# Is Lucia GTA's first female protagonist? The accurate answer

Source: https://gta.kuber.studio/characters/gta-6-first-female-protagonist
Status: mixed
Updated: 2026-11-15

> Lucia is GTA's first non-optional female lead and the first woman to headline a 3D-era mainline GTA. But GTA 1 (1997) let you pick female characters.

**Quick answer:** Mostly yes, with one caveat. Lucia Caminos is **the series' first non-optional female protagonist** and the first woman to lead a 3D-era mainline GTA. She is **not** the first playable woman: the original **GTA (1997)** and **GTA 2 on Game Boy Color** offered selectable female characters, and GTA Online lets you create a female avatar.

| Key fact | |
| --- | --- |
| Short answer | First non-optional female lead |
| Earlier female options | GTA (1997), GTA 2 (Game Boy Color), GTA Online avatars |
| First report | Bloomberg, July 2022 |
| Revealed | Trailer 1, Dec 2023 |
| Also a first | First playable couple in the lead (Dazed) |
| Myth | 'First since Chinatown Wars' (debunked) |

**Lucia Caminos is GTA's first non-optional female protagonist, and the first woman to lead a 3D-era mainline GTA.** She is not, strictly, the first woman you could play as. The original Grand Theft Auto in 1997 and GTA 2 on Game Boy Color let you pick female characters, and GTA Online lets you build a female avatar.

So the headline "first female protagonist" is close, but the precise version is: **first female lead the story is written around.**

## Is Lucia the first female protagonist in GTA?

Here is how the main framings stack up:

| Claim | Verdict | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "First fully fleshed-out female lead in a mainline GTA game" (Dazed) | Accurate | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> wording from Dazed's Rockstar deep dive |
| "The series' first non-optional female protagonist" (Wikipedia) | Accurate | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| "First playable woman in GTA history" | Wrong. GTA (1997) and GTA 2 (GBC) had female options | <span class="tag-debunked">debunked</span> |
| "First female lead since Chinatown Wars" | Wrong. Chinatown Wars starred Huang Lee, a man | <span class="tag-debunked">debunked</span> |

Dazed puts it this way: Lucia is "the first fully fleshed-out female lead in a mainline GTA game. Before her, it's male protagonists all the way down, dating back to 1999."

That "1999" date is doing deliberate work. It excludes the 1997 original, which Dazed notes "featured a 50-50 split of male and female protagonists."

## Which GTA games had female characters before Lucia?

Wikipedia's GTA VI article calls Lucia "the series' first non-optional female protagonist," and its footnote names the optional female characters that came before her:

- **Grand Theft Auto (1997).** The top-down original let you choose from a roster of characters. Dazed describes it as a 50-50 male and female split.
- **GTA 2 on Game Boy Color.** The handheld version offered selectable female characters.
- **GTA Online.** Custom avatars can be female.

None of these were story protagonists in the modern sense. They were selectable avatars with no written character arc. That is why "first non-optional" is the accurate wording.

## Why is "first since Chinatown Wars" wrong?

Some articles describe Lucia as the first female lead "since Chinatown Wars." That is <span class="tag-debunked">debunked</span>. GTA: Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS, 2009) starred **Huang Lee**, a man, per GTABase. There was no female lead in Chinatown Wars to follow.

## What is the safest way to describe Lucia?

If you are writing about GTA 6 and want to be precise, use this:

> Lucia Caminos is the first female protagonist of a 3D-era mainline GTA, and the series' first non-optional female lead.

Add the caveat when space allows: the only earlier female options were selectable characters in the top-down GTA (1997) and in GTA 2 on Game Boy Color, plus GTA Online's custom avatars.

## When did we first hear about a female GTA lead?

The idea surfaced more than a year before Trailer 1.

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| July 27, 2022 | Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports a Latina female lead in a Bonnie and Clyde-style duo, in a fictional Miami | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>, later borne out |
| December 4, 2023 | Trailer 1 reveals Lucia, opening with her in prison | Trailer: <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| May 6, 2025 | Rockstar publishes Lucia's official bio with Trailer 2 | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Late August 2026 | Dazed's deep dive calls her "the first fully fleshed-out female lead in a mainline GTA game" | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> quote |

Lucia herself was first shown in [[media/gta-6-trailer-1|Trailer 1]], and her bio followed with [[media/gta-6-trailer-2|Trailer 2]]. GamesRadar+ covered the earlier Bloomberg report under the headline that GTA 6 would "feature series' first female protagonist," alongside reporting on Rockstar overhauling its workplace culture.

The 2022 report has largely held up. Lucia and [[characters/jason-duval|Jason]] are a Bonnie and Clyde-type duo, a framing Rockstar's narrative lead Rupert Humphries used himself in Dazed, and the setting is [[world/vice-city|Vice City]], Rockstar's Miami. Rockstar's bio does not state Lucia's ethnicity, so the "Latina" detail stands as Bloomberg's reporting.

