Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / CoolMask

Go To

1%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=o37wn5hf
2%%
3%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16795944440.02769900
4%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1298550524005500100
5%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
6%%
7[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/Persona5 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fox_finishing_touch.png]]]]
8[[caption-width-right:350:"Cool" in [[AnIcePerson more ways]] than [[RuleOfCool one]].]]
9->'''Fezzik:''' Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?\
10'''Man in Black:''' No, it's just that they are terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.
11-->-- ''Film/ThePrincessBride''
12
13Anyone who routinely covers at least half of their face is likely to be at the top end of the personal power scale. Habitual illusions and kabuki-style makeup also count. Often worn by TheFaceless.
14
15Almost prototypical for SuperHero characters. In anime, these are standard issue for {{Char Clone}}s.
16
17HumongousMecha frequently gain a mask (over their mouth at the least) when [[CombiningMecha combining]] or entering a SuperMode.
18
19Note that this only applies to major characters. {{Mooks}} in masks are in a [[FacelessGoons special subcategory]], but are still Mooks underneath.
20
21A SuperTrope to CoatHatMask (combining this with a hat and BadassLongcoat), MalevolentMaskedMen, HockeyMaskAndChainsaw (horror ShoutOut combining ChainsawGood), MaskOfPower.
22
23Compare SuperheroesWearTights.
24
25----
26!!Examples:
27[[foldercontrol]]
28
29[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30* Friend of ''Manga/TwentiethCenturyBoys'' gets ''two'' cool masks. He starts off the series with a ''Manga/NinjaHattori-Kun'' mask, then later swaps that one out for a full head hood with the symbol of his cult on it.
31* ''Anime/{{Albegas}}'': General Duston is always wearing a helmet like mask that also covers his neck. In his fight with Albegas [[spoiler: before his death, the robot damages it, chipping it away and revealing his true face.]]
32* Even in his non-Gundam works, Tomino still can't resist a CharClone combined with this trope. The wandering mercenary in ''Anime/AuraBattlerDunbine'' known only as "The Black Knight" wears a modified knight's helmet with a mask on the front which obscures both his voice and his ''Aura'' [[spoiler:so that the hero won't recognise him as his former mentor]].
33* Arshes Nei in ''Manga/Bastard1988'', though it quickly comes off.
34* Suiren from ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenToppaBashin'' has a Cool Mask of her own.
35* ''Manga/BlackClover'': William Vangeance's mask obscures the upper half of his face and is one of his defining features. Used as an insult against him when Asta is arguing with Klaus. Vangeance himself thought it looked lame when he got it, but he was so happy when Julius gave it to him that he wore it anyway. The mask is given justification in Chapter 79. Captain Vangeance wears the mask in order to hide what appears to be a port-wine stain birthmark that completely covers the upper part of his face. After the six month time skip he stops wearing it.
36* Ichigo and the Vizards from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' are able to release their Hollow abilities by materializing Hollow masks.
37* Papillion Mask from ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' may be the only homunculus to wear a large face mask, depending on whether or not Moon Face's actual head is shaped like the moon. And Papillion Mask is probably the strongest, smartest, and most ambitious 'normal' human homunculus in the series.
38* Lelouch Lamperouge, as [[MyHeroZero Zero]], in ''Anime/CodeGeass''. Wears an "undermask" under the mask: The latter is the iconic helmet with chess-styled horns, and underneath is what appears to be part of his undershirt covering just his lower face - think [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Kakashi]]. However, despite multiple masks and an impressive list of accomplishments, he's [[SquishyWizard less likely to beat you up himself]] than to have his minions do it for him.
39* The legendary BullyHunter "Rubber Shooter" in ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'' wears a Kamen Rider mask.
40* Hei from ''Manga/DarkerThanBlack''. His mask looks like a cross between [[ComicBook/VForVendetta V's]] mask and [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Billy]] the [[CreepyDoll Puppet's]] face and is [[MalevolentMaskedMen kind of]] [[MookHorrorShow freaky]].
41* Near in ''Manga/DeathNote''. Very briefly, but the mask is completely awesome.
42** L in the second [[LiveActionAdaptation live action]] movie, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Awesome_Mask.png not so much...]]
43* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
44** [[FourStarBadass General]] [[BadassLongcoat Cross Marian]] is never seen without his opera style half-mask. But when [[spoiler:he mysteriously disappears after sustaining a [[NeverFoundTheBody supposedly fatal]] head wound, his mask had been shot off and is left behind]].
45** Also General Winters Socalo. And [[spoiler:once he gets better-attuned to his Innocence, Allen]].
46* In ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', any 'mon who has a sufficiently humanoid appearance (i.e., could be confused for an actual human if not for a few tells) wears some sort of mask that obscures the top half of their face - for example, [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angemon]], [[MonsterClown Piedmon]], [[{{Satan}} Devimon]], [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Myotismon]], etc.
47** Or the bottom half. Wizardmon, Zephyrmon, Jet Silphymon, Dianamon, and Junomon are some examples.
48** [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Agunimon]] has a mask over his entire face.
49* ''Everyone'' in ''Manga/{{Dorohedoro}}'', justified since mages get masks as part of their contract with demons, and Caiman presumably does not want to scare off little children looking at his face. En is a particular bad case of this, even among a ''city'' of powermasked people. Those magic-users too weak to make a contract still wear masks in imitation of the strong, although theirs are a tad less impressive.
