History Main / FacialMarkings

[[quoteright:250:[[Manga/InuYasha https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1151096306659-resized.JPG]]]]

* Inuit women traditionally had facial tattoos that was one of the things that were stamped out by religious and secular authorities in the 20th century in Canada, but in the last few years some Inuit women have revived it to reclaim their cultural heritage. One prominent example is Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, member of Parliament for Nunavut between 2019 and 2021.

** Mister Sinister has a red diamond on his forehead. The [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Age]] saga reveals that [[spoiler:it's actually a playing card pip - whereas people had previously assumed Victorian scientist Nathan Essex became Sinister, he's actually one of ''four'' variants that Essex created, one for each playing card suit, and each taking a different path. Sinister's a geneticist and eugenicist, using mutants as raw material for his experiments. Doctor Stasis, similarly marked with a black club pip, seeks to enhance humans. Mother Righteous, marked with a white heart (on her red skin) explores psychic powers. And Orbis Stellaris, who's marked with a black spade pip, takes to the stars to exploit alien technology]].

* Inhabitants of the Apiary in ''VideoGame/Haven2020'' all have white face tattoos of varying intricacy. Some individuals have similar tattoos on their arms.

* Ghanti from the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast '' has a star-shaped yellow mark under her left eye.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Chakotay has a facial tattoo which is a tradition of his (fictional) Indigenous American nation.

** In the [[ForWantOfANail alternative reality]] ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', most characters have facial markings as well.

* In ''Literature/Dune'', doctors who graduated from the famous Suk School are marked with a diamond tattoo on the forehead. This signifies that they have been through the Imperial Conditioning, which prevents them doing harm [[spoiler:... or so everyone thinks]].

* In Jean Auel's ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series, the Mamuts (who are holy men, healers, and storytellers) have marks tattooed on their faces so others can easily recognize their status. This keeps being a point of contention for the main character, Ayla, when she claims to be a healer; as she studied with her camp's Mamut, but left before completing her studies, she did not earn the facial mark.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{NinjagoDragonsRising}}'': In the sequel, Sora, among other matured Imperians, sport markings on their faces.

* Turians from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' tattoo their faces with patterns which identify their home colony, a cultural artifact of the period of extreme nationalism prior to their Unification War. The Codex mentions that the Turians use 'barefaced' as a synonym for 'untrustworthy' (or [[AcceptableTargets 'politician']]), since such a person is concealing their true allegiance: [[{{Foreshadowing}} neither Saren nor]] [[spoiler:[[{{Foreshadowing}} the warden of Purgatory]] ]][[{{Foreshadowing}} have markings]].

* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** Bishop has an M (for Mutant) branded on his face. A lot of the mutants seen in his alternate future also have prominent brands or facial tattoos. Jamie Madrox and Layla Miller of ''Comicbook/XFactor'' acquire received the same M brand from a visit to Bishop's future.
** ComicBook/RachelSummers, from another alternate future, was also given facial tattoos , which vary from thin dark spider-web like lines, to six larger red marks. Generally she uses her telepathy to mask them from others... that or writers simply forgot she had them, as she's a lot prettier without them/with fewer tats. She tends to let them become visible she gets really mad. For a while in the 2000s, the typical "Rachel's pissed, run away" signal became her [[GlowingEyesOfDoom Glowing Phoenix-Effect Left Eye of Doom]]. Now, she's more inclined towards TranquilFury, with less obvious signs.

** ComicBook/{{Shatterstar}} has a star tattoo over his left eye. In X-Factor V3, he beats up a guy (and his friends, and some random bystanders) for making snide comments about it.
** X-Men villain Mister Sinister has a red diamond on his forehead. The [[ComicBook/XMenTheKrakoanAge Krakoan Age]] saga reveals that [[spoiler:it's actually a playing card pip - whereas people had previously assumed Victorian scientist Nathan Essex became Sinister, he's actually one of ''four'' variants that Essex created, one for each playing card suit, and each taking a different path. Sinister's a geneticist and eugenicist, using mutants as raw material for his experiments. Doctor Stasis, similarly marked with a black club pip, seeks to enhance humans. Mother Righteous, marked with a white heart (on her red skin) explores psychic powers. And Orbis Stellaris, who's marked with a black spade pip, takes to the stars to exploit alien technology]].

