For any kind of fan, getting a tattoo is like an ultimate test for their devotion because tattoos are pretty permanent. For any Dragon Ball Z fan too, tattooing becomes the classic way of showing the same. And trust me, you’ll not be the only one getting a DBZ tattoo, because this show has been popular among fans for a long period of time. You’ll be amazed to see how many anime fans you’ll come across with such crazy deviations!
And it is true that the show has been going on for centuries! (Yes, it’s that popular!) and so, every season calls for a new character and hence, you have a variety of characters to relate to and to choose from. Dragon Ball Z came to came as a manga comic written by Akira Toriyama in 1984. This manga used to get published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It was afterward that it turned into an anime show which became popular on Fuji TV in Japan from 1989 to 1996. The main character of the show, Goku, went through many adventures battling all kinds of strange beings right from the aliens to robots and monsters and alike. Considering its popularity, it got dubbed into multiple languages over a period of time to get telecasted in all the major continents like Europe, USA, and Asia.
Although it has been years since the show began, it has its own cult and remains quite a popular name among the anime lovers. Can you believe that it has been 20 years, almost? The show was continued by its sequel in 2015 called Dragon Ball Super which continues the story from where it left off in Dragon Ball Z. It was rather modern than the original DBZ show.
Because it is such a popular show and a well-known anime franchise, it’s no surprise that getting inspired by Dragon Ball Z for your ink is as popular as the show itself is. From the tattoo of the protagonist, Goku, to other characters like Vegeta, Gohan, Krillin or Piccolo, all of them represent the essence of the show! Whether people get a Dragon Ball Z tattoo because of childhood nostalgia or for they are still a fan, there is a great variety to choose from. People are also creative when it comes to placement ideas.
So, below we have created a list of DGZ tattoos that will stand as an exemplar of what you can get as a tattoo aficionado. Maybe it’ll serve you as a motivation for your next design or probably you can re-invent for yourself. Ultimately, you can get more inspiration from the show itself. So, binge on!
-
Pilaf Tattoo Design
Before anyone else was popular as a villain, Pilaf was there, the original villain of Dragon Ball Z. He was there prior to Cell, Frieza or Vegeta. He was a chunky gobline-like creature who was on a constant hunt for the Dragon Balls which could grant his wish to become the ruler of the world. However, there was nothing to be serious about this grumpy Pilaf as he was just bossy and dominant with an inferiority complex due to his short stature. He mainly served to be comic relief for the series rather than being a dangerous foe to Goku and his team.
This particular tattoo is a great summation of all the things Pilaf stands for. It is a realistic take on the character which showcases his outfit that actually looks like a warrior uniform. In this tattoo, he is shown holding one of the Dragon Balls and probably he is just feeling a sense of pride in his achievement, or that whats his expressions portray.
-
Goku’s Nimbus Tattoo Design
Nimbus was one of the most intimate friends of Goku in the first Dragon Ball Series. Nimbus, as his name signify, is a yellow cloud, whose biggest strength is his ability to fly high and of course his pure and noble heart. Nimbus went on with great speed but as soon as Dragon Ball Z made flying a common feature amongst all the other characters, Nimbus was rendered obsolete and with time was seldom shown and even disappeared.
However, the best scene in Dragon Ball Z was when Goku took a ride on Nimbus. Just imagine riding on a cloud that felt as soft as fluff. As a matter of fact, this tattoo looks quite nostalgic as it depicts the vibrant Goku having a great time on Nimbus.
-
Gogeta Super Saiyan Tattoo
It is true and you can discuss it with any fan that GT was a series that was not really up to the mark and rather a terrible series. It was not only poorly made, but it also included some really uncool characters while the most popular characters were practically ignored. The plot made no sense either. It is not even a canon anymore. On the other hand, Super Saiyan 4 was rather a cooler version and what made it even more appealing was the fusion of Goku and Vegeta to be a Super Saiyan 4 version of Gotega. This version of Gotega was extremely powerful such that his temper and arrogant nature kept him away from finishing off Syn Shenron.
Besides, sometimes he was rather a silly character, but he had a right for that because of his omnipotent nature. And while GT may not be of any importance to Dragon Ball Z anymore, getting inked with Gotega is quite a cool idea.
-
Gotenks Design
As we have read above and observed in the series too, fusion is pretty great. Fusing two distinctive personalities and the appearance of two different characters is quite unique and a fun notion. While Gotega was cool, Gotenks served two notches higher as he made a place in our hearts. Gotenks had cool features and awesome superpowers. His fight with Super Buu was amazing and funny at some points. What was most amazing was when Gotenks transformed into Super Saiyan 3. This tattoo is an apt representation of a fusion tattoo as it displays two halves of Gotenks, the Trunks and the Goten, undergoing the transformation. Each one of them is on a separate arm, but when they collide, they become something more amazing!
