Tuco Salamanca

	"Mature Content"
	This character or verse has mature themes and concepts, thus those of young age are ill-advised to look through these.

“	I’m gonna skin em like javelinas!	„
	~ Tuco to Saul

“	I SPIT ON THEIR MAMA!	„
	~ Tuco to Saul

“	Punishment fit the crime. Columbian neckties. I cut their throats, and then I PULL THEIR LYING TONGUES THROUGH THE SLITS! BIZNATCH!	„
	~ Tuco to Saul

“	I’m cutting their legs off.	„
	~ Tuco to Saul

“	Hey, you. Hey, gramps! You just hit my car	„
	~ Tuco to Mike

“	This kicks like a mule with his balls wrapped in duct tape!	„
	~ Tuco after experiencing Walt's methamphetamine

“	Nobody moves crystal in the South Valley but me, bitch!	„
	~ Tuco Salamanca after savagely beating up Jesse Pinkman

“	Let me get this straight. I steal your dope, hmm? I beat the piss out of your mule boy! And then you walk in here, and you bring me more meth? That's a brilliant plan, ese.	„
	~ Tuco after Walt asks for $50,000

“	Tight, tight, tight! Tight! Yeah! Blue, yellow, pink. Whatever, man. Just keep bringing me that. Come on. And what did I say, man? This guy can cook! You're all right, man. You're all right. We're going to make a lot of money together.	„
	~ Tuco after using Blue Sky for the first time.

“	No, you're just speaking for me! Like I ain't got the Goddamn sense to speak for myself! Is that it? Is that what you're doing?	„
	~ Tuco to No-Doze

“	Damn, man! Look at that! Look! Yeah. That's messed up. Okay, Heisenberg! Next week.	„
	~ Tuco after beating No-Doze

“	Heisenberg! What the hell? What's wrong with him? What's the matter with you? You can't take an ass-beating, bitch?	„
	~ Tuco after No-Doze is unable to get up

“	Unusual. Last two days, I couldn't get Gonzo on the phone. He's been acting all pouty on account of No-Doze. Explain to me, how is it my fault that that little bitch did not know his place? I saw this coming. I can see the future, you know? It's this gift that I have deep inside my head. I knew last night they were going to come and try and bust me. Gonzo went and snitched to the cops! That lousy son of a bitch! I trusted him like a brother! I was good to him! I was good! I see Gonzo, I'm going to gut him, I'm going to skin him, and I'm going to stuff his hide for a heavy bag, and every time I hit him, it's going to be like a lesson to myself! You never, never trust the people that you love!	„
	~ Tuco discussing Gonzo

“	I hate chili powder. This blue magic, this is money. You keep cooking this, Heisenberg. We're going to rewrite history with this. All right! Time to clean the menudo out from between your ears!	„
	~ Tuco about to kill Jesse

“	Are they punking me?	„
	~ Tuco to Hector

Jonaty Garcia

Background

Note: Credit to the Breaking Bad Wiki

Tuco Salamanca is a Cartel distributor and drug kingpin. A member of the Salamanca family, Tuco is the grandson of Abuelita and the nephew of Hector. Tuco also has four cousins who are involved in criminal activities: Lalo, Marco, Leonel, and Joaquin. He is the first Salamanca family member to run their drug operation, and was succeeded by his uncle Hector and cousin Lalo. Tuco is known for his psychotic and unpredictable personality, being prone to violent outbursts which are often amplified by his drug use.

The following synopsis contains massive spoilers for Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