* ''Literature/LoomingGaia'': The chiefs and chieftesses of the ancient Boanningwad elves, and in the present day the rulers of the Empire of Damijana, get red dots tattooed under their eyes and above their eyelids. If their people overthrow them, they have the tattoos removed by burning, blinding them in the process.

* ''WebOriginal/LoomingGaia'': The chiefs and chieftesses of the ancient Boanningwad elves, and in the present day the rulers of the Empire of Damijana, get red dots tattooed under their eyes and above their eyelids. If their people overthrow them, they have the tattoos removed by burning, blinding them in the process.

* Benimaru and Shuna, the ogre prince and princess from ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', both have singular red lines running from their eyes down their cheeks, distinctly resembling TearsOfBlood. After Rimuru's SuperEmpowering advances them along the BishounenLine, Benimaru's tears become thinner and less prominent, and Shuna loses hers entirely.

* The title character of ''Comicbook/TrakkMonsterHunter'' has blue lines under his eyes going down the sides of his face.
* Members of Creator/{{Wildstorm}} Comics' Coda Warriors usually have red facial markings. Zealot, for example, has a red circle on her forehead and red stripes on her cheeks.

* Dart and her previous mercenary partner Dalia in ''ComicBook/AtariForce'' have markings not only on the left side of their faces, but also all over the left side of their bodies, with which they mark each other after a successful mission has been completed. Like her father Mohandas Singh, Dart has a red tilak on her forehead.
* Several characters in ''ComicBook/TheWickedAndTheDivine'' sport facial markings, often around their eyes. Amaterasu has rainbows around her eyes, which Laura emulates when she goes to see her in concert. The Morrigan's aspects Macha and Badb both have raven-like designs, whereas Gentle Annie has a rectangle over her right eye. Inanna has an eight-pointed star around his left eye, matching his icon. Tara's appearance on the cover of Issue #5 has the entire top half of her face coloured blue. They seem to be permanent changes to the gods' appearances rather than makeup or tattoos. For example, [[spoiler:after Laura's ascension as the goddess Persephone]], we only ever see her with the red triangle on the right side of her face, including after waking up in the mornings and while covered in blood. None of the pantheon with the markings are ever shown applying makeup, and the godly InstantCostumeChange also comes with other physical differences, like hair color changes or [[WalkingShirtlessScene great abs]]. [[spoiler:Laura's mark disappears after she renounces her godhood and becomes mortal again, apparently confirming that the marks are indeed supernatural.]]
* Tahani, an assassin from ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth'',wears white facepaint on her cheeks and under her chin.
* ComicBook/SquirrelGirl has triangles or lines above and below her eyes in most of her earlier appearances (think clown makeup). In ''ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl'' it's explained that this was a teenage phase.
* Followers of N'rygoth in ''ComicBook/RatQueens'' have facial tattoos (or ritual scars) above and below their eyes. The further one advances in the religion, the more marks one obtains.
* The character 666 from ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'' has one 6 tattooed over his entire face, while the other two 6es are tattooed on his chest.
* ComicBook/DraxTheDestroyer and {{ComicBook/Gamora}} from ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' both typically appear with facepaint around their eyes. In both characters' cases, the paint is shown to be removable (and in Gamora's case, the color of often coordinated to her outfit).
* In ''ComicBook/StrikeforceMorituri'', after his DarkerAndEdgier turn, Marathon uses an industrial laser to brand a massive "M" (for Morituri) across his eyes in order to frighten the Horde.

* In ''Fanfic/BareSquadron'', most members of the Pyso family have Dathomiri facial tattoos.
* In ''Fanfic/KaraOfRokyn'', [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]'s cat White Star has a star-shaped mark between his eyes.
* In ''Fanfic/HeroTheGuardianSmurf'', the main character Hero has a gold H on his forehead, as does his OppositeSexClone Wonder.

