fullmetal alchemist features a variety of killer characters, symbols, mythology, and magical elements that make tattoo apps very badass.
Japanese manga series Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are two of the most popular fantasy titles in the Pacific. this connection extends to an incredible variety of tattoo designs and ideas.
For the uninitiated, the story of Fullmetal Alchemist follows Edward and Alphonse Elric, brothers with the supernatural ability to transform matter, known as alchemy. After losing her mother to illness, and almost annihilating themselves trying to save her, Edward loses his left leg and right arm, and Alphonse’s entire body is destroyed.
Alphonse bonds himself to a massive alchemical suit of armor, while Edward gains almost magical prosthetics. together they move through the world seeking to find the philosopher’s stone and heal themselves, all the while fighting some memorable bad guys and meeting other mystical alchemists along the way.
read on for the top 60+ fullmetal alchemist tattoos to help you plan your next tattoo:
1. black and gray metal alchemist tattoos
These black and gray tattoos depicting characters, scenes and ideas from fullmetal alchemist apply almost all technical applications to bring them to life. Whether it’s putting grayscale details on Alphonse’s armor, blurry, swift shadows amidst the sharp lines of Eric’s prosthetic arm, or much thicker black ink, these anime-style tattoos work perfectly.
2. anime style color
These color anime tattoos opt for brighter, less detailed depictions. there is much less nuance as the colors work together to form shades and create variety within each design. I like how many more detailed parts of these tattoos are found in the companion images or within framed shapes to work against each other.
Alphonse is such a unique character that it’s no wonder he’s a favorite character drawn in a variety of tattoo styles. however, eric looks like a character straight out of the core anime tattoo casting, which also provides a good opportunity to paint cool color designs.
3. blood rune and ouroboros tattoos
A blood rune is a sacred symbol used to bind someone’s soul to an inanimate metal object, such as alphonse. the iron in the blood will interact with the metal it is on, causing the item and the blood rune to form a symbiosis.
according to the full metal alchemist wiki: “the ouroboros is a mystical symbol that represents a dragon devouring its own tail, representing the eternal cycle of life and death or totality and infinity… surrounded within is a hexagram, which It is a symbol often associated with alchemy as well as human creation. One could perceive the ouroboros as a kind of basis for the transmutation circle used in the series.”
While these symbols are too heavy for a casual observer, it is easy to see why these symbols make tattoos popular and visually striking.
4. flame symbol
the flamel holy symbol that edward wears on his coat and alphonse on on his shoulder comes from his teacher izumi curtis. the serpent cross is an ancient alchemical symbol that represents the elimination of a volatile or poisonous element.
From a tattoo perspective, they are less traditional than the earlier blood rune, hexagram or ouroboros and are a great symbol that anyone familiar with manga can recognize and appreciate.
And if you’re not sure about getting a real one, you can always try getting a flamel temporary tattoo before you go all the way with your ink!
5. line tattoo design art
Some of these line tattoos were implemented more differently than the usual, more intense use of black outline. they go for a thin, understated type of almost freehand lines that look more like they’ve been etched with a pen or ballpoint pen, and I’m sure some will have color or shading added to complete and finish them off.
Other more traditional line tattoos feature neatly etched ink dedicated to the circle of transmutation, which is the magic circle needed to successfully use alchemy. the clarity of these sharp lines looks great when delivered with such precise lines.
The one that attracts the most is the red and black trash polka style piece, thicker and more saturated with black lines. the brothers and flamel symbol in flat black against the blood red runes and accompanying abstract patterns create a concept uniquely suited to a junk polka design.
6. full metal alchemist sleeve page tattoos
These sleeve page style tattoos do an excellent job in traditional applications. they are sharp images, in the form of the popular books that all Japanese children travel with on the train. i like how these tattoos show flashbacks of the elric brothers with their mother, or ones that show other characters in situations that could have come straight off the page.
the use of different panels to juxtapose detailed black and gray shading, against other sheets engraved purely with lines, creates interesting contrasts in the design for tattoo art enthusiasts to admire.
7. roy mustang tattoo design art
Colonel Roy Mustang is Eric’s superior and, at first glance, he appears to be an arrogant and foolish person. Mustang, however, is a brilliant commander, spymaster, and useful in a fight. Rarely out of uniform, Mustang has a flame scar on the back of his left hand that he won in an episode in a fight with the homunculus (artificial human) Lust. there are eight homunculi that act like the bad guys: father, envy, lust, greed, wrath, gluttony, sloth, and pride.
These portrait-style anime pieces show a mustang in uniform, ready to throw some alchemy, and are enhanced by the sharp use of blue uniform color and modeling devices such as the diamond shape or the crackling energy.
8. scar tattoos
okay, scar is a vigilante serial killer looking to take out the state alchemists because they nearly destroyed his people. and he has a huge x-shaped scar on his forehead. His tattoos are a kind of alchemy matrix, and he uses them as his weapon of choice. incredible! There’s a reason he’s on any favorite character list.
Replicating his tattoos (heavy black ink and an almost tribal design within his alchemy) is a nice way to pay homage to the show, but to do it in a specific way as a nod and nod to other serious fans.
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9. the elric brothers – eric and alphonse
alphonse and eric make great tattoo designs for the same reason they are great protagonists in manga. they are talented and charismatic but flawed individuals, who happen to be badass alchemists. oh yeah, and alphonse looks like a cross between a medieval knight, the tin man, and a cyborg from the future.
These examples run the gamut from traditional anime-style tattoos to more subtle and wispy black and gray detailed pieces.
10. truth tattoos
truth oversees the performance of alchemy, ensuring that laws and rules are followed in the process. truth is the supreme being of the universe and is sometimes referred to as the universe or the world itself.
Truth is a brilliant symbolic choice for full metal alchemist tattoos as it offers the ability to work with incredible colours, blackness or even the planets around the central negative space image. the ultimate abstract representation of truth is an amazing piece of body art.
11. strange and innovative ink
Being such a charged dose of madness, the world of fullmetal alchemist gives people the opportunity to apply all kinds of ink ideas corresponding to characters and situations throughout the manga. they create different variations, like black and grayscale, or almost neo-traditional work with a thick black outline and vibrant color.
my favorite of these is the simplest: scratched in black ink referencing the date the brothers set fire to their house and swore never to return
fullmetal alchemist series tattoo frequently asked questions
what is an uroboros tattoo?
The ouroboros in fullmetal alchemist is a mystical symbol that represents a dragon devouring its own tail. represents the eternal cycle of life and death or totality. the other type of ouroboros that is very popular in the tattoo subculture is one in which a snake eats its own tail.
why choose a fullmetal alchemist tattoo?
Even by weird anime standards, the fullmetal story is unique, and people really like the characters of alphonse, eric, and even flame-scarred pretty boy roy mustang. they are interesting and iconic.
It’s no surprise that the series has become a favorite in the manga tattoo subculture, popping up on twitter and facebook and popular in cosplay, wtf pics, gifs and memes.
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