Better Call Saul Season 1 Tuco is at his grandmother Abuelita's house cooking food for her when she arrives followed by the twin brothers, Lars and Cal Lindholm. They claim that Tuco's grandmother ran over one of them in her car and then tried to drive off, so they followed her home. One of the brothers call her "biznatch", which deeply offends Tuco. He calmly convinces his grandmother to go upstairs and watch her soap opera and then proceeds to beat down both brothers. As he is cleaning the blood from the floor, Tuco calls one of his goons, telling him to bring "the van." Another man knocks on the door claiming to be an "officer of the court", Tuco grabs a gun from the top of a bookshelf and forces the man inside at gunpoint The man, a lawyer named Jimmy McGill, introduces himself to Tuco as "Special Agent Jeffrey Steel." He tries to explain to Tuco that he received a call from his clients claiming that they had an accident. Jimmy convinces Tuco to let him and the twins go but, when he is about to cut them loose, Lars tells Tuco that the accident was all planned and it was all Jimmy's idea. Tuco and his associates, Gonzo, No-Doze and Nacho Varga take Jimmy and the twins out to the desert. Tuco tries to interrogate Jimmy to find out if he's working for the government. Jimmy explains that he was planning a scheme to bring down one of his former clients but the twins accidentally confused the target with Tuco's grandmother. Still not convinced, Tuco threatens to torture Jimmy, but Nacho convinces Tuco that he is speaking the truth and they decide to let him go. Even so, Tuco still plans to torture the twins to death because of the way they disrespected his grandmother. After an intense negotiation, Jimmy manages to convince Tuco not to kill the boys, but only to break one leg of each one so he can send a message. Season 2 Nacho grows increasingly worried at Tuco's erratic behavior over the months, so he meets Mike Ehrmantraut to offer him a job. He wants Mike to kill Tuco for a large sum of money, explaining to Mike that Tuco might kill him if he finds out about Nacho's side business not involving the Salamancas. Nacho tells the story of when Tuco killed one of his closest friends, Dawg Paulson, by shooting him in the face with a shotgun, only because he slightly suspected the man was ripping him off. Mike decides not to kill Tuco, fearing doing so will attract too much attention from the Salamancas, but comes up with a plan to have Tuco arrested instead; this way Nacho will be free from the Salamancas to continue transacting his own business. They plan to do it at El Michoacáno, a restaurant where Tuco and Nacho meet their drug dealers to collect money from their sales. The next day, while Tuco and Nacho are sitting inside the restaurant meeting their dealers like they usually do, Mike tips off the police that a fight is happening there. He then quickly pulls over his car in front of the restaurant, intentionally scrapping Tuco's car with his front bumper before parking. Tuco notices the collision and approaches Mike when he enters the restaurant to buy something, calling him out for hitting his car. Mike denies having done any such thing and leaves after buying food, deliberately flashing a wallet full of hundred-dollar bills. Tuco and Nacho follow him outside, demanding payment for the damages Tuco's car. Mike offers to swap insurance information but Tuco declines; he wants cash. Mike says he doesn't have any but Tuco calls out the lie. Flashing his gun, he forces Mike to hand over his wallet. The sound of police sirens in the distance alert Nacho, who decides to jump in his van and drive off. After taking Mike's money and giving the empty wallet back to him, Tuco also decides to run off, but Mike grabs him by the collar of his shirt to prevent him from escaping. Tuco tries pulling his gun, but Mike successfully slaps it off his hand, so Tuco starts punching him in the face, telling him to let go. Mike clenches his fist to Tuco's shirt and refuses to do so. The police arrive and surround them, telling them to stop fighting. Tuco stops attacking Mike, but Mike taunts Tuco so he will continue the assault, which ends up working as Tuco punches Mike unconscious while laughing maniacally. The plan works and Tuco is arrested, potentially facing ten years in jail for assaulting a senior citizen and carrying an illegal weapon. However, much to Mike's disdain, he is visited by Don Hector Salamanca a few days later, Tuco's uncle and powerful member of the mexican cartel. Don Hector offers Mike $5000 if he tells the police that the gun found on the scene was Mike's and not Tuco's, as this would reduce Tuco's potential jail time considerably. At first, Mike refuses, but after being constantly harassed by the Salamancas, he eventually agrees to tell the police that the gun was his on the condition of raising his price to $50,000. Season 3 While talking to Nacho inside the restaurant, Don Hector learns from Arturo that Tuco has been placed in solitary at Los Lunas after stabbing another prisoner and assaulting one of the prison guards. Hector's anger at hearing this news triggers a temporary coughing fit. Season 5 While talking to Hector, Lalo (who has to flee back to Mexico) states that Tuco will be out of prison in eleven months and can thus take over the Salamanca operations at that point. Knowing what Tuco is like while high, Lalo reassures Hector that they will have someone keep an eye on Tuco to make sure he stays clean. When Lalo brings Nacho before Don Eladio for a promotion, he introduces Nacho as a friend of Tuco's. Aware of Tuco's insanity, Eladio jokingly asks Nacho if he's alright in the head. Breaking Bad After being released from prison, Tuco takes over the remnants of the Salamanca drug distribution business