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After the first mission, we see 47 cutting the skin on the back of his head, where the barcode tattoo is. I assumed he was trying to remove the tattoo (which would be an incredibly smart move, adding +100% to his non-descriptiveness), but in later missions the tattoo appears visible, if obstructed by an adhesive bandage. Why, then, did he hurt himself?

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    +1 - I haven't yet finished the game so can't say for certain, but I wondered the same thing. He obviously wanted to revoke his association with his former employers, but for the rest of the game the tattoo is clearly still there.
    – Mark Henderson
    Commented Dec 10, 2012 at 4:07
  • If it was about blending in, it would be a lot easier to just buy a good quality wig.
    – Michael Madsen
    Commented Dec 11, 2012 at 13:10
  • For reference - what system are you playing on, what graphics level? I've skimmed through some gameplay on Youtube, and it seems to be covered up pretty well, like here: i.imgur.com/s3fm6DR.png Maybe on lower detail levels the bandage is just misaligned with barcode texture? As a software developer, I absolutely believe such a mishap could go unnoticed :-)
    – Orc JMR
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 9:59
  • Okay, no, do not believe. i.imgur.com/CNQwXXZ.png Either this is intended by a game designer for some reason, or this is a catastrophic screw-up by QA department.
    – Orc JMR
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 10:08

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If you have not played the first couple missions until this happens, please do not read on. Otherwise hover over the grey box.

He has a tattoo which identifies him as number 47. Once he realizes what his organization is doing to the girl and that they are betraying their original principles. He is cutting out the tattoo to show that he is no longer part of it and gives up his old identity (the number 47). He goes rogue, might be what you would call it?

I assume that the game designers wanted to leave a visible hint about the tattoo, and where it was, since it is so iconic. He obviously did not just want to hurt himself. There is just a small part left over.

I guess we have to keep in mind that cutting out a 3cm x 5cm patch of your skin cannot be fixed by a simple patch. You would need quite an amount of stiches, and on the back of your head where the skin it not as flexible, this would be an issue. Cutting out only the major part of it would also be a compromise for reality sake.

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  • That is of course, totally not true, since in the even later missions, the patch on the tattoo is smaller than before and reveal that 80% of that tattoo is still there. At least. So, apparently he only made a single cut over it. No idea why.
    – user108452
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 5:49
  • @Cael Just cutting of a small bit at the right place would make the barcode unreadable for a machine. That might have been the intention, but I can only guess.
    – Michael K
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 9:34
  • Although I can't fund any justification for this in the Hitman game itself, for a random movie plotline I'd assume he dug out a tracking chip. It seems appropriate that his barcode would also be the place to house a tracking chip, but if that is the case, it would've been unmentioned as far as I can recall.
    – Flater
    Commented Apr 16, 2015 at 9:53

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