The friends reunite to turn what was once just a dream into a reality. As Ami and three world-class tattoo artists open up a tattoo shop in Miami's South Beach called Miami Ink, the four friends and apprentice Yoji, hope to build a thriving business.
As the business grows, the guys of Miami Ink struggle with the pressure of balancing their personal life and work
Ami and crew deal with changes and transformations in their lives and relationships, including the wedding of Yoji to his fiance Bridgette when they get married in a beautiful ceremony on the beach.
While the gang adjusts to the responsibility of owning their own business, a list of celebrity clientèle wait months for their turn under the needle with the masters.
Yoji slowly learns the ropes, but still has a way to go before he can tattoo. Also: a former member of rock band Skid Row gets tattooed with his kids' names.
Yoji and Brigette's daughter is born.
A medal-winning Paralympic athlete comes in to get his tribal tattoo completed. Meanwhile, Yoji and Bridgette bring Sydney to the shop to meet the others.
Darren Brass takes a little spill and breaks his elbow, so Ami brings in a new girl from Los Angeles to substitute for a few weeks.
After last week's episode where Kat was brought in to help out, she's now settled in and having fun doing some great artwork. Kat tattoos the Virgin Mary on Darren's wife, and some family members come to visit the shop.
While exercising to get into better physical shape, Ami revives an old back injury. Meanwhile, the gang are hesitant to let Yoji handle a solo tattoo job on a woman.
On a trip to Oahu, Hawaii, Ami James and Chris Garver meet Keoni Nunez who teaches them traditional Polynesian tattooing. Next, they sit in at a shop in Honolulu and tattoo six locals. While they're in Hawaii, they also meet professional surfers who take them to catch some waves.
Trouble and confusion are brewing with the artists. They learn that as you get more money, you also get more problems. Ami buys his dream car and Darren puts his life and career on the line by drinking too much.
Yoji learns that he must show improvement in his drawing skills or Ami will remove him from his apprenticeship.
Nunez's partying starts to get in the way of his work and demeans the shop's reputation. Meanwhile, Ami spends time with his mother, who is visiting from Israel.
Tensions rise when Ami leaves town just as a huge storm is about to hit and leaves Chris Nunez in charge. Meanwhile, Darren tries to convince his wife to leave Connecticut and join him.
Kat makes a surprise visit from Los Angeles, delighting the overworked staff, and Ami tries to get past the memory of a past accident and resume rising a motorcycle.
Kat stays on and helps out while Ami and Chris are vacationing in Hawaii. Now under the temporary management of Nunez, the shop is kept busy doing an intricate Alphonse Mucha design for a breast-cancer survivor and a special tattoo for custom-motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Meanwhile, apprentice Yoji gets his first solo job for a paying customer.
Garver works on a guardian angel design while Ami finishes a Hindu-inspired piece and then undertakes a Hawaiian-themed design. However, with so much work to do, the long hours are getting to everyone.
Darren does an inspirational tattoo to honor a man's uncle, while Garver does one for a woman who has struggled for years to overcome an eating disorder. Yoji's long work hours are affecting his family life, and the gang offers to look after his daughter while he and his wife see a family therapist. Meanwhile, the guys are jealous of Nunez's lunch date, and Ami places a radio ad for a friend who is looking for a fiancee.
Darren's wife finally moves to Miami, forcing him to give up his notorious partying. Meanwhile, Yoji and Ami participate in a celebrity ping-pong tournament to benefit underprivileged kids. Nunez gives a young girl the design of her dreams, then helps another with an image to keep her mother's memory alive. Meanwhile, Darren gives his father a first tattoo, and Garver places an image of the World Trade Center on a skateboarder.
Against Ami's wishes, Yoji gets a Mohawk haircut and adds a tattoo to his head. But Ami can't complain too much when apprentice Yoji finally gets his first paying client. Ami does a rosary design for a girl in memory of her grandfather, Darren makes a design to remind a rock musician that you only live once, and Garver creates a skull tattoo. Later, the guys temporarily leave the tattoo world and collaborate on paintings for an international art show.
Ami creates a large tattoo on a man's back to represent significant turning points in his life, including his father's suicide and his coming out as gay. Kat creates an image of fifties pinup Bettie Page. Another man gets a design symbolizing the good and bad things of his life.
Garver uses a local pinup model to get inspiration for Roger's tattoo. Philip memorializes his dad's battle against cancer. Kat celebrates a full 10 years as a tattoo artist with a design by Corey Miller.
Carver works on a novel design to celebrate a woman's brother, who died in Iraq. Ami has a morale dilemma with a client and may refuse the tattoo. Nunez and Ami do some charity work for "Amigos for Kids" and tech them how to draw.
Garver draws a "Day of the Dead" skull to memorialize a legal battle. Ami creates a hot rod design to help a client reconcile with his father.