last operated by his cousin Lalo and beforehand his nephew Hector. He also employees a number of operatives and establishes his own headquarters. His operation is extremely successful and he becomes a key man for the Cartel's operations north of the border and gradually he becomes one of the most powerful and influential dealers in Albuquerque. After the death of Krazy-8, Tuco was brought into the DEA for questioning surrounding Krazy-8's disappearance but was released due to lack of evidence Tuco was involved. Season 1 When Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are in search of a distribution network for their meth following the death of Krazy-8, Jesse's friend Skinny Pete tells him about Tuco. Skinny Pete and Jesse find themselves in Tuco's hideout with a pound of Walt's meth, believing they will be able to negotiate a deal with Tuco. Tuco's henchmen frisk them and lead them to Tuco's office. After being shown the meth, Tuco invites Jesse to snort some of the product to prove he isn't a cop, before snorting some himself off the tip of a knife. Tuco is extremely impressed by the quality of the meth and says he'll buy it on consignment. Jesse begins to realize Tuco does not wish to pay the $35,000 for the product, and Tuco threatens Jesse and Skinny Pete with a knife after Skinny Pete tries to intervene in the negotiation. Desperate, Jesse tries to book it with the meth but is stopped by Tuco's armed guards. Tuco appears to be okay with Jesse's escape attempt, even offering Jesse the $35,000 he wants "up front." He stuffs stacks of cash from his safe into a bag holds it out to Jesse, but when Jesse reaches for the bag, Tuco uses the bag to beat him into the floor mercilessly. After Walt learns of the events that occurred in the hideout, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Arriving at the hideout, he presents himself as "Heisenberg" to Tuco. Walt gives Tuco another bag of crystals and asks for $50,000, Tuco laughs at the offer, saying that Walt is not doing the math correctly. Walt explains to Tuco that $35,000 is for the meth that Tuco stole, and another $15,000 is for Jesse's pain and suffering. Tuco realizes that Walt and Jesse are partners and then ridicules Walt for bringing him yet another pound of meth after he stole Walt's first batch. "This is not meth," Walt corrects him, as he hurls a piece of the crystal at the floor, causing an explosion and leaving the hideout in ruin—Walter has substituted his meth with crystallized fulminated mercury. With the rest of the bag of explosives in his possession, Walt threatens to throw the entire bag and kill himself and everyone in the room. Tuco is impressed by Walt's "balls" and he tells Walt that he's won his respect and agrees to pay all of his debts, explaining that the meth he'd taken from Jesse sold better on the streets than any other product he's had. Walt then tells Tuco that he'll pay Walt and Jesse "up front" for future purposes and demands that Tuco now buy two pounds of his meth instead of one, which Tuco agrees to without hesitation Walt and Jesse set up a meeting with Tuco in an auto junkyard. Jesse criticizes Walt for his poor choice of location to set up a meeting with a psychopathic drug dealer. Tuco and his associates, No-Doze and Gonzo arrive. Tuco also makes fun of the location choice, asking "what, is the mall closed or something?" Walt explains to Tuco that due to a "production problem," they will have to delay the delivery of the rest of the first batch. Tuco is annoyed, and as an apology Walt offers to extend his offer to four pounds. Tuco agrees but delivers a stern warning: "Talk is talk. But owing me money, that's bad." Walt uses methylamine to deliver the amount of meth he promised in time. They meet again at the same auto junkyard and Walt delivers the first ever batch of blue meth. Tuco questions why the meth is blue, but Walt guarantees him it is as pure as their previous product. Tuco snorts some of the blue meth and approves of it, telling Walt to keep doing what he's doing and then pays Walt for the product. No-Doze then unthinkingly warns Walt and Jesse to remember who they are working for. High on the meth he just snorted, Tuco screams at his associate, claiming that he is disrespecting their new partners. Walt tries to calm down the situation by telling Tuco to relax, and Tuco responds by viciously beating No-Doze's face to a pulp, even showing Walt and Jesse his bloodied knuckles as he celebrates. Tuco laughs and tells a bewildered Walt he'll see him next week as Gonzo drags No-Doze's unconscious body to the car, and the drug dealers drive away Season 2 Walt and Jesse are horrified after witnessing the scene. As they get in Jesse's car and are driving out of the junkyard, Tuco's car returns and blocks their path. Tuco gets out of the car and drags an unconscious No-Doze out to the floor, ordering Walt to perform CPR to bring him back. Walt tries to explain to Tuco that CPR won't help, they need an ambulance to save the man's life. No-Doze then dies in front of them, prompting Tuco to release his rage by furiously kicking the corpse several times. He then orders Gonzo to dispose of the body, to which Gonzo says they should give his buddy a proper burial, but Tuco coldly orders him to stash the body underneath a stack of old cars. Tuco turns his attention to Walt and Jesse, dismissing the duo saying that they are "done" before violently pushing Jesse to the ground for no apparent reason. Walt and Jesse drive off from the junkyard and begin to fear that Tuco will mark them both for death because they were witnesses of Tuco murdering No-Doze. Later that day, Gonzo returns to the junkyard to retrieve No-Doze's body and give him a proper burial against Tuco's orders. As he is removing the body from under a