Tiger, a member of the cat family, represents different things to different people. Tiger meat confers sexual prowess on its consumers due to its aphrodisiac qualities. Some see tigers as symbols of vengeance, while some relate them to sensuality and passion. Tigers represent force, power, strength, and ferocity. They are seen as signs of manliness, which makes tiger tattoos very popular among men.

The Indians see the tiger as a destructive and violent animal, while the Chinese see this wild animal as a protector of the dead; consequently, tigers are etched on tombstones to protect a departed loved one. The Korean culture describes the tiger as the king of the animals, making tiger tattoos for men a common feature among dominating and powerful male figures.

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Common Placement of Tiger Tattoos for Men

Tiger tattoos are said to bring prosperity and good luck to the tattoo bearers. The placement is determined by the bearer’s preferred design and size; they are usually designed in the biceps, chest, and middle of the back.

Popular Tiger Tattoo Themes

There are many designs of tiger tattoos for men. We will only concentrate on the most popular among them, which are highlighted below:

Tribal

They represent strength and power since tiger is an animal thought to have spiritual energy. The tribal tiger tattoo can act as a source of inspiration to the bearer in times of physical weakness or psychological challenges.

Realistic 3D

This type is aesthetic and further enhances the social standing of the bearer. It confers an impressive demeanor on the bearer, thanks to its shiny striped coats and striking eyes. The 3D design further makes this type exciting. It is among the best choices for anyone interested in the aesthetic value of a tiger tattoo.

Tiger vs. Dragon

The tiger and the dragon are two traditional enemies in Chinese folklore. The tiger in the tattoo stands for strength and power, while the dragon stands for wisdom and knowledge. The dragon tiger tattoo, therefore, stands for an eternal struggle of the mind and body.

Tiger Eyes

Only the eyes of the tiger and the bridge of its nose are depicted in this tiger tattoo. It represents determination, patience, and focus. It depicts a being with a strong will to survive at all cost. It is also seen as a portrayal of the most primitive desires of the bearer, meaning he is thinking and moving on drive and instinct.

Blue Tiger and Other Colors

This depicts the totem of the Earth and spring, according to a Chinese legend. The Blue Tiger is one of the five powerful tigers that hold the universe in balance, according to this same legend. The blue tiger tattoo represents power and control.

The other four tigers are the White Tiger, controlling Metal and autumn; the Black Tiger, controlling Water and winter; the Red Tiger, controlling Fire and summer; and the Yellow Tiger, controlling the Sun and the other tigers.

Conclusion

There you have it; the most popular types of tiger tattoos for men! The designs differ, same for the sizes; these two factors determine the placement of the tattoo, as hinted earlier.

Jaw-dropping Examples of Tiger Tattoos for Men

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This black and gray tiger tattoo is an excellent forearm or calve piece. The darker colors used for the tiger’s body, and stripes, let the bright yellow eyes really pop. This inked beast conveys masculinity, power, and controlled aggression.

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A beautiful full size back piece, this tattoo ensures that the patient tiger is always watching your back. Done in blacks, grays, and whites, this portrait allows for an artful contrast between the hard lines of the tigers face and stripes, and the reflection in the water.

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Inspired by Japanese artists from the Edo period, this piece allows the tiger at its core to convey the aggression of a Samurai going into battle. Done in bright, flashy inks, this tattoo brings attention to the full sleeve and allows the colors and design to do all the talking.

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Another of the many tiger tattoos inspired by Japanese art, this piece makes use of darker, subtler colors to convey a more menacing aura. The almost cloud like tiger design makes for a unique, yet traditional tattoo that fits well on shoulders, forearms, or calves.

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This beautiful extended back piece makes incredible use of black, gray, and white inks to form a flowing image of a tiger on the attack. Incorporating cherry blossoms and lotus flowers into the overall design juxtaposes the main draw of the aggressive tiger’s eyes with a sense of calming zen.

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A tattoo that possesses all the terror of an 80s comic book, this retro tiger design would look great on shoulders, calves, or facing down G.I. Joe. Bright inks add to its nostalgic feel, and crisp oranges, reds, and whites, contrast perfectly with the deep greens and blacks of the background.

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This artful black and white focused portrait depicts the contained fury in the stalking tiger’s eyes. When considering tiger tattoo ideas, thinking of the aspects of the tiger that best represent personality traits is a great way to determine the right tattoo for you. The focus of the yellow eyes in this tattoo represents contained aggression.

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Inspired by medieval family crests, this tattoo makes the tiger’s snarling jowls the center of focus. The extreme detail on the tiger in this tattoo allows for portrait like authenticity. This piece fits the wearer’s body like a suit of armor, perfectly reflecting its inspiration.

