Nobody knows what Bruce T's real name is. What we do know is that the 'T' in his pseudonym stands for 'tankie', referring to his leftist politics.
Bruce T was a famous Marxist-Leninist kung-fu monk, who was living in America when the Doomerist Jihad started. Despite multiple attempts to recruit him, Bruce T refused to join the Despair Speakers, stating that the Imperium's fascist policies could never align with his own.
As a young child, Bruce T grew up in China, where he was trained in martial arts in the Shaolin temple. From a young age he developed amazing skills, capable of easily defeating his peers, or even many of them at once due to his long hours of practice.
Afterwards, Bruce T decided to go around the world to fight martial artists from every country. However, when he was in America, the Doomerist Jihad started and he found himself unable to leave.
Due to being a rogue rebel and dangerous dissident, Bruce T was extensively hunted by the Imperium of Despair, primarily by Bashar Mukuro Ikusaba during the Jihad. However, Bruce demonstrated extraordinary aptitude with martial arts, at times taking on hundreds of Reserves or Monokuma units at once.
Bruce T once found a group of scared children inside a school. While he was searching for food to give to them, they were slaughtered by Bashar Ikusaba, causing him to develop a strong hatred for the commander. They fought on several occasions after that, with neither side managing to gain the upper hand.
Near the end of the Jihad, Bruce T was swarmed by Despair Speakers, and almost died. However, he was saved by Duncan Illinois at the last moment and joined the Red Army afterwards.