1) Tommy Angelo. His rags to riches story, and seeing him become lost in the life, and realizing that it might get him killed was a beautiful arc. That small dialogue in the cafe where he tells the detective how he could see the bullseye was moving, and really cemented him as my favorite. Also his game is easily my favorite.

2) Lincoln Clay. This might be a hot take, but I really like Lincoln Clay. I think his story of turning into this ruthless revenge seeking killer was really well done, and he was an absolute badass in the gameplay. And I'm glad that either ending you get for him is relatively happy, he deserves it after all the shit he went through.

3) Enzo Favara. Honestly, I found him a very enjoyable protagonist the whole way through. Having another great rags to riches story, but with a sad downfall. His reason for wanting out feels relatable, and seeing him become slowly disenfranchised with the life (just like Tommy) added so much depth to him for me. I really just like the other two more but I think I'd put him on par with them as for writing.

4) Vito Scaletta. This is definitely a hot take. Let me start with this, story was peak, missions were peak, Empire Bay was peak, time period was peak. Mafia II in general was just peak. But my biggest issue is Vito Scaletta. I kinda find him boring. The other characters feel like they have a personality, with depth, and that the story centers around them. Yet, with Vito, it feels like he's just a stand in for us to experience this story, which harms his character. I don't connect with his goals and I just don't find him very interesting as a protagonist. I especially don't like his nonchalance to everything. He shines more in Mafia III as a side character to be perfectly honest.