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Taking all designs into account is the best way to determine the best tiger tattoos idea for you. This Hindu art inspired piece reincarnates the tiger as an otherworldly beast. Done in crisp, sharp inks the bright green of the tiger’s eyes flow perfectly with its black stripes and yellow curving fangs.

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This black and gray piece speaks highly of its horror inspirations and casts the tiger in its original form; a furred beast stalking the primordial lands for animals and man alike. Done in stark, deep, darker colors, the tiger’s eyes in this piece reflect an aggressively chaotic assuredness.

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Done in a bright pallet of orange, pink, black, reds, and whites, this piece is the perfect accompaniment to a leg or arm sleeve or as a solo piece on the chest or shoulder blade. Tight and flowing inks give this chained tiger a contained dangerousness and could represent rising above obstacles, or overcoming addiction.

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This full back, roaring tiger tattoo design makes brilliant use of its black and gray inks. The snarling tiger portrait intensely depicts the beast moments away from pouncing for the attack. This tattoo echoes masculinity and being ready to defend and fight for what you believe in.

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This subtle, artistic, tiger piece captures the powerful animal in a moment of quiet contemplation. This tattoo uses the traditional tiger’s colors to subvert the image and rebrand the aggressive beast as an art piece depicting the quiet soul of the warrior.

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The roaring tiger is one of the most popular tiger tattoos for guys. As this calve piece shows, the tattoo design can be refit and refocused to fit almost anywhere on the body. This particular roaring tiger tattoo uses black and grays to encompass the focus of the portrait and add a sense of darkness and danger.

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This stalking tiger wades through bright green jungle foliage on a quiet patient hunt. The almost portrait like detail allows for an incredibly inked and colored flowing design and puts the orange coat of the hunting animal, and its yellow eyes, at the center focus of the tattoo.

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Another of the many tiger tattoos for men inspired by Japanese art and Samurai culture, this piece likens the pouncing tiger to the thundering waves in bright, yet soft, colors. The perfect full arm or leg piece, this tattoo brings a sense of fury and power to the wearer.

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Depicting the ages old contrast of the tiger and the dragon in beautiful black and grays, this piece adorns the chest in perfect balance with the wearer. Done in softer inks to allow for the portrait like design to really show through, bringing a sense of realism to the fantastic creatures.

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A comic book inspired, beautifully inked, beast of a tiger, this is an excellent tattoo for those seeking a colorful half sleeve for the arm or leg. Contrasting the vicious tiger’s oranges and blacks with a light green really allows the animal to pop.

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A fresh take on one of the most popular tattoo ideas for men, this piece brings the roaring tiger in full color. The soft orange inks allow the crisp white of the tiger’s fangs, and the green of the animal’s eyes to take focus.

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This creative re-design of the classic tiger’s eye tattoo depicts a half tiger, half female image, and may possibly represent the animal nature in man. Done in crisp black, gray, and white inks, this tattoo offers a realistic, almost portrait like design.

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A half sleeve roaring tiger, the design of this tattoo allows the gaps to be filled in by the wearer’s skin in unique and artful ways. Sharp black inks provide the background that let the animal’s hard, glossy, eyes to take the focus.

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This panting tiger uses its realistic design to bring full focus to the tattoo, that would look great on the chest, calve, or shoulder blade. The creature’s light yellow eyes indicate a calm, yet threatening, demeanor.

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When considering tattoos ideas, it is important to think of unique and creative options, and they don’t come much more unique and creative than this tattoo. Possessing a comic or cartoon type feel, this tiger/bull dog combo sparks in bright, Disney-like colors.

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Another tattoo inspired by comic book art, this depiction of snake and tiger represents more modern graphic art comic design. The straight, stark lines, and black shading make for a well-balanced piece and the deep greens and blacks contrast the tiger’s orange and reds.

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This piece depicting two furious tigers at war possesses perfect balance on the wearer in black and grays. An excellent option for chest or back pieces, the portrait like detail of these tiger’s allow for an intense and dramatic tattoo.

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Tigers are the perfect manifestations of ferocity and vigor and this tattoo manages to capture this very well. This tiger tattoo manages to capture the vibrancy of a tiger’s coat and enhances its brows and snarl to give it a more menacing look. A great tattoo modeled after Mughal paintings.

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Indian folklore says that the eye of a tiger is the most mysterious and powerful object in the world. Tiger tattoos are sometimes able to capture the awe-inspiring beauty of a tiger’s eye and this is one such tattoo. It is very realistic and powerful.

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This is another of the many great tiger tattoo ideas. The menacing look of the tiger and the human skull underneath its head lends this tattoo a very dark tone and if that is what you want your tattoo to convey, then this is a great tattoo for you. It will perfectly suit someone who is a go-getter.

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This is a tiger tattoos idea that adds a few playful colors to an otherwise somber subject matter. It leans more towards the artistic than the realistic and is a great way to bring out the beauty of this majestic animal.

