History Main / StoryboardBody

* Several cultures have tattoos which are significant to their culture and/or tell the story of the bearer. Wrestling/DwayneJohnson (who is half Wild Samoan) has a fair amount of Culturally Significant Tattoos on his upper body and at least one arm, which are usually digitally removed or covered with makeup for films.

%%* ''Comicbook/{{Starman}}'': Jack Knight (until [[spoiler:his death and regeneration into a new body with no tattoos]]). Seems to be a defining "Tony Harris is no longer the artist" moment.%%ZCE, describe how the trope is used.

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': At least half of Drax the Destroyer's muscular body is covered in elaborate red tattoos that, according to a DeletedScene, tell [[http://on.aol.com/video/guardians-of-the-galaxy-deleted-scene-519308589 his life story]].

-->-- '''Maui''' singing "[[IAmSong You're Welcome]]", ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}''

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Marik Ishtar has a tattoo of his back telling the entire story of the [[NameAmnesia Nameless Pharoah]]. It provides a frightful glimpse into his backstory, as he was just a child when he had the tattoos [[WouldHurtAChild violently burned onto his back]] against his will by his own father, the trauma of which was a major factor in his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Evil Alter Ego's]] development.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} has several tattoos: a nautical star, a Special Forces arrowhead, and a bluebird. These were given to her when Creator/GregRucka and J.H. Williams III took over the character, as part of their attempts to make her more than a simple Bruce Wayne clone. The star is a symbol that lesbians in the 1940s used to identify one another, and the arrowhead symbolizes her advanced military training. The bluebird, however, seems to have no greater significance.
* ComicBook/{{Daken}}, who's even more of a SociopathicHero than his father Wolverine, has a large tribal tattoo on his chest and arms.
* Jack Knight as Comicbook/{{Starman}} (until [[spoiler:his death and regeneration into a new body with no tattoos]]). Seems to be a defining "Tony Harris is no longer the artist" moment.

[[folder: Fan Works ]]
* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. B'Elanna Torres is a [[HalfHumanHybrid Brazilian-Venerian hybrid]], and in the tradition of a [[AmazonBrigade Venerian Amazon]] has body tattoos that show her life tale. When he first lays eyes on her Tom Paris is [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions surprised to see one of the tattoos is a Christian crucifix]]. B'Elanna later tells him she was raised in a Catholic orphanage on Venus.

[[folder: Films -- Animated ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', Sally Carrera has a "tattoo" on her... trunk, hinting at her big-city past.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'' the demigod Maui has enchanted tattoos adorning his body telling the stories of his legendary exploits. The tattooed image of himself is also alive and functions as his conscience. Moana's grandmother also has a large tattoo of a manta ray, highlighting her connection to the ocean, and lampshades it with "When I die, I'm coming back as one of these." [[spoiler:Her ghost does come talk to Moana, and it initially appears as a ray before taking human form.]]

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action ]]

* Nikoli in ''Film/EasternPromises''. Each tattoo has some symbolism. Also a subversion of TattooedCrook [[spoiler: as he is an undercover cop.]]
* The titular character in ''Film/{{Soldier}}''. The cheek tattoos are lists of battles and also his rank.
* Played for laughs in ''Film/BladesOfGlory'' as Chazz Micheal Michaels' tattoos are for each famous figure skater he allegedly banged.
* Lenny in ''Film/{{Memento}}'' has very limited amounts of short-term memory. To remind himself of any clues he gets when he makes a breakthrough in solving his wife's murder, he has the details tattooed on his skin.
* Violet in ''Film/Ultraviolet2006'' has tattoos in Thai Hindi on the fingers of one hand, listing romantic life stages. The pinky is "Comrade", the ring finger "Lover", the middle finger reads "Wife". She became a hemophage before the next finger could be tattooed with "Mother".
* Enola from ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'' has a Chinese-looking tattoo on her back. It ends up being the story's MacGuffin.
* In ''Film/TheATeam'', all four have Ranger tattoos.
* The four Marine buddies in ''Dogfight'' (the "killer B's") get a bee tattooed onto their forearm during their last night on the town before being shipped to Vietnam. River Phoenix's character isn't with them at that moment in the evening so one of his buddies gets an extra bee "for him". Later, when Phoenix returns to the states, he has four bees tattooed on his arm.
* In ''Film/PacificRim'', an alien biologist named Newton Geiszler has tattoos depicting the alien monsters called 'kaiju' which are the main antagonists of the film. The tattoos are a way to visually reinforce his status as TheXenophile and the AscendedFanboy.
* Jack Sparrow from ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' has the poem, ''The Desiderata'' tattooed on his back.
* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', at least half of Drax the Destroyer's muscular body is covered in elaborate red tattoos that, according to a DeletedScene, tell [[http://on.aol.com/video/guardians-of-the-galaxy-deleted-scene-519308589 his life story]].
* ''Film/{{Faster}}''. [[NoNameGiven Driver]] has prison tattoos that are his scoreboard from the fights he had in prison. And by "fights", we mean "CurbStompBattle / NoHoldsBarredBeatdown " that he handed out.