* ''Film/StarTrek2009'': The Romulans have some particularly ornate tribal tattoos. (It's established in supplemental material that these are markings of grief.)
* Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) and the other characters in ''Film/{{Soldier}}'' have facial tattoos with name, rank, serial number, and blood type.
* ''Film/TheExpendables''. General Garza uses them to instill patriotism and pride in his soldiers. (They're also meant to disguise the fact they're re-using the same stunt doubles and extras over and over.)
* In ''Film/TheGrizzlies'', Spring gives herself a traditional Inuit tattoo on her forehead after her ex-boyfriend Roger [[spoiler:commits suicide]].

* The Togrutas from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films all have gray markings all over their faces (Shaak Ti's are shaped like rings, while Ahsoka Tano's are shaped like diamonds and jagged lines), as with the Zabraks (Darth Maul has red markings all over his face, while Savage Oppress has orange ones; these are Dathomirian/Sith tattoos that the typical Zabraks of Iridonia lack; their markings tend to be much more subtle) and the Mirialans (Luminara Unduli has thicker dark stripes on her face compared to Barriss Offee's two lines of diamonds across the bridge of her nose). With the Zabraks and Mirialans, these are tatoos related to rites of passage.

* In ''Film/EndersGame'', the half-Maori admiral Mazer Rackham has his face covered in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta_moko ta moko markings]].
* In ''Film/RepoChick,'' Pixxi's hanger-on [=SixSixSix=] has 666 and a barcode tattooed above his left eye.
* Blink from ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', has tattoos around her eyes.
* The [[ActionGirl Valkyrie]] in ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' has markings near her eye.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/BreedsThereAMan": Dr Ralston has a [[DistinguishingMark distinctive]] chemical scar on his cheek.

* Music/AliceCooper. Alice is famous for his creepy clown-like makeup.

* It's certainly not required for them to get their [[{{Mana}} Juice]] going, but sykers in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}: Hell on Earth'' and ''Lost Colony'' frequently tattoo their (beautiful, beautiful [[ChromeDomePSI bald]]) heads. Many sykers on Earth that didn't swear the "Oath of Unity," a pledge to not harm other sykers, had their foreheads tattooed with big red letter A's through means unknown. (It stands for "Apostate", and apparently another group of sykers did it to mark the [[LonersAreFreaks damn self-serving freaks]].)

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''

* Actually a plot point in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice''. Monks and other holy figures in Khura'in all have facial markings tattooed on their face, each marking unique to that person. A registry of which marking goes to what person is kept in the royal palace, which is needed to identify a dead body.

* ''Webcomic/{{Outsider}}'': Talon and Spiral have matching tattoos on their right cheeks, a symbol of their training in the same ''diral'' -- trainee group -- at the Tenoin Academy.
* ''Webcomic/{{Pandect}}'': Aces (animals given a human body) often have facial markings if their animal species has them (cheetah tear marks, for example)

* Rishan in ''WebComic/AlienDice'' have markings that indicate ancestry.
* About 90% of the characters of ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}''. More often than not, a given family will have similar symbols.
* Every robot in ''Webcomic/CogaSuro'' will have some variation of facial markings, usually a box shape on either side of the jawline. The one combined robot features both of her "predecessors" facial markings overlaid over each other.
* Kili's facial markings in ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'' are a form of PowerLimiter; her spirit vision is too strong and without them, she'd go insane from seeing ''everything'' at once.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', both [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0694.html Girard Draketooth]] and his son (or maybe grandson) [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0816.html Orrin Draketooth]] both have a facial mark. Girard's is on his left cheek and Orrin's is on his right, but they're otherwise identical. This may be some sort of clan tattoo, or it may be a symbol of magical power. Since neither man has made an in-person appearance yet, we don't know. It's shown later to be common to his entire family, and is actively called a tattoo at one point
* in ''Webcomic/{{Crankrats}}'', most Altavians have "clan markings" tattooed on their faces.
* In ''Webcomic/TheRifters'' Marsh definitely has something on his face. Not sure if it's a tattoo or paint, but it's a distinctive marking.

