Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details are in the text which follows.- ❝Man, what the hood done for me? Always dragging me down. Ever since I got out of the hood shit been cracking! That's everybody's dream, to get out of the hood...❞
- — CJ to Sweet in the mission, Home Coming.
Carl 'CJ' Johnson is the main character the Grand Theft Auto series, appearing as the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas HD.
Description[]
CJ is a Grove Street Families second-in-command, a gang led by his older brother, Sean 'Sweet' Johnson, in which his friends, Melvin 'Big Smoke' Harris, and Lance 'Ryder' Wilson, are both high ranking members of. He is a 24 year old African American male from Grove Street, Davis. In 1987, an incident with Ballas members, left his younger brother Brian Johnson dead, which Carl witnessed. Sweet, and Ryder to a lesser extent blamed his death on him. While Big Smoke, and Kendl were more sympathetic towards Carl. Despite this, CJ left Los Santos, for Liberty City where he would live for 5 years, until was return to San Andreas, upon his mother's death in a drive-by shooting targeted at Sweet.
On CJ's return, he would be met by resentment from Sweet and Ryder, due to his abandonment of the Grove, though Big Smoke would be more accepting to Carl. Sweet considered Carl out of GSF, thus CJ would have to work his way up by committing various acts of crime that diminish the influence of his rival gang, the Ballas. GSF was at their highest point, until it was revealed by his friend, Cesar, that Big Smoke had betrayed the set for C.R.A.S.H, a section of corrupt San Andreas Police Department cops run by Officer Tenpenny, and the Ballas gang. Sweet and Ryder both end up in Prison, though Ryder breaks out. CJ must work from the bottom again to the top, through new cities, such as San Fierro, and Las Venturas, in which he can finally save his brother, bring the Grove back to their height, and exact revenge on Big Smoke and C.R.A.S.H, bringing about the end of hard drugs being pushed on Families turf.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Childhood[]
Carl Bellard Johnson was born on March 10th, 1968, to Calvin and Beverley Johnson, he was their second child, the first being his older brother, Sean Johnson, who was born two years prior in February 1966. His parents, although married had a rocky relationship, with his father often cheating, and physically and verballing abusing his mother, despite this, CJ would later be met with two more siblings, younger sister Kendl, born in October 1969, and finally Brian, born in June 1971. Once CJ was 4, his father would leave for good, around this time CJ and his siblings would meet many childhood friends, Melvin Harris, Lance Wilson, Mark Wayne, and Barry Thorne, who would go on to become Brian's best friend. When CJ was 7 he recalls an incident, when he was swimming, a condom got stuck to face, which caused his fear of swimming. Over the years, Carl and friends committed various petty crimes. Kendl, despite being familiar with all of them did not get involved with their acts, and continued to live an honest life in school.
Involvement in Grove Street Families[]
In the 70's and 80's the Families began to breakdown into many different sets and subsets across South Los Santos, once such set that came out of the Eastside Families was the Grove Street Families, in 1976. In 1982, a 16 Year Old Sean 'Sweet' Johnson would take charge of the gang, and many of his relatives and childhood friends would become high-ranking members of the set. CJ, aged 14, and Brian aged 11 both actively banged for the set earning themselves a reputation in Davis. CJ often considered himself to be in the inbetween to Sweet's strict and more reserved personality, and Lil Brian's explosiveness. Other members such as Ryder were known for their hot-headedness, B-Dup and Big Bear often robbed rival gang members, in particular the Ballas. Sweet and Big Smoke, the leaders of the gang, oversaw the set become the biggest Families set, and gang in whole Los Santos Metro Area, by 1985.
Death of Brian Johnson & Departure to Liberty City[]
Brian's explosive and outlandish nature, earned him a name in Davis from a young age. In December of 1987, as the semester at Davis High School began to wrap up for the Winter term. Carl and Brian began to scope out Ballas targets, On December 18th, 1987, Carl would encourage Brian to beat up a Ballas member. Brian successfully did this, and wanted to finish him off by killing him, though Carl intervened preventing Brian from pulling the trigger. 2 days later, on the 20th, Carl was walking down Carson Avenue to meet Brian, as he saw his brother, a Purple Declasse Tornado pulled up, with the gunman, the same Balla from Davis High, firing 5 shots at Brian. Two missed, but the other bullets hit his thigh, shoulder, and chest, with the final shot proving to be fatal. Carl got his brother to hospital but two days later on the 22nd, Brian would be pronounced dead.
Sweet blamed CJ for their brother's death, and kicked him out the Johnson house, and on Christmas Eve, CJ left for Liberty City.
