When people mention the Yakuza games, a few memes and minigames come into mind. But amidst the power struggles and furniture-bashing fun, an important discussion needs to be had. The discussion being: who has the best tattoos in the games? Tattoos are integral to Yakuza (except Takumi Someya who doesn't have one), and a good representation of their character and subsequent growth in the series.
We're all familiar with the Dragon of Dojima's tattoo, but there are others that deserve just as much recognition. Based on artistry and memorability, these iconic tattoos probably got you thinking about getting one yourself.
10 Kiryu Kazuma
He's not here just because he's Kiryu. We've seen his tattoo change, from the first time it was introduced without any color or shading in Yakuza 0, up to the succeeding games where it gained and lost vibrancy — Kiryu's dragon had a long and rough road, much like its wearer. It was even restored to its former glory by Utabori after Kiryu got out of prison.
Needless to say, Kiryu's tattoo is the most popular tattoo in the series — given that his back and his grand tattoo is on the cover of Yakuza 6: Song of Life. He's not the only one to have a dragon on his back, but it would be a crime to leave him out, especially with just how iconic it is to the game.
9 Yumi Sawamura
Some tattoo artists think flowers are overrated, but that opinion doesn't hold weight when you're talking about a game where full sleeves and colored backs are commonplace. Yumi has a small, yet elegant tattoo of a Lady of the Night flower on the upper right of her chest.
In a world where big and grand symbols are all the rage, Yumi's tattoo stands out as the smallest and most elegant of the bunch. The style doesn't scrimp on details, but it's not distinctly irezumi. Also inked by Utabori himself, Yumi got this beautiful flower as a symbol of her hope to meet Kiryu again, even if only for a night.
8 Akira Nishikiyama
Nishikiyama rightfully has a koi fish taking up his whole back, and it has to do with his name. The first kanji character in his name uses the same character and pronunciation as koi. Technicalities aside, Nishikiyama's lively red koi fish is swimming upwards, and has splashes of gray waves behind it.
It references the koi's swim upstream to Yellow River to become a dragon. But even without knowing all of that, it's memorable to see the transformation of this fish from its original unshaded outline to the grand and colorful koi it has become.
7 Daisaku Kuze
Kuze's tattoo is probably one of the first ones you've seen if you started playing Yakuza 0, which makes it very memorable. Love or hate him all you want, but nobody can deny that his tattoo on his back and the half-sleeves he has on his arms make him look great.
He has the guardians of Hell, Gozu and Mezu, on his left and right arm. Enma, the judge and ruler of Hell is the figure occupying his whole back. He does give you hell quite a lot of times, but you can also appreciate the well-thought of and skillful positioning of his body art.
6 Saejima Taiga
You'll start to see a pattern here: most of the tattoos represent the heavenly beasts. Taiga isn't different here, with a beautifully etched tiger on his back. Both the tiger and the dragon are equally powerful in Buddhism, which is a great choice of ink for Saejima, whose strength rivals that of Kiryu's.
His tiger has its fangs bared, presumably as an outward show of his strength. But he also has details of bamboo grass to reference his former clan. Though not the only tiger tattoo featured in the game, his is simpler, which makes the important details stand out.
5 Naoki Katsuya
Cranes are also a popular choice for tattoos, but you'll find only one in this game series. Naoki's tattoo is the most elegant among the Yakuza, since it's a crane in flight, with white wings that are gracefully spread. These birds symbolize peace, wisdom, and loyalty.
Naoki surely possesses these qualities, which makes it fitting for him to have this inked on him. As beautiful as it is, the maintenance of this piece would've been a pain to deal with. This is because it's mostly colored with lighter shades that are notorious for fading easily.
4 Ichiban Kasuga
If you can't pick one animal, how about two while sharing its body? That doesn't make a lot of sense until you lay eyes on Ichiban's tattoo, who sports a large dragonfish on his whole back. It's not a tattoo you would commonly see, but it's definitely a piece to marvel at. It's also a small reference to how a dragonfish is technically "like a dragon", basically hinting at the title.
Even if it's an eccentric tattoo, you feel a sense of familiarity to it. That's because it's a combination of both Kiryu and Nishikiyama's tattoo, and it all circles back to the myth of the koi swimming upstream to become a dragon. Only this time, the koi is at the state of transforming into a dragon — it shows that it has a great future ahead of it, as it's yet to fully transform into a dragon.
3 Ryuji Goda
This is the third dragon on this list (second, if you don't count Ichi's), but it's all for a good reason. The Dragon of Kansai's tattoo is Huang Long, the lord of the heavenly beasts. It has unflinching eyes, and a head that stares at anybody who dares to look its way. Just like its wearer, it's bold and ambitious.
It's a great symbol of power, and it stands out despite the dragon being the sole creature present in the piece. The colors are well-chosen, and the red shades contrast the otherwise yellow dragon. There are a lot of dragon tattoos in this series, but Ryuji's stands to be one of the best in terms of composition and contrast.
2 Goro Majima
Alright, enough with the dragons — Hannya masks are underrated. Majima has his chest and half of his arms and thighs covered by black clouds and flowers. Snakes also coil around his chest area and arms, and a large Hannya mask covers his back. When described this way, it sounds inconceivably chaotic. But in execution, the elements blend out perfectly amidst the mess.
But, as you already know, it's reflective of the Mad Dog of Shimano's character to have something chaotic etched on him. Beyond that, Hannya masks are also representative of those consumed by sorrow — something we all know with his heart-wrenching backstory. Its uniqueness and boldness gives it a good spot among the most iconic tattoos in the series.
1 Shimabukuro Rikiya
Nice snake? Not just any snake, but a Viper — call it just a snake and Rikiya would rage against you the same way he did against Kiryu. This guy loves Okinawa very much, and claims that his Viper holds the heart and soul of Okinawa. He's a colorful personality, and it shows in his tattoo.
Out of everybody in the game, he's the most passionate about his tattoo, and has a whole substory dedicated to it in Yakuza 3. He sought after Utabori since his artist passed before finishing his Viper's eye. It's a visually appealing tattoo, but the man who wears it brings life and justice to the piece.