Kleon Ehrmantraut-Rivas

Kleon was born to two Filipino immigrant parents in southern California. He was raised on a ranch, both of his parents being ranchers. From as early as he could remember, Kleon was always helping his parents take care of their cattle and horses and playing outside, not caring to get dirty. Unfortunately, Kleon was often abused by his parents, who often belittled him and sought to make his life miserable. To make matters worse, he was often bullied at school due to his race and vitiligo. He found comfort in watching a lot of spaghetti Westerns, which helped solidify his persona of being a rough and tough vigilante cowboy he would develop as a young child and never abandon.

Kleon moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 18 to pursue a degree in animal science. He didn't quite know what drove him to move to New Mexico, but perhaps it was the attraction of the beautiful desert landscapes he had always seen in magazines, an escape he often dreamed of where he could be away from his domineering parents. While in college, Kleon was diagnosed with depression, and would carry the weight of that for all his years to come. After getting his degree, Kleon would start his dream of owning his own ranch. It was slow and very difficult, but through hard-work and dedication, Kleon made his dreams a reality. He found joy in his little ranch he made, viewing it as a victory in his battle with his depression and tough upbringing where he often thought he would never be good enough.

Kleon would live a peaceful and uneventful life on his small horse ranch for many years. Yet, he always felt a pull for adventure, like the cowboys in his movies he always admired. His desires would soon be answered by Caldera, a colleague Kleon had met while in college who was now working as a veterinarian in Albuquerque. When Caldera mentioned he had unconventional connections to opportunities Kleon might be interested in, the cowboy wasted no time in taking him up on the offer. Kleon quickly realized that he was becoming involved in criminal activites, but he didn't care; he just loved that he was finally living his dreams of being an outlaw.

As Kleon delved deeper into the criminal underworld, allured to the outlaw lifestyle, he crossed paths with Mike Ehrmantraut. The two found themselves in an unspoken connection of shared values. They found in each other great trust, but the lines between partnership and something more started to blur, with their shared ventures becoming a dance, a ballet of glances and unspoken words. Kleon was more upfront about his feelings, but it took Mike much longer to admit to his stirred emotions he often hid behind his stoic demeanor. It wasn't long before the rugged cowboy and the seasoned fixer deepened their bond and became entangled in each other in a web of romance spun by what Kleon considered destiny.