pile of cars, the pile collapses on Gonzo's arm and he bleeds to death. The body is later found and the scene is investigated by the DEA. They find Tuco's bloody prints on No-Doze's body and decide to raid Tuco's hideout. Tuco left his hideout before the raid during the night, where several members of his crew were arrested. He then goes to Jesse's place and manages to kidnap him. They drive to Walt's house and trick Walt into getting in the car with Jesse, only for Tuco to point a gun at them and force them to drive to an unknown location. By the morning, they arrive at a cabin in the desert where Tuco lives with his disabled uncle Hector (who Tuco affectionally calls Tio), who suffered from a stroke and is now only able to communicate using a bell attached to his wheelchair. As he is cooking breakfast for them, Tuco orders both Walt and Jesse to give him their wallets so he can take a look at their documents, learning that "Heisenberg's" real name is Walter White. Tuco then asks Walt if he can trust him, to which Walt responds with a solid "yes" while looking Tuco in the eyes, gaining his trust. Unaware of Gonzo's death, Tuco believes that Gonzo was the one who turned him in to the DEA and brought the raid on his hideout; he is extremely upset about it and feels betrayed, stating that he treated Gonzo like a brother. Walt and Jesse are aware that Gonzo was found dead, so they play along so he won't think that they were the ones who ratted Tuco out. Tuco mentions his future plans, saying that he has a lot of connections south of the border and his cousins are coming to give them a lift to Mexico where Walt and Jesse will be taken to a superlab so they could "cook 24/7." He also states that, thanks to his connections, the DEA would not interfere with his business. Walt and Jesse then proceed with something they were planning before being kidnapped: poisoning Tuco with ricin disguised as a small bag of meth. Jesse easily convinces Tuco to snort it but the plan ultimately fails when Jesse explains that the "meth" contains chili powder. Tuco complains he hates chili powder as he throws the bag away. Tuco prepares burritos for Walt, Jesse, and his uncle. While Tuco is distracted in the kitchen, Walt attempts to sneak the ricin into Tuco's burrito in front of Tio, who Walt and Jesse believe to be in no condition to ruin their plan. It turns out that Hector is still very aware of his surroundings and when Tuco comes back with the other burritos Hector is able to convince Tuco not to eat the poisoned one. Believing Hector wanted the biggest burrito, he switches plate with his uncle, Hector then proceeds to push the poisoned burrito to the floor while staring angrily at Walt, but Tuco is unable to decipher the message. Later on, as Tuco is shooting animals with an assault rifle while he waits for his cousins to arrive, Hector keeps ringing his bell to call his nephew's attention. Tuco finally asks his uncle what he wants, and Hector is able to tell Tuco that he doesn't like Walt or Jesse. Walt tries to tell Tuco that Hector is not in his right mind, but Tuco is very aware that his uncle is still sharp. When Hector is able to tell Tuco that Walt and Jesse are "punking" him, Tuco furiously approaches Jesse, grabs him by the shirt and drags him out of the cabin as Walt runs after them trying to calm him down. Tuco proceeds to beat Jesse while using his assault rifle to keep Walt away. After beating Jesse for some time, Tuco points his gun to Jesse's head and demands to know what Walt and Jesse were up to, Walt reveals that they tried to poison him because he is "an insane, degenerate piece of filth." As Tuco is distracted by Walt's comment, Jesse is able to grab a rock and strike Tuco in the head, making him drop his rifle. Walt manages to grab the rifle but is unable to get a clear shot as Tuco and Jesse fight. Tuco gains the upper hand by choking Jesse while repeatedly slamming him against the ground but Jesse is able to grab a pistol from Tuco's belt and shoots him in the stomach. With Tuco out of action Walt and Jesse are able to make their escape. Some seconds later Tuco manages to stand up and approaches Jesse's car, noticing that they left behind the rifle. Another car approaches the cabin. Hank Schrader, searching for Jesse by tracking his car, approaches Tuco believing him to be Jesse. After a brief moment of silence, Hank realizes that he is actually confronting Tuco and draws his gun. Tuco grabs the assault rifle and shoots at Hank (who takes cover behind his police car). Both men run out of ammo and have to stop and reload. Tuco uses Jessie's car as a hiding spot, and Hank fully reloads his pistol, and Tuco peeks out from behind the car. In a split second, Hank pulls the trigger and shoots Tuco straight in the forehead, killing him and sending his body flying backwards. Following Tuco's death, Hank's DEA colleagues present him a paperweight embedded with Tuco's grill as a trophy, which he initially prizes but later throws into a river in disgust. At the DEA office, while Hank talks about Combo's death, an exed out mugshot of Tuco can be seen behind him Season 3 It is revealed that Tuco was not simply an ordinary drug dealer from Albuquerque, but he was a representative to the Cartel north of the U.S. border. It is also revealed that his uncle Hector was a highly influential member and one of the most feared capos before his health deteriorated. Tuco's cousins, hitmen for the cartel, are summoned to Albuquerque to kill Walt in retribution for Tuco's death, but upon learning from Gus that Hank was the DEA agent who killed Tuco, the cousins instead attempt to murder Hank in a shoot-out, but both die trying. Season 5 As Hank is going through old evidence documents, he briefly comes across a picture of Tuco's corpse.

