From Death Note to Gundams, Cowboy Bebop to Naruto and Pokemon, to Kiki’s Delivery Service, and everything in between, anime has been a poignant influence in many men’s lives since adolescence.

The sometimes visionary, philosophical messages proposed by these series aren’t as common in many other forms of media.

The powerful imagery that accompagnies these messages makes them the perfect basis for incredible, symbolic tattoos.

Or, you know, they can simply be a public display for your favorite character without any deeper meaning. Just the same as anime is filled with nuance and creativity and all kinds of human emotion, so too can the anime tattoo.

For the light-hearted, a simple Pokeball on the shoulder is simply a reminder of the carfree exploits of youth, just as a Sonic the Hedgehog on the ribs can be a reminder of the hours marathoning TV shows with siblings on the family couch. These comical, quirky figures are fun conversation starters, and their images hold a special place in our memories.

Of course, for the more devout anime fan, certain symbols from a touching manga can have a much deeper personal meaning. As a result, these images make for a more personalized tattoo meaning. A Geass, for example, might be a reminder to you about your metaphorical mission in this life.

Whatever direction you choose to go with your anime tattoo, the rich artistic base to pull from will certainly leave you satisfied.

Anime Tattoo Ideas

The ultimate fan of Goku and Dragon Ball Z would love to have a twin of this anime tattoos. It is one of the coolest full back tattoos in terms of composition, color and style. Tattoo artist captures the energy, vibrancy and the exaggeration of the facial features of an anime character particularly the large round eyes, thick dark brows, button nose and with a large ear to complement the big hair. The closed fist raised up in the air looks larger than life because of dragon details at the background which matches its color tones perfectly. Tattoo artist filled in negative space with Dragon Ball Z popular details. What is really striking is the composition, how the content was placed to fit the canvas and focus on the subject matter to make everything look cohesive. Then the play of colors all throughout to make the piece balance, aesthetic wise. Realism was also used by artist with the shading and contouring to add depth without losing the comic book appeal of the tattoo.