactly Claude brings to the table as a silent protagonist.
Note: This article reflects the writer’s personal views.