The huge popularity of Pokemon as an anime series had led to the development of Pokemon video games and board games. It also led to the development of toys and other pop culture symbols featuring your favorite Pokemons. Of late, the success of ‘Pokemon Go’ (an augmented reality mobile game) has added a new generation of Pokemon fans to the existing large fanbase. A growing section of these fans is getting inked with simple yet awesome Pokemon tattoos to look cool and distinct.
Today, Pokemon is one of the most beloved franchises of all time. Pokemon Go has fueled nostalgia in many of us that grew up watching the series and playing the games on different consoles. There are hundreds of Pokemon to catch out there. When selecting a Pokemon tattoo, you’ll have to go through hundreds of cute characters and thousands of possible tattoo ideas.
Most of us consider Pikachu as our all-time favorite Pokemon character. Yet, as seen through this article, there are many other admirable Pokemon characters you’ll recognize. These include Eevee, Charmander, Gengar, Squirtle, Cubone, and Togepi among many others. To make your choice easier, I’ve formulated a compelling list of the 36 best pokemon tattoos for men and women. The source of each piece is mentioned below the design so that you can delve deeper into each artist’s work.
What Are Pokémon Tattoos?
Pokémon tattoos are tattoos inspired by the beloved Japanese franchise “Pokémon.” The franchise features a wide range of fictional creatures called “Pokémon” that trainers can catch, train, and battle. Since its creation in 1996, Pokémon has captured the hearts of fans worldwide, becoming a cultural phenomenon. As a result, Pokémon tattoos have become a popular way for fans to express their love and admiration for these creatures.
Pokémon tattoos are fun and playful for fans to showcase their love for the franchise. Whether you are a lifelong fan or just discovering the world of Pokémon, a Pokémon tattoo is a personal and meaningful way to celebrate these beloved creatures.
Amazing Pokémon Tattoo Designs
From the classic and iconic Pikachu to the fierce and powerful Charizard, we’ll explore # eye-catching designs sure to turn heads. Whether you are looking for something simple and understated or bold and elaborate, there’s a design here for everyone.
Charmander
This tattoo of Charmander shown inked on the lower part of the calf looks great. A tattoo of this reptilian Pokemon clearly depicts its orange body and blue eyes. This design is the perfect pick if you like fire designs and Pokemon.
The fire-type reptilian is back. In this tattoo design, it’s smiling and sitting in a bed of flowers. The bubbly blue-eyed Charmander looks super cute anywhere on your body, as long as the tattoo isn’t hidden.
Gengar & Haunter
This colorful tattoo of Gengar, the Ghost/Poison-type Pokémon, looks perfect on a woman’s upper arm. Gengar was introduced in Generation 1 and is also known as the Shadow Pokemon. Gengar evolved from Haunter, who is shown below Gengar in the design above. Haunter is a purple ghost Pokemon with a gaseous tongue. Fans of Gengar and Haunter would know how cool these Pokemons are, and they would proudly get this design inked on any visible part of their body.
Robbie Bauer at Rebel Rebel Tattoo
This is yet another awesome tattoo of Haunter — the gaseous ghost/poison type Pokemon. This tattoo looks good on areas like the forearm, calf, or tricep. Although Gengar is more competitive, Haunter has a better overall design. It’s cute, creepy, colorful, and playful, which is why Haunter is equally popular among fans.
Togepi
Togepi is one of the most popular Pokemon characters and makes for a great tattoo option. Togepi stands for good luck. It brings happiness, joy, and of course, great luck. This tattoo is one of the cutest and simplest Pokemon tattoos, and it makes practical sense to get inked with.
Pikachu Tattoos
Pikachu is the most popular Pokemon, the mascot of the Pokemon universe. Fans of this electric-type Pokemon stretch into the millions worldwide. There are hundreds of distinct Pikachu tattoo designs depicting the many journeys of the character. Yet, this one, showing a capped Pikachu, is a simple yet perfect depiction of the cuteness and charm of this Pokemon creature.
This tattoo of a Badass Pikachu, shown above, looks great on the calf or forearm. If you’re a die-hard Pikachu fan, you’ll love this design of him styled for the summer.
Harry Potter Pikachu Tattoo by Andy Walker
There are a lot of Pikachu tattoo designs inspired by combining external characters. This one of Pikachu in Harry Potter style looks super cute on the arm. If you are a fan of both characters, you’ll love this tattoo.