50* The title character of ''Anime/ErgoProxy''.
51* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Mystogan is one of the strongest active members of the guild and wears a mask that hides his face.
52* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' gives us '''three''' villains in cool masks: [[http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/8/82438/1861139-jagi.jpg Jagi,]] [[http://rq87.flyingomelette.com/HNK/1/58/55.jpg Souther,]] and [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/hokuto/images/5/53/Erwerwer.JPG/revision/latest?cb=20090812041924 Kaioh.]] The first & third villains have [[JustifiedTrope clear reasons]] for wearing masks (Jagi to hide his disfigured face, and Kaioh as part of his BattleAura-containing armor), while Souther just wears one to look intimidating.
53* Kurei from ''Manga/FlameOfRecca''. In nearly all of his appearances he is wearing his mask, or renditions of it. Which is a very badass mask too.
54* Lan Fan and Fuu from ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'' wear masks, and they're elite ninja bodyguards of a prince. Lan Fan in particular seems to feel insecure without her mask on.
55* Chichiri from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' is an interesting example. His mask happens to be [[ExpressiveMask a perfect replica of his face]], sans the scar.
56* Pizza the Zonderian from ''Anime/GaoGaiGar''.
57** By extension, [[spoiler:SixthRanger Soldat J. When he gets purified and makes his HeelFaceTurn, his mecha ends up being at least three times the size of the biggest Yuusha Robos.]]
58* Persona from ''Manga/GakuenAlice''. The mask is what keeps his Alice in control. Otherwise it would [[spoiler:''eat his own skin off'']].
59* Before the director of ''Anime/GearFighterDendoh'' went on to direct ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Gundam SEED]]'', he was already referencing that franchise's masked characters with a masked mentor (Vega) and masked rival (Altair).
60* Paul Wan from ''Manga/GetBackers'', though only in the manga. While he wears sunglasses in both the anime and manga without ever taking them off and giving people the image of a cafe owner, in the manga, it is discovered that the sunglasses are not opaque at all, and that he relies on his sixth sense instead of actually seeing. When he decides to take off the sunglasses in the last arc of the ''Get Backers'' manga, he is revealed to be VERY high on the power scale, capable of generating razor-sharp winds and cutting through his opponents just by MOVING.
61* The Jester from ''Manga/{{Grenadier}}''.
62* Char Aznable and [[CharClone his imitators]] from the various ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}s''. Char wore his Cool Mask so he could infiltrate the Zeon Military (The explanation he gave to the Zeon Military was that he needed to keep his eyes covered for some medical reason), and exact revenge upon the Zabis. Kycilia Zabi often wears a mask for reasons that go completely unexplained.
63** Schwartz Bruder, a helpful "Big Brother" character from ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'', and the Gundam Fighter from Neo Germany who always follows the protagonist, Domon Kasshu, around like a "Chief Rival." [[spoiler:However (as the name implies) well into the series, Schwarz Bruder is revealed to be none other than the protagonist's own actual brother (or at least a nanomachine copy of his conscience) meant to toughen Domon up to take down the Big Bad. "[[Anime/SpeedRacer Racer X]]" anyone?]]
64** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' features a masked character similar to Char in backstory. The son of royalty who were killed by the Earth Sphere Alliance, Milliardo Peacecraft, adopted the name Zechs Marquise (''Gundam Wing'' has a naming trope all to itself), donned a mask, joined a military contractor so he could infiltrate the Alliance, and then bring them down. After finally bringing down his family's murderers, he removes the mask. For the next season, he leaves the mask, but remains badass.
65*** To a lesser extent, Trowa Barton puts on a half-mask when performing as a clown for the circus he uses as cover. Thing is, Trowa is a [[TheStoic Stoic]], even in the circus, so the half-mask combined with his constant poker face only enhance his mystique. In addition, he also piloted the mostly-red (until ''Endless Waltz'' at least) Gundam Heavyarms. On the subject of Endless Waltz, the clown-painted half-mask reappears for the film... but as a Gundam-scaled version on Heavyarms itself.
66** In ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', Harry Ord, the CharClone is a bodyguard for the Princess of the Moon, Diana Soriel. The trope (large red sunglasses) in this case is lampshaded by his confession that he is "keeping his eyes on the Queen's back." While being a semi-rival for the protagonist, he mostly kicks ass.
67** As well as that Darth Vader wannabe, Iron Mask Carozzo, from the ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 Gundam F91]]'' movie. The mask in this case grants him the ability to interface with his {{Attack Drone}}s. The mask also allows him to shrug off headshots.
68** Bask Om from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' (and a minor role in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]'') is the "tiny little glasses" version of this. Well, goggles, really. He happens to be one of the highest ranked officers in the Federation/Titan force, and one mean bastard in general.
69*** Also Quattro Bajeena, a ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'' expy of Char who just happens to be... Char himself, sans mask, but with sunglasses that cover just as much. The sunglasses do jack since everyone already knows that he's Char. He finally outs himself publicly in his speech to the Earth Federation parliament at Dakar denouncing the Titans.