* These are fairly common in the world of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', mostly taking the form of clan associated markings, usually in clan colors. The Kyorl'solenurn also wear facial markings (usually on the forehead) that denote which religious Order they belong to.
* Francesca of ''Webcomic/TheThingThatWouldNotLeave'' has a red heart painted beneath her right eye.

* ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'': Lightning has [[http://erinptah.com/catperson/comic/character-sketches-16/ dark streaks down the sides of his face]], loosely mimicking the coloring of his Bearded Vulture form.
* In ''WebComic/YokokasQuest'', demon characters feature a variety of facial (and body) markings - it hasn't been made clear as to whether these are natural or tattoos.

* JustForFun/MysteriousWaifTan sometimes has the Chinese pictogram for tea tattooed upon her forehead.
* Several Lucain markings on ''Roleplay/TheLandsOfEvelon'' are these. Also, some other pets have unusual markings on their faces as well, such as the Baskerville, which has a skull marking over one eye.
* Alpha from ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}'' has black stripes from just above his eyebrows to just bellow his eye.

* WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}: The Time Twins, Krux and Acronix, have green and black tattoos around their eyes. WordOfGod confirmed their markings are purely a designer's choice with no real reason for having them.

* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': In a departure from the norm, this incarnation of the Turtles are each a different species. Leonardo is a red slider, and thus has red markings on his face over his eyes to represent this.

* Hakuron from ''Manga/HaouAiren'' has a ''very'' distinguishing dragon tattoo on the side of his face. Seems that only Kurumi has seen it and lived to tell.
* Jio Freed from ''Manga/OPartsHunter'' has a black triangle on his left cheek and a white one on his right. While these seem to compliment his [[FashionableAsymmetry asymmetrical clothes]] [[spoiler:they are in fact a tribute to his teacher, Zero who "dies" before the story begins]]. [[spoiler:They are also yet another reflection of his split personality]].
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerai/1118537783586.jpg Sasami]] and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kerai/1126135980051.jpg Tsunami]] in ''Anime/TenchiMuyo''. When he's manifesting his full power, Tenchi also has a Facial Marking. This may be a thing with Juraians, as Ayeka has displayed them whenever going into immediate combat, as has Tenchi's mother, [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/64/TMiL_Achika.jpg/300px-TMiL_Achika.jpg Achika]], in the ''Tenchi Universe'' continuity. Strangely, it also seems to change their skintone to a darker, more silver-brownish shade.
** In the ''Anime/PrettySammy'' spinoff series, all the characters in Juraihelm and the magical girls they induct get some sort of facial marking (usually something simple on the center of their forehead, but some have stripes on their cheeks).
** The darkened skin and triangular black cheek markings seem to be part of the Juraian battle suits that Ayeka and Tenchi possess. Marks on the forehead, on the other hand, are indicators of divine power. Both of Emperor Azusa's wives have circular forehead marks (one for Funaho, two for Misaki), but theirs are just makeup. Jurai's patron goddess Tsunami, as seen above, has two circular forehead marks that are entirely natural. Her older sister [[spoiler:Washu]] has three ([[spoiler:but not in her normal "human" guise]]), and [[spoiler:Washu's daughter Ryoko]] will manifest them as well if and when she achieves her power. Sasami's two triangular forhead marks are likewise not makeup, and instead signify [[ItWasHisSled her connection to Tsunami]]. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tenchi_light_hawk_wings_726.jpg Tenchi's]] three triangles appear (and [[PowerGlows glow]]) when he's manifesting the Light Hawk Wings, and signify [[spoiler:his status as a divine being on a level even higher than Tsunami]].

* Jun in ''Manga/DevilmanLady''. Her demon beast form has red markings underneath her eyes, which nicely compliment her SupernaturalGoldEyes.

* During their TransformationSequence and upon using their extra powers, each of the planetary Senshi in ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' at least momentarily displays the astrological symbol for her planet on her forehead. In the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], all of the senshi have their forehead symbols when in princess form. Sailor Moon herself displays a golden crescent moon when she's in her Princess and Neo Queen Serenity forms, as do the two mooncats, Chibiusa in her princess form (as well as when she uses her power beam in the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]), and Queen Serenity. Members of the Black Moon Family, one of the later sets of enemies, bear an inverted black crescent moon on their foreheads. The Amazon Quartet have a dot in the middle of their foreheads.

