Why does Ace's tattoo on his right arm say "ASCE"?

Question

Ace

Why does Ace's right arm have "ASCE" written with the "S" crossed over?

It's obviously a reference to Sabo that had died. We have seen a crossed S twice in the series. Once on [the letter Sabo wrote to his brothers at departure](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Dhl6e.jpg) and once on Sabo's jolly roger. The bones could be seen as the cross over the S, although tbh I find that last one unlikely as Ace never saw Sabo's jolly roger. He never knew what it looked like. — Peter Raeves, Jan 21 '15 at 23:35
http://anime.answers.wikia.com/wiki/Why_is_Ace's_tattoo_spelt_ASCE — Peter Raeves, Jan 21 '15 at 23:36

score 21 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 07 '14 at 05:38

21

Sabo's Jolly Roger

It's Sabo's Jolly Roger.

Ace had another tattoo on his upper left bicep that spells "ASCE" vertically. The "S" crossed out is a tribute to Sabo as that's his jolly roger.

(Source: Portgas D. Ace on One Piece Wiki)

edited Apr 07 '14 at 05:38

senshin

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answered Apr 04 '14 at 10:50

Kenneth

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It could also be a reference to the letter Ace and Luffy got from Sabo when he sailed out. Sabo himself signed it with "Sabo" and then a cross over a capital S, saying he is out of the "ASL"-crew. While we can all agree that it is tribute to Sabo, I don't see why Ace would specifically refer to Sabo's jolly roger as he never actually saw that flag. So he wouldn't have been able to know what Sabo's flagged had looked like. http://i.stack.imgur.com/Dhl6e.jpg – Peter Raeves Jan 21 '15 at 23:32

Shaymin Gratitude · Answer 2 · 2022-01-28T20:30:06.053

I'm answering this because, while the other answers are compelling, I don't see any sources being used here definitively connecting the tattoo with the answer. My answer is basically the same as the others: The crossed out S is a reference to Sabo.

Ace has a conversation with Thatch that confirms the S is a reference to Sabo. From the second volume of the light novel Ace's Story, chapter 5, page 155:

"By the way, Ace... what's with that joke of a tattoo you've got?"

[...]

"The X through the S is the symbol of my late brother. That's all."

This seems to indicate that there is an X through the S because it is Sabo's symbol, rather than because Sabo died. Though the reason Ace has the symbol is because Sabo died, as a little homage (Rowan and Kenneth's answers showcase where the symbol is used in a couple of places, and their answers are correct, so check them out). This seems to be confirmed on the what-if cover image of Chapter 596, where Sabo is still alive and Ace does not have the S (as Qiri mentions in their answer, and as is mentioned on the wiki). See below:

score 3 · Answer 3 · edited Jan 28 '22 at 20:30

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The S is a tribute to Sabo. For a cover, once Oda drew Ace, Sabo, and Luffy in their late teens, if the ship incident had never happened, and Ace's tattoo read ACE.

edited Jan 28 '22 at 20:30

Aki Tanaka

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answered Apr 15 '14 at 22:23

Qiri

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score 2 · Answer 4 · edited May 12 '20 at 07:11

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The "A" stands for "Ace"
The "S (with a cross over it)" stands for "Sabo"
The "C" stands for "Crybaby" A.K.A Luffy
The "E" stands for "Edward Newgate" A.K.A. "Whitebeard"

Dressrosa Arc spoiler:

The reason for the cross over the "S" is because "Sabo" was thought to be dead by everyone.

edited May 12 '20 at 07:11

Community

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answered Jan 18 '16 at 02:25

Harshil Shah

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Any canon sources to back this up? – Ero Sɘnnin Jan 18 '16 at 02:27
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I haven't heard of this being an acronym before. AFAIK it's just his name with Sabo's jolly roger added. – giraffesyo Jan 24 '16 at 05:56
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"C stands for crybaby?" I'm curious, where did you read that? – solalito Jan 24 '16 at 11:52
This cannot possibly be true because Ace had the tattoo before he met boarded Whitebeard's ship, as seen in the anime, episode 461 – Cooper Wolfe Jul 13 '18 at 17:41

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Jan 28 '22 at 20:30

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Ace has the S crossed out because it is a tribute to Sabo.

edited Jan 28 '22 at 20:30

Aki Tanaka

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answered Feb 29 '16 at 18:36

rowan

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Why does Ace's tattoo on his right arm say "ASCE"?

5 Answers5