Information about Saints Row IV was added before the game was released. This information is incomplete and may no longer be accurate. Please do not add speculation, only verifiable facts. Include references when adding information, or it will be removed.

Josh Birk
Promotional artwork of Josh Birk (without his Nyte Blade outfit).
Appears in	Saints Row: The Third Saints Row IV
Aliases	Nyte Blayde
Gender	Male
Home	Stilwater
Affiliations	3rd Street Saints STAG
Occupation(s)	Actor
Voiced by	Andrew Bowen

Joshua Birk^[1] is a character in Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV ^{[2] [3]}.

For the TV serial and Homie, see Nyte Blayde.

"You're robbing a bank dressed like yourselves?"
"Hell yeah. Who doesn't wanna be Johnny Gat?"

— Josh Birk and Johnny Gat^[4]

Contents 1 Description 2 Homie Conversations 3 Trivia 4 Gallery 5 References

Description Edit

Josh Birk is an actor who tags along with the 3rd Street Saints to study the gang's behavior in order for him to make his role in an upcoming movie based on the gang's adventures convincing.^[5] Josh has a crush on Shaundi, and Male Voice 3 teases Shaundi about this. Shaundi, however, does not return Birk's feelings, and finds him extremely annoying. ^[reference?]

He is well-known for his role as Nyte Blayde in a TV show of the same name about a vampire hunter-turned-vampire, who is hunted by an organization he once worked for.^[reference?]

Depicted as a true idiot that is also narcissistic, Josh is responsible for landing The Protagonist, Shaundi and Johnny Gat in prison after setting off a silent alarm.^[4][5] He is next seen working for STAG in a commercial.^[6] The Protagonist soon seizes an opportunity to kidnap Birk in an attempt to hurt STAG, and succeeds.^[7] Later, when STAG assaults the Saints HQ to recover Josh, Cyrus Temple offers the Saints the chance to turn Josh over, but he wishes to stay with the Saints out of an attempt to get closer to Shaundi.^[8] If he is kept he will become a homie that can be called to show up as either himself or Nyte Blayde.

Homie ConversationsEdit

When 2 Homies are recruited together outside of missions, many will have conversations.

Josh and Angel

Josh: "So Angel, I've been looking for a personal trainer while I'm in Steelport. You game?"
Angel: "I'll train anyone who wants to learn."
Josh: "Excellent. So what do you wanna start with? Conditioning? Pilates? Yoga?"
Angel: "Punching beehives."
Josh: "Wh-what?"
Angel: "Before we can train your body, we need to train your mind."
Josh: "Yeah... yeah... I love it."

Josh and Burt

Josh: "Hey Burt, got a second for another practitioner of the craft?"
Burt: "What is it, kid?"
Josh: "Well, I was thinkin'... how would you like to be involved on Nyte Blayde?"
Burt: "What are you talking about?"
Josh: "Definitely a guest spot, at least, but I bet I could talk the producers into making you a series regular."
Burt: "No! What the hell is this Nyte Blayde?"
Josh: "Are you not familiar with the transmedia explosion that has taken the world by storm?"
Burt: "No."
Josh: "I play Nyte Blayde, a vampire hunter who's become the very thing he vowed to destroy."
Burt: "A vampire?"
Josh: "Yes."
Burt: "I think I'll pass."
Josh: "But... you don't even know the part yet."
Burt: "I've heard enough. Good luck, kid. Try to get shot."

Kinzie and Josh

Kinzie: "You know, first I thought that Nyte Blayde was a media trick trying to obfuscate the reality of our vampire problem."
Josh: "Yeah, I don't think that was a..."
Kinzie: "Then I realized that it was just a shitty vampire show."
Josh: "That's a relief."
Kinzie: "Of course, then, by the time I realized that, I realized that I really liked it. It kind of spoke to me."
Josh: "That's... that's great."
Kinzie: "And that's when I realized it was because it fell perfectly into the 31 Theory."
Josh: "Wh-wha...?"
Kinzie: "The 31 Theory. "Anything important is always connected to a 31". Nyte Blayde Season 3; best season, aired in January, had thirteen episodes."
Josh: "I have... no idea what you're... talking about."
Kinzie: "You are a good actor."

Josh and Oleg

Josh: "A soldier of the working man, huh? I know what you're going through."
Oleg: "Do you?"
Josh: "I played Torvald in A Doll's House when I was nine."
Oleg: "Never talk to me again."

Josh and Shaundi

Josh: "Hello, my love."
Shaundi: "Stop saying that."
Josh: "Why do you fight what you feel in your heart?"
Shaundi: "Because if I did what I felt in my heart, they'd never find your body."
Josh: "So you admit there's some pull that keeps you from wanting to be hurt. I knew you felt the same way I did."
Shaundi: "[Sigh]"

Josh and Viola

Josh: "Stay away from me, temptress."
Viola: "Wait, what?"
Josh: "My heart belongs to Shaundi. I won't fall to your wiles."
Viola: "Josh, I don't want to sleep with you."
Josh: "Really?"
Viola: "Yeah."
Josh: "Tease!"

Josh and Zimos

Josh: "Hey Z, listen. I'd really appreciate it if you don't say anything about the Nyte Blayde wrap party."
Zimos: "Your secret is safe with me, baby."

Trivia Edit

• Nyte Blade has been compared to the McBain TV series (from The Simpsons) by the writers of Saints Row: The Third, and is a radio serial that can be heard at any time.^[9]
• Originally Josh was to be recruited as a lieutenant after the events of STAG Party.^[source?]
• Josh's surname may be a joke about his stupidity, as "berk" is a word meaning idiot. ^[10]
• While held captive by the Saints, he proposed marriage to Shaundi six times.^[8]
• Once he is unlocked as a homie, he can show up in two outfits: Himself (normal) & Nyte Blayde (character). Both can be recruited at the same time. As Nyte Blayde, he remains in character at all times.
• Despite an advertisement showing the ability to wear the Nyte Blade outfit,^{[What advertisement?]} the player cannot.
• In the "Strap It On" trailer he is seen with a Saints purple pendant but it is absent in the game.^{[screenshot?]}
• Despite his incompetence, Birk somehow manages to escape police custody when the Saints are arrested.
• There is an interview played on in-game radio, where Josh makes comments such as "my butler puts my pants on me one leg at a time, just like everyone else".
• If he is recruited as a Homie, he may sometimes say "Wait til they get a load of me".
  • The White Female Protagonist in Saints Row 2 also says this line.
  • This line was originally spoken by The Joker in the 1989 film Batman.
• Despite starring on a violent TV show and personal getting involved with a very violent gang, Josh has a personal distaste of violence as shown in the mission "When Good Heist goes Bad" and when called on the cell phone, he sometimes say, "We aren't going to do anything violent, are we?".
• Josh obiviously has no sense of reality sometimes, as he view his rich and pampered life as very "average", and he thinks he is a gift to women. This is shown as he is constantly trying to hit on Shaundi. Josh also thinks highly of his acting ability and his TV show. Yet, The Protagonist, Shaundi, and Burt Reynolds don't care about it.
• Josh is indirectly responsible for Johnny Gat's death, as Josh is responsible for setting off the bank's alarm, which caused the Saints to be arrested, which resulted in them being taken as prisoners aboard the Syndicate plane.^[5]

Gallery Edit

ReferencesEdit