Source: @inkcache via Instagram
This Black and white Pikachu tattoo may look simple, yet it has a lot going on. The winking Pikachu looks super cute with a drink in one hand and the Gameboy in the other. The linework is done perfectly by the artist, impeccably capturing the fun nature of the Pokemon creature.
Source: tattoofilter.com
This fine line Pikachu tattoo is one of the simplest on this list. It looks fabulous on any visible part of your body. Pikachu is a powerful, yellow Pokemon with electrical abilities. Yet, if you’re not familiar with the Pokemon universe, you’d never be able to make that out by looking at this incredibly cute and artistic tattoo.
Squirtle
Source: @sohoink -NY via Instagram
This beautiful tattoo of Squirtle is sure to get you nostalgic. This Generation 1, water-type Pokemon, looks amazing placed on the top of the hand. Squirtle is a friendly Pokemon from the original series that everybody from that era misses.
Source: @tendencee via Pinterest
On the front of the thigh, you can see the placement of an awesome large Squirtle tattoo. Here, the small Pokemon turtle, Squirtle, is standing on its two minuscule feet amidst a Pokeball and some colorful flowers.
Magikarp
Source: bryanlangley.deviantart.com
Magikarp is the fish Pokemon. If you’re passionate about water Pokemons, you may want to consider getting inked with this one too. This weak and helpless Pokemon is also the most fertile. It can survive in any body of water.
Pokeball
Source: @brent_megens via Instagram
Getting a Pokeball tattoo such as the above, is relatively new to the tattoo world. However, it is a popular choice if you’ve grown up playing Pokemon in the ‘90s. Getting inked with this piece of nostalgia is a depiction of the fun and pleasures of your childhood.
Blastoise
Source: @markzarin7 via Pinterest
This large tattoo of Blastoise (the war turtle) on the front forearm is perfect if you’re a guy into water-type Pokemon species. Blastoise is cool. A hot favorite among fans. How can you keep your eyes off those cute water-firing rocket cannons on the shell? If you like turtle-type Pokemons, you’d love this one.
Mewtwo
Source: @azulario via Instagram
Many of us like to sport a brave sign tattoo. A Mewtwo tattoo is a tattoo of the humanoid Pokémon with some feline features. Mewtwo falls in the brave sign category. The above tattoo is perfectly inked on a highly visible place of the body — the side of a calf.
Source: @danaexlynn via Instagram
This Mewtwo tattoo on the owner’s inside forearm has been inked to perfection by the artist. The fine line work and accurate dotting give the perfect expression of Mewtwo’s braveness.
Hitmonchan
Source: tattoomotive.co
This well-placed tattoo on the calf shows the fighting-type Pokemon named Hitmonchan (a.k.a “the punching demon”). The design works great as a depiction of women’s empowerment owing to the boxing Hitmonchan. For a dose of 90s nostalgia, also featured in this design is the classic Pokeball.
Bulbasaur
Source: @ksuarrow_tattoo via Instagram
How about a really cute tattoo of Bulbasaur? Although a hugely underrated Pokemon, in this tattoo, Bulbasaur is beauty personified. For lovers of the color green, cuteness, and frog/toad-like creatures, this is the tattoo to get!
Adorable pumpkin Bulbasaur by artist Fifi at Trilogy in Memphis, TN
This adorable Bulbasaur tattoo on the shoulder shows the creature amidst maple leaves. You can see a beautiful pumpkin fully grown on its back, which has bloomed out of the large seed Bulbasaur was affixed with at birth.
Charizard
Source: Chris Morris via tattoodo.com
The artist has done a splendid job with this Charizard (the Flame Pokemon) tattoo on the calf. Charizard’s mid-battle-type expression is intriguing. What’s further wonderful is that the overall composition includes a Pokeball.
Source: tattoodo.com (Game Boy Tattoo by Ian John Kington)
This is another creative tattoo of Charizard. This time he’s popping out of the Nintendo Gameboy. It’s a great design for the calf area.
8-Bit Pokemon Tattoos
This 8-Bit Pokemon tattoo is yet another design that awakens nostalgia among fans of older titles and computers. Frankly, there are not many takers for this style today. But, if you’re a die-hard Pokeman fan from the time of its inception, you’d like to reminisce the stages of development of the old technology.
The above 8-bit Pokemon tattoo looks awesome on the man’s calf. It awakens nostalgia by featuring the 8-bit version of popular 1st generation Pokemon creatures. The tattoo depicts images of Pokeball, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander.