* In the ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury/Guardian Force'' anime, virtually every character in the Zoids has some marking on their face. The Ancient Zoidians have dots on their forehead. These markings are absent in the later seasons.

* Nataku in ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' has a lotus-shaped design on his forehead.
* Naruto (whisker-like lines on cheeks), Jiraiya (vertical lines under the eyes) and Tsunade (diamond-shaped mark on forehead), in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', among others, usually to show of one's clan. (Such as the Inuzuka clan's fang-shaped markings, Neji's [[TheUnFavourite forehead manji/saltire]], and Choji's swirlies)
** Kankuro's face paint (which changes from one arc to another) is in the style of bunraku artists of old. It's kind of a theme with him, seeing as he also wears an outfit in the style of of a Japanese ''bunraku'' puppeteer. Including the cat ears.
** Gaara has the kanji for "love" above his left eye. It's a scar. When he was a young child, the person he trusted and possibly loved like a father was ordered to kill him and said with his dying breath that he has ''always'' hated Gaara. (Which turned out to not be true, but Gaara himself wouldn't learn that until several years later). Cue one cosmic-grade mental meltdown, in the middle of which Gaara uses his [[SealedEvilInACan bound demon's]] sand powers to ''carve the kanji in his own flesh''.
** Tsunade's diamond is where she stores an incredible amount of chakra for her [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Forbidden Jutsu]] which makes her [[NighInvulnerability invincible in battle.]] When she uses it, [[MarkedChange her face is covered in more markings]], which disappear soon after. The lozenge also disappears after using the jutsu, but reappears when she starts storing chakra behind it again. [[spoiler:Tsunade probably got the idea from her grandmother Mito Uzumaki, who's a fuinjutsu (sealing technique) user and who had the lozenge seal before her. Later Sakura gets one of her own]].
** Naruto possesses three whisker-like markings on each cheek. When drawing on the Nine-Tails' chakra, their width increases and their color darkens. Then, [[BodyHorror they start to flake off the muscle...]] Naruto's whisker marks are revealed late in the plot to be birthmarks. His mother Kushina (a disciple of the aforementioned Mito Uzumaki) was the previous jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi; as such it's likely that these are a side effect of constant exposure to the Nine-Tails' chakra.

* Each of the Seishi in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' have a character marking their identity somewhere on their body, which shows when they use their powers; significantly, Tamahome's is on his forehead, as is Nakago's. Also in this series, the character Tomo wears Chinese opera face paint.
* Ranpha in ''Anime/GalaxyAngel'' has a triangle on her forehead.

* The humanoid form of [[spoiler:the Book of Darkness, before becoming the good Reinforce]], in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''. Red lines all over her body.

* Shirahime in ''Manga/AngelicLayer'' had circuit-like marks on her face. It's clearly a design choice, as none of the other Angels look like that, even Blanche and Athena, who are from the same shipment.
* Allen Walker in ''Manga/DGrayMan'' has a red symbol drawn over his left eye. This mark indicates that he's been cursed. It also allows his left eye to see the souls within Akuma, identifying them when they are in disguise.
** The Noah family also has this, with seven star-like symbols across their foreheads.
* Several Shinigami in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' have literal facial markings; Hollows, Vizard and Arancar also have variants on their masks (And some of the Arrancar paint them on their faces after they lose their masks).
** Ulquiorra's markings actually grow bigger and more demonic as he takes more and more levels in badass in [[spoiler:his final fight]].
** And let's not forget the stripes on the left side of Ichigo's mask, which seem to increase in width the more he gets "in tune" with his hollow side.
* The above picture is from ''Manga/InuYasha''. This character is a dude named Jakotsu, a part of the Band of Seven, all of whom have stripes of some sort on their faces. Also, when the title character transforms into a full demon, he develops facial markings akin to his brother's (who has stripes and a crescent on his forehead, the later of which he inheritedd from his mother), except that demon!Inu Yasha's cheek stripes are more jagged and he has only one on each side instead of two like his brother. (Although the third film isn't considered canon, the design of Inuyasha's father was the manga artist's creation and it can be seen in the film that his stripes are identical to Inuyasha's demon form stripes and he has no mark on his forehead; apparently, it's Inuyasha who looks like his father, not Sesshoumaru.) Apparently the markings indicate the social ranking of the demon in question, though as for exactly what means what, no one seems to know for sure.
* In ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', Anthy Himemiya and her brother Akio Ohtori both have bindi; the markings are an early indication that they know more about what's going on in the plot than anyone else.
* In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', when Yuusuke Urameshi [[spoiler:transforms into his demon form, he gains markings on his face and shoulders along with spiky hair down to his knees.]]