When Ami's buddy Yaniv comes to Miami with his Japanese apprentice Kosuke, to drop off Ami's bike, Ami and Yaniv decide to swap apprentices for the day, leaving Yoji to experience a new world of grease.
Yoji moves his family into a larger place. Kat does a tattoo of slain pop singer Selena for her brother. Darren has Garver give him a tattoo in the image of his tiny dog, Pachuco.
Nunez helps a woman redo her tattoo tribute to her late husband. Ami creates a freehand dragon design for a man who has overcome a terrible addiction. Kat makes a portrait of a man's mother.
Ami's dog Bella goes wild in the shop, so Nunez and Yoji decide to pay for her to be professionally trained. A fan of Nunez's work comes in for a tattoo that will serve to put the past behind her. A friend of Ami's comes in from Seattle to have a Hanya mask added to her arm.
Living in a different time zone from her husband Oliver is taking a toll on Kat's marriage, so when he comes to visit they consult a psychic for counseling. Nunez creates a memorial to a client's dog. Ami makes a complex back design in tribute to Eastern medicine.
Graffiti artist G-Wiz has abandoned illegal activities in favor of a mural project for a local charity, and asks Darren and Nunez to assist, but they aren't sure if they still have the necessary skills.
Kat comes up with a design that's a tribute to extreme sports, gets a cooking lesson, and is visited by her mom. Garver doesn't seem so strong around women anymore after a special customer visits.Garver also creates a design for a woman in the style of a 1940s-style pinup.
Yoji decides to put together a punk-rock band. Garver resumes work on Nunez's back tattoo after an eight-year hiatus. Ami continues his detail work on tattoos of a pin-up girl and a motorcycle.
Ami and Nunez do some tattoos for the gang at "American Chopper."
Ami and Nunez's bar may not open as scheduled because of problems with their business partners.
Problems mount between Ami and Kat as a friend of Kat's visits the shop.
Former apprentice Yoji Harada, now a full-fledged member of the design crew, joins Ami in doing simultaneous tattoos for a pair of best friends. One customer gets a cartoon version of herself, and another asks for a Buddha design to help cover up a scar from scoliosis. A woman with no tattoos comes in to apply for the shop manager position.
Now that Kat's gone, Ami and Nunez have to find someone to fill her spot, and fast. They spread the word and the first artist "try-out" is the beautiful Tasi Lyn from Long Beach, California. Meanwhile, Garver helps Encina perfect her vampire look.
Not only are the guys down an artist at the shop with Kat gone, but the continued success of Love Hate means Ami and Nunez also need more staff at the bar. In the meantime, Ami helps Marissa put an end to the single life with a double happiness tattoo.
With the shop down an artist, Garver's old friend Tim Hendricks joins the team as a guest artist. Ami treats Samantha to a traditional owl tattoo to honor her grandmother. Garver gives BMX rider, Matt a bearded back piece.
With Kat gone, we try out NYC based Miss D'Jo as her replacement.She hooks Chris up with a film themed family portrait. Darren gives Humberto a massive phoenix, symbolic of his ability to rise above a volitle childhood.
Garver agrees to paint a piece of art to hang in a model home. Yoji gives Jasmine and Ali matching tattoos to show how much they are in love with each other. Meanwhile, Nunez tattoos a real-life mermaid.
Ami and Nunez head to Las Vegas so a major promoter can teach them the tricks of the trade and throw a party for their bar, Love/Hate. While they're away, Darren's pal, acclaimed tattoo artist Joe Capobianco, fills in at the shop.
Ami and Nunez try and find a balance between working days at the shop and nights at their new bar. Unfortunately, Nunez enjoys working the bar a little too much and his irresponsible behavior pushes Ami to the edge.
Nunez and Ami's partnership has reached the breaking point,and the boys need to decide if their better off friends than partners.Garver takes on Simone's elaborate peacock tattoo while Darren gives a 300lb woman a voluptuous pin up girl tattoo on her back
With the stress of finding Kat's replacement, running the shop and managing the bar bearing down on him, Ami's having a tough time controlling his temper.Yoji almost loses it when he rubs off a stencil for a Koi he's working on.
Yoji's been bulking up with workouts and weight gainer to combat Ami's bullying. And when mixed martial arts fighter, Paul Buentello offers to help him train, Yoji's in for a serious beat down in the ring.
Ami sends Nunez to drag racing school to cure him of his inner 'speed demon' and his pile of speeding tickets. He's a natural, and shows us what he's made of in a head-to-head race against a pro driver.Miss Kim drops in for a guest spot at Miami Ink.
Ami and Nunez help out the home team by creating a temporary tattoo design for the Florida Marlins and their skills get put to a major league test when the Marlins ask them to throw out the first pitch.
This week, Ami and Nunez perform their "civic duty" by judging a bikini contest, and the good times continues when Ami's kooky new client, Joni, who wants one of her artworks tattooed on her back.
