Israel Adesanya’s tattoos are easy to notice, but they tell more once you look at them as separate chapters. His chest carries Nigerian imagery, childhood comics appear on his arm, anime designs cover his stomach, and newer work reaches up to his neck. Some stories are clear because Adesanya has explained them; others are designs he liked. He has not claimed every mark has a grand meaning.

In GQ’s Tattoo Tour, Adesanya said he got his first tattoo at 22 and kept his early ink quiet around his family. He has also said he sometimes chooses a design because it looks cool and lets the meaning come later. That relaxed approach helps make sense of the collection. The confirmed stories are interesting enough without assigning a message to every shadow or symbol.

The Broken Native tattoo puts Nigeria and Africa across his chest

The phrase “Broken Native” is a natural place to begin. Large old-style letters stretch across Adesanya’s chest, making the words readable even in a fight photo. Below them is a black-and-grey design built around Africa, a lion-like silhouette and the outline of Nigeria. It is a substantial piece, with the feel of a personal flag rather than a small decorative tattoo.

Adesanya has connected the image with his Nigerian roots and his journey from Lagos to New Zealand. “Native” speaks to carrying one home while building another. He has also talked about his dance crew and the people around him before fighting became the focus of his public life. The chest placement makes the design visible; it is not tucked away as a private note.

The map, lion and lettering work as one chest composition.

Online descriptions sometimes reduce the piece to a map of Africa, missing how the elements fit together. The bold lettering forms a top edge, the continent gives the centre its shape, and the darker figure draws the eye inward. It is not a clean logo. The rougher shading suits both the phrase and the story behind it.

Photos taken at different times show why one view cannot do everything. A front-facing gym photo makes the words easy to read, while an octagon image shows how the tattoo bends with his chest and disappears toward the arms. Light and distance change how the ink looks. A careful description can name the visible parts without attaching meaning to every faint mark.

Deadpool and the anime tattoos make the ribs and stomach personal

Adesanya’s side and stomach tattoos are more playful. GQ shows a Deadpool-style figure on the ribs, with swords and comic-book attitude running along his side. It is easy to miss in a fight photo, where his arm or trunks can cover parts of it. A shirtless studio frame gives a better sense of its size, from the ribs toward the hip.

Deadpool fits Adesanya’s own account of his tattoos. He likes the character; he has not presented the piece as a solemn tribute. The pose gives it some attitude without requiring a speech. A favourite character can still say something about a person, especially when they have liked it since before becoming famous.

Avatar and Naruto meet in the stomach piece.

The stomach design brings together two parts of Adesanya’s pop-culture world. He identifies the upper image as the Ocean and Moon Spirit from Avatar: The Last Airbender, while the lower section includes the seal associated with Naruto’s Nine-Tails. Adesanya has said Avatar’s ideas about mastering the elements resonated with his own training. That is more useful context than a generic caption calling it an anime tattoo.

Placement shapes the design too. The two spirits sit in the middle of his torso as a balanced pair, with the Naruto seal below. The area reads more like a stacked panel than one continuous illustration. Sweat, shadows and movement can blur its edges, so a clear photo matters before identifying small marks around it.

The stomach ink is detailed, but not every detail has a published explanation.

Online lists sometimes assign a meaning to every line of Adesanya’s anime tattoos. The confirmed account is narrower: he has discussed Avatar, imagination and the emotional pull of those stories, and has shown the Naruto influence. The reason for every surrounding shape is not equally well documented. The layout can still be described without filling the gaps with guesses.

Calvin and Hobbes give the bicep tattoo a childhood reference

Inside Adesanya’s right bicep is a Calvin and Hobbes tattoo. Its story is simple: he read the comics as a child and liked what they represented. In GQ, he talks about imagination and how those stories stayed with him. The design brings a childhood interest into his adult life.

The bicep is a useful spot for this kind of image. The tattoo can disappear beneath a sleeve and show clearly when Adesanya raises his arm or poses for a fight photo. That contrasts with the chest lettering, which announces itself straight away. Some of his tattoos are public statements; others are quieter reminders that happen to be caught in photos.

Comic art sits beside the fighter’s working body.

The image helps because Calvin and Hobbes can become an indistinct patch when the arm is bent or the photo is compressed. A closer view separates the characters from the surrounding tattoos. The linework is lighter than his chest lettering, and the bicep gives the figures some space.

There is no need to turn the reference into a prediction about Adesanya’s personality. His connection to the comics is enough. It shows that he places a fun, familiar image beside heavier cultural and family work. That mix makes the collection feel personal rather than like a planned brand package.

The neck and hand tattoos show Israel’s newer visual language

Adesanya has added more visible tattoos around his neck. A later reveal showed a large eagle tattoo on the side of his neck, its wings reaching upward and its head angled across the skin. People asked what it meant, but the photo confirms the design and placement more clearly than any private explanation. Unless Adesanya explains the symbolism, it is best to call it an eagle and leave the meaning open.

A neck tattoo changes the outline of his face and appears in interviews, weigh-ins and everyday photos. That visibility may be part of the appeal, but the timing alone does not tell us why he chose it. The practical effect is clear: the eagle is harder to hide and gives his head and shoulders a stronger silhouette.

Small marks and the word “Okenna” need careful reading.

Photos also show smaller lettering and symbols around Adesanya’s shoulders, hands and torso. The word “Okenna” appears across his upper chest in some training photos, while other images make nearby designs easier to see. A guide should separate readable words from shapes suggested by a blurry frame. The same care applies to hand tattoos that wraps, gloves or the camera angle can partly cover.

That is a useful way to approach Adesanya’s collection. The Africa and Nigeria piece has a clear cultural connection; Deadpool, Avatar, Naruto and Calvin and Hobbes are recognisable references, with some stories explained by Adesanya. The eagle and smaller recent designs are visually clear but less fully explained. Keeping those categories separate makes the writing more honest and the designs easier to appreciate.

Together, the tattoos range across heritage, imagination, humour and the physical life of a fighter. The chest says where Adesanya comes from; the ribs and stomach show stories he grew up with; the bicep keeps a childhood comic close; and the neck work makes his newer look unmistakable. His tattoos do not need one theme. Their variety is part of the story.