Mike Toreno
Mike Toreno is the mysterious operator tied to San Fierro's drug Syndicate who pulls CJ into shadowy work in GTA San Andreas. Voiced by James Woods.
Key facts
- Role
- Mysterious operator
- Voice actor
- James Woods
- First heard in
- Mike Toreno
- Linked to
- The San Fierro Syndicate
- Also in
- Outrider, Toreno's Last Flight
Mike Toreno is one of the most slippery figures in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He first appears as a name and a voice on the phone, connected to the drug Syndicate that CJ is working to bring down in San Fierro, and his real agenda only comes out much later.
Who he is
In the mission “Mike Toreno”, CJ is at Jizzy’s club when Jizzy and T-Bone Mendez get a call from Toreno: someone is hitting their operation hard. T-Bone relays Toreno’s directions as CJ races across the city, ending at the airport, before the cell battery runs out. Toreno is also on the scene in “Outrider”, where CJ rides ahead of a van on a bike and clears the roadblocks in its way.
Role in the story
Toreno’s part in San Fierro builds to “Toreno’s Last Flight”, when Woozie warns CJ that Toreno is about to escape from a downtown helipad. CJ fights his way up to the pad, then chases the helicopter along the freeway on a bike with a rocket launcher.
Voice actor
The game’s manual credits James Woods as Mike Toreno, and IGN’s cast list gives the same name. GameSpot’s 2004 cast report kept his role vague to avoid spoilers. GameSpot’s review singles him out as the best role in the game, and says the Toreno cutscenes and missions are among the most rewarding parts of San Andreas.
Spoiler
CJ brings the helicopter down, yet the voice that summons him into the desert in “Monster” turns out to be Toreno. He enlists CJ for a string of jobs, from hijacking a truck in “Highjack” with Cesar to defending a helicopter drop in “Interdiction”. He uses Sweet’s situation as leverage, has CJ buy the abandoned airstrip at Verdant Meadows and learn to fly, then sends him flying low under radar in “N.O.E.” and planting a bomb on a plane in “Stowaway”. In “Vertical Bird” he has CJ steal a jet from an aircraft carrier. IGN’s guide notes that by “Home Coming” Toreno has come through, and Sweet is released.
Videos
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