Codex Statistics

Tier: 10-A, 9-C with knives and guns

Name: Tuco Salamanca, "Taco" (By Jesse Pinkman)

Origin: Breaking Bad

Sex: Male

Age: 41 (Better Call Saul), 47 (Breaking Bad)

Classification: Human, Cartel Distributor, Drug Kingpin

Status: Deceased

Alignment: Chaotic Evil (Tuco Salamanca is a mentally unstable individual who enjoys violence. Would have killed Saul Goodman if not for Nacho being able to calm down. While talking to Saul, he suggests ways to make the crime fit the punishment such as blinding them, cutting out their tongues, Columbian Neckties, and breaking their arms and legs. Attempted to kill Mike although Mike had done nothing but pissed him off the entire time. Beat up Jesse just because he didn't want anyone else selling meth. Beat No-Doze to death just because he thought he was insulting him)

Dimensionality: 3-D

Attack Potency: Athlete level (Cracked two skaters' legs with one of them even bending backwards. Can physically harm Mike Ehrmantraut. Beat up Jesse Pinkman so bad that it later hospitalized him. Beat No-Doze to death), Street level with knives and guns (Tuco used knives and guns in combat such as the Taurus Raging Judge, Jericho 941 R, and M4A1 Carbine)

Durability: Athlete level

Striking Strength: Athlete Class

Lifting Strength: Average Human

Travel Speed: Athletic Human (Comparable to Mike Ehrmantraut who was a former cop)