* In ''Film/TheFountain'', Tom the astronaut tattoos an elaborate up his arm to mark the passage of time during his trip through space reminiscent of the rings inside a tree's trunk, starting from the ring he tattooed around his finger where [[spoiler:he'd lost his wedding ring after his wife's death back on Earth]]. He's been out there for ''[[TimeAbyss hundreds]]'' of years.

* In ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' the Whistlers have their ancestry tattooed on their bodies, or more precisely, their military heritage. That's how others know that they're dangerous if crossed.
* An inversion occurs in ''The Illustrated Man'' by Creator/RayBradbury, as his tattoos tell other people's stories, and eventually how the person watching will die.
* A subversion is in ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell''. Vinculus has the complete text of a book of magic tattooed on his entire body. However, this would seem to reveal something about the character.
* Played straight in ''Literature/TheGodlessWorldTrilogy''. The Kyrinin tattoo their faces based on a level system. First for killing an enemy. Second, I currently forget. Third, for stealing an enemy's fire. The Kyrinin achieve the highest level by literally stealing the enemy's ''cooking'' fire.
* In ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'', Patty Paiwonski is entirely covered with scenes from the life of the founder of her religion, Fosterism.
* In ''Literature/CourtshipRite'', the people of Geta scar their bodies and faces in intricate, beautiful patterns, using toxic native plants to make the scars more permanent. The scars tell of clan allegiances, religious beliefs, and personal interests or history.
* In ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'', strange tattoos cover [[spoiler:Jordan]] Kyle's arms. They're actually mantras from the Upanishads.

* In ''Literature/DarkShores'' Cel legionnaires have two tattoos -- the number of their legion on their breast and their own personal number on their back, used to identify the deserters and the fallen.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* D'Argo's tattoos in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' mark him as a general. They're actually fake, as he got them so he could act as a decoy to protect his own general.
* Jack's tattoos in ''Series/{{Lost}}''. The producer chose to openly show actor Matthew Fox's personal tattoos during the first season and eventually reveal the circumstances under which the character got the tattoos with special attention towards their meaning (in traditional Lost-fashion).

* Sam Adama and most of the other members of the Tauron Ha'la'tha on ''Series/{{Caprica}}''. [[http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/show-patrol/2010/02/exclusive-caprica-producer-jane-espenson-explains-sam-adamas-tattoos.html The writers even worked the whole thing out.]]

[[folder: Music]]

* A girlfriend is characterized in this way in Music/ThePixies' "No. 13 Baby" from ''Music/{{Doolittle}}''.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* Slayers from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy Battle'' are Dwarves who had shamed themselves in some way and [[DeathSeeker seek redemption via death in combat]]. Part of the Slayer appearance includes ornate tattoos covering most of their faces and bodies.

* Lunars in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' have similar silver tattoos, but for different reasons. As Lunars had their Exaltations tainted by [[RealityIsOutToLunch the Wyld]] as a result of hiding out there for centuries, they came up with the tattoos as a way to affix their Caste and protect themselves from the Shaping magics of the Wyld. Part of the process of getting the tattoos involves telling the story of your life and having another Lunar translate it into tattoo form.
* TabletopGame/{{Talislanta}}n [[ProudWarriorRace Thralls]], a race of [[DesignerBabies clone troopers]] so uniform in appearance that they can only be distinguished from one another by their unique tattoos.
* Inverted by the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' character [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74604 Reki, the History of Kamigawa]] -- his tattoos don't tell his history. They tell ''everyone else's'' history (hence his name).

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'': ** The demigod Maui has enchanted tattoos adorning his body telling the stories of his legendary exploits. The tattooed image of himself is also alive and functions as his conscience.
** Moana's grandmother has a large tattoo of a manta ray, highlighting her connection to the ocean, and lampshades it with "When I die, I'm coming back as one of these." [[spoiler:Her ghost does come talk to Moana, and it initially appears as a ray before taking human form.]]

* In the Disney film ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'', the demigod Maui has enchanted tattoos adorning his body telling the stories of his legendary exploits. The tattooed image of himself is also alive and functions as his conscience.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. B'Elanna Torres is a [[HalfHumanHybrid Brazilian-Venerian hybrid]], and in the tradition of a [[AmazonBrigade Venerian Amazon]] has body tattoos that show her life tale. When he first lays eyes on her Tom Paris is [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions surprised to see one of the tattoos is a Christian crucifix]]. B'Elanna later tells him she was [[RaisedCatholic raised in a Catholic orphanage]] on Venus.

