Rocco "The Rock" Pelosi is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series that appears as a main character and the tertiary antagonist in The Ballad of Gay Tony and a minor antagonist in Grand Theft Auto V. Rocco is a made man in the Algonquin based Ancelotti crime family, he works alongside his uncle, Vince, an Ancelotti enforcer. Gay Tony owes him money, thus forcing him and the game's protagonist Luis Lopez to work for him.
Description
Relatives and crime family status
He is a distant relative of Gracie Ancelotti, and often seen alongside his uncle Vince. Rocco's status in the crime family is unknown, as well as his connection to Ancelotti capos Tony Black or Frankie Garone.
He is sometimes shown to be a made man and a high-ranking member despite his age, but is in the weakest family, as he is likely a Soldier since he's young. According to Tony, Rocco is somehow a blood or marriage relative of the don, and also a "made man" even more influential than his own uncle. In Frosting on the Cake, Evan Moss claims Rocco could have lent Tony $2 million (he suggests Gracie as well, and both of them could have, in turn, borrowed it from Don Ancelotti). Other times, it is suggested that he is only an associate working his way up - he once asks Gracie to "tell the Don I'm on the up", while Tony says Rocco is small time. Since Rocco's age is never confirmed, it is impossible to know whether he is a made man or just an associate to the family. The only reason he is not killed in Party's Over is because he's a "made guy", but as mentioned before he asks Gracie to mention that he's "on the up", indicating that he has not yet earned Ancelotti's approval, and is therefore not a made man/soldier.
The Ballad of Gay Tony
Rocco clearly dislikes Tony, as he frequently mocks him with slurs such as "fag", knowing Tony is not in the position to fight him back. He first meets Luis Lopez in I luv LC and immediately throws racial slurs at him in a similar fashion, calling him a "spic" and a "taco", prompting Luis to refer to him as a "guido". Behind his back, Tony and Luis agree that he is a wannabe who is "out of his league" as well as mocking him.
Luis voices his dislike of Rocco to his face and distrusts him (for example, he claims that Chinese Takeout and Boulevard Baby were both traps set by Rocco to kill him). Rocco, though normally very disrespectful, prefers Luis and occasionally delegates to him when trying to restrain or exclude Tony. Rocco still has a small degree of trust in Tony's business practices - despite saying his judgment is clouded by a "midlife crisis", he sees a very big monetary value in Maisonette 9.
Defeat
In a complex chain of events, the diamonds attract thieves who kidnap Gracie and demand the diamonds. Giovanni Ancelotti makes a truce with the original owner of the stolen diamonds, Ray Bulgarin, and both blame Rocco, Tony and Luis for the incidents. Rocco, in a twisted gesture of compassion, offers to spare Luis and own the clubs with him if he personally kills Tony. Although he briefly considers it, Luis instead kills Uncle Vince and is about to kill Rocco, but Tony saves him by telling Luis that he is a made man. Rocco then flees. Shortly after, Luis and Tony fight off a Russian hit squad.
After The Ballad of Gay Tony
Rocco is not heard or seen again after the completion of the story. If the player calls Rocco's number after Departure Time, Rocco's voicemail message states that he has fled Liberty City to "lay low" for a while.
Grand Theft Auto V
Rocco appears in GTA V where he is shown in be in Los Santos after he escaped from Liberty City. Soloman requested Michael to recruit some actors that Rocco had hired. He is first seen exiting the helicopter on a building and shown talking to the actors. Michael infiltrates the area and reaches the rooftop, encountering Rocco at the same time. Michael then beats Rocco up, and tells him to leave his people alone. Rocco reluctantly agrees and then leaves. Later he and his friend Gianni are seen beating up Soloman. When Michael shows up, Rocco and Gianni escapes. Michael gives chase and kills them both.
Outfits
Rocco has only two outfits
- 1970's style pink polo shirt with black slacks, only worn in Practice Swing.
- Black leather jacket with white undershirt and grey slacks.
Mission appearances
The Ballad of Gay Tony
Grand Theft Auto V
- Mr. Richards
- The Ballad of Rocco (Killed)
Trivia
- His name is possibly a reference to "Rocco P", a trendy brand of women's boots.
- Rocco, Miguel and Ryder are the only antagonists who did not directly attempt to kill the protagonist.
- Rocco's character model could have been taken from Tommy Johnson from the movie "Football Factory" (which Rockstar produced). Rocco wears a similar polo shirt to Tommy, and also share similar facial features. Tommy Johnson was played by Danny Dyer, who also voiced Kent Paul in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- Rocco also bears some resemblance to Armando Torres, as they have similar facial appearences.
- Rocco's in-game model is different from his artwork, as in his artwork he is shown with spiked hair.
- Tony states that Rocco is below the age of consent in Utah, which is 18. Rocco is a made man, implying that he is either a Soldier or Capo in the Ancelotti crime family. Being a made man at 18 is next to impossible, as associates are usually "made" after 10 to 20 years of experience in the Mafia. It is most likely Tony was joking or exaggerating.
- Rocco's first voicemail is one of the four shortest voicemails in the GTA IV era. (Yo, it's the Rock. Leave a message) the other three would be Little Jacob's (Yeah, I'm busy. Call me back.), Phil Bell's (This is Phil B. Leave a message.) and Clay Simons' (This is Clay's phone. Leave your details.) However, after Departure Time is completed, he changes it to a longer one.
- The mission name in GTA V, The Ballad of Rocco is clearly a reference of The Ballad of Gay Tony, in which Rocco also appears in.
Gallery
Rocco's Artwork  Rocco's caged Caddy used in the mission Practice Swing. Rocco ordering Luis to kill Tony Luis kills Vince  Rocco circa 2013. |