Life in Liberty City[]
Upon his arrival in LC, CJ would work odd-jobs for various criminals, such as 8-Ball, in which he helped start up his bomb shop and garage, Luigi, and finally Joey Leone, son of Pavano underboss, Salvatore Leone. Joey's work proved to be the highest paying, thus he stuck with it for another five years, doing various acts of petty crime, such as car-jackings, pickpocketing, and burglary, he'd also do car repossessions acts for Joey, and helped him get his protection money from shop owners who hadn't paid up. In his years in LC, CJ proved to be a valuable assets for the Pavano Organization. CJ stayed in Liberty City until April of 1992, to bury his mother who had died in a drive-by shooting, targeted at Sweet.
Return to San Andreas[]
Upon his return, CJ was met in his home by Big Smoke. CJ and Smoke then went to Hill Valley Cemetery in Pacific Bluffs to meet with the others. As they left they were ambushed by Ballas, which destroyed Smoke's car, so the gang had no choice but head back to the Grove on bikes. After this it was apparent that CJ was immediately thrust into the rapid decline of the Grove Street Families. The internal relations of the Families gang had mostly broken down, with sets like the Puerta Boulevard and Milton Drive Families breaking away from the influence of the Grove Street Families. The Orange Street Rancho Families split away from a majority of other sets. As he progressed through the game's storyline, CJ worked tirelessly to rebuild the Grove Street Families, mend his relationships with his brother Sweet and other gang members, and regain control of various neighbourhood lost to the Ballas, Vagos, when he was away. And to a lesser extent, the Varrios Los Aztecas, until he became acquainted with the gang's leader Cesar Vialpando, his sister, Kendle's boyfriend. CJ's completion of various tasks handed to him by Sweet and other GSF OG's, would significantly increase his reputation and improve his relationship with Sweet.
As Sweet begins to trust CJ again, he informs other OG's of Carl's reliability, and CJ Is now considered a GSF OG again. After hits on numerous high ranking Ballas members such as Little Weasel and Kane, the Ballas begin to lose their top spot in South LS to the Families. And to keep this going, Sweet decides to finish off the Ballas once and for all in an attack under the La Mesa Intersection. Before CJ can join his brother, he is rang by Cesar who tells him to meet him. Here it is revealed that Big Smoke has betrayed the Grove for C.R.A.S.H and the Ballas and helped orchestrate the Green Sabre drive by. CJ, realising that Sweet has fallen into a trap, rushes to save him, he then arrives to find and injured Sweet and Ryder and fends off the swathes of Ballas attacks until the police arrive and arrest the trio. Sweet is sent to a prison hospital, Ryder is kept in custody, and CJ is handed to Officer Tenpenny and C.R.A.S.H.
Flint County[]
CJ wakes up with a bag over head, it is revealed that C.R.A.S.H has taken him in, and in order to keep Sweet safe in prison, he must follows Tenpenny's orders of not returning to Los Santos to exact revenge on Smoke. CJ is given a small house in the district of Whetstone, where he resides throughout this period. He meets with Cesar and Kendle who have also fled LS for their safety. Cesar wants to go back but is persuaded by Carl and Kendle not to for the time being. CJ is forced to do various works for Tenpenny, most of which is removing all people who plan on reporting him and all of their testimonies, CJ successfully does this leading to the case of Tenpenny losing steam.
Cesar helps CJ find work by giving him the contact of his cousin, Catalina, a misandrist bank robber, who falls in love with Carl, the duo rob multiple targets across the Southern San Andreas countryside, with many tribulations, but they manage to successfully bring in a significant amount of money. Catalina grows disillusioned with Carl as he does not reciprocate her feelings, and is focused on making money, so she 'breaks up' with him. Tenpenny later introduces Carl to The Truth, a conspiracy theorist hippie who grows Weed. There he is tasked with destroying crop of enemy farmers, and stealing their combine harvester, which he does successfully. CJ eventually meets Triad boss, Wu Zi Mu in a street race, after Carl wins he comes to the realisation that he can make serious money working for Woozie. He participates in another street race and wins again, this time against Catalina and her new boyfriend, Claude. He then wins the deed to Claude's old garage in San Fierro which is in a decrepit state, Claude and Catalina then leave San Andreas to go on a 9 year crime spree to Liberty City. The Truth, which leads to him tasking CJ to burn down all of his crop before the police find it, which would see Carl escape to San Fierro, CJ and the Truth get to the garage in San Fierro.
