A talented tattoo artist recently revealed some new Nintendo-themed tattoo designs, all of which combine classic tattoo styles with Super Smash Bros. 64. A talented tattoo artist and obvious Super Smash Bros. fan recently unveiled some new ink designs, all of which are inspired by Nintendo’s popular platform fighter series’ first instalment. Super Smash Bros., released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64 console, saw the collaboration of several different Nintendo game franchises, including Kirby, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and others. Over two decades later, the roster has expanded to include franchises from a wide range of developers and publishers, with the most recent addition being Square Enix and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts protagonist, Sora.
Characters from the Super Smash Bros. series are frequently represented in fan artwork, with characters from the fighting series taking on new looks – thanks to artistic licence, the fusion of different games’ art styles, and more. One artist recreated the entire Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster in the style of the retro indie game Cuphead. Cuphead’s graphic design is reminiscent of classic cartoons from the 1930s and 1940s, such as Popeye and early iterations of Looney Tunes. However, thanks to the creativity of a tattoo artist, Super Smash Bros. 64 characters are getting yet another retro makeover.
moshturd666, a Reddit user, recently unveiled their new tattoo flash sheet (samples often hung in tattoo shops for clients to view), which includes American-traditional-style tattoo designs – but with a Nintendo-themed twist. Rather than using retro pin-up girls and anchors, moshturd666 combined the vintage look with Super Smash Bros. 64 characters and icons. One tattoo, a traditional “Love Thy Neighbor” tattoo, has been given a whole new look thanks to the addition of Link’s shield from The Legend of Zelda and two popular close-range Super Smash Bros. items (the hammer and the baseball bat). Similarly, an agitated-but-still-adorable Kirby appears to take the place of a spider on a Sailor-Jerry-style web. Although the video game and this tattoo style appear to clash at first glance, both are throwbacks that appear to blend together seamlessly.
Although the Super Smash Bros. series appears to be at its peak popularity, its future is uncertain following the recent departure of creator and director Masahiro Sakurai. In a supposedly leaked interview earlier this month, Sakurai stated that he would prefer to leave Super Smash Bros. in the hands of others but added, “Currently, I can’t see a way to produce a Smash Bros. title without my involvement.” However, no definitive announcements about the end of Super Smash Bros. have been made as of yet.
While Super Smash Bros. may come and go, a Super Smash Bros.-themed tattoo will last forever. Those who want to permanently honour the series in an American traditionalist style can find inspiration in moshturd666’s impressive retro designs. The real question, then, is which game franchise deserves to be immortalised in ink.