70** Graham Aker in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'' fulfills the nominal Char Clone role. Subverting the trope, Aker does not come into his mask until the second season, by which time most Gundam tropes have been creatively subverted or lampshaded. The mask is explained as covering a disfiguring set of scars left on Graham after his GN Flag was irreparably damaged in battle against the Gundam Exia. The general assumption is that he was burned from the heat of Exia's GN Blade.
71** Rau Le Creuset and Neo Roanoke in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' and ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' respectively. Neo's hiding scars (and his identity from the audience), Rau's hiding from the sight of his own face and [[spoiler:attempting to create an independent identity for himself]]. Both are extremely dangerous, with Neo serving as a BadassNormal [[TheDragon Dragon]] to Destiny's secondary BigBad, and Le Creuset functioning, in no particular order, as [[spoiler:BigBad, OmnicidalManiac (WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds version)]], and one of the best pilots in all of SEED.
72** In classic CharClone fashion, Zeheart Galette from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamAge Gundam AGE]]'' dons one from Episode 20 onwards. Unlike the other "Char-style" masks, however, Zeheart's mask is [[JustifiedTrope actually a device that helps him concentrate his X-Rounder abilities.]]
73** And in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Gundam Unicorn]]'', we have Full Frontal who also wears a mask, and looks and sounds a lot like Char. [[spoiler:In a brilliant bit of [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]], its revealed that he's a Cyber-Newtype who was surgically modified to look and sound like Char, complete with the mask, all in order to keep the morale of the Neo Zeon remnants up, making him a literal Char clone in universe.]]
74** Ayame from ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'' is a non-CharClone example. As the protagonist team's resident [[{{Ninja}} kunoichi]], she wears a black ninja mask that covers the lower part of her face.
75* Subverted in ''Ultimate!! Manga/HentaiKamen'', where the main character's true fighting potential is unlocked ''by wearing a pair of panties over his face.'' It doesn't help that he takes to fighting crime in only his underwear... and somebody else's.
76** Hentai Kamen gains new powers based on whose panties he is wearing: he gained amazing speed and agility when he put on a ballerina's panties... Not even going to say it... dammit.
77** In ''Hentai Kamen Reborn'', his stuttering powers burst back to life when a pair of the near-extinct female-wear species of ''bloomers'' hits him. And in the first chapter, Kyosuke's mom (who works part time as an....''S&M MISTRESS?'') is wearing a large opera mask while whipping a salary man. She's ''18'' at this point.
78* Turkey in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', though he loses his mask during/before the ChristmasEpisode.
79* The fox masks the players of Otokoyo in ''Anime/{{Kakurenbo}}'' have to wear.
80* Kogarashi from ''Manga/KamenNoMaidGuy''. He's got super strength, super smarts, is a master of disguise - and wears a mask at all times.
81* The title heroine of ''Manga/KekkoKamen'' wears a red mask to conceal her face when she's out protecting her innocent classmates from evil. And that's about all she's concealing, seeing as the rest of the costume consists of gloves and boots... [[{{Stripperiffic}} and nothing more]].
82-->'''Kekko Kamen:''' Nobody knows my face, but everyone knows my body...
83* ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' has "Laughing Fist" Diego, the Yami Luchadore master, who wears a Mexican Wrestling mask. [[spoiler:He actually wears 3 masks, when the first comes off, it means [[LetsGetDangerous he's serious]]. The second comes off after he's defeated, and the mask he wears under that one is just a joke.]]
84* ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'':
85** Every member of Planet Kinniku has to wear a full-face wrestling mask with a mohawk-fin on top from birth. If their faces are ever seen, they have to commit suicide. The masks are pretty damn [[ExpressiveMask lifelike]].
86** After he suffered brain damage due to being stabbed in the head by Warsman, Ramenman was taken to a hidden valley were the trees breathed a healing mist that allowed him to regain control of his body. In order to leave the valley and rejoin the Choujin's battles, Ramenman had a mask carved from the bark of the trees, which he used as the basis of his [[CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown Mongolman identity.]]
87** During the Dream Tag Arc, Perfect Choujin Neptuneman's Neptuneman has a few unique properties. First, if it is struck, the blows recharge Neptuneman Magnet Power, and second, the mask can't be forced off!
88* Otohime Mutsumi from ''Manga/LoveHina'' appears to become a lot less ditzy, although she still affects a facade of ditziness, after she acquires a pair of these glasses (and a wardrobe change). This happens approximately in volume 12.
89* The mysterious masked man in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs''. He could take the full brunt of Nanoha's attack without being fazed and routinely made short work of anyone he attacked.
90* Sara Gallagher, one of the [[RankScalesWithAsskicking Five Pillars]] from ''Anime/MyOtome'', sports a Meister Robe that gives her a decidedly Zorro-like appearance, complete with a black mask, black [[TheCape cape]], and black form-fitting tights.
91* Several of the cast of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' (like Kakashi)
92** He gets bonus points. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGn-Tg1j8w0 What's under his mask?]] [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1eNQ68mf6Y&feature=related Another mask!]]]]
93** Tobi, one of the Akatsuki members, initially wears an orange spiral mask with only one eye visible. [[spoiler:He is the leader of Akatsuki and appears to be Uchiha Madara]]. In flashbacks he had a different mask with a flame-like pattern, and later he got a new mask patterned after the Sharingan and Rinnegan.
