There is nothing quite like a mask to create an air of mystery around a character, and as a result, anime has a whole host of masked characters.
From full-face pieces to simple, barely concealing ones, and ornate masterpieces to simplistic disguises here is a list of 20 anime characters that wear masks.
20. Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon)
One famous masked anime character is Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. His mask is a simple, opera mask-inspired affair, that covers only the top part of his face.
When you pair it with his dapper appearance it makes him a striking figure. He has an air of mystery and charm that the heroine Usagi cannot help but fall for!
Something to note about the mysterious Tuxedo Mask is that the man behind the mask, Mamoru Chiba, doesn’t even know about his alter ego to start with. He unknowingly transforms whenever Sailor Moon is in danger.
19. The Visored (Bleach)
Instead of just going for Ichigo Kurosaki, we are going to give the entirety of the Visored from Bleach an honorable mention. The Visored are shinigami that are able to access hollow abilities, by manifesting a mask upon their face.
Some of the most striking masks of the Visored include the plague doctor mask of Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, the insect-inspired mask of Mashiro Kuna and the unsettling Balinese demon inspired mask of Hachigen Ushōda.
Of course, we cannot forget to talk about the mask of the protagonist, Ichigo! His striped, demonic mask with its crazed expression makes him appear the formidable opponent that he truly is.
18. Noro (Tokyo Ghoul)
Noro is by no means the only character from Tokyo Ghoul on our list, but we thought we would mention their mask design as one of the coolest from the series.
Noro wears a white mask with no eyes, small reptilian slits for nostrils, and a large open mouth design with thin black lips and large, unsettling white teeth.
Alongside their power, unpredictable nature, and propensity for silence, their mask is sure to make you stop and look.
17. Ririka Momobami (Kakegurui)
The stoic vice-president of the school council in Kakegurui, Ririka is another masked anime character. Her face is obscured by a white, theatrical comedy mask that also creates a vocal distortion to hide her identity further.
Ririka’s mask allows her to hide her emotions but also allows the council and its president to have a trump card up their sleeves. However, we won’t go into too much detail to save you the spoiler!
16. Obito Uchiha (Naruto)
Obito Uchiha has worn many masks to conceal his identity. One of these was a black flame mask.
The most notable is an orange spiraled mask that only leaves room for one eyehole that is reminiscent of the character Tobi’s appearance.
Later in the series he wears a purple-tinted white mask that covers his whole upper part of his head. The mask’s design is a cross between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan, with a ripple pattern in the center and three tomoe surrounding it, two of which serve as the mask’s eyeholes.
15. Overhaul (My Hero Academia)
Overhaul‘s mask not only looks cool but has a purpose behind it that is more than just hiding his identity! The character wears a magenta plague doctor’s mask with gold detailing over his mouth.
The reason he wears the mask? Despite leading a criminal gang Overhaul is a germaphobe! His mask helps to filter the air that he breathes to protect him from other people’s dirt and nasties.
14. Death Gun (Sword Art Online)
Death Gun from Sword Art Online has one of the coolest masks in our opinion, despite only appearing in series 2 of the anime!
Death Gun’s metallic skull mask, glowing red eyes, and sinister hooded figure truly made them look like the grim reaper of the virtual world.
13. “Chaser” John Doe (Dream Eater Merry)
John Doe from Dream Eater Merry has a mask that is both cute and creepy. His white mask has cat ears that poke through his red hood, but also a ghoulish grimace to it and dark eyes.
Not only does John wear an awesome-looking mask, but his name is also a play on someone who has no identity. Someone who cannot be officially identified is known as a ‘John Doe’.
12. Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)
Masks can be made from all kinds of materials, but one character chooses a very macabre thing in order to obscure their face.
Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia covers their face with none other than severed and embalmed hands. Some of his favorites even belong to family members!
11. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Another character from the Tokyo Ghoul series on our list, and for good reason, as Ken Kaneki has one of the most identifiable and unique masks in the anime world.
His black leather mask has a lipless mouth with enormous, snarling fangs. The bolts protruding from his neck conjure up images of Frankenstein.
Alongside this is Ken’s signature eye patch, used to cover up his non-ghoul eye which truly makes him appear a frightening figure.
10. Hei (Darker than Black)
Pierrot-style masks are common in anime, and one character that wears such a mask is Hei in Darker than Black. It has a blue lightning bolt down the left eye, which he pairs with a black trench coat.
As a Contractor for the Syndicate and a top tier assassin, Hei needs to take on many different guises and identities to get the job done. We think this ensemble certainly helps him to do so.
9. Zero (Code Geass)
Zero from Code Geass is a guise used for the liberation of Japan by those who wear it and is most recognizable by its mask.
