Edward and Al in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
(Aniplex of America)

5 Couple’s (and Matching) Anime Tattoos That Won’t Fill You With Terrible Regret If You Break-Up

Anime tattoos with a loved one? Embrace nerd life!

Whether you’re considering getting your first tattoo, have a couple already, or are, basically, covering your entire body with them—there are always new ideas brimming. We think about the tattoos we want or picture ourselves getting. And we’re living in an age where nerdiness is more embraced. People aren’t ashamed to show off their tattoos with quotes from their favorite shows. Nor are they afraid to put the faces of characters on their forearm. Long gone are those days when that would’ve seemed too dorky to fathom.

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Of course, a single tattoo on your body is fairly low risk for regrets, you’re making your own choice and (hopefully) know you like the fandom enough to tatt it onto your skin. However, there are those who decide to get a matching tattoo with somebody. And that is a commitment—we’re not always guaranteed lifelong connections with people. But when you get a matching tattoo with another human, you are basically guaranteed that the tattoo you got, celebrating your love, will be right there, on your body, even if you break up. And that can be a bummer of a reminder every time you look at it.

But if you truly love an anime, anime couple’s tattoos can be cute, and also, simply a way to show your love for a show, even if you and the person (you got them with) no longer hold them side by side. Here are 5 anime couple’s ideas that you’ll be happy with, no matter what the future holds.

1. Shinji and Eva Unit 01

eva unit 01 in Neon Genesis Evangelion
(Netflix)

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime that’s hard to forget after you watch it. (Even when you may want to because it’s very heavy, and if you have mental health issues it’s…a lot.) But what couple’s tattoos could you get that involve the series? A simple idea is Shinji and Eva Unit 01! Depending on what you’re looking for, one person could have Shinji wearing his helmet and the other could have the head of Eva Unit 01. A more expensive set of tattoos would be a full-body Shinji and Eva Unit 01.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Symbols

ed and al in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
(Aniplex of America)

Watching this anime for the first time is an experience a lot of us wish we could experience again. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an amazing anime and getting a tattoo inspired by it? That’s something you won’t regret. If you’re looking for matching ideas (with your favorite viewing partner) then maybe just go with alchemy symbols! There’s no shortage of those in this series (it’s called Fullmetal Alchemist after all) and you’ve got your pick of characters. Even the ones in the image above could work or the symbol on the back of Ed (voiced by Vic Mignogna)’s jacket. The nice thing is that you both have a symbol to match, but also, you both pick your favorite, so the tattoo has individual meaning to you.

3. Gon and Killua

gon and killua in Hunter x Hunter
(Madhouse and Viz Media)

Doesn’t matter if you prefer the 1999 version or the 2011 version, Hunter x Hunter is one of the best anime out there. Unfortunately, whether or not new manga material will be adapted is up in the air. But as you long for that day, tattoos honoring the series can be fun. And if you choose to go that route, it wouldn’t be any surprise if Gon x Killua is your choice. Whether you ship them, or simply see them as best friends, is up to you. Either way, having Gon’s face on your arm while someone else has Killua would be pretty special. Maybe they’d be sticking out their tongues or would be smiling like goofballs. They have lots of moments you can ink on your skin.

4. Giorno Butterfly Broaches

giorno in JJBA: Golden WInd
(Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Viz Media)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5 is one of my personal favorite parts. There’s a mile-long list of reasons why, so I won’t go too deep on that subject right now, but for tattoo ideas—there are endless ones inspired by Golden Wind. A simple matching tattoo idea is certainly Giorno (Phillip Reich)’s butterfly broach. Going full color with this one would be ideal. One person could go with their favorite version of the broach (the anime or manga colors) and the other could go with his final outfit colors (depicted above). Simple but gold.

5. Ryuk and Apples

ryuk in Death Note
(Viz Media)

If you’ve watched Death Note, then you know how much Ryuk (Willem Dafoe) loves apples. Which is one of the cutest things ever (don’t even try to tell me it’s not). And if you and your loved one want to get matching Death Note tattoos, why not go with something quirky like Ryuk and an apple? Maybe you’d have Ryuk from a side profile with his mouth open and the other person could have a bitten apple on their body? It may not register to others but you’d both know. That’s all that matters, right?

(featured image: Aniplex of America)


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Vanessa Maki
Vanessa Maki (she/her) is a queer Blerd and contributing writer for The Mary Sue. She first started writing for digital magazines in 2018 and her articles have appeared in Pink Advocate (defunct), The Gay Gaze (defunct), Dread Central and more. She primarily writes about movies, TV, and anime. Efforts to make her stop loving complex/villainous characters or horror as a genre will be futile.