Juhana-Armas, or just Armas, was born in Finland in 1869 to a finnish mother (Riitta) and a mexican father (André). They worked as farmhands and were not very rich. Armas grew up with horses and was very fond of them from the start. He has a way with horses and enjoyed his tasks at the stables. The family was on good terms with their employers and they let Armas learn horseback riding.

In his late teenage years, Armas' mother grew ill and passed away. His father was heartbroken and spiraled into depression as the years passed. When Armas was 26 years old, his father asked him to move to America with him and start a new life near his father's previous home near Mexico's border. They took their savings and bought a plot of land, planning to start their own stables there. Arma's father had failed to tell his son about his past, which eventually caught up to them.

Before moving to Finland in his youth, André was a member of a gang of bandits in Mexico. Life of an outlaw didn't was taking a toll on him, and André left the gang in secret, stealing a part of their savings to get away and travel to Europe. Moving so close to his previous home land was a mistake, as the gang had not forgotten him, and eventually found out about his return. On a trip to the nearest city Armas and his father were attacked by the gang, and André lost his life in the attack. Armas was wounded but managed to escape.

Armas' life was hard after the attack. He had no family or friends on the new land, and he wasn't able to get the stables running alone. He sold the land and started to travel around America aimlessly, doing odd-jobs, stealing and surviving. At the age of 28 Armas walked into a store robbery in Tumbleweed, New Austin. He managed to defend himself and the store owner, killing the bandits who he identified as members of the gang that had attacked him and his father years ago.

Armas' frustration and hatred grew as time passed, and he set out on a vendetta mission to hunt the members of the gang that got his father killed. The members had spread across the continent, but were still connected. In 1898 Armas roamed the American states of New Austin, West Elizabeth, New Hanover, Lemoyne and Ambarino in search of the gang members.

At one point, during the events of Red Dead Online, he was framed for murder and wrongfully imprisoned by the law, but escaped with the help of strangers. He promised to help the people who helped him as long as they would also help him find the gang he was after.