## Is Lucia a co-lead or the main character?

She is a co-lead. GTA 6 has two protagonists, and Rob Nelson told Famitsu: "This game is the story of Jason and Lucia." Rockstar considered four protagonists and rejected the idea so players could invest more in each.

That makes GTA 6 a first in a second way. Dazed calls it "the first time that a GTA game has featured a playable couple in the lead role." The couple's dynamic is covered on our [[characters/jason-and-lucia-relationship|relationship page]], and how control passes between them is in [[gameplay/gta-6-character-switching|character switching]].

## What kind of character is Lucia?

Rockstar's bio is specific. Her father "taught her to fight as soon as she could walk." Fighting for her family put her in Leonida Penitentiary, and her family's roots are in Liberty City. She wants "the good life her mom has dreamed of," and she intends to take it herself. Full details on the [[characters/lucia-caminos|Lucia Caminos]] page.

Early reaction suggests she landed. PC Gamer's Christopher Livingston wrote that [[media/gta-6-extended-look|Extended Look]] audiences favored Lucia for her "creative takedowns." <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>

## Who wrote Lucia?

Rockstar has not published full writing credits. The Extended Look was written by Rupert Humphries and Michael Wiafe, per Wikipedia. <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>

Dan Houser, co-founder and lead writer on the series from GTA III through Red Dead Redemption 2, left Rockstar in March 2020. He has said GTA VI is "not going to be a story I wrote," which makes it the first mainline GTA story since 1997 written without him. More in our [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|development history]].

## Who plays Lucia?

Unconfirmed. Fans widely identify Manni L. Perez, but neither Rockstar nor Perez has confirmed it, and the "she confirmed it" posts trace to an impersonator account. <span class="tag-rumour">rumour</span> See [[characters/gta-6-voice-actors-and-cast|voice actors and cast]].

More on everyone else in Leonida: [[characters/index|all GTA 6 characters]].

## FAQ

**Is Lucia the first female protagonist in GTA?**

She is the first non-optional female protagonist and the first woman to lead a 3D-era mainline GTA. Earlier games, the original GTA in 1997 and GTA 2 on Game Boy Color, let players pick female characters.

**Was there a female protagonist in GTA 1?**

Yes, as an option. Dazed notes that the 1997 original featured a 50-50 split of male and female protagonists to choose from.

**Was Chinatown Wars' protagonist a woman?**

No. Chinatown Wars (DS, 2009) starred Huang Lee, a man. Claims that Lucia is the first female lead since Chinatown Wars are wrong.

**Can you play as a woman in GTA Online?**

Yes. GTA Online's custom avatars can be female, which Wikipedia cites as one of the optional female characters that came before Lucia.

**Is Lucia the only protagonist in GTA 6?**

No. She shares the lead with Jason Duval, and both are playable. Dazed calls it the first GTA with a playable couple in the lead role.


## Sources

- [GTAVI: An exclusive deep dive into the video game of the decade](https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/70859/1/gta-6-grand-theft-auto-vi-rockstar-exclusive-deep-dive-game-unparalleled-world) (Dazed, Aug 2026)
- [Grand Theft Auto VI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI) (Wikipedia, Accessed Nov 15, 2026)
- [Huang Lee](https://www.gtabase.com/gta-chinatown-wars/characters/huang-lee) (GTABase, Undated)
- [GTA 6 to reportedly feature series' first female protagonist as Rockstar overhauls workplace culture](https://www.gamesradar.com/gta-6-to-feature-series-first-female-protagonist-as-rockstar-overhauls-workplace-culture) (GamesRadar+, Jul 2022)
- [Only in Leonida](https://www.rockstargames.com/VI/only-in-leonida) (Rockstar Games, Fetched Nov 15, 2026)
- [GTA 6 Trailer Now Available! Leak Forced Rockstar Games to Release It Early](https://www.gamepressure.com/newsroom/gta-6-trailer-now-available-leak-forced-rockstar-games-to-release/z36508) (Gamepressure, Dec 4, 2023)
- [Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI:_An_Extended_Look) (Wikipedia, Accessed Nov 15, 2026)
- [GTA 6: Famitsu's Full Rob Nelson Interview Translated Into English](https://www.gtavice.net/news/gta-6-famitsus-full-rob-nelson-interview-translated-into-english) (GTAVice.net, Sep 9, 2026)
- [Dan Houser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Houser) (Wikipedia, Accessed Nov 15, 2026)
- [Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says he didn't write any of GTA 6](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/rockstar-co-founder-dan-houser-says-he-didnt-write-any-of-gta-6-the-worlds-probably-had-enough-gta-from-me) (PC Gamer, Sep 2025)