-
Bardock Tattoo Design
Even when he was not shown a lot on the Dragon Ball Z series, Bardock is, in reality, quite a significant character within the story. He is the father of Saiyan and Goku. Frieza sent his army to wipe out Bradock’s team when he felt that his army was getting all too powerful and can become a threat to him. Bardock started a one-man revolution against Frieza after he discovered his wiped out squad. But the twist comes as Frieza’s strength was more than Bardock’s and resulted in his death as well as the devastation of the planet, Vegeta. Nevertheless, he has always been considered a legendary character for his will to stand against Frieza. This tattoo is significant as it portrays his courage and will and represents the moment where he initiated the revolution wearing a gauze of his slaughtered friend around his head. Quite profound, isn’t it?
-
Porunga Tattoo
Porunga is not too often used in the series since it is easier to gather the Earth’s dragon balls in the place of Namek’s. Porunga, as it must be clear by now, is Namek’s dragon, while Earth’s dragon is Shenron. He is pretty cool in his appearance and resembles a buff character with all that strong and protruding muscles. He looks like a fusion of a djinn and a dragon. What is hilarious is the fact that he possesses Namek’s antennas. Another djinn like feature is that he is able to grant three wishes unlike Shenron, who can only grant two. This tattoo is a representation of Porunga who has been called for granting one of the wishes.
-
Goku and Chi-Chi
Chi-Chi and Goku are totally like a couple next door. They share a frenemy bond. They have stuck together with each other since time immemorial but are not really the most romantic of the couples present. Goku is always forcing her to train well and all Chi-Chi does is to yell at Goku whenever he is in her vicinity. Although the love between them is quite genuine, they are constantly involved in shenanigans. They have stuck with each other since childhood and have even raised two kids together. Provided the family seems quite bizarre, but the family is quite happy and maybe so this bizarre-ness seems to work out well for them. Anyhow, the tattoo is quite cute as it portrays the outline of the couple’s signature hairstyle done in black ink. This is a great design for a real-life couple who show the same enthusiasm for the anime series. Additionally, this tattoo is quite different from all the other tattoos on the list.
-
Majin Symbol Tattoo
This symbol is quite important for it is the mark that Babidi utilizes to transform his followers into something evil. Although the mark is used on numerous followers of Babidi, it has been remarkably used on Vegeta. Here is the twist, well, Vegeta chose to be evil by consent so that he could defeat Goku. The only drawback that the mark causes the person is that it turns the person evil on the cost of providing him with great superpowers.
Apparently, the wearer is not afraid to turn evil. His only concern is the superpowers he is going to get and probably how he will use it to defeat his rivals.
-
Four-Star Dragon Ball Tattoo
There is nothing too great about the dragon balls in solitude apart from the number of stars that are imprinted on them. However, when these balls unite, they become extremely powerful. The most significant ball out of the seven is the ball which has four stars because that belongs to Goku’s grandfather. Goku makes sure to capture this dragon ball as it has a huge sentimental value for him and also because he years to give it as a gift to his son, Gohan, as it is revealed in the first episode of Dragon ball Z. The wearer of the tattoo knows and understands very well the importance of the four-star ball over any other dragon balls. A noble choice indeed.
-
Kame Kanji Tattoo Design
Goku has known to transcend all the learnings that he got from Master Roshi. Yet he gives the symbol of kame on his garment a profound significance. Kame means turtle and which stands quite aptly because Roshi’s Turtle School is for martial arts. There are other characters in the series too who wear this symbol, and that includes, Krillin, Yamcha and sometimes, Gohan too. For Goku, specifically, this seems to be an important symbol because he has not parted ways with it since the series have begun.
The kame kanji symbol makes quite a great design as it is not only simple but doesn’t really need any extra efforts in detailing either.
-
Fierce Vegeta Tattoo
Vegeta has had a series of a love-hate relationship with the fans of Dragon Ball Z. The series has a long history and probably a long list of characters but Vegeta is something different. He is an emblem of greatness. He was born into royalty and was meant to be the ruler of his kingdom but it was soon destroyed. This fierceness on his face is probably his trademark emotion as it represents the fighter spirit in him.
It definitely is a great tattoo choice if one is looking for some inspiration for strength and courage in themselves.
-
Vegeta Tattoo on Forearm
Now, why do we have a love-hate relationship with him? Sometimes, well, he is likable and that is only when his heart softens and he starts to have a fondness for Earth. He undergoes many variations as he is in the process of adaptation to the planet. Some of these intricacies include a tank top. In this tattoo, he seems to be quite fierce and ready to pounce on, but probably this is only his internal battle between his current and former malevolent being.
-
Vegeta Tattoo
Vegeta will forever be seen as a laggard hero with a mangled past. For all the things he will be remembered for, the protector of the earth and his dry sense of humor will always shine out.