Anime Tattoo Guide For Japanese Animation Lovers

To help you with your research for your next tattoo design, we went on a hunt through Instagram to find the best anime tattoo ideas.

Take a look below to check them out all:

Death Note is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata.

Story

The story follows Light Yagami, a teen genius who discovers a mysterious notebook: the “Death Note”, which belonged to the Shinigami Ryuk, and grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name is written in its pages.

The series centers around Light’s subsequent attempts to use the Death Note to carry out a worldwide massacre of individuals whom he deems immoral and to create a crime-free society, using the alias of a god-like vigilante named “Kira”, and the subsequent efforts of an elite Japanese police task force, led by enigmatic detective L, to apprehend him.

Air time

A 37-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Tetsurō Araki, was broadcast in Japan on Nippon Television from October 2006 to June 2007.

Death Notes tattoos

This dark themed anime series is very popular among the horror tattoo lovers. Death note tattoo designs can feature blood, the demon-looking Ryuk character and other eery elements.

Naruto is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto.

Story

It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

The story is told in two parts – the first set in Naruto’s pre-teen years, and the second in his teens.

Success

Naruto is the fourth best-selling manga series in history, selling 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries, with 153 million of the sales in Japan alone and remaining 97 million copies elsewhere.

Naruto tattoos

Bright colors and a vibrant aesthetic make Naruto tattoos very popular among its fans, from small pieces to elaborate Naruto tattoo sleeves.

Sailor Moon (later as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi.

Story

The series follows the adventures of a schoolgirl named Usagi Tsukino as she transforms into Sailor Moon to search for a magical artifact, the “Legendary Silver Crystal”.

She leads a group of comrades, the Sailor Soldiers (Sailor Guardians in later editions) as they battle against villains to prevent the theft of the Silver Crystal and the destruction of the Solar System.

Air time

It was originally serialized in Nakayoshi from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters were published in 18 tankōbon volumes.

The manga was adapted into an anime series produced by Toei Animation and broadcast in Japan from 1992 to 1997.

Sailor Moon tattoos

This anime is a favorite when it comes to the tattoo world, with Sailor Moon tattoos appearing in almost all anime tattoo top charts.

One Piece (stylized as ONE PIECE) is a Japanese anime television series based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga series of the same name.

Story

The story follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body gained the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil Fruit.

With his crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy explores the Grand Line in search of the world’s ultimate treasure known as “One Piece” in order to become the next Pirate King.

Air time

One Piece premiered in Japan on Fuji TV in October 1999, has aired over 970 episodes, and has been exported to various countries around the world.

One Piece tattoos

These tattoos are usually very vibrant and colorful.

The scenes they feature vary from the fighting scenes to the more funny ones capturing the characters having fun.

Princess Mononoke is a 1997 Japanese epic fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli.

Story

Princess Mononoke is set in the late Muromachi period of Japan (approximately 1336 to 1573 CE), but it includes fantasy elements.

The story follows a young Emishi prince named Ashitaka, and his involvement in a struggle between the gods of a forest and the humans who consume its resources.

The term Mononoke is not a name, but a Japanese word for supernatural, shape-shifting bein gs that possess people and cause suffering, disease, or death.

Airtime

The film was released in Japan on July 12, 1997, and in the United States on October 29, 1999. It was a critical and commercial blockbuster, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan of 1997, and also held Japan’s box office record for domestic films until 2001’s Spirited Away, another Miyazaki film.

Princess Mononoke Tattoos

The princess and her beautiful wolf are the common elements featured in the Princess Mononoke tattoo designs, with different interpretations and versions of the scenes from the movie.

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli.

Story

Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a 10-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighbourhood, enters the world of Kami (spirits of Japanese Shinto folklore).

After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba’s bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.

Yubaba takes away the second kanji of her name, Chihiro, renaming her Sen. Haku later warns her that if she forgets her name like he has forgotten his, she will not be able to leave the spirit world.

While working, she invites a silent creature named No-Face inside, believing him to be a customer.

Release

Originally released in Japan on 20 July 2001 by distributor Toho, the film received universal acclaim.

Spirited Away Tattoos

Spirited Away tattoo designs can feature different characters – lovely Chihiro, the dragon Haku, the spirit No Face, and other small characters and scenes from the castle.

