When choosing an anime tattoo, careful planning is everything. You don’t want to look like a human manga, and you certainly don’t want to feel like a walking advertisement board. Fear not! We’re here with some food for thought, reviewing our top 10 anime tattoo ideas to satisfy any otaku.
Copy Your Favorite Anime Characters’ Actual Tats
This first entry is a bit of a cheat since it involves multiple ideas, but it’s a different way of getting a tattoo related to your favorite anime character. Depending on how much of your body you want to be covered in tattoos, you could duplicate the tattoos from an anime character, combine multiple characters, or put your own twist on it.
A good example is Scar’s Arm schematics From Fullmetal Alchemist and from there you can find numerous anime characters who are inked. Some of them have extreme tats, but others have mild ones as well. Either way, you can remix your own original tat from the characters you like and that will be something other fans will respect.
Sailor Moon’s Yellow Crescent
Sailor Moon is one the definitive anime shows to come out of the 90s and doesn’t get as much appreciation and recognition as other shonen titles. It combines girl power with princess vibes and is made for female audiences— something that seems to be disappearing from the anime scene. The crescent mark appears on members belonging to the royal family of the moon kingdom and appears on some of the sailor scouts’ clothing, foreheads, and transformation pens as well as on the forehead of Luna and Luna-P.
Another idea is choosing any of the planetary symbols of the sailor scouts. If you go for any of these symbols, make sure to keep an extra set of clothes handy in case you need to perform a magical transformation out of the blue.
Attack on Titan Wings of Freedom
The Wings of Freedom have a fantastic design and since Attack on Titan became one of the most popular anime series of the last decade, it’s a symbol you can proudly display. It also has a realistic military vibe to it because the heroes in the anime are basically at war for their survival.
There are several theories behind the actual meanings of the wings, but what’s most important is what they mean to you if you choose to get a tattoo of them. This is an awesome idea to show off for fans of Attack on Titan and prove their loyalty to a team of heroes dedicated to protecting the people.
One Piece Jolly Roger Flag
Luffy made being a pirate cool again and immersed audiences in a world of fantasy-filled adventure. The Straw Hat Pirates Jolly Roger symbol is the most recognizable image from the One Piece canon and symbolizes Luffy’s dream to become the king of pirates. This tattoo is a fantastic idea since it’s instantly iconic and other One Piece fans will quickly compliment your choice of ink.
Every pirate crew has its own Jolly Roger symbol, and there’s no better way to represent your favorite pirate crew or better yet— make up your own. If you get this crew, make sure to stay out of the water and stay away from sea stones!
My Neighbor Totoro
Who doesn’t like My Neighbor Totoro? This is one of anime’s magical treasures from Studio Ghibli and there are plenty of cute and adorable ideas to draw from this movie. You could have the entire lineup of Totoro and his group walking across your forearm or have a giant Totoro with his umbrella. The image shared above with Totoro standing beside Mei in the rain while waiting for the bus is another fantastic idea since this image is so iconic. If Totoro is near and dear to your heart you can always get a tattoo of the big adorable fuzzy guy by himself holding the umbrella!
And remember the dust balls critters known as Susuwatari? Those little guys would make fun little ink art almost anywhere. Studio Ghibli will forever be one of the most important studios in anime history and their stories have touched viewers of all ages and backgrounds. Having a tattoo that spreads awareness of any title from Studio Ghibli is a great use of ink.
Your Favorite Naruto Village Symbol
Who wouldn’t want to live in Naruto’s world and wield the magic art of ninjutsu? It’s easy to throw on a Naruto headband or wear a graphic shirt about the series, but if someone has the symbol of their favorite village tattooed on their body, they’re tied to that village for life. The standout village sign will of course be Konohagakure aka the hidden leaf, as seen on Naruto’s headband since it represents his dream of being Hokage and his entire journey. There are so many great memories shared between Naruto and his friends in this village, so this symbol will always remain profound for fans of the series.
For a tattoo idea, if you want to be a bit more unique, you should consider a different village such as Iwagakure or Kumogakure, among others. Choose carefully and make sure you have the appropriate jutsu hand signs ready to go at any moment.
Berserk Brand of Sacrifice
One of the most shocking, dark, and dramatic manga and anime that reached International popularity, Berserk can be summed up as one man’s struggle; Guts. His friendship and rivalry with Griffith and his tragic love for Casca set him on a course to save humanity from evil forces against the direst odds.
The brand of sacrifice is a mark that signifies the person as a desired sacrifice to the creatures of darkness and represents Guts’ story perfectly. Tread carefully if you get this tattoo, you just might have to take up arms with a large sword to protect others at a moment’s notice!
The Goku and Vegeta Fusion Poses
One of the most bizarre, funny, and awesome moments in anime history comes by way of Goku and Vegeta doing a fusion dance and merging into the character known as Gogeta, forever cementing history in Dragon Ball canon.
It’s not often two main anime characters combine into a newer and more powerful version of themselves. When they did, it was a whimsical combo of hilarious comedy and butt-kicking power. Imagine putting Goku and Vegeta on each of your forearms, then combing them to reenact the fusion. We think reliving this synergy puts you in a group of fans who understand and appreciate one of anime’s most iconic series ever.
Alternatively, if you and a best friend agree, you can have one character on your arm and the other on your friend’s arm, and then you can both show off and experience the power of fusion. Just remember, anytime someone wants to see your tattoos, you’ll have to be ready to do the fusion dance.
Catch Your Favorite Pokémon
Pokemon is arguably the number one anime franchise in the entire world, and the number of fans continues to grow by the day. If you want to prove how much of a master trainer and ultimate fan you are, you can get a tattoo of your favorite Pokemon character, gym badge, or the logo of the series. There are countless Pokémon tats out there and you wouldn’t have to look far to see one, especially when you’re around fans of the series at a con or event.
If you want to get unique ink from this franchise without looking like everyone else’, there are still ways of doing so. While most fans have their favorite characters drawn in a modern anime style, you might want to consider being an OG and getting an 8-bit-styled tattoo to celebrate the Gameboy era. This is a great idea to gift a fellow Pokemon fan, so share it with someone you know who’s a fan of the series ASAP!
Your Wish Come True – A Dream Mashup
There’s an endless amount of ideas you can use for inspiration if you’re an anime fan, and with so many different titles and characters to choose from, it could be difficult to decide. So why not one-up everything by creating your own artistic scene that combines several of your favorite anime characters into an awesome fight or maybe a heartwarming romantic moment? With a tattoo like this, not only will your tattoo be 100% original, but it will attract the gawking from any on-looking anime fan who’ll surely want to find out more about your tattoo!
A super cool mash-up example would be seeing past and present collide with a tattoo of your favorite Gundam mecha, but super-deformed/chibi style with your favorite Pokemon. Or how about an epic triple punch with the fists of your favorite Shonen heroes all connecting, like Goku, Saitama, and Luffy? There’s also Jotaro and his “Ora-ora-ora” going against Kenshiro from Fist of the Northstar. Another idea would be Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama from Mob Psycho 100 having a staring contest with Tetsuo Shima from Akira. It would be surprising seeing a few favorite female characters from multiple series altogether. Finally, how about your two favorite characters hanging out from similar genres, like Nezuko Kamado from Demon Slayer and Miyu from Vampire Princess Miyu?!
Now that you know about the top 10 anime tattoo ideas to satisfy any otaku, you can share this list with anyone you know who likes anime and has tattoos. Also, please tell us, what are some of your anime tattoos, and do you have ideas for some unique tattoos? Let us know in the comments below!