94*** The reason for Tobi's mask has become apparent in recent chapters - [[spoiler:He's not the real Uchiha Madara.]] Naruto has decided that knocking the mask off is a short-term goal of his - he finally succeeds in chapter 598 by shattering it, and 599 reveals Tobi's face and true identity.
95* Dynamis and Kagetarou in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. It seems to be common among [[CastingAShadow shadow mages]], and Takane's puppets also have similar-looking masks.
96* ''Anime/NeoHumanCasshern'' wears a lower face mask for combat. In ''Anime/CasshernSins'', it resembles a motorcycle helmet. The [[Film/{{Casshern}} movie]] version resembles an oversized jaw.
97* Noein, the titular BigBad of ''Anime/{{Noein}}'', appears as a floating mask for most of the series. [[spoiler:It makes it harder to tell that he's an alternate-reality version of ''both'' of the male leads, who themselves are the same person.]]
98* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', after Usopp [[spoiler:leaves the crew]], he comes back under the alias 'Sogeking', with a mask and cape, [[TookALevelInBadass and a metric tonne more badassery than he had before]]. In the arc after that, he puts on the mask again during a battle and suddenly becomes much more competent.
99* In the ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' manga, Mask of Ice's takeover of Team Rocket in ''Gold/Silver/Crystal'' leads to all the grunts wearing masks and making them naturally more badass. Plus the Mask of Ice himself, who is the primary driver for bad stuff happening in about half of the arc.
100* Kedamono in ''Anime/PopeeThePerformer'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerates]] this trope beyond repair: He has a mask for [[CrazyPrepared ''every'' possible situation]].
101* San from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''. Her mask is so badass that it let her shrug off a nearly point-blank gunshot ''to the face''. (Okay, so it shatters at that point, but it gets fixed.)
102* [[ActionGirl Juliet]] of ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', as part of her awesome, cross-dressing vigilante alter ego, The Red Whirlwind.
103* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
104** [[MysteriousProtector He's]] called [[http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3558/tuxedounmask.jpg Tuxedo Mask]] for a reason. In the original [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], Sailor Moon briefly wears a [[http://fandomania.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/manga.jpg mask as well.]]
105** [[http://mangastyle.net/wordpress/images/Codename_wa_Sailor_V_New_Edition_01.jpg Sailor V]] also wears a half-mask in both ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Manga/CodenameSailorV''.
106* ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'':
107** [[spoiler:Top villain Ukyou seems to be this, although it's possible that what looks like a variation of the same full-face makeup the city guards wear is actually his face. His brothers?/fellow clones? have the same look when they turn up, but they were disguised as him to serve as body doubles at the time. Their father?/original version? The Emperor has a face that resembles this and is much more mask-like; if it didn't have expressions and he weren't restricted for unexplained reasons to a life-support tank all his life you could presume it was a mask.]] All in all, very bizarre, but ups the badass considerably.
108** The Shikimoribito all wear full-body suits and bizarre masks through which they eat with straws, and who have the government and everyone else terrified of trespassing on their underground territory, where they dangle by their ankles on ropes from the ceiling in a disquieting way. The main characters can beat them up if they have to, though.
109* All the bookstore staff in ''Manga/SkullFaceBooksellerHondaSan'' aside from Honda (who appears to be an actual [[DemBones skeleton]]). They include a kitsune, bōgu, bunny, robot, doll, knight, gas mask, welding helmet, plague doctor mask, Halloween pumpkin, mummy bandages, and a simple paper bag.
110* Zelgadis from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''.
111** In the first ''Slayers'' anime season, a Mazoku named "Tiiba" looks like a cute humanoid rooster in a waistcoat at first. Then he manages to slip away and find a mask into which most of his power was sealed, transforming him into a giant humanoid hawk-thing when he melds it into his face.
112* Racer X from ''Anime/SpeedRacer''.
113* The Glittering Crux Brigade from ''Anime/StarDriver'' is practically built around this trope. Their masks even let them pilot ''HumongousMecha''.
114* Cain from ''Anime/TenchiMuyo In Love'', and Katsuhito Masaki/Youshou in ''Anime/TenchiMuyo Ryo-Ohki''.
115* In ''Manga/TodaysCerberus,'' one of Cerberus' personalities, Roze, wears a muzzle that has a sharp teeth decal. It only appears when she's the one in control of Cerberus' body in part as an act of atonement for biting out a piece of Chiaki's soul when he was younger because she was frightened.
116* Masks are very important in ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', with most Ghouls having a personal one worn when hunting or fighting. Since their very existences are [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman banned by law]], protecting their identities is very important. While [[MalevolentMaskedMen Gangs]] may wear the same mask as part of their group identity, most Ghouls favor a completely original design -- with Uta running a successful art studio entirely based on providing masks to other Ghouls.
117* Hakuoro of ''Anime/{{Utawarerumono}}''. Not even ''he'' knows what he looks like without the mask, so you know he means business. In fact, the [[spoiler:scientists who originally recovered and studied him even found a way to improve their health and longevity by donning duplicates of his mask... until he smote them.]]
118* ''Literature/VampireHunterD''. No mask, but the shadow of his hat sometimes produces the same effect.
119* Larva from ''Manga/VampirePrincessMiyu'' always wears a mask. In the OAV it was forced on him as a part of his punishment for losing to Miyu, and he couldn't take it off no matter what. In the TV series, he can take it off at will.