Berserk is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Miura.

Story

Set in a medieval Europe-inspired dark fantasy world, the story centers on the characters of Guts, a lone mercenary, and Griffith, the leader of a mercenary band called the “Band of the Hawk”.

Miura premiered a prototype of Berserk in 1988. The series began the following year in the Hakusensha’s now-defunct magazine Monthly Animal House, which was replaced in 1992 by the semimonthly magazine Young Animal, where Berserk continues to be published intermittently. Miura died of aortic dissection in May 2021, leaving it unclear whether the manga will continue to be serialized.

Airtime

Berserk was adapted into a 25-episode anime television series by Oriental Light and Magic, which covered the Golden Age story arc, and was broadcast from October 1997 to March 1998.

Berserk Tattoos

Again, with the Berserk tattoo designs we have a more dark vibe, especially since it’s set in the cruel and obscure medieval European times.

There is the small token tattoo many fans get, all the way to entire Berserk tattoo sleeves.

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984.

The anime, particularly Dragon Ball Z, is also highly popular across the world and is considered one of the most influential in boosting the popularity of Japanese animation in Western culture. It has had a considerable impact on global popular culture, referenced by and inspiring numerous artists, athletes, celebrities, filmmakers, musicians and writers across the world.

Story

Dragon Ball was originally inspired by the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, combined with elements of Hong Kong martial arts films.

The series follows the adventures of protagonist Son Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts. He spends his childhood far from civilization until he meets a teen girl named Bulma, who encourages him to join her quest in exploring the world in search of the seven orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered.

Along his journey, Goku makes several other friends, becomes a family man, discovers his alien heritage, and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls.

Release and air time

The initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha.

Toriyama’s manga was adapted and divided into two anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which together were broadcast in Japan from 1986 to 1996.

Success

Since its release, Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time, with the manga sold in over 40 countries and the anime broadcast in more than 80 countries. The manga’s 42 collected tankōbon volumes have sold over 160 million copies in Japan, and are estimated to have sold more than 250–300 million copies worldwide, making it two best-selling manga series in history.

Dragon Ball Tattoos

Since this series has such a long history and huge success, the Dragon ball tattoo designs are as varied and diverse as possible.

From colorful, elaborate fighting scenes with Goku, to small outlines of the main characters, the elements of this series are so recognizable that they can offer something for every tattoo lover.

Pokémon (an acronym for Pocket Monsters in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, a company founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures.

Story

In Pokémon, humans, known as Pokémon Trainers, catch and train Pokémon to battle other Pokémon for sport.

The concept of the Pokémon universe, in both the video games and the general fictional world of Pokémon, stems from the hobby of insect collecting, a popular pastime which Tajiri enjoyed as a child.

Players are designated as Pokémon Trainers and have three general goals: to complete the regional Pokédex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where a game takes place, to complete the national Pokédex by transferring Pokémon from other regions, and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers so they may eventually win the Pokémon League and become the regional Champion.

Games, shows and other works within the franchise are set in the Pokémon universe. The English slogan for the franchise is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!”.

There are currently 898 Pokémon species

Release and air time

The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1995, and it’s still active to this day.

Pokemon tattoos

With such a huge number of characters – both human and Pokemon – the Pokemon tattoo designs are as versatile as an anime tattoo can get.

You can get a specific Pokemon tattooed, or a combination of them in a scene to create an elaborate Pokemon tattoo sleeve.

Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa.

Story

The steampunk world of Fullmetal Alchemist is primarily styled after the European Industrial Revolution.

Set in the early 20th century, in a fictional universe in which alchemy is a widely practiced science, the series follows the journey of two alchemist brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who are searching for the philosopher’s stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy.

Release

It was serialized in Square Enix’s Monthly Shōnen Gangan shōnen manga anthology magazine between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected the individual chapters into twenty-seven tankōbon volumes.

The manga has sold over 80 million volumes worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series.

Fullmetal Alchemist tattoos

Fullmetal Alchemist tattoo designs are often centered around the steampunk totem symbol of the series. It can also feature other elements and symbols, usually to create an abstract design that is dark in nature.