Ted Bruz

* Normal
* EX

Ted Bruz is a parody of junior US Senator for Texas, Ted Cruz. He is the fourth opponent in Election Year Knockout.

## Fighting Style

Ted Bruz is unique in that he uses magic to fight. His magical abilities are based off signs of the zodiac (the scorpion tail being Scorpio, the horns being Aries, the duplication being Gemini, and the fish slap being Pisces). His fight has many more different and diverse moves than the previous three, however his punches still have quite a slow wind-up and his stun period is still quite long. His stance is much more normal compared to the previous fighters, and more like a normal brawler or boxer.

## Normal Attacks

* **Normal Jab:** A jab with a long wind-up, though not as long as the previous fighters. Can be easily countered, dodged, intercepted, or blocked. In EX mode, The jabs comes in a combo of 3, and are faster and more powerful.

## Special Attacks and Attributes

Ted Bruz is probably the first fighter with special gimmick attacks, as follow:

* **Aries Charge:** Bruz take steps backwards, then charges towards the player in a bull-like fashion like the Bull Charge in the Punch-Out series. Like the Bull Charge, it can be intercepted. But unlike the Bull Charge, it is not an instant OHKD.
* **Gemini Twins:** Bruz leaps forwards as he creates a clone of himself, surrounding you both left and right. Both sides will attack in turns, alternating directions. Countering both sides gives you a long stun time. In EX mode, the sequence starts with a double Scorpio Tail, and if you didn't counter both after the entire sequnce, it finishes off with a Pisces attack.
* **Scorpio Tail:** Bruz steps into one side and launches a heavy-hitting scorpion tail at you. Can only be dodged. Do note however, Bruz slightly flashes red before and after the attack, which can be intercepted if timed perfectly.
* **Pisces attack:** Only seen in EX mode. If the player misuses a haymaker or lets the Gemini Twins sequence end, Bruz will slap the player with fish. If the attack connects, it depletes ALL of your stamina, dealing no damage but forces you to dodge an attack to continue fighting.

## Maverick's Advice

 "Yeesh. Not everyone looks better when they smile. Neither of you, for instance."

 "Knock knock. Who's there? Boo! Boo Who? Sad ghost. How are you losing to this wacko bird?"

## Rule Infractions

As per the unified rules of boxing established by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combat Sports:

* Ted Bruz is 49 years old. Most boxing associations don't allow boxers to compete past 40 years old, meaning he should've retired 9 years ago.
* His attire breaks several rules:
	+ Instead of boxing trunks, he wears suit pants
	+ Instead of boxing shoes or boxing boots, he wears oxfords
	+ Turtlenecks are not allowed to be worn in the ring
	+ His belt counts as an illegal accessory, even if it provides a clear line of demarcation for the waist
	+ Jackets are not allowed to be worn during the fight
	+ His watch counts as an illegal accessory
	+ His beard is too thick to be approvable, meaning he would need to cut some of his hair off
	+ He grabs a fish and tries to whack you with it, So he gets an infraction, for bringing and using it.
* While there are no clear rules regarding the use of magic due to its questionable existence, he would get 1 infraction for tag-teaming with a clone
* His Aries Charge involves Ted hitting the player with his head. Only attacks with the front of the closed fist are allowed, making this illegal.

Ted Bruz has 12 infractions.

## Trivia

* The Zodiac signs are a reference to the internet meme/conspiracy theory that Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified serial killer who was active from the late 60s to early 70s.
* Bruz’s equivalent in the Nintendo game Punch Out!! is most likely to be Great Tiger. Great Tiger uses a similar duplication technique called the "Mirage Dance" and also has an interceptable attack. Ironically, the only way to intercept Tiger's attack is if he doesn't glow red.
* The line between matches that refers to eating children is a reference to another internet meme in which there’s a photo of Cruz with the caption “This man ate my son.”