Source: thebodyisacanvass.com
This 8-bit stylized tattoo of the Pokeball on the wrist area is great if you like tattoos that are small and simple. This type of stand-alone tattoo will look great on any part of your body that you wish to style.
Source: @ivtattoos via Instagram
If you feel 8-bit designs aren’t stunning enough, you can go for this incredible 16-Bit Pokemon tattoo of Gengar. As a tip, pixelated tattoos should be small in size, big tattoos in 8-bit and 16-bit categories can hurt your eyes. The best areas to get inked with these tattoos are on the hands, wrist, thighs, calf, or any other area where you’d like a tiny, subtle tattoo.
Eevee
What could be cuter than this pretty Eevee tattoo inked on the owner’s lower leg? Eevee (a.k.a Evolution Pokemon) is a normal Pokemon that can evolve into a variety of different forms due to its unstable genetic makeup.
Emi Lee Hollinger – Tattoo Artist at The Silver Key (thesilverkeytattoo.com)
This watercolor tattoo of Eevee is distinguishable by the choice of soothing colors and watercolor stroke look. It looks perfect inked right above the woman’s ankle. You could be wearing shorts or short pants, to show off this masterpiece everywhere you go.
Source: @OfficialTime4InkTattoo Tattoo via Pinterest (artist Kane Navasard)
The above tattoo shows a simple yet elegantly tattooed Eevee on Ariana Grande’s left arm. The iconic singer loves Eevee and says she’s a huge fan of Pokemon. In this tattoo, through fine line work and shading, the artist has brought out the best of Eevee’s cuteness and energy.
Glaceon
This is an incredible tattoo of the ice-type Pokemon, Galceon, introduced in Generation IV. If you love Eevee, you’d love Glaceon, for being one of the evolutionary forms of Eevee.
Eevee & Umbreon
Eevee and Umbreon done by Lacy at inkfluence Lubbock Texas
The artist has inked Umbreon to the minutest details, including having included the blue-ringed pattern. Yet, this tattoo looks simple and vivid inked perfectly in the inside forearm. Umbreon was introduced in Generation 2, and the creature is also known as the Moonlight Pokemon. I love how the design shows Eevee evolving into Umbreon in such an immaculate way.
Raichu
Lonnie Jackson at 7 Anchors Tattoo Parlor in Central City Illinois
If you love Pikachu, you should have no problem with Raichu, who evolves from Pikachu upon being exposed to a Thunder Stone. I love the 3D design of this tattoo, especially the electric-type Pokeman (Raichu) popping out of the realistic Gameboy.
Staryu
Source: @emilyjprice via Pinterest
Here’s a tattoo design straight out of the Pokemon universe, yet many won’t know of it. If you want a tattoo associated with a water-type Pokemon that gets people asking you questions, go for this one! Staryu is a starfish Pokemon with a fancy red core that looks like a ruby.
Source: @pokemontattoo via Instagram
Here’s another incredible Staryu tattoo. This design looks great on the thigh region. I love the light, pleasing colors and the jewel-like cores, one of which looks like it has pearl-like embellishments. Maybe you like jewelry and this tattoo will click with you instantly!
Cubone
This is an amazing tattoo of Cubone, inked beautifully on the man’s upper arm. It is sure to grasp attention due to its vividness and 3D nature. And, of course, due to it being one of the famous Pokemon universe creatures. All the original details are perfectly amalgamated in the art, especially the image of Cubone wearing its mother’s skull that way. I see no better place to get tattooed with this piece than the prominence of the upper arm.
Wiggleytuff
Source: Wigglytuff tattoo by Melvin Arizmendi
If you love Pokemon and fairies, you’ll love this tattoo of the cute, bean-shaped Pokemon creature Wigglytuff. Wigglytuf was introduced in Generation 1 as a Normal/Fairy-type Pokemon. This species is super cute in that it attacks by sending musical notes through singing. This tattoo looks perfect on the inside forearm of both men and women.
Conclusion
A lot of people are fans of the Pokemon game or animated series. As a tribute, they end up getting tattooed with their favorite Pokemon creature or even ask the artist to add a twist to the original image to make it look more unique. Besides the pleasantries, it’s not unusual for many ardent fans to decorate their bodies with monsters, fighters, demons, and other Pokemon types on their body. The common characteristic with all Pokemon tattoo designs is that they’re all very cute. As you saw above, besides the simplistic black, grey, and white tattoo, the rest have stunning colors consistent through generations of the franchise. My personal favorite are the Pokemon water-type tattoos, especially those with Squirtle.
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