“Hereeeee comes a lead enema!„~ Nick Kang
A Chinese-American, Nicholas "Nick" Kang Wilson was born and raised in Los Angeles. Nick grew up an orphan; with his mother dying due to unspecified circumstances, and his LAPD father vanishing, he was left to fend for himself alongside his brother Cary. A desire for both finding answers and following in his father's footsteps would land Nick in the LAPD as a detective, eventually leading to him building up a reputation for being a "loose cannon" with a hot temper, an itchy trigger finger, and a smart mouth.
“Yeah, he's a bit rough around the edges, but growing up as an orphan would screw with anybody's head.„~ George to Rosie Velasco, in Tailing Chong's Limo
Although he was suspended indefinitely from the police force due to repeated incidents of excessive brutality, property damage and refusing to follow orders; Nick Kang was recruited into the E.O.D. (Elite Operations Division) as the group's first field agent. After joining the E.O.D. he is immediately put on a case of bombings around the city (connected to Chinese Triads) and gets a new partner in Rosie Velasco.
Nick's father was a top officer with the Los Angeles Police Department until an Internal Affairs investigation that implicated him in an international drug ring caused him to lose his job before he mysteriously lost his life. After his father died he started to go by the name Nick Kang (instead of Nick Wilson) in an attempt to try and fit in more during his time in Hong Kong and because he did not believe that he could ever live up to his father's image as a cop.
The same over-the-line methods that got him thrown off the force enable him to succeed at the E.O.D.. Nick's skills in martial arts are matched by his ability to expertly dual-wield firearms and drive like a Hollywood stuntman. Nick specializes in working alone, but he is forced into working with his E.O.D. partner, Rosie Velasco, causing conflict between the two at the start of the game. Eventually, however, the two begin to formulate a bond as the story progresses. The extent of this bond is determined by the player's chosen path throughout the story.
History (Incomplete)
Background
Nick was born and raised in Los Angeles with his brother Cary, mother, and father Henry Wilson. Nick's mother died when he was young. When he was in high school, his father was fingered in a drug traffic scandal and skipped town. Without a mother or father, Nick and Cary were shunted off to live with his late mother's relatives in Hong Kong. The Kangs were poor and, being only half-Chinese, Nick and Cary were hassled many times. Nick changed his last name to Kang, presumably to fit in. He came back to Los Angeles to be a cop like his father before him. His brother came with him to open a dojo in the city and, eventually, go franchise with several all across town.
Nick worked as homicide detective for a time until he was suspended indefinitely from the police force due to repeated incidents of excessive brutality, property damage, and refusing to follow orders. When he was placed off suspension he was transfered to the E.O.D. (Elite Operations Division) and assigned a new partner named Rosie Velasco , to which he states that he "works alone". He was given a case related to several Triad bombings in the city. Nick's chief, Wanda Parks (Head of the LAPD and the E.O.D) tells him and Rosie that they should go get something to eat and get to know eachother. He meets her at a China bistro who's owner happened to be getting harassed by a Triad thug. Nick throws a chop stick into the thug's ear and then engages the thug in hand to hand combat. After defeating the thug he chases Rosie outside to give her a fortune cookie, which to Nick she replys "I know what it says, beware of nutcase". Ironically the thug comes out of hiding and holds Rosie hostage, she then bumps him off and accidently gets shot.