120* Despariah, the BigBad of ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'', wears full kabuki makeup to the point that her expressions are completely unreadable. Later revealed to be an actual mask that shatters to reveal her true face when it's time for her to play FinalBoss.
121* When Fubuki in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', suffering from Jekyll-and-Hyde Syndrome, succumbs to his SuperpoweredEvilSide, it is symbolized by such a mask appearing on his face from nowhere except a cloud of black smoke.
122* The Zeiram's (from the ''Film/{{Zeiram}}'' films and ''Anime/IriaZeiramTheAnimation'') only visible face is a three-inch thing on a long prehensile neck, but it resembles a Kabuki mask, so it might count.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Comic Books]]
126* For Franchise/TheDCU and the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, it would be easier to list the heroes that ''don't'' have a cool mask or [[TheCowl cowl]], but the second ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2000}} took this to the logical extreme; her mask was skin-tight, designed to cover her entire skull, and really about the last thing you'd want to meet in a dark alley. (Let's not even get into the pointy ears.) On the other hand, it's exactly the kind of thing you'd want to see in certain nightclubs.
127* Boy Blue from ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' when he's infiltrating the Homelands, in a clear ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' homage down to the near-identical bandana-mask. Admittedly, he doesn't wear it for most of the series, but the magical artifacts he carries at the time and from that point onward make him pretty damn powerful.
128* The AntiHero in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' wears a Guy Fawkes mask. In the movie, the mask is such a powerful symbol, it overshadows the hero himself up to a point where it's hard to tell who's wearing whom.
129** The Guy Fawkes mask has enough cool cred to be popularized as a symbol of mass protest. (Anonymous, Occupy, some Arab Spring demonstrations, etc.)
130* [[SerialKiller The Corinthian]] from ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' has these as well, although it's justified in that [[spoiler:he needs to hide his eyes because he has little mouths instead, complete with terrifying teeth. [[RuleOfScary (Although he still manages to see...)]]]]
131* The graphic novel ''ComicBook/FallOfCthulhu'' features a being called the Masked Mute, who is somehow related to Nyarlathotep (often referred as the god with a thousand masks) and takes the form of a little girl wearing a mask. [[HumanoidAbomination You don't want to know what's behind that mask...]]
132* Rorschach from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' only feels like himself when he's wearing his mask, even referring to it as his face. This sort of overlaps with BecomingTheMask, though.
133* In ''ComicBook/{{Kabuki}}'', all eight Noh agents wear painted porcelain masks when "in character".
134* In ''ComicBook/JonSableFreelance'', Sable wears a black makeup design on his face because "it scares the hell out of the bad guys".
135* ''ComicBook/TheMask''. Not like the title gives it away at all.
136* Resident badass Noburo from ''ComicBook/{{Okko}}'' always wears a red oni mask to [[TheFaceless conceal his features]].
137* ComicBook/TheGreenHornet and his faithful sidekick Kato. They began on radio, expanded their territory into comics, TV and film... and kept their verdant masks on the whole while.
138* [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] all wear masks; uniformly red in the original comic book, [[ColourCodedCharacters color-coded on the TV shows and movies]] (red = Raphael, blue = Leonardo, purple = Donatello, orange = Michaelangelo.) In the [=TMNT's=] case, these accessories do not serve as identity concealers (it's rather hard to disguise a giant humanoid turtle as anything else) so much as badges of their Shadow Warrior vocation.
139** The turtles' vigilante ally Casey Jones wears a hockey mask. This is more about looking scary than hiding his identity; Casey frequently yells out his name just so people know who's delivering the beatdown.
140** The Shredder's helmet and the Foot Clan's ninja masks could count as well.
141* ''ComicBook/TheScorpion'' has both this and FacelessGoons, handily coded by different levels of mask coverage: the BigBad's warrior monk mooks, who wear half-mask helmets, aren't a very big deal; but [[TheDragon their leader]] captain Rochnan, who is distinguished by his ornate mask that covers his entire face except for the eyes, is one of the most dangerous characters in the series.
142* ''ComicBook/{{Pack}}'': Patience, who is TheLeader of a group of dogs, wears a dog face mask.
143* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
144** Up until her drastic revamp in ''ComicBook/WonderWomanRebirth'' all versions of Doctor Cyber starting from her disfigurement in ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'' wore a gilded cybernetic mask/helm with a triangular bit at about mouth height and a recessed black strip beneath her brows in which two pricks of red light indicated her eyes.
145** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'': Genocide wears a black mask featureless save for the spiked green strip covering where a human's eyes would be located.
146** ''ComicBook/WonderWomanHistoriaTheAmazons'': The Hecate Tribe of Amazons all wear masks that obscure their entire face.
147* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'': Whisper the Wolf possesses a hi-tech, cat-shaped mask that increase her aiming with her [[MorphWeapon Variable Wispon]]. It's also connected to it, as the left eye [[EyeColourChange changes color]] depending on what Wisp is currently in use. It's revealed later that it also allows the wearer [[UniversalTranslator to understand the language of Wisps.]] When the mask is not on her face, she wears it on the side of her head, Japanese-style.