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This tiger tattoo design pays homage to the insignias of the armies of India and Bangladesh. It is only natural for these countries to adopt this magnificent creature as its mascot and this tattoo combines design elements such as the tiger with daggers, fire, and a lotus.

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This is one of the perfect tiger tattoos for guys as it can be worn on the shoulder and the menacing, roaring, green-eyed tiger is the perfect symbol for someone who has an aggressive personality and doesn’t wait for opportunities but makes their own.

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This tattoo removes the deep eyes of the tiger and instead uses the growl to personify someone who has a rough exterior but hides a more emotional and softer interior. This one example of the many tiger tattoos for men out there beautifully captures the strength and elegance of a tiger.

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Of the many tattoo ideas for men that have been showcased here, this one is a bit on the calmer side. Instead of its trademark growl, the tiger depicted is simply resting. The tattoo is very realistic and the fact that is has a dark background makes the tiger pop even more.

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Tattoos ideas often create a sense of nostalgia and this tattoo manages to capture a scene from the popular tales of the jungle book. The tiger here is the antagonist. It perfectly captures the ferocity of a tiger in a sort of childish manner.

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If you are not looking for a colorful tattoo but would also like to capture the beauty and fierceness of a tiger in all its glory then this is the way to go. It is a monochromatic depiction of an angry tiger about to launch itself from a raging storm.

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Indian goddesses are often depicted as riding on the back of a tiger. This tattoo of a tiger has been inspired by those images. Instead of the traditional orange, this tattoo primarily uses red. This along with the horns on the tiger give it an otherworldly look.

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This tattoo takes its inscription from the murals found during the Mughal era. It shows a tiger with its canines and claws bared as if it is just about to pounce on its prey. It is a culturally significant tattoo perfect for highly opportunistic people.

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There is something mysterious about a tiger that most people are captivated by it in spite of the inherent danger this beast possesses. This tattoo perfectly captures that emotion which shows a tiger showing its fangs in the midst of dried up foliage. The use of muted colors and shading adds a high degree of depth to it.

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If you are all about the eye, then this tattoo that is one of the best representations of the eye of a tiger will suit you perfectly. The rest of the tattoo is monochromatic while the eye is a rich emerald color. It is powerful and awe-inspiring.

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This tattoo is perfect to show off your masculinity. It adorns the top of your hand and your knuckles and is the monochromatic image of a tiger with its canines barely showing and with a set of piercing blue eyes. It is subtle but carries a lot of symbolic meaning.

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This tattoo takes its inspiration from the masks worn during Chinese festivals. It uses a bold, in-your-face sort of design and depicts the tiger as more than just an animal. If you love Chinese culture and folklore then this is a great tattoo to get for yourself.

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If you are more into symmetry and balance then this is a great tattoo. It uses straight lines and sharp contours to depict a tiger that still manages to be realistic. The creative use of a few colors adds, even more, character to this tattoo.

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The tiger itself is considered to be a fine specimen of nature’s brilliance. The white mutations of the great beasts are revered even more. This tattoo made up of two halves captures this elegance on one side while the other side is like the blueprint that was used to create this wonder of nature.

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This tattoo carries many moral lessons regarding greed, mercy, and disparity between the strong and the week. It is a scene from classic fable from the subcontinent of India and depicts a mouse that has been tied to the forehead of a tiger with both the creatures unable to do what they are so eager to do.

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If you love tales that might seem impossible then this is the tattoo that would go well with your likes. The last emotion that anyone would associate with a tiger is fear but that is exactly what this tattoo does. The clever use of positioning of the lower jaw, stripes, and the yes gives this tiger a terrified look.

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The man-eating tiger is a very real menace and this tattoo captures the fear and intimidation that this creature commands. It is the depiction of a devilish tiger holding onto a human skull. The use of the color red makes this tattoo even more sobering.

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If you love taking chances and would rather live life in a creative manner than be stuck in a routine then this is the tattoo perfectly matching your personality. The monochromatic image with dark undertones combines the raw elegance of a tiger with some playing cards and imagery related to music.

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This is one of the most intimidating tattoos you could get with a tiger as its main subject and yet it manages to achieve all of this without using any other ink apart from black. It takes design cues from Hindu temples and is symmetric but highly intricate in its arrangement of flowing lines and textures.

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Many cultures use the image of a tiger for a demonic entity and this tattoo is inspired by these images. It depicts a tiger with backward facing fangs and a nightmarish growl on its face. The subtle use of a tone of magenta makes it appear even more terror-inducing.

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Search for images of a tiger and the most awesome pictures you will come across will be of a tiger on the prowl. Even though there are no fangs or claws visible here, it still manages to convey a sense of purpose and menace. This monochromatic tattoo is quite realistic and has high artistic value as well.