The mask is spiky in a deep blue and indigo color with a long variant of the Geass Sigil extended across its bottom that totally conceals the wearer’s face. The mask seems opaque from the outside but is actually transparent from the inside.
One other handy function of Zero’s mask is the introduction of a slidable panel over one of the eyes. This is special because it allows one of its wearers to be able to use their Geass ability without revealing their identity!
8. Aki Izayoi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Haunted by the guilt of not being able to control her psychic abilities, duellist Aki Izayoi from the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise hides her face behind a white mask.
The mask almost looks theatre-inspired with red streaks that look like they end in tears over the eyes as she takes on the moniker of the ‘Black Rose’. The mask looks great next to her burgundy, victorian inspired outfits.
The mask and secret identity help Aki to be able to cope, as she even admits at one point in the series: ‘When I’m in the mask, I’m not me’.
7. Rina Tennoji (Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club)
A lot of anime characters wear masks in order to hide their emotions and feelings. However, one character actually wears a mask in order to help them to show emotion!
Rina Tennoji struggles to convey her emotions, not a great thing for an idol! Despite sometimes using a drawing pad to sketch her emotions to hold over her face, when performing this isn’t exactly possible.
Instead, Rina wears the ‘Auto Emotion Convert Rina-chan Board’, a high-tech mask that converts her feelings into cute emoji-style depictions on a digital screen on the front.
6. Gin Akutagawa (Bungou Stray Dogs)
Sometimes a character in and out of a mask can be like night and day, and this is certainly true in the case of Gin Akutagawa from Bungou Stray Dogs.
Normally, Gin appears beautiful and well presented, but when working as an assassin for the mafioso, she changes her appearance. She puts her hair up into a spiky bun and wears a white face mask that has stripes making it look like it is made out of bandages.
With just a quick outfit change and by donning a mask, Gin can go from sweet girl next door to ruthless killer within moments!
5. Inosuke Hashibara (Demon Slayer)
With his bare, muscled chest on show, sword in hand, and a boar’s head for a mask, Inosuke Hashibara definitely looks like someone you would not want to trifle with. However, when he removes his mask he looks completely different, with thick black hair and delicate, feminine features!
Being raised by wild boars, it makes sense for Inosuke to pay homage to his childhood by becoming one in battle. Alongside his beast breathing ability, we’d hate to be on the wrong end of his sword!
4. Kagetane Hiruko (Black Bullet)
Another anime character in a pierrot-inspired mask is Kagetane Hiruko from Black Bullet. His white mask is simply fashioned with a wicked grin and two crescent-shaped dots flow downwards from his eyes to provide him visibility, making for an unsettling appearance.
The theatricality offered by his mask is also mirrored in the rest of his appearance. He wears a dapper burgundy suit, white gloves, and tops it all off with a magician’s hat.
The ever-smiling nature of his mask also sends a chill down your spine, as Kagetane is not shy in detailing his many assassinations and cruel deeds when asked.
3. Sogeking (One Piece)
More of a comedy nod than a badass one, we had to give the mask of Sogeking from One Piece an honorable mention.
The alter-ego of Usopp, Sogeking’s mask is bright yellow, with striped detailing down one side of the face, a dark blue mustache, red lips, a white screw-like nose.
It has deep black glass eyes from Usopp’s goggles, and protrusions from the sides and top of the mask which almost look like sunbeams.
Despite appearing comical in appearance, Sogeking’s mask is one of the most original in anime, and definitely not one you will forget about in a hurry!
2. Char Aznable (Mobile Suit Gundam)
An antagonist from the classic anime Mobile Suit Gundam, Char Aznable is a notable masked anime character.
His mask is made of two parts, a white, kabuto-style helmet, from which protrudes a gray half mask to shield his eyes and frames around his nose.
His mask also served as inspiration for another masked character on our list. Ichirō Ōkouchi, the writer of Code Geass, believed that a mask was required for Zero for it to truly be a Sunrise show!
1. William Vangeance (Black Clover)
William Vangeance, the captain of the Golden Dawn squad in Black Clover, wears a helmet that conceals the upper half of his face and also serves as a mask.
The mask is made up of a huge gold piece that covers the region around his right eye and a smaller blue piece that covers the area around his left eye.
The back edge of the helmet contains white and red fur patches, as well as two white feathers that poke up on the left side.
The right eye hole has a red border outline with two lines protruding on both the top and bottom sides. Finally, the left eye hole is white with significantly longer lines.
Not only does the mask serve to protect William in his duty, but it also helps to conceal a nasty scar covering the top part of his face. This was caused by a curse that was placed upon his mother’s family.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the mysterious masked anime characters. Also check out our other fun anime guides.