148* Society as a whole wear them in ''ComicBook/ThePrivateEye'' as part of society's obsession with personal privacy. Notably the titualar P.I. elects instead for a sort of mascara stain across his eyes resembling a domino mask, while the hood of his coat has a face on it, and he uses more common masks when going undercover in society.
149[[/folder]]
150
151[[folder:Fan Works]]
152* Lightstorm from ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'' wears a set of ultra-black body armor that makes him look like a ninja. His armored form-fitting mask covers his entire face, leaving only the smallest slits for his eyes.
153* In the [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra The Legend of Korra]] fanfic [[FanFic/BookFiveLegends Book Five: Legends]] Korra and Asami don a pair during the [[FestivalEpisode New Arts Showcase]]. Fittingly, they’re from the [[CallBack Ember Island Players]] “Love Amongst the Dragons” performance. Asami is the Dragon Emperor while Korra is the Dragon Empress. In addition, their villain begins wearing the mask of a PlagueDoctor to conceal their face, deliberately [[InvokedTrope invoking]] the fear surrounding such an appearance.
154* In ''Fanfic/BetweenMyBrotherAndMeMorsOmnibus'', various students of the You Show Duel School of Carroll City wear them for 1) keeping their identities secret when they venture to the other dimensions and 2) because they're also dressed up for their school festival. Some of the adults also join in on the fun.
155* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the various derivations of the Iron Man armour as this as a matter of course, though Harry's 'Galahad' suits are worth mentioning, because they make him TheFaceless - they're all-white, even smoother and blanker than ordinary armour, and frequently described as resembling "the skull of an angel." When it makes an appearance, serious violence is usually about to ensue.
156* ''Fanfic/FateOfTheClans'': [[spoiler:Cú Chulainn Alter]] wears a black one with red veins over his eyes. The mask is outlined with what are shaped like claws. It breaks off after [[spoiler:he uses the third version of his Noble Phantasm.]]
157* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily'', Tokio Chisou has a white bunny mask that comes with a pocketwatch and a ruby for eyes. Turns out that it's because he's the "current" leader of the 400 Rabbits Car, the White Rabbit, and simply wearing it is enough for denizens to know who he is and that he means ''business''.
158[[/folder]]
159
160[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
161* [[TheSmurfettePrinciple 7]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Nine}}'' wears a combo Cool Mask / Nice Hat dubbed the 'Skullmet'. Is she badass? Well, [[spoiler:considering that her entrance involves her ''decapitating the Cat Beast in one swing'']]...
162[[/folder]]
163
164[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
165* [[https://regmedia.co.uk/2015/01/14/dread_pirate_roberts.jpg?x=1200&y=794 The Man in Black]] from ''Film/ThePrincessBride'' (see page quote). He manages to kill the Rodent of Unusual Size and bluff Prince Humperdinck without the mask, but his coolest moments come while wearing his mask.
166* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Darth Vader's face is fully masked and if he's not the most powerful villain in the universe, he's amongst the scariest.
167* The mask of the ''Film/{{Predator}}'' features (at least) IR vision, EM vision, "preda-tech" vision, optic zoom, breathing apparatus and a targeting module for the [[SlowLaser Plasma Caster]].
168* In the ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'', Optimus Prime has a metal plate that folds out over his mouth when he preps for combat. Bumblebee also puts on a mask for combat.
169* As a part of his HistoricalHeroUpgrade, King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (Edward Norton) got a spiffy metal mask in ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', covering his leprosy-stricken face.
170* ''Franchise/RoboCop''. He's the future of law enforcement!
171* ''Film/TheMask''. It's ''about'' a mask that turns whoever wears it into the physical avatar of the TricksterGod Loki.
172* Jason Voorhees of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' series made the hockey mask a universal symbol of horror. He also inspired the song "The Man Behind The Mask" by Music/AliceCooper.
173* The Alchemist from ''Film/{{Vidocq}}'' wears a mask made out of mirror that he uses to [[YourSoulIsMine eat the souls of his victims]]. For extra creepiness, it also makes the victim see their own dying face while looking at him. Also, [[spoiler:it has to be reforged periodically, and the most important step is [[BloodMagic tempering it with the life's blood]] of a hundred [[VirginPower virgin girls]]]].
174* The title character in ''Film/DonJuanDemarco'' related that he started wearing a mask in response to [[spoiler:his father's untimely death.]] [[http://www.deppimpact.com/gallery/albums/pub_djd/djd542.jpg It didn't exactly ruin his looks.]]
175* Every film version of ''DerivativeWorks/{{Zorro}}'' (see page photo). One of the fictional characters most closely associated with this trope.
176* Every criminals/antagonists in ''Film/ThePurge'' will wear a mask that's not only intimidating, but sometimes badass and cool in design as well.
177* Every version of ''Radio/TheLoneRanger''. "Who was that masked man?"
178* One of the few positively-received moments in ''Film/TheLoneRanger2013'': the Ranger's mask is cut from his dead brother's leather vest, with the eyeholes formed by the bullet holes that killed him.
179* Creator/LonChaney, in ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925'', may not have worn the coolest face-cover around... but the scene where it's snatched off remains one of the most memorable [[TheReveal Unmaskings]] in the history of cinema.
180* In ''Film/{{Onibaba}}'', a mysterious samurai wears a frightful demonic Noh mask which was later the inspiration for the demon in ''Film/TheExorcist''.
