Tattoos are expression -- permanent additions to one's own skin in order to tell a story, to honor a memory, or as a tribute to something meaningful. While it's safe to assume there's probably a story behind most tattoos, oftentimes even more intense, more exciting, and generally more interesting stories can be found behind the tattoos of characters in video games.
With lives that transcend the boundaries of reality, tattoos in video games can serve a multitude of novel purposes. Sometimes they can enhance power, be indicative of a blessing or a curse, or serve as a badge of honor for some incredible feat like slaying a god. Throughout gaming history, certain tattoos have gained iconic status and the meanings behind them are worth being explored.
10 Jack Wears Her Tattoos As A Warning
Fans of Mass Effect will have no issue recalling Jack, Cerberus's infamous Subject Zero. Her appearance is intimidating and that is, in no small part, thanks to her impressive tattoos. Jack's tattoos are multi-purpose: to tell her story and to warn others that she's not to be messed with.
The way Jack puts it, some of her tattoos are from prisons she's been in, some are for noteworthy kills, some are for things that she's lost (but won't share with others), and others she got just because she wanted to.
9 Jin Kazama's Tattoo Is A Symbol Of The Devil Gene
While it's not much visually, Jin's tattoo has almost become synonymous with the Tekken series itself. The tribal looking symbol indicates that Jin can transform into a devil version of himself and further enhance his martial arts skill.
That tattoo is actually branded onto his left arm after half of Devil's soul split from Kazuya Mishima and successfully joined with Jin. It's unclear why this brand is borne by Jin and not his father Kazuya, but since Jin gained the mark in Tekken 3, it's quickly risen to iconic status ever since.
8 Hanzo From Overwatch Has Some Seriously Ornate Ink
In his default skin, Overwatch's Hanzo has a noteworthy sleeve tattoo that starts on his chest and creeps down his arm. The tattoo depicts an ornate eastern dragon flying through storm clouds. It's pretty clear what this represents.
Hanzo is a member of the Shimada clan and there is an ancient story shared throughout their family about two dragon brothers. Overwatch fans also know that Hanzo's ultimate ability summons two winding dragons to wreak havoc to any and all in their past. The move truly captures the essence of his tattoo.
7 Street Fighter's Vega Displays His Villain Status Via Tattoo
Fighting game fans will recognize Vega typically by one of three details: his mask, his claw, or his purple snake tattoo. While relatively simple in terms of design, the snake is a clear indication of his villainous alignment.
While maybe not as striking to western audiences, body tattoos are heavily associated with yakuza members. The addition of a simple yet intimidating snake tattoo shows Japanese players from the jump that Vega is not to be trusted.
6 Desmond Miles' Assassin Heritage Tattoos
The first modern-day protagonist of early Assassin's Creed titles, Desmond Miles was an Assassin by birth, not by choice. Players will know that he fled from the strict lifestyle of a modern-day Assassin and tried to pursue a life of his own. Unfortunately for him, he still ends up playing a pivotal role in the Assassin-Templar conflict.
Desmond has an ornate tattoo that wraps around his left forearm. It doesn't look like much at first, but when unwrapped, the ornate design seems to contain a detail heavily associated with the Assassin brotherhood: the spread wings of an eagle. Maybe Desmond didn't hate his heritage after all?
5 God Of War's Kratos And His Iconic Tattoos
Inspired by his brother's birthmarks, Kratos' tattoos were adopted after he made a vow to never falter again. In many ways, Kratos' tattoos make him out to be the Punisher of Ancient Greece. The promise behind Kratos' ink is clearly one that he refused to forget; as throughout the series, winning is consistently what he does best.
From basic foot soldiers to the gods that sit at the top of Mount Olympus and even into different mythologies entirely, no one can stand in his way. It begs the question: how much of his strength comes from the God of War's tattoo?
4 Red XIII Is A Tattooed Character
The feline-esque party member from Final Fantasy VII is also a bearer of some pretty iconic ink. The one, in particular, that was given to him by Professor Hojo is of the Roman numeral XIII. This is something that causes Red XIII to speculate whether or not he is the result of a Sephiroth clone experiment.
This is later revealed not to be the case. Still, even aside from his artificial branding, the other markings, taken to be symbols of Red XIII's tribe, make for nice looking tattoos, as well. For now, fans will have to speculate as to their meaning.
3 Faith's Game Logo Tattoo
Largely underrated Mirror's Edge features a dystopian future where everything feels sterile and uninviting. Game protagonist Faith Connors, however, brings a splash of life and vibrance wherever she freeruns. From her stand out red and black outfit to her striking tattoos, it's no wonder that her ink is so noteworthy.
Sporting two major pieces, Faith's first tattoo is a starburst around her eye that celebrates her first successful run as a courier. Her second tattoo, the circuitry-style arm piece, is actually strongly tied to her mother in both the original Mirror's Edge and the reboot Mirror's Edge Catalyst.
2 No One Would Ever Want Rei Kurosawa's Tattoo
Fatal Frame III introduces Rei Kurosawa who falls victim to the prevalent Tattooed Curse. A result of the pain of loss, this tattoo of a snake and holly serves as a gauge of how much a victim has fallen to the curse. The deeper in they are, the more of their body the tattoo covers.
The holly represents the pain of love over those who have died and the snake represents feelings of yearning. While this design is certainly impressive and admirable, this may be a tattoo that fans will want to avoid at all costs.
1 Very Little Needs To Be Said About Agent 47's Tattoo
Fans of the Hitman videogame series know full well that if you see a bald man with a barcode tattooed on the back of their head, run away fast. This mark is the telltale sign of Agent 47 -- one of a number of assassin clones -- and the main protagonist of the Hitman series.
Cloned to be effectively a killing machine, Agent 47's barcode functions as a means to access certain locations like the facility where he was cloned and trained. Likely, by nature of being a barcode, someone with the right authorization could access information about Agent 47, as well. Functional and intimidating, the tattoo fits the character perfectly.