* Combined with EveryScarHasAStory in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. The hero Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after being LostAtSea for five years with a well-muscled body CoveredInScars and some unexplained tattoos, the full story of which is gradually revealed over the following seasons. [[spoiler:One tattoo identifies him as a Captain in the [[TheMafiya Bratva]], there's a dragon tattoo the same as his LoveInterest Shado given as a MarkOfShame by Slade Wilson (who blames Oliver for Shado's death) and a [[PowerTattoo magical protection]] from Series/{{Constantine}}. ]]

* Violet in ''Film/{{Ultraviolet}}'' has tattoos in Thai Hindi on the fingers of one hand, listing romantic life stages. The pinky is "Comrade", the ring finger "Lover", the middle finger reads "Wife". She became a hemophage before the next finger could be tattooed with "Mother".

* Combined with EveryScarHasAStory in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. The hero Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after being LostAtSea for five years with a well-muscled body CoveredInScars and some unexplained tattoos, the full story of which is gradually revealed over the following seasons. One tattoo identifies him as a Captain in the [[TheMafiya Bratva]], there's a dragon tattoo the same as his LoveInterest Shado given as a MarkOfShame by Slade Wilson (who blames Oliver for Shado's death) and a [[PowerTattoo magical protection]] from Series/{{Constantine}}.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. B'Elanna Torres is a [[HalfHumanHybrid Brazilian-Venerian hybrid]], and in the tradition of a Venerian Amazon has body tattoos that show her life tale. When he first lays eyes on her, Tom Paris is [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions surprised to see a crucifix among them]]. B'Elanna later tells him she was [[RaisedCatholic raised in a Catholic orphanage]] on Venus.

* Combined with EveryScarHasAStory in ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. The hero Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after being LostAtSea for five years with a well-muscled body CoveredInScars and some unexplained tattoos, the full story of which is gradually revealed over the following seasons. One tattoo identifies him as a Captain in [[TheMafiya Bratva]], there's a dragon tattoo the same as his LoveInterest Shado given as a MarkOfShame by Slade Wilson (who blames Oliver for Shado's death) and a [[PowerTattoo magical protection]] from Series/{{Constantine}}.

Look at that mean [[AnimatedTattoo Mini-Maui]] ''a-tippity-tappin''!"''

-->-- '''Maui''' singing "[[IAmSong You're Welcome]]", ''Disney/{{Moana}}''

* In the Disney film ''Disney/{{Moana}}'', the demigod Maui has enchanted tattoos adorning his body telling the stories of his legendary exploits. The tattooed image of himself is also alive and functions as his conscience.

Look at that mee-[[AnimatedTattoo Mini-Maui]] ''a-tippity-tappin''!"''

* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Marik Ishtar has a tattoo of his back telling the entire story of the [[NameAmnesia Nameless Pharoah]]. It provides a frightful glimpse into his backstory, as he was just a child when he had the tattoos [[WouldHurtAChild violently burned onto his back]] against his will by how own father, the trauma of which was a major factor in his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Evil Alter Ego's]] development.

* In ''Manga/YuGiOh'' Marik Ishtar has a tattoo of his back telling the entire story of the [[NameAmnesia Nameless Pharoah]]. It provides a frightful glimpse into his backstory, as he was just a child when he had the tattoos [[WouldHurtAChild violently burned onto his back]] against his will by how own father, the trauma of which was a major factor in his EvilAlterEgo's development.

* [[OnePiece Nami]] has a tattoo that represents her past (as well as her greedy nature). Whether she would have gotten this tattoo if her former 'pirate crew' tattoo could have been cleanly destroyed is not quite clear.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', Sally Carrera has a "tattoo" on her... trunk, hinting at her big-city past.

* In the Disney film ''Disney/{{Moana}}'', the demigod Maui has enchanted tattoos adorning his body telling the stories of his legendary exploits. The tattooed image of himself is also alive and functions as his conscience.

* Hun, of ''[[WesternAnimation/TMNT2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (second series) fame, originally started out with two tattoos, depicting the logos of the two syndicates he was loyal to, The Foot and the Purple Dragons. When the character was redesigned for season 7, he no longer sported the Foot tattoo, reflecting how he'd left that particular group behind.

* ComicBook/{{Batwoman}} has several tattoos, including a nautical star and a military symbol. These were given to her when Creator/GregRucka and J.H. Williams III took over the character, as part of their attempts to make her more than a simple Bruce Wayne clone.