181* Snake-Eyes from ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' has one that one that covers both his face and head completely. The Doctor also has one to assist with his breathing.
182** As noted in Western Animation, Cobra Commander usually wears one. In ''[[Film/GIJoeRetaliation Retaliation]]'', Zartan actually says "cool mask" with regards to the black mask Cobra Commander wears after breaking out of Einsargen.
183* The masks that LaResistance wear in ''Film/Oblivion2013''. Made of Stealth Bomber material (as well as the rest of their armor), with voice distortion, and very intimidating. [[spoiler:It's no wonder they look like rampaging aliens during the first act.]]
184* Rorschach's moving inkblot mask in ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''.
185* Peter Quill, also known as "Star-Lord", has a [[http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Star-Lord-With-Mask-in-Rain.jpg pretty neat looking one]] in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014''.
186* In ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'', [[TheDragon Klytus]] wears a shiny, golden ComicBook/DoctorDoom-ish mask that completely covers his face.
187* In ''Film/CircusOfFear'', the mysterious lion-tamer Gregor wears a full face mask to conceal the scars he received from a lion attack years before. It serves to heighten the air of mystery that surrounds the character.
188* In ''Film/{{Welp}}'', the WildChild Kai wears an absurdly large mask that has a horn sticking out of one side and fully covers every part of his face except his mouth. Given that it's a horror film, it certainly works as a creative and creepy way of establishing him as a villain.
189* Audrey Hepburn wears a very lovely black lace half mask to a restaurant rendezvous in ''Film/HowToStealAMillion''.
190* ''Film/MaximumOverdrive'': The [[ComicBook/NormanOsborn Green Goblin]] mask on the Happy Toyz truck.
191* The Guy Fawkes mask V wears in ''Film/VForVendetta'', depicting a stylized, [[SmugSmiler smirking]] Fawkes with red cheeks and an upturned mustache. So cool, it became the icon of anti-establishment political movements throughout the world.
192* ''Film/Masquerade2021'': The art thieves are dressed all in black (naturally) and wear fencing masks. After she's driven the brokers home, Rose masks up for action too.
193* Michael Myers' iconic mask in the ''{{Franchise/Halloween}}'' series. (It is actually a replica of a Captain Kirk mask, that was sprayed white and the eye holes were punctured.)
194[[/folder]]
195
196[[folder:Literature]]
197* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': Part of the curse on Tamlin makes him and his entire court unable to remove the masks they wore at a masquerade fifty years before. His is gold with emeralds embedded into it.
198* Naturally, since it takes place during Day of the Dead in 1870's Mexico, there are cool masks everywhere in ''Literature/TheseSavageBones'', but the murderer's trademark Calavera mask - a skull with blue poppy petals around the eyes to look like tears - deserves a special mention.
199* In ''Literature/{{Masques}}'', Aralorn's friend Wolf wears a silver mask when in human form. It's a drama mask with a permanent frown, and makes him look pretty intimidating. But then, Aralorn is not easily intimidated. (His actual face is worse, it's disfigured.) The ragtag group of refugees he's helping are impressed, though.
200* [[HumanoidAbomination The Stranger in Pallid Mask]] from the ''Literature/TheKingInYellow'', whose face is covered by a strange white mask. [[spoiler:Actually subverted, as like [[Creator/EdgarAllanPoe the Red Death]], he wears no mask.]]
201* Some Creator/HPLovecraft examples:
202** The High Priest Who Is Not To Be Described in ''Literature/TheDreamQuestOfUnknownKadath'' wears a mask.
203** The horrible [[spoiler:[[TheWormThatWalks worm-monster-horrors masquerading as people]]]] in "The Festival" wear waxen masks.
204* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'', a takeoff of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', the Opera Ghost is [[spoiler:actually a dorky, pitifully clumsy, shy, and just plain ''weird'' janitor who becomes ultra-coordinated and suave when he wears a mask, through the magic of MagicFeather.]]
205** Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera himself.
206* Ember in ''Literature/TheLegendsongSaga'' frequently uses masks (or veils) to hide her silverblind eye, as it both shows that she is a stranger and fulfils one of the signs of the Unraveller.
207** Masks are required by law to be worn at the Iridomi Aiden festival and can get quite elaborate.
208* Literature/{{Zorro}}, who seems to have been one of the earliest practitioners, if not the TropeMaker himself.
209* In ''Literature/{{Vampirates}}'', the captain of the title creatures' ship wears a mask, as the ExpositoryThemeTune says, "to curtail your fright".
210* In ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Starfighters of Adumar]]'', Wedge Antilles disguises his identity with a mask - but because it's lavender, and he doesn't like lavender, he doesn't think of it as cool.
211* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/BlackColossus", the prophet among the nomads always goes masked.
212-->"whom men called Natohk, the Veiled One; for his features were always masked."
213* Legendary seducer Literature/DonJuan. Different writers have portrayed him in various ways over the centuries--a high-spirited rascal, a heartless destroyer, even a semi-innocent victim of his own [[SoBeautifulItsACurse good looks]]--but all the better-known accounts agree he had a penchant for wearing a mask.
214* The Piper in ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' wears a mask that hides most of his face. [[spoiler:In truth, he has no face; most of his body has been dissolved by Nothing and only force of will keeps him alive.]]
