Unsurprisingly for a Better Call Saul featured several cameos and guest appearances by characters from its parent show. Following the pre-Breaking Bad lives of Saul Goodman a.k.a James McGill (Bob Odenkirk), Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), and Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), the series regularly dropped in characters from the wider universe in small or substantial roles, building up to the fateful moment Walter White (Bryan Cranston) first walked into Saul Goodman's office.
Some characters appeared in show-stopping cameos, while others popped up in more subtle ways. Kim and Jimmy's Howard plan required the assistance of a very minor associate of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), for example, while the final season's flash-forwards featured far more prominent players in the Breaking Bad world. Aside from the obvious characters like Saul/Jimmy, Mike, and Gus, there were many enjoyable return appearances from Breaking Bad characters in Better Call Saul.
Tuco Salamanca
Better Call Saul didn't waste time introducing characters from Breaking Bad, ending the pilot episode with Jimmy McGill being dragged into a house by the terrifying Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz). Having taken two skateboarding con artist twins Cal and Lal under his wing, Jimmy crossed paths with Tuco when the brothers disrespected the drug kingpin's grandmother. Jimmy negotiated with Tuco for the fate of the twins, talking the dealer down from death by torture to a broken leg. This was Jimmy's first brush with the cartel, one which would begin his Saul Goodman transformation.
In Better Call Saul season 2, Tuco also played a part in Mike's pre-Breaking Bad story. The former cop and future Breaking Bad fixer helped Ignacio Varga (Michael Mando) remove Tuco by goading him into a fight that landed him in prison. He remained in prison for the rest of Better Call Saul, being released at some point after the death of Lalo Salamanca, where he attempted to pick up the pieces of the family's broken drug distribution network.
Gonzo & No-Doze
Tuco's long-suffering lieutenants Gonzo (Jesus Payan) and No-Doze (Cesar Garcia) also appeared in Better Call Saul season 1, episode 2, "Mijo." The fraught dynamic between the three was already present as Tuco, frustrated, told No-Doze to stop helping him with intimidating Cal and Lal. This foreshadowed the brutal beating of No-Doze and the accidental death of Gonzo in Breaking Bad seasons 1 and 2.
The Nurse
When Breaking Bad season 4, he was rushed to Albuquerque's Lovelace Medical Center, where a pediatric nurse (T.C. Victoria Warner) barred Jesse from ing Brock's bedside. Years earlier, she had also remonstrated with Jimmy McGill when he stormed into his brother Chuck's hospital ward to turn off all the electrical devices. This was one of many subtle, deep-cut appearances by minor Breaking Bad characters that were peppered across Better Call Saul, making its fictional world much richer.
Brenda
This is open to interpretation as Better Call Saul actor Sarah Minnich was credited as "Party Girl" in the credits to Breaking Bad season 4, episode 2, "Thirty-Eight Snub." That said, given the aftermath of Kim (Rhea Seehorn) and Jimmy's plot against Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian) and the tragic fate of Better Call Saul's law firm HHM, it's entirely possible that secretary Brenda lost her job. The despair at losing such a secure position at a prestigious law firm could have driven her to a wilder lifestyle, partying with Jesse Pinkman as he struggled to cope with his guilt over killing Gale Boetticher.
Kaylee Ehrmantraut
Mike's granddaughter Kaylee was one of the few Breaking Bad characters to return to Better Call Saul played by a different actor. For obvious reasons, given the fact it was a Breaking Bad prequel, Kaylee was played by three different and younger actors throughout the Better Call Saul timeline. Kaija Roze Bales played Kaylee in Breaking Bad, and her younger self was played by Faith Healey, Abigail Zoe Lewis, and Juliet Donnenfeld in Better Call Saul seasons 1, seasons 2 to 4, and seasons 5 and 6 respectively.
Stacey Ehrmantraut
The widow of Mike's son Matty only had a very brief scene in Breaking Bad, waving at Mike when he dropped Kaylee home in Breaking Bad season 3, episode 13, "Full Measure." The character enjoyed a far more substantial role in Better Call Saul as the relationship between Mike and Stacey was explored in more depth, allowing viewers a greater insight into what motivated Mike in Breaking Bad. Played by Kerry Condon, most recently seen in The Banshees of Inisherin, Stacey was still grieving and fearful for the lives of herself and Kaylee in the wake of Matty's murder, but also acted as emotional counsel and for Mike throughout Better Call Saul.
Ken
Obnoxious stockbroker Ken (Kyle Bornheimer) clearly wasn't humbled after being scammed by Kim and Jimmy in Better Call Saul season 2, episode 1, "Switch." He later became an early victim of Walter White after cutting Walter up at the parking lot of his bank. Later in Breaking Bad season 1, episode 4, "Cancer Man," Walter sabotaged Ken's BMW by putting a damp squeegee between the conductors of the car battery. When Ken returned to his car, it burst into flames, complete with the obnoxious vanity plate "KEN WINS." Maybe that was finally enough to convince Ken to change his ways.
Officer Saxton
When Walter White refused to be kicked out of the family home in Breaking Bad season 3, episode 3, "I.F.T," Officer Saxton (Stoney Westmoreland) was incredibly unhelpful but did unwittingly give Skyler (Anna Gunn) the opportunity to reveal Walter's criminal enterprise. She didn't take Saxton's offer, which shouldn't have surprised the officer. He previously responded to a similarly suspicious call from Daniel Wormald (Mark Proksch), a proto-Walter White character whose baseball cards and pill stash was stolen by Nacho in Better Call Saul season 2, episode 1, "Switch."
Krazy-8
Krazy-8 (Maximino Arciniega) was Jesse Pinkman's original business partner before Walter White made the fateful decision to the meth business. In Better Call Saul, it was revealed that prior to breaking out on his own with Jesse, Krazy-8 was a close friend of Nacho Varga and one of the dealers in the Salamanca drug empire. After the beating doled out to him by Nacho on the orders of Hector Salamanca, it was hardly surprising that he decided to go independent.
Hector Salamanca
As Better Call Saul prepared to introduce Gustavo Fring in season 3, Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) was an integral part of the build-up. Going into Better Call Saul, viewers may have assumed it would be revealed that Gus was responsible for Hector's condition. However, the tensions between the Vargas and the Salamancas led to Nacho putting Hector in a wheelchair, while Gus saved his life, still holding out hope that one day he'd have vengeance for the death of his partner Max.