Combat Speed: Athletic Human, Supersonic to Supersonic+ with guns

Reaction Speed: Athletic Human

Stamina: High (Even while bleeding out, he still managed to have a gun fight with Hank)

Range: Standard Melee, Extended Melee with Knives, Hundreds of Meters with Guns

Intelligence: Average (While Tuco is a massively feared Drug Kingpin, it because of his sheer ruthlessness rather than his ability to make smart decisions)

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Powers and Abilities

Weapon Usage (Tuco used knives and guns in combat such as the Taurus Raging Judge, Jericho 941 R, and M4A1 Carbine), Martial Arts (Tuco uses physicals in combat such against Mike and Jesse Pinkman)

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Standard Equipment

• Jericho 941 R: Tuco Salamanca uses a Jericho 941 R with a two-tone finish as his sidearm. In Grilled, Jesse takes it from him while they are fighting on the ground and uses it to wound him.
• Taurus Raging Judge: When Jimmy McGill arrives at his Abuelita's home looking for Cal and Lars Lindholm, Tuco Salamanca retrieves the gun from where he has hidden it atop a dining room hutch and drags Jimmy. into the house at gunpoint. Tuco makes sure to hide the gun from Abuelita while she is in the room, but Jimmy eventually succeeds in convincing Tuco to release the brothers. However, after they reveal that Jimmy is behind their scam, Tuco turns the gun back on Jimmy and drags the three out into the desert.
• M4A1 Carbine: An M4A1 Carbine is used by Tuco Salamanca in "Grilled", when he takes Walter White and Jesse Pinkman hostage. Walt later takes this weapon from him when Tuco is bashed over the head with a rock by Jesse. However, Tuco gets it out of the car when DEA agent Hank, who is also Walt's brother-in-law, arrives at Tuco's hideout. While making his report to his superiors, Hank misidentifies the weapon as an M16, the M4's heavier, longer-barreled counterpart, which is incapable of fully automatic fire.

Optional Equipment

• 1970 Pontiac LeMans: Nacho and Mike execute their plan. Mike gets into his car and enters the parking lot for the restaurant. As he pulls into the small lot out front, he deliberately scrapes Tuco’s Pontiac LeMans. Tuco sees the collision and confronts Mike.
• 2007 Cadillac Escalade: The 2007 Cadillac Escalade is a car belonging to Tuco Salamanca

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Other

Standard Tactics: Tuco always leads with killing his opponent, normally in the most violent way possible.

Weaknesses: Tuco is mentally insane and acts impulsive because of the drugs he is taking

Trivia

• Tuco was the first person to use Blue Sky.
• Tuco was originally supposed to be the main antagonist of Season 2, but due to Raymond Cruz having difficulties portraying the character, he was killed off earlier than intended.
• Tuco, as a distributor of the Cartel, was loyal to Don Eladio Vuente. Coincidentally, Raymond Cruz once played a character going by virtually the same name, 'Eladio Buente', as part of the X-Files episode 'El Mundo Gira' in 1997.
• Tuco drives a 1970 Pontiac LeMans.
• In "Grilled", Hank says that Tuco is suspected of knifing a Mexican national back in 2003. This event ends up taking place in the Better Call Saul episode "Off Brand", which happens in 2003. In it, Arturo informs Hector that Tuco knifed a man while in prison.
• Tuco's death is the first of many firearm-related deaths featured onscreen during the entire Breaking Bad universe's production run.
• In "A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal", which takes place in 2008, Skinny Pete says that Tuco was released a year earlier, meaning he was out of prison in 2007 or late 2006 at best. In "Bad Choice Road", Lalo tells Hector that Tuco will be out of prison in 11 months, meaning that the episode takes place in either 2006 or late 2005. This would suggest that Tuco spent a little more time in prison than previously mentioned.
• Tuco is the only known member of the Salamanca family who died without Gustavo Fring being involved.

Gallery

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  Tuco as a kid with his family

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  Tuco talking to Saul out in the desert

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  Tuco and Nacho together

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  Tuco looking at the meth

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  A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal Promo

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  A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal Promo 2

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  Tuco after beating No-Doze to death

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  Tuco's dead body

Battle Records

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Discussion threads involving Tuco Salamanca