Tuco Salamanca

"Let me get this straight: I steal your dope, I beat the piss out of your mule boy, and then you walk in here and bring me more meth? That's a brilliant plan, ese."

- Tuco Salamanca

Tuco Salamanca is the main antagonist of the second half of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 of Breaking Bad, and a minor antagonist in the spin-off series Better Call Saul of season 1 and season 2. He was a sociopathic Mexican drug kingpin who briefly became Walter and Jesse's meth distributor.

He is unpredictable and prone to violent outbursts, but surprisingly respects Walter because of his superior product, intelligence, business style, and guts.

He was portrayed by Raymond Cruz.

History
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman think he is a danger and so devise a plan to poison him with ricin. However he kidnaps them, planning to take them out of the country to produce more meth. Walter tries to poison Tuco but Tuco's uncle, Hector Salamanca, sees, and despite being paralyzed is able to stop Tuco taking the poison. Tuco and Walter then fight and Tuco is shot but survives. However, Tuco is then found by Walter's brother-in-law Hank Schrader and shot dead. His twin cousins Marco and Leonel Salamanca later come to Albuquerque to kill Walter.

Personality
"... You're an insane, degenerate piece of filth and you deserve to die"

- Walter White to Tuco. Tuco is insane, violent, dangerous, and manipulative. His unpredictability, psychotic outbursts, sudden mood swings, love for drugs and ruthlessness terrify most people around him. He killed his own man, No-Doze simply because he finished his sentence, with his own hands and showed no remorse over it, he actually proudly displayed his bruised knuckles to Walter and Jesse after doing the deed.

Tuco seems to admire guts and does have scarce good qualities. He was impressed when Walter White demanded money by himself after he had just hospitalized Jesse and contunued to gain more respect for Heisenburg because of the quality of his product. He is also very affectionate and loyal for some people. He looks after his uncle, Tio as well feeds and houses him. He was also outraged when he thought his partner, Gonzo betrayed him by going to the police as he states he "trusted him like a brother".

Tuco seems to have no idea or understand the importance and value of family. After kidnapping Walter and Jesse he proposes to go in to the meth trade together and when Walter says he can't leave his family Tuco replies "you can get a new one". Also when coming to terms with Gonzo's appearant betrayal, he screams to the two of them that they can "never trust the people they love".