Time in San Fierro[]
Upon arriving in San Fierro, CJ and the Truth meet up with Cesar and Kendl, where they are introduced to him, the Truth then gets the help of his friends, mechanics, Dwaine, Jethro, and RC technician, Zero to help CJ rebuild the garage, which is successfully done. With the additional help of Cesar and Kendl, the garage is turned into a successful chop shop. CJ meets up with Woozie, and the two become good friends, Woozie introduces Carl to the San Fierro Triads, also known as the Mountain Cloud Boys, and the organization's other leader, Ran Fa Li. CJ helps take down the Triads' main rivals, the Da Nang Boys. Around the same time Carl infiltrates the Loco Syndicate, an organized crime group that supplies Big Smoke with drugs that is distributed across Southern San Andreas. He gains the trust of each leader, Jizzy, a pimp, T-Bone Mendez, leader of the Northside Rifa 17, a set of the Altos, and Mike Toreno, who is later revealed to be an undercover government agent. each leader except for Toreno is killed by CJ, with the help of Woozie, Cesar, and Ryder, to a lesser extent. CJ turns the garage into a car theft ring, bringing cars required by the Triad-run Wang Cars Dealership, which is later owned by Carl and Cesar.
Adventures in Las Venturas[]
Mike Toreno later calls CJ, offering him work in exchange for his brother's release from prison, The Truth finds Carl at Toreno's base of operations, and warns him of continuing to work for him. Carl does a few more jobs from truth including stealing a $60 Million Jetpack from Area 69, and proceeding to use said Jetpack to steal Green Goo. By chance, CJ sees, the now struggling rapper, Madd Dogg, drunk on a hotel roof, attempting suicide, Carl, in a pragmatic manner saves the rapper, and brings him to hospital, Madd Doog decides to make him his new manager (unbeknownst to him, Carl killed his previous manager for OG Loc a few months prior). Woozie then invites Carl to the grand opening of the 12 Dragons Casino in Las Venturas, he is eventually given shares, after helping set it up. Despite the initial success, the Triads' casino faces rising threats from the aggressive Pavano-owned Caligula's Casino. To destroy the threat and exact vengeance upon the Italian Mafia, Carl and the Triads, alongside Zero plan an elaborate heist of the Casino, which involves Carl infiltrating Caligula's inner circle of management. Coincidentally becoming acquainted with Kent Paul and Maccer, two British musicians, and Ken Rosenberg, a lawyer, he helps them fake their death to escape Salvatore's rage. The heist is successfully pulled off.
Appearance[]
CJ has a rather average appearance for, as a 24 year old African-American male. He is rather skinny, and is said to have been significantly bigger, before the "East Coast got him all thinned out". His basic attire consists of a White Tank Top, Dark Blue Jeans, and Black Eris Sneakers. He has black hair with a 'Cesar' Cut, and brown-hazel eyes. He stands at about 5'9, with a slightly below average height, CJ is shorter than a majority of characters in the game, included Ryder who, ironically is often mocked about his height despite being taller than CJ, himself. CJ could be seen as rather young for someone in their mid 20's, especially someone who has been through as much stress as he has. His facial features and height give off a late teenager type look, somewhere around 18-21. Despite all of this CJ's appearance can vary over time, depending on the player's action, having continuous amount of fast foods, will lead to CJ gaining weight, to the limit of obesity, though should the player pick the healthy route, and occasionally enter the gym, CJ will gain significant abs and muscles, bringing him into his peak appearance. The player's appearance has a significant affect on how they're perceived by characters and NPC's within the game. Should CJ wear streetwear, many of his homies in Davis and South LS will comment positively on his fashion choice, though in Rockford Hills and Vinewood, he will be looked down upon by the upper-class. If he wears luxury suits, the higher-class residents of Northern Los Santos will comment highly on his appearance. In though hood, he will receive mixed but mostly positive comments on his clothing choice. CJ's body image also plays a huge role in the gameplay element, as some missions may not even be able to be completed if he is too fat, and many of his friends will ring him up to tell him to lose weight. CJ will also make some comments about food if he is too fat. When CJ reaches bodybuilder level, many Groves will praise him, and his strength and stamina will significantly increase, due to his time at the gym. Sex appeal will also increase, when in this condition.
Personality[]
CJ's personality differs from many other protagonists in the series, CJ is far more forgiving and empathetic towards other characters. He will usually reason with people before resorting to killing them, though he will kill Ballas and other rival gang members, when it benefits his gang, without second thought. CJ is also seen to be very smart, often times thinking ahead when taking actions, such as deciding to save Kent Paul, Maccer, and Ken Rosenberg before partaking in the Caligula Heist. Despite being smart, Carl's young age and hood mentality make him generally naive to things, especially betrayal, as he was in denial of Big Smoke's betrayal to C.R.A.S.H, and later on showed more denial to the fact that Smoke distributed hard drugs and made a living off doing so. By the end of the game Carl's experiences give him an outlook of life outside the hood, once Sweet is released from prison, Carl intends on bringing him to his mansion to forget about their problems in the hood. Carl's new outlook on life gives him a more open personality, as opposed to Sweet's traditional hood mentality, which causes them to clash outside upon Sweet's return. As Sweet chastises him for supposedly 'abandoning' the hood again. Carl's growth mindset leads to his success, being able to take in various skills from his experience outside of Los Santos.
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