GTA San Andreas characters: CJ, Sweet, Big Smoke, Ryder and Tenpenny
The main characters of GTA San Andreas, from CJ and the Grove Street Families to Officer Tenpenny, Cesar and Catalina.
Original 2004 PlayStation 2 release; button codes are for the PS2 controller. The PC version (typed codes), Xbox and mobile ports and the 2021 Definitive Edition handle cheats differently and are outside this guide.
Character reference
Carl "CJ" Johnson
CJ comes home to Grove Street for his mother's funeral and is framed for murder by corrupt officers, then works to restore his family's gang and his own name.
Carl "CJ" Johnson, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
Sweet Johnson and Kendl
Sweet leads the Grove Street Families; Kendl is the siblings' sister and Cesar's girlfriend.
Sweet and Kendl on Grove Street, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
Big Smoke
A senior member of Grove Street and one of CJ's oldest friends, whose loyalty becomes central to the story.
Big Smoke, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
Ryder
A hot-headed childhood friend of CJ's who appears in many early missions.
Ryder, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
Officer Frank Tenpenny
The corrupt leader of the C.R.A.S.H. police unit who controls CJ through blackmail.
Officer Frank Tenpenny, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
Cesar Vialpando
Leader of the Varrios Los Aztecas and Kendl's boyfriend, who becomes one of CJ's closest allies.
Cesar Vialpando in official San Andreas artwork.
Catalina
Catalina drags CJ into a string of countryside robberies early in the Badlands chapter.
Catalina, in-game image hosted on gta.fandom.com; the source does not state which platform it was captured on.
OG Loc
Jeffrey "OG Loc" Cross wants a rap career, and CJ's missions for him have a comic edge.
OG Loc in official San Andreas artwork.
Grove Street Families
CJ, his brother Sweet, Big Smoke and Ryder form the core of the gang on Grove Street in Ganton. Their changing relationships drive the Los Santos chapter.
C.R.A.S.H.
Officers Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski lead the corrupt anti-gang unit and force CJ to work for them.
Allies across the state
Cesar Vialpando, Catalina, the Triads' Wu Zi Mu and others help CJ as the story moves to the countryside, San Fierro and Las Venturas.
Story missions are tied to characters' names on the map; the first letter on each radar icon tells you who gives the mission.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.