Johanna Murazzo never let bureaucratic barriers or substandard-tattoo-shops stop her from becoming the South Bay's premier Pokémon tattoo artist that she is today.
Although she is a well-established tattoo artist now, her journey becoming a full-fledged tattooer began as a scratcher over 10 years ago.
Murazzo currently works as a resident tattoo artist at Vampire Battle Mansion, a tattoo shop that strives to create an environment that is safe, inclusive, fun and nurturing, according to its website.
A scratcher is a term used within the tattooing community that refers to someone who is untrained and learns outside of a shop-sponsored apprenticeship, often tattooing at home, according to an article by Tattoo Vagabond.
"I would say (that) probably the first 200 tattoos I did or so probably more than likely ruin people's bodies," Murazzo said.
Murazzo said working as a scratcher wasn't what she wanted to do, but was a necessary step in her journey.
Her shelves are decked out with the finest Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon and Sonic the
Hedgehog trinkets and a photo of her and her longtime co-worker Annie Lindstrom.
Murazzo said she was almost turned away from her first tattoo apprenticeship after she walked into a shop with her portfolio full of manga art.
"They literally said, 'Nobody wants that anime shit,' " Murazzo said. "Which is so funny because everybody wants that anime shit."
Angela Pinasco, a Valley Medical Center employee and a tattoo recipient, said she discovered Murazzo through a Facebook group called Pokémon Go San José.
Pinasco said she recalls people in the group asking for local Pokémon tattoo artist recommendations.
"She was actually recommended by several people," Pinasco said, who recently received a tattoo of the Pokémon Rhydon.
Rhydon is a ground and rock type Pokémon that has gray armor-like hide and was one the original 151 Pokémon released, according to a webpage on Bulbapedia.
Murazzo said she didn't agree with the opinions of the owners about her body of work, but considers herself to be a dreamer so she still sought an apprenticeship through that first shop.
She said the management was so poor that artists would only stay for a year or two before leaving out of frustration.
Murazzo said she pursued a degree in painting and printmaking at SJSU when she was 28-years-old to achieve her dream of working annually as a tattoo artist in Japan.
In other countries, Americans can obtain a work visa with a high school degree, but in Japan you’ll generally need at least a bachelor's degree, according to a webpage by InterNations.
Murazzo said she would love to work as a tattoo artist in Osaka, Japan because she has visited Osaka twice — once as a visitor and once as a tattoo artist — and has made some friends there.
“So the goal is six months out there and then six months here,” Murazzo said. “Every year — for the rest of my life.”
“So then I'm like, ‘Well, if that's the only thing (standing) between me and my dreams I might as well just take myself (to college),’ ” Murazzo said.
"I think one of the things that really stood out to me was just the culture of the tattoo shop," said Nicholas Devantier, local Google employee and recent recipient of a Dratini tattoo by Murazzo.
Dratini is a blue serpent-style Dragon type Pokémon that was also one of the original 151 Pokémon, according to a webpage on Bulbapedia.
Inside the Vampire Battle Mansion tattoo shop, customers can hear 2000s emo music playing and smell an antiseptic, hospital-like smell.
From Pokémon memorabilia, a framed taxidermied bat, a sticker wall featuring countless eclectic internet memes and timeless reading material including the popular early-aughts tween magazine, Tiger Beat, a customer’s eyes has plenty of places to linger before receiving their tattoo or piercing.
“The culture there is really fun and honestly Yoyo’s (Murazzo) sense of humor was great, bouncing off me and the fellow artist there,” Devantier said.
On the left hand side of the shop is where Murazzo's station is located, oozing from top to bottom with all of her favorite odds and ends.
Lindstrom said she first met Murazzo seven years ago when they were working at Guru Tattoo.
Guru Tattoo is a closed tattoo shop that was located in Campbell for 18 years, according to their Instagram page. and Murazzo.
"It's been great working with her happy energy," Lindstrom said. "She's always ready to roll with the punches."
Murrazo said her and other tattoo artists at Vampire Battle Mansion have a lot of love in their hearts and often see many clients coming back after their first tattoo from them.
“We're also total nerds so we're in a spot where we can just authentically be ourselves,”Murazzo said.