Nick arrested the thug and brought him back to the E.O.D. He then tracked down his accomplice who was ready to murder the owner of a bar. The thug told him he was part of Jimmy Fu's posse. He sneaked into Fu's hideout and got into a massive firefight with Fu's men. After the fight Jimmy was almost assassinated by a sniper, but nick pushed him out of the way of the bullet just in time then killed the sniper. He brought Jimmy to the E.O.D. where he said he was hired by Big Chong the enforcer of Ancient Wu's triad (A 300-year-old criminal spirit living in a restaurant in L.A.) After sharing the needed information, Nick drove off to track down Chong. Upon arriving at his residence, Nick spotted Chong's limo speeding off. He followed behind undetected to Cyprus Holdings (a bank closely linked to the Russian mob) where Chong delivered a bundle of money. While spying undetected from across the street, Nick was suddenly attacked by a gang of thugs that were part of the Russian mob. Nick managed to escape the attack without harm still unsure of who was behind it all. He contacted Rosie for additional information, who told him that Chong's limo was spotted at Krym Spa in Hollywood. Nick then drove off to investigate. He managed to sneak into the spa but encountered trouble in a shower room. After Nick defeated the Russians in the room, he caught Chong in the main part of the spa talking underground business with a man named Rocky (the head of the Russian mob). Rocky insisted that the money be laundered more quickly because Ancient Wu was unhappy and a certain general was getting desperate. Chong replied that the general was Rocky's problem and that the cops were all over them. At this, Nick came out of hiding stating''hands up nice and easy." Rocky escaped through a nearby swimming pool, and Chong ordered his men to kill the detective. However, Nick was able to shoot all the attackers in the firefight, also mananging to kill Chong in the end. He was also able to pick up some evidence about Rocky. With that, Nick drove back to the E.O.D.
Early Life
Events of TC: SoLA
Ending
Overview
Personality
Relationships With Other Characters
Enemies
Appearance
Skills and Attributes
Nick is exquisitely skilled with dual wielding any firearm whether it be a 9mm handgun or a SPAS Shotgun. He is also very well trained in martial arts and to top that off, he's also an excellent driver, though a bit reckless.
Nick is a comedic and, at times, obnoxious person. Half of what he says is a joke or includes excessively vulgar language.
“My name is Nick Kang and I'll be your carjacker today!„~ Nick Kang (the carjacker) to an unsuspecting victim (the carjackee)
Mission Appearances
True Crime: Streets of L.A.
Being the main protagonist, Nick Kang appears in every single episode and mission, with the exception of a few bonus missions such as Dogg Patrol.
Reception
Quotes
Gallery
General
Official Screenshots
Artworks
Trivia
- Nick is an unlockable character in the PC version of Tony Hawk's: Underground 2.
- The model used for Nick in THUG2 is actually his beta model featured in the EOD Training Videos from the PC version of True Crime: Streets of L.A.
- There is a character in the 2002 game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, named Nick Kong, who is a target you have to kill. This is clearly a jab at the True Crime games from the developers at Rockstar North.
- After the death and disappearance of Nick's father, Henry Wilson, he and his brother, Cary, moved to Hong Kong for a brief period.
- If the player chooses to have Nick harm the innocent, he will eventually start to be attacked by angry mobs and S.W.A.T.
- Nick is left handed as the gun he uses in precision targeting mode is the one in his left hand.
- In some sections of the game that require you to brawl, you can attempt to go for your guns. This causes Nick to make remarks such as "No guns, you're a waste of bullets."
- Nick's default car is based upon a 1967 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Convertible.
- Nick is voiced by famous Chinese-American actor, Russell Wong.
- Nick's official license plate, as stated by himself and as shown in promotional trailers and screenshots, is WHUPASS.
- Nick Kang, well his hand rather, is a meme. Specifically the Hand Pointing a Gun meme.
- Nick shares many similar traits to that of the characters featured in some of John Woo's most prominent films, such as the character of Tequila Yuen, portrayed by Chow Yun-fat in the 1992 film Hard Boiled.
- Nick Kang's infamous pose on the cover art of True Crime: Streets of L.A. is heavily inspired by Chow Yun-fat's pose on the cover of the 1998 Antoine Fuqua film The Replacement Killers.
- In a behind-the-scenes featurette for True Crime: Streets of L.A., the game's lead designer at Luxoflux, Peter Morawiec, would go on to say that a lot of inspiration for the game's story and character's came from novels by Robert Crais. One of Crais's characters in particular, Elvis Cole, shared many striking similarities with True Crime protagonist, Nick Kang. This prompted Crais to formulate a lawsuit directed at Activision.
- On rare occasions during hand-to-hand combat, Nick Kang can be heard dropping an f-bomb. The line in question is "Stay the f*ck down!" This is the only time Nick says "f*ck".
External Links