Anime is a style of Japanese animation that has become popular around the world. The characters in Anime are based on manga characters, with large eyes, small mouths and unusual hairstyles. The characters are often brightly colored – they may resemble humans but their skin, hair and eyes can be a rainbow of hues. The brightness and action of anime films and series have won this art style a fan base that stretches across the globe.
A colorful tattoo of Motoko Kusanagi from the anime film Ghost in the Shell. She is also known as “The Major” and her body is almost completely mechanized. Only her brain and part of her spinal cord are still organic human tissue and bone. [source]
Anime Tattoos combine Animation and Body Art
Anime characters are a popular subject for fan art. Thousands of drawings, paintings and digital art works celebrate famous anime characters such as Naruto, Vegeta and Goku. Devoted anime fans have taken to tattooing images of their favorite anime characters on their skin in a permanent body art homage to the characters. Each character has a distinct personality and history, creating iconic personalities that are expressed through animations and images of the characters.
A tattoo of Goku from the Dragonball manga and anime, tattooed by Nelson Mandingo. Goku’s hair is originally black but when he becomes a Super Saiyan, it turns golden, as shown in this tattoo. [source]
A tattoo of the brother Edward and Alphonse Elric from the anime series Fullmetal Alchemist. The two brothers are alchemists who set out in search for the Philosopher’s Stone, which would allow them to recover their bodies. Until they find the Philosopher’s Stone, Alphonse’s spirit lives in a suit of armor and Edward has a bionic arm and leg. [source]
Japan first started exploring animation in the decade of 1910 – 1920. By the 1960s, a distinctly Japanese animation style began to develop. By the 1980s, this style was known as “anime” and it became popular with viewers all over the world. The majority of anime films and series are voiced in Japanese and shown in other countries with subtitles. Die hard anime fans from the West claim that subtitled anime films are far more enjoyable than versions that have been dubbed into English. The subtitles and Japanese language all add to the viewing experience for anime fans in the West.
A fan art tattoo of Ichigo Kurosaki from the popular anime series Bleach. Ichigo protects people from evil spirits called Hollows and send good spirits, called Wholes, to Soul Society. This connection with the soul, the afterlife and concepts of good and evil make Ichigo a popular choice for anime tattoo designs. [source]
Anivide.com asked its users to vote for their favorite anime series, compiling a list of the top anime series. Naruto Shippuden comes in first, with Bleach following close behind in second place. Each of these anime series play host to entire worlds that are similar to our own but include magic, strange creatures and endless adventures. For many anime fans, the most enjoyable aspect of Japanese animation is the sensation of being a mute companion to the characters, joining them in their fantasy world for exciting experiences.
A tattoo that combines Naruto and Sasuke from the anime series Naruto, making one face out of both characters. In the series, Naruto and Sasuke are evenly matched and often compete against one another. The two characters represent opposing forces, so depicting both characters as a balanced whole, as in this tattoo design, gives the tattoo a similar meaning to yin yang tattoos. [source]
Tattoos of Anime Characters
The style of anime is distinctive. In moments of action or high drama, the character’s facial expression will be exaggerated or made into an abstract portrayal of the emotion being expressed by the character. To create tension in a scene, animators will often pose the characters in a stand-off, with little movement in the scene. These techniques are not only used to create drama in the animation – it is faster and more economical for animators to use these techniques than to animate a scene that is filled with movement. Even lip-synching is often thrown over for the more efficient and cheaper techniques of simply opening and closing the character’s mouths.
A powerful anime tattoo of the famous animated character Naruto. The storylines of anime often deal with ideological concepts such as good, evil and fate. Although many people choose to have tattoos of an anime character because they like the character, some people use the anime characters in tattoos designs as symbols of a deeper meaning. Naruto, for example, can be a tattoo symbol of strength and determination. [source]
The most popular anime series are Naruto Shippuden, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist and Code Geass. All of these series have characters that have been celebrated in tattoo art. Anime fans will choose a character to tattoo based on the personality and history of the character. Sometimes a tattoo of an anime character is chosen as a symbol of that character’s attributes such as bravery, wisdom or passion. Some anime tattoos are chosen because the anime series has been a constant in that person’s life, helping them to heal from illness or simply being a staple part of their media diet.
A tattoo of the walking house from the anime film Howl’s Moving Castle. In the fantasy worlds created in anime, even inanimate objects like a ramshackle house are given so much character that they literally come to life. Even though Howl’s moving castle was moved by mechanical means in the film, the house has so much personality that it becomes a character of its own. [source]
