Whether it's tattoos, birthmarks, or other mysterious sigils, many anime characters have face markings. Sometimes, these markings are an important piece of lore about a character. Other times, it's just an interesting design choice on the mangaka's part. Regardless, face markings can be a pretty interesting aesthetic addition to any character.
Unlike piercings or scars, facial markings tend to be intricate. Sometimes, they can even tell a story in and of themselves. In anime, facial markings are diverse, and none of them are the same. Everybody can agree that these markings add depth and intrigue to any character.
10 Bisco Akaboshi Has A Red Tattoo Under His Right Eye (Rust-Eater Bisco)
Bisco Akaboshi from Rust-Eater Bisco has a pretty intriguing overall design. He has a rustic, edgy style and predominantly sports tech-wear. His signature accessory is a pair of cracked goggles that are always on his head. Bisco has crimson red hair that stands out in any crowd to complement his emerald green eyes.
His design is already eye-catching enough, but the red tattoo under his eye truly brings his entire look together. It's a simplistic linework tattoo. It's unclear what it actually is or if it means anything, but it definitely adds to his overall aesthetic.
9 Jellal Has A Tattoo That Goes Above & Under His Eye (Fairy Tail)
Believe it or not, Jellal's actually had such an intricate tattoo on his face since he was a child. It's large, taking up half of his face. Its red ink is an interesting complement against his bright blue hair.
Some fans argue that it's a birthmark, while others feel that it's a tattoo without any special meaning. There's certainly no shortage of interesting headcanons and fan theories as to how exactly Jellal got this mark. Hopefully, fans will learn more about its origins in time in Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest.
8 Toge Inumaki Has His Clan's Seal On His Face (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Unless he's using his Cursed Speech, Toge always keeps his mouth covered. In Jujutsu Kaisen 0, he covered it with a turtleneck. However, now he just covers it with his school uniform.
When he uses his cursed technique, Toge pulls down his facial covering and reveals the Snake and Fangs sigil on his cheeks and tongue. It's the seal of the Inumaki clan. It allows Toge to embed cursed energy into certain words he speaks with cursed energy. For anybody to use cursed speech, they need something with the sigil on it — hence why Toge has the marking on his face.
7 Ulquiorra Has Two Lines That Descend From His Eyes (Bleach)
Ulquiorra from Bleach has quite a monochromatic, gloomy appearance. While most of his aesthetic is purely black and white, his eyes and facial markings add a nice pop of color to his aesthetic. He's one of the most melancholic Arrancars in the series, so it makes sense that his appearance would reflect his personality.
His skin is pale white, but his facial marking adds some life to his complexion. The two lines that descend from Ulquiorra's eyes are the same color as his eyes — a rich green that truly stands out from the rest of his otherwise colorless palette.
6 Caesar's Birthmarks Are On His Face (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency)
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is known for its detailed character designs. Every character has a prominent motif or style that becomes synonymous with their identity in the story. In the case of Battle Tendency's Caesar A. Zepelli, his most notable physical qualities are the birthmarks on both of his cheeks.
He has a triangular, purple birthmark on either cheek. They're placed right below his eyes. At first, face questioned if this was makeup or a tattoo. However, these birthmarks became one of Caesar's most recognizable features.
5 Gaara Has His Motto Tattooed On His Forehead (Naruto)
One of Gaara's best quotes in Naruto was when he said that his purpose is to love himself and fight only for himself. Therefore, his motto is "self-love." He sticks by this motto so much that he used his sand to tattoo the word "love" on his forehead.
While not every tattoo has to be super meaningful, Gaara's has quite the story behind it. He was ostracized and feared by everyone in his village for having the One-Tailed Shukaku inside of him. Other people deemed him a monster or a demon. So, Gaara learned that he only has himself, so the tattoo is a constant reminder that he is a "demon" who only loves himself.
4 Tanjiro's Scar Turned Into His Demon Slayer Mark (Demon Slayer)
Aside from his checker-print kimono and hanafuda earrings, one of Tanjiro's most distinctive attributes was the scar on the top of his forehead. At first, it looked like the average scar that he could have gotten from being reckless while playing as a child. However, certain events lead fans to believe it was never even a scar to begin with.
After his fight with the Hand Demon, it changed shape and resembled a small flame — his Demon Slayer Mark began taking shape. Eventually, it turned into a large, flame-like pattern after the Hashira Training Arc.
3 Sesshomaru's Face Markings Are Aesthetically Pleasing (Inuyasha)
Inuyasha is home to plenty of beautifully designed characters with intricate motifs and memorable fashion styles. One of the most aesthetically pleasing characters is Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's half-brother.
His face markings are simple but aesthetically pleasing. They'd be pretty easy to replicate for a cosplay. He has a purple crescent moon on his forehead and two magenta stripes on either side of his face. He also has one magenta stripe on each eyelid. These markings only appear in his human form, but they're remnants of his Yokai form.
2 Sukuna Is Covered In Intricate Markings (Jujutsu Kaisen)
In Jujutsu Kaisen, Sukuna's soul currently resides inside Yuji Itadori's body. When he takes over his vessel's consciousness, there are several noticeable changes. For one, the switch causes Yuji's hair to spike up, and he suddenly has four open eyes on his face. His nails even turn black from the change. However, the most distinct difference is that he manifests intricate markings all over his body.
It's unclear what Sukuna's markings mean, but there's no shortage of fan theories and speculations about their origins. When Sukuna takes over Yuji's body, thick black lines in rigid patterns appear on his face. They emerge from under his lips and carry up to under his first pair of eyes. There's also a black line across Sukuna's nose, with an interesting pattern in the middle of his forehead.
1 Naruto's Face Markings Are Subtle, But It's Hard To Picture Him Without Them
One of Naruto's signature characteristics is the three whiskers on both of his cheeks. Naruto got these before he even left the womb because the nine-tailed fox was always inside of him, even before he was born.
These face markings aren't quite as flashy or intricate as others, but it's hard to imagine Naruto without his trademark whiskers. His children even inherited these whiskers, and they don't have a Jinchuriki sealed inside of them. The only difference is that Boruto and Himawari only have two on either cheek, instead of three.