When walking into Inkatsuki Tattoos, one may feel as if they’ve been transported into the ultimate fandom fantasy. The walls are adorned with anime lore including posters from My Hero Academia, and pixel art made from perler beads of Luffy and Saitama. An enviable Funko Pop collection featuring Charizard, Mirio Togata, Tomura Shigaraki, and Laxus Dreyar is housed in the same vicinity of a figurine army featuring Naruto and Todoroki.
The store’s name itself is even a nod to anime culture, juxtaposed with tattoo artistry according to Jarvis Ross, the shop’s owner. Ross took the name “akatsuki,” which is what he describes as a “black sheep team.”
“It’s a black sheep team from Naruto, a popular anime … Akatsuki …Inkatsuki, a team of dope, black sheep tattoo artists.”
Ross says that he has been a longtime fan of anime, dating back to the days where his cousin would collect Dragon Ball Z action figures.
“Back when I was like 8, he came from Cali with all these foreign action figures, and he was telling me about them. He put me on the show, and I’ve been watching it ever since.”
Inkatsuki, located on Lamar Avenue, is the first anime-themed tattoo shop in Memphis. Ross and his team also specialize in wood carving, shoe customizations, piercings, and more.
Ross’ shop recently went viral on Facebook, with a post that has more than 2,000 shares and close to 700 likes. The post is flooded with comments and reactions from prospective customers expressing their excitement for this one-of-a-kind experience and those eager to hop onto Ross’ table hope for sleeves dedicated to showcasing their love for anime.
“I’m deep into anime, and I have an anime community on Facebook as well [Memphis Hidden Leaf Village]. So I used [anime] as my theme for my shop.”
Ross originally opened a private shop under the same name on Airways back in 2021, but recently moved into a bigger space in April.
While Ross’ shop is advertised as a tattoo shop, he tells me that he’s a jack of all trades.
“I’m an artist,” Ross elaborates.
“I do all types of art. Woodwork, paintings, tattoos, graffiti, T-shirts, customizing shoes — I like creating things.”
One of the most formative settings for Ross’ early work was during grade school, where he says that he would be in the back of the classroom drawing. While most students used their notebook margins and desks as canvases, Ross used his and his classmates’ arms.
“The teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I just blurted out ‘I want to be a tattoo artist,’ and I went back to drawing on someone’s arm,” Ross recalls.
“I was rebellious at the time, but I ended up becoming a tattoo artist for real.”
While Ross’ classroom would serve as a primitive shop, he explains that he didn’t really get into tattooing until he was in college.
“I used to spend my money on tattoos. I asked the man who was doing my tattoos, ‘How much do you make in a day?’ He said anywhere from 50 [dollars] to 1,000 depending on your clientele and how much work you put into it.”
Ross says on that same day, the artist let him practice his first tattoo on himself on the spot.
“I tattooed ‘I did this myself,’ on my leg.”
The artist’s work has since evolved from his protege days, with a number of favorites in his portfolio.
“I did a Samurai Jack piece on a color blind client a couple of years back. Even though he couldn’t see red, he said it looked great and he loved the piece.”
As Ross reflects on the recent exposure gained from the viral post, he realizes how grateful he is for his community and his team.
“I’m very thankful for everyone sharing the Facebook post and showing love to Inkatsuki Tattoos, and for the Inkatsuki team, N3ko, Nay, Corey, Gates, and Nicki.”
The community aspect is important to Ross and his business, whether online or offline.
“When the community is doing bad, I’m doing bad. When my customers and the economy are doing bad, then they don’t have the money to spend and get the things that we offer,” he explains.
But Ross isn’t one to let circumstances keep him down long. He says even if he has to get a “9-5,” he’s still making content.