16 Best Masked Anime Characters That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Masked Anime Characters

The 16 Coolest Anime Characters With Masks & Anime Mask Designs

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Anime series are filled with all kinds of fascinating aspects like swords and weaponry, magical abilities, and even hairstyles. But one of the best components is the mask—something that lends a lot of mystique when worn by a character.

While the basic goal of a mask is to hide the user’s identity, certain anime series go a step further and give masks an even greater role in the character’s ability and skills. Other anime series only have masks that look cool (which is perfect for cosplay) (which is perfect for cosplay).

Regardless of design or usage, here are our recommendations for the coolest anime characters with masks and the coolest anime mask designs we’ve come across in our anime viewing!

16. Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)

Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)

Let’s start with the most mysterious masked character: Hatake Kakashi in both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. He wears a half-faced mask that covers his neck and nose, and his forehead protector covers his Sharingan eyes when not in use.

With the simple look of just a black tight-fitting fabric, what’s beneath it was a mystery starting all the way back when Naruto was only a kid—and lasted all the way until Naruto became Hokage.

15. Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)

Tenko Shimura—or Tomura Shigaraki—is the archvillain of My Hero Academia. He’s known to wear his family’s hands, which makes him a terrifying character. (The hand hiding his face was his father’s left hand.)

The notion of the hands he wears was from All for One, to maintain Tenko be the Tomura Shigaraki he is now. A mask inspired by this design would be both cool and terrifying for sure.

14. Killer (One Piece)

Killer is recognized as one of the supernovas along with Luffy, Zoro, Law, and his commander Eustass Kid. He wears a solid full-faced mask with rows of holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

His characteristic mask was not there during the Wano Arc and was instead covered with bandages running around his face and head.

13. Haku (Naruto)

Haku (Naruto)

Haku is a deadly mercenary ninja who covers his face beneath a white mask tinged with red, with two eye slits as the only apertures. The mask has a spiraling wave pattern that starts from the bottom right to the center, and the Hidden Mist Village insignia at the top.

Under the mask was a gorgeous face that misled most of us into believing he was a girl—and more than that, it disguised the tremendous power that he had in his lethal ice-based skills.

12. Anbu Black Ops (Naruto)

Anbu members are mysterious characters in the Naruto world. They are elite assassins who work directly for the Kage of their individual village, and they’re skilled in infiltration and intelligence collection.

Because of their nature of work, Anbu members wear masks to cover their identities, which also protects them while not on a mission.

The masks of the Leaf’s Anbu all seem similar, with just the animal trait separating them from one another. The Sand Village’s Anbu have demonic faces in their masks, whereas the Mist’s only have a single design.

11. Shizue Izawa (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)

Shizue Izawa is an Otherworlder summoned just like Rimuru Tempest. She is the vehicle of Charys (Ifrit), a Greater Spirit who commands flames. She wears an Anti-Magic mask that controls and limits the abilities of Ifrit, to avoid unleashing flames that can burn a whole community.

She then provides the mask to Rimuru, which likewise inhibits a great amount of magic from escaping his body. Later on, the mask is handed on to Chloe Aubert to work the same manner as it did with Shizue.

The mask is a spherical white item with delicate curves on both sides and a little crystal in the middle. Rimuru looks cool upon appearing in the scene wearing the mask (a working copy he constructed using his talent) (a working copy he created with his ability).

10. Ken Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul)

Ken Kaneki — Tokyo Ghoul

Ghouls in the series Tokyo Ghoul are reported to be needed to have a mask to hide their identity from the CCG, therefore making them known to the Doves by what their masks represent: Rabbit, Raven, Jason, etc.

The most recognizable mask featured in the series is Ken Kaneki’s Eyepatch. Unlike other masks, it’s a wearing leather/fabric mask that covers the full face except the Ghoul eye. The mouth half also has a zipper, which maintains Ken’s identity if he would ever eat a human.

9. Kurei (Flame of Recca)

Kurei is the half-brother of Recca, who has a couple of masks that are seen in the anime series. He seems more macho and sinister with the mask that covers most of his face while leaving the eyes and lips open; the other has only one eyehole with three printed eyes.

8. Licht Bach (Plunderer)

Licht Bach (or the Ace of the Flashing Strike) is a fantastic character that hides his face under funny mask designs.

But aside from his hilarious masks, he also possesses a badass one with thick red lips and black decorations on the side. Under the right eye hole is a scarlet streak suggesting tears of blood streaming down the cheeks. It just feels so fantastic watching him wear the mask as he smashes his opponents down.

7. Orochimaru (Naruto)

Orochimaru (Naruto)

Orochimaru was seen wearing a devil-faced Shinigami mask while conducting the unsealing of the Reaper Death Seal, bringing forth the souls of the four Hokages for the Reanimation Jutsu.

The design is pretty disturbing, based on a common Japanese mask with a nasty facial motion, which makes Orochimaru creepier upon donning it.

6. Shie Hassaikai (My Hero Academia)

The Shie Hassaikai gang and its boss Overhaul wear masks that look like bird beaks, which closely mimic the headgear of the Plague Doctor. While Overhaul only wears a half-faced mask consisting of the beak, other members are shown wearing full-faced masks.

The mask design incorporates an elongated beak as the mouthpart with diverse color schemes—like red and black with delicate gold details—but Shin’s mask design is closely identical to the Plague Doctor’s.

Karasu of the Revolutionary Army in One Piece is another character that wears the same design mask, which resembles his abilities.

5. Tobi (Naruto)

Tobi is well recognized for his orange-colored mask with a whirling design that concentrates on his Sharingan eye. The design was first seen when he used White Zetsu’s body to cover his full head and face, closing in like a petal but leaving the eye uncovered.

When this mask was shattered during his fight with Konan, he replaced it with a white mask with a Rinnegan pattern and three tomoe.

4. Hei (Darker Than Black)

Hei (Darker Than Black)

Hei is a Contractor in the series Darker Than Black, who works with the Syndicate and CIA along with other hidden organizations. He’s a slender-built man with black hair, wearing his formidable gear of a bulletproof coat and a white mask to cover his identity.

His mask is a white pierrot-like mask with a lightning sign extending from the forehead to the right eye hole and a thin slit in the mouth area.

3. Kagetane Hiruko (Black Bullet)

Another character who wears a nearly identical pierrot mask as Hei is Kagetane Hiruko of Black Bullet, but his has a longer and more menacing smile that seems as if he’s eager to fool and kill victims. His mask obviously symbolizes his character as the villain of the series.

2. Zero (Code Geass)

Zero is a character in Code Geass performed by numerous persons. He hides beneath a mask and cape to perform his destiny as the savior of Japan. The mask is a helmet-like headgear that conceals the face totally, making it hard to tell who’s under the disguise.

The mask has a sophisticated design with a crystal-ball-like face section and the Geass mark stretched over the face. It has spiked edges on the upper half of the head, creating a more badass aspect.

1. Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Ichigo Kurosaki, Bleach

Ichigo Kurosaki is a Soul Reaper that can execute Hollowfication, manifesting a mask that matches his inner demon. When the mask appears, he grows more powerful and more bloodthirsty.

The mask is like a skull covering Ichigo’s face with crimson markings. The eye openings are large enough to reveal the full eyes, with the black sclera surrounding a yellow iris and black pupil.

An improved and more badass Hollow mask appears in his battle with Ulquiorra, with horns that can shoot Cero. Aside from the horns, Ichigo loses entire control over his body and a hole forms in his chest.