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', there are a few notable examples of Facial Markings. Frieza is an obvious one, but it's subverted in that his markings are neither the result of magic, demon heritage (though he can act like it), or tattooing. They're his natural patterning.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', the [=SSJ4=] transformation comes with scarlet eyelids.
* The Medicine Seller in ''Anime/{{Mononoke}}'' has Facial Markings that change from red to gold when he transforms. His unusual appearance is only noted in ''Bakeneko'' when the time shifts to the early 20th century, but is HandWave-ed by him stating that he dresses like this because people ''expect'' someone in his profession to look 'different'.
* Luffy's scar in ''Manga/OnePiece'', even though it is just a scar, he proves to be fairly powerful.
* A large number of the demons in ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' have marks on their face in their true forms, including Chrono and Aion.
* Masami Eiri from ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' has red vertical lines under his eyes when he's an [[MindScrew evil-undead-digital-ghost-spirit-god-thing]].
* Members of the Guild in ''Anime/LastExile'' develop marks on their foreheads as their 17th birthday (which seems to mark adulthood) approaches. If they do not swear their loyalty to the Maestro within a week after their birthday, the mark is supposed to fade. Marks are also different colors: Most people have black marks, but Maestro Delphine's is pink, and [[spoiler:Dio's is orange. It also changes shape after he undergoes the Trial of Agoon.]]
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': With those scar like markings around Evangelion Unit-01's eyes, it's no coincidence that it's the most prone to going berserk, and has the highest angel body count.
* Chao Lingshen of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' has two cute little blush marks on her cheeks. [[spoiler:Which are actually the only visible part of the extensive MarkedChange that cover her body while she's using her DeadlyUpgrade.]]
** From the same series is Zazie Rainyday. One can presume that the vertical line through her right eye and tear shaped mark below her left eye are significant, but so little is known about her that it can't be said for certain. [[TheSilentBob She's]]... [[CuteMute quiet]]. [[ItsQuietTooQuiet Too quiet]]. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that her twin sister has similar markings, so they may be birthmarks.]]
* In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', people sent to The Facility are given gold face tattoos. The meaning of the various designs, if any, aren't revealed, but the ink itself apparently emits a homing signal if the prisoner escapes.
** That's in the English translation. In the Original Japanese, the 'Markers' are etched into the skin with a laser. While it is just a theory, the shape doesn't matter, it's the size of the marker (how much of the face it consumes) that could mean something. Like for example: Yusei's crime (trespassing into Satellite) and Kiryu's crime. ([[spoiler:murdering a securities officer]]) Yusei's marker takes up his left cheek, while Kiryu's has the entire right side of his face. The graver the crime, apparently, the larger the marker.
** The Dark Signers possess red marks on their faces as part of their transformation.
** Placido has a black mark under his left eye, the meaning is which is as of yet unknown.
** And from the [[Anime/YuGiOhFirstAnimeSeries original]], Marik sports a inky line under each eye, starting from the outer corner and angling back towards his nose. [[spoiler:They're matching accessories for the much, much larger tattoo on his back.]]
* Aya from ''Manga/CeresCelestialLegend'' had the symbol of the hagoromo appear on her forehead at least once.
* Uni from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' has a rather interesting symbol on her cheek.
* ''Manga/SazanEyes'': the "Wu", the sanjiyans' immortal protectors, all have the Chinese character for "nothingness" (pronounced "wú") on their forehead.
* Subtly but ruthlessly deconstructed in ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}''. Whenever it's the turn of one of the chosen kids to pilot [[ArtifactOfDeath Zearth]], a tattoo appears somewhere on their body to indicate that YourDaysAreNumbered. Some of these tattoos resemble the conventional use of this trope (the mandala-like design on Chizu's cheek comes to mind), but they don't come with any powers.
