110+ One Piece Tattoo Ideas to Bring Out the Adventurer In You!

I've been a One Piece fan ever since it was adapted into an Anime series, so I get excited whenever clients come in wanting One Piece tattoos. Just last week, one of my regulars actually came in for a Zoro tattoo sleeve- he wanted it to be in black and white and for the other Straw hat pirates to be there too.

I whipped it up with some really intricate linework, which he loved! But while working on the tattoo design, it hit me that One Piece has been going on for over 20 years: there are probably over a hundred different character tattoos to get. So, today, I thought about telling you about the best One-Piece tattoo ideas out there.

Best One-Piece Tattoo Ideas

Here are all the best One Piece tattoo ideas.

Jolly Rogers Flag Tattoo Design

To start this list off, let's talk about something more simple, like Jolly Roger flag tattoos. In the show, Jolly Roger flags are what the pirate ships use to represent themselves. So, they're customized and look different depending on the crew.

From my experience, most One Piece fans get the Straw Hat Pirates flag, but I have done a few Whitebeard Pirates flags too.

Here are some One Piece tattoos to try:

Luffy's Character One Piece Tattoo Design

Luffy's the main character of the manga and show, so getting a tattoo of him is probably the best way to honor it. He's extremely free-spirited and full of drive: his whole purpose in life after all is to become the Pirate King. He'll definitely make a good tattoo if you feel like you resonate with his drive and personality.

Also, you can either go with regular Luffy or one of his forms. Personally, I think his Gear 5 form looks the coolest.

Here are some Luffy One piece tattoos:

If you don't want a straight-up Luffy tattoo, I think you might like what one of my clients did recently - he got a tattoo of Luffy's hat, which as you know he got from pirate legend Red-Haired Shanks. To ordinary people, it wouldn't register as a One Piece tattoo, but any fan who sees it would immediately recognize the art form.

Here's some straw hat One Piece tattoos:

Ace One Piece Tattoo Designs

Ace is one of the show's main characters, and he's Luffy's sworn older brother. They share an extremely strong bond: if you're a fan of the show, you know how crucial it is during their encounter with Akainu.

I think this really strong bond with Luffy makes him a good One-piece tattoo idea if you're someone who has a strong relationship with their siblings. But also, he's known for his free spirit, and living life on his own terms, which maybe you resonate with.

Here's some Ace One Piece tattoo designs:

Sabo One Piece Tattoo Designs

I can't talk about an Ace One Piece tattoo without mentioning Sabo one - Sabo is Luffy's other sworn- brother. He didn't have as close of a relationship with Luffy as Ace did, but Sabo and Luffy still share a very strong bond.

Sabo was thought to be dead until he and Luffy finally reunited on Dressrosa island: he ended up becoming one of the Commanders in the Revolutionary Army while he was gone. So, he's a good tattoo idea if you're someone who fights against the system like him.

Most of the Sabo tattoos I've done have been him surrounded by fire after eating the Mera Mera no Mi, but this definitely isn't a route that you have to take. I think another good idea might be a cut-out from the Manga of him meeting Luffy at Dressrosa.

Here's some Sabo One Piece tattoos:

Also, I've done a lot of tattoos of Sabo, Ace, and Luffy together. Naturally, this makes for a more emotional tattoo. Something that some clients do when they tell me they want the three is ask to only include their hats, which works great as a more discreet One Piece tattoo.

Here are some One piece tattoo examples:

Roronoa Zoro Tattoo Design

Roronoa Zoro is Luffy's best friend and is a really skilled swordsman. I actually have to say that most of the Zoro tattoos I've done have been him with at least one of his swords - he's that known for it.

Zoro is also known for his temper and having an almost stoic personality. So, I've had fans of the show get tattoos of him just because they feel like they resonate with his personality.

Also, a lot of the Zoro tattoo designs I've done have been in black and white. I think the black ink just captures his solemn personality well. But he does have vibrant green hair that can look good in a colored One Piece tattoo, so maybe this is a route you can take.

Here are some Zoro tattoo designs.

Whitebeard Pirate Tattoo Design

Whitebeard also known as Edward Newgate was definitely a force to be reckoned with while he was still alive. He used to be the captain of the Whitebeard pirates and even gained the title of the world's strongest man while trying to conquer the ocean.

I especially like Whitebeard because he adopted much of his crew and treated them like his own children, like Squard and Teach for example. I'd even go as far as to say he is my favorite character from the show, and I always recommend tattoo designs of him to clients that connect with his caring personality.

The last Whitebeard tattoo design I did was the fight he had with Akainu - my client at the time wanted the scene from the Anime show to be a part of a black-and-white half-sleeve. However, it's really up to you what to get.

