Takeshi Kovacs' ouroboros tattoo symbolizes everlasting life on Earth in the futuristic world of Altered Carbon. Changing bodies but keeping the same tattoo, Takeshi's ouroboros represents the eternal nature of humans in the series. The ancient symbol has been found in various cultures and symbolizes the repeating nature of time and life's everlasting cycle.

In Altered Carbon, Takeshi Kovacs sports a forearm tattoo that has a deeper significance to the show's themes than it may appear at first glance. Based on the novel by Richard K. Morgan, the 2018 Netflix series Altered Carbon is set in the year 2384 where a person's consciousness can be transferred between bodies. The series primarily focuses on Takeshi Kovacs, a soldier turned investigator who is released from prison to solve a mysterious murder case. Takeshi uses a variety of bodies, or "sleeves", across two seasons of Altered Carbon.

Because Takeshi constantly changes bodies, he's been...