* Kai from ''Anime/{{Beyblade}}'' has blue triangles on each cheek. They were thought by fans to be tattoos, but apparently it's just face paint, and [[RuleOfCool they don't seem to have any significance]].
** Actually in the Manga version it's a symbol for his hatred (or so...) for his father (or Beyblades).
* [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny The Destiny Gundam]] has scar like markings around its eyes
* Apollo and Mercury have facial marks to distinguish them from their hosts in ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows''. They're the only ones though.
* Many of the Shinshou in ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', like Kannagi, have facial markings and markings in other places that tell other people who they are.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'': Free has the words "No future" tattooed above his left eye and and he's an [[CompleteImmortality immortal]] [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolf]].
* In Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd, if these appear on Yuuichirou's face, that means he's/the demon inside of him is about to kick your ass (or already has).
* ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' used this a lot. Agunimon, Kazemon, Grumblemon, Kumamon and Korikakumon all have them. Aldamon also has them due to basically being [=BurningGreymon=] with Agunimon's head and limbs while [[spoiler:Susanoomon]] has Agunimon's markings on his helmet.
* In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', Ash has thin zigzag-like markings under his eyes. Also a few [[CharacterOfTheDay characters]] in the first few seasons were drawn with similar markings, with similar marks popping on others every so often in later season though less commonly. By ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'', the zigzag shape is used to represent Ash specifically, appearing as the symbol within Pikashunium Z.
* [[FieryRedhead Ladonia]] of ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' has a thin streak of paint across his nose and right cheek that many mistook for a [[GoodScarsEvilScars scar]] at first. It may have something to do with the fact that he considers himself artistic, and his claim that his king is a talented artist.
* Though not quite the same, when the ''tanuki'' in ''Anime/PomPoko'' are in human form, dark circles can form around their eyes if they're tired.
* San from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' has red markings on her face which appear to be tattoos.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Caesar from ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'' has small rounded triangles under his eyes. Mohammed Avdol and Okuyasu Nijimura also have their own facial marks: two zig-zags down his cheeks, and a sort of x-mark between the eyes, respectively.
* Benimaru and Shuna, the ogre prince and princess from ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'', both have singular red lines running from their eyes down their cheeks, distinctly resembling TearsOfBlood. After Rimuru's SuperEmpowering advances them along the BishounenLine, Benimaru's tears become thinner and less prominent, and Shuna loses hers entirely.
* ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'': Not only do Blue Dragon Warriors have golden, dragon eyes, but also small markings which, ironically are red. The markings seem to occur naturally on Blue Dragons since Shin-ah,s were there from birth. Sharp-eyed viewers will also notice that when Ao dies, his markings disappear as he finally loses his Dragon powers.
* Ghanti from the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast '' has a star-shaped yellow mark under her left eye.
* ''Manga/UshioAndTora'', the titular Youkai has noticeable black marks on his face, to the point that Hyo described him as the "Kumadori-wearing bakemono" (Kumadori being the facial make-up of Kabuki actors). [[spoiler:When we see Tora's origin story, it's revealed that those marks were left by TearsOfBlood.]]

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Caesar from ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'' has small rounded triangles under his eyes. Mohammed Avdol and Okuyasu Nijimura also have their own facial marks.

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash has thin zigzag-like markings under his eyes. Also a few [[CharacterOfTheDay characters]] in the first few seasons were drawn with similar markings, with similar marks popping on others every so often in later season though less commonly. By ''Sun and Moon'', the zigzag shape is used to represent Ash specifically, appearing as the symbol within Pikashunium Z.