Here are some Whitebeard pirate tattoo designs to base your body art on:

Sanji One Piece Tattoo Designs

Sanji's a good One Piece tattoo idea if you're someone who loves all things food. While Luffy's main goal is to be the Pirate King, Sanji's life ambition is to find the rumored Chef's Paradise. Although a chef, he definitely is gangster - he's one of the toughest members in Luffy's crew.

He's always seen with a cigarette in his mouth in the One Piece series, and I don't think I've ever done a tattoo of him without one.

Here are some Sanji One Piece tattoos to base tattoo designs on:

Matching One Piece Tattoo Designs

Matching tattoo designs are essentially when you get two tattoos on opposite sides of your body, almost parallel to each other. Like last week, I got to do one based on the straw hat pirates. This client wanted Luffy on one side of his left forearm and Zoro on the right.

I think matching tattoos are a good way to show a sense of unity and balance - so in my client's case, Zoro and Luffy are best friends. So, the matching One Piece tattoo was a good symbol of their bond.

It's up to you where to get the One Piece tattoo, and the specific tattoo design to go for. I definitely think Ace and Luffy also make good choices. You'll really be able to showcase their bond.

Here are some matching One Piece tattoo ideas:

Back One Piece Tattoos

If you want a big One Piece tattoo, think about getting your back tattooed. The back is a big enough space to really let you get intricate with the One Piece tattoo. But just keep in mind that back tattoos can take a lot of time. In our studio, we try to finish them in around 4 days but it really depends on your tattoo artist and the amount of details you want.

I think the best route if you want to go intricate with things is to take a scene from the One Piece manga or series and have it tatted on your back. I did one of these a few months ago, and the client at the time wanted the fight scene with Luffy and Kaido straight from the manga. To this day, I think it was one of the best One Piece tattoos I've ever done - it was just so detailed!

Here are some back One Piece tattoos you might like:

Thigh One Piece Tattoo Designs

If you want a larger piece but aren't a fan of back tattoos, perhaps consider getting your thigh tattooed. The thigh's a pretty big canvas, so you can get very detailed with the One Piece tattoo. Also, getting your upper thigh tattooed doesn't hurt that much. I think that this makes it a great spot if you're a newbie.

Here are some thigh One Piece tattoo ideas that fellow fans might like:

Arm One Piece Tattoos

I think one of the most popular spots I've done One Piece tattoos on has been on the arm. It's not too small or big, plus it generally doesn't hurt to get your arm tattooed on.

If you want to get flashy with your One Piece tattoo, you can go for a sleeve. So, you'll get one giant One Piece tattoo stretching from your shoulder area to your wrists. But if you'd rather get something less attention-grabbing, you can perhaps go with a half-sleeve. It's essentially what you might think: it's half of a sleeve, so you'd get a tat from your shoulder to your elbow or your elbow to your wrists.

As you can imagine, though, sleeves can take a lot of time. We try to finish them in around 2 days but it really can differ. Also, they can be quite expensive, especially if you try to do one of them with a lot of color.

Here are some arm One Piece tattoos you might like:

What Does a One-Piece Tattoo Mean?

Depending on the One Piece character you're getting, the message you're trying to send with your One Piece tattoo will obviously differ. If you want to represent that you are resilient and have a fighting spirit, then getting a Luffy One Piece tattoo might be the way to go - this is also a good way to honor the show as he's the main character.

However, if you want to show how caring you are, then a Whitebeard One Piece tattoo might be up your alley. You can also maybe get a Zoro One Piece tattoo if you feel like you resonate with his almost solemn personality. But he's also a fierce swordsman which you can perhaps pay tribute to and get a tat of.

I also like the flowing aesthetic and the feel of almost traditional style tattoos from the Far East that you get out of One-piece tattoos. I think the art style the manga and its adaption uses looks cool and is reason enough to look into One Piece tattoo designs.

What Does the Tattoo on Luffy's Arm Say?

The 3D2Y tattoo on Luffy's arm is supposed to represent the time Luffy and his crew spent (2 years and 3 days) training before they met again to take on the New World. They were given information about the different ships and territories in the New World by Luffy's mentor: Gol. D. Roger - they knew they wouldn't be able to survive in the New World otherwise.

Final Thoughts

As you saw from my guide, there are a bunch of different One Piece tattoo ideas that you can go for. As a tattoo artist and fan of the show, I especially like doing Luffy tattoos - he's the main character, so a tattoo of him would be a good way to rep the show. However, he's also courageous and determined which might be a good representation of you.

All in all, I hope you found this ultimate guide useful, and now know which of the different One Piece tattoo ideas to go for!