215* From the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'', Franchise/FactionParadox members wear [[RuleOfCool masks of]] [[SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset bone]]. Along with ''[[ImpossiblyCoolClothes awesome]]'' [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes headdresses and gorgets]].
216* In the ''Literature/SpiralArm'' series, the Secret Name hides his identity by wearing a large golden mask in the semblance of the sun.
217* ''Literature/{{Somewhither}}'': Abby's monkey-mask, which is a thaumaturgical device which makes it possible for her to breathe in the upper reaches of the Tower.
218* Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar series: The [[TheArchmage great mage]] Firesong horribly burns his face while helping to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt at the end of ''Storm Breaking''. When he reappears in ''Owlsight'', he's taken to wearing elaborate masks to hide his burn scars--not out of shame, but to spare others the pain of looking at his rather scary face. Being an AgentPeacock, he makes the masks into fashion statements, designing them himself and coordinating them with his outfits.
219* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
220** All Seguleh go masked and the markings on their masks indicate their rank in their island society. Mok is the third-ranked Seguleh, so his mask has two slashes on it.
221** Redmask's red-scaled mask is made of the hide of a [[LizardFolk K'Chain Che'Malle]] [[HiveQueen Matron's]] throat, implicitly indicating that he killed her to gain her scaled hide.
222* In ''Literature/SummerInOrcus'', the villain Zultan Houndbreaker wears a helm shaped like the head of a snarling dog that covers his entire face [[spoiler:and hides his species, which would give away a great deal because he's the LastOfHisKind and everyone thinks his kind is extinct]].
223* In ''Literature/{{Pale}}'' Avery, Lucy, and Verona wear deer, fox and cat masks respectively. Though the masks are simple painted wood, to TrueSight they appear to be melded with the animals.
224[[/folder]]
225
226[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
227* ''Series/LoveAndRedemption'': [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/love_and_redemption_mask.png Si Feng is forced to wear one]] because it's against Li Ze Palace's rules for students to go out without masks.
228* ''Series/TheJourneyOfFlower'': The master of the Pavilion of Strange Decay (otherwise known as Dongfang Yu Qing) wears a full-face mask decorated with peacock feathers.
229* ''Series/TheGlamorousImperialConcubine'': Fu Ya wears [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fuya_mask.png an ornate golden mask]] when she goes to see Lian Cheng.
230* ''Series/MoonLovers'': Wang So wears one to hide the scars [[AbusiveParents Queen Yoo]] gave him.
231* ''Series/PrincessSilver'':
232** Empress Dowager Fu Yuan wears a golden mask over part of her face.
233** Rong Le wears a more elaborate mask over the upper half of her face when she goes to meet Wu You.
234* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Quaithe, the mysterious woman in Qarth who wears an elaborate mask that covers everything but her eyes.
235* In ''Series/QueenOfSwords'', Tessa wears a very elegant black lace mask made from her mother's favourite shawl.
236* Liz 10, from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Beast Below", wears a porcelain mask.
237* There's a reason why they are called Franchise/{{Kamen Rider}}s. Kamen being Japanese for mask, and up until recently they were known as "Masked Riders" in official translated material, including the series logos.
238** Special mention to ''Series/KamenRiderDenO''. The masks worn by Den-O in his various forms (except Wing Form, who instead grants Climax Form [[PowerGivesYouWings wings]]) also adorn parts of [[SuperMode Climax Form's]] armor, and are utilized in Climax Form's several {{Finishing Move}}s: Rod and Axe Forms' horns as ArmedLegs and PowerFist BladeBelowTheShoulder, respectively, while Gun Form acts as a ChestBlaster.
239* Played with with Richard Harrow of ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire''--it hides his badly mangled face and most people seem to prefer that he wears it at all times, although it's rather unsettling in and of itself. However, he is most definitely a badass, and the mask helps with the mystique.
240* ''Series/{{Bibleman}}'' as befits his status as a Christian superhero.
241* All the contestants on ''Series/KingOfMaskSinger'' wear paper masks that covers the entire face. The masks are designed to portray either a cartoon human face, an animal, or are they are based on a more abstract design.
242* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': Stark wears a metal half-mask that covers most of the right side of his face and is held in place with a set of leather straps that wrap around the other side of his head. That side of his face is pure [[EnergyBeing energy]] which the mask keeps contained. He occasionally removes it to use a CareBearStare to help people who are suffering.
243[[/folder]]
244
245[[folder:Music]]
246* Music/TheAquabats, seeing as [[KayfabeMusic they're actual superheroes and all]], wear domino masks as part of their costumes.
247* Music/DaftPunk wear robot masks when in public that light up.
248* Music/{{Deadmau5}} and his signature mouse mask.
249* All five members of Music/HollywoodUndead wear unique masks whenever they perform.
250* Music/MfDoom wears a custom Doctor Doom mask as part of his "supervillain" persona. He even has a song about it.
251* Italian electro-house duo The Bloody Beetroots wear {{Characters/Venom}} masks.
252* Dubstep artist Funtcase wears a gray robot mask when performing.
253* The members of Japanese rock band Beat Crusaders always wore masks featuring dot-matrix print-outs of their faces, never showing their actual faces in public.
254* The '80s [[ProgressiveMetal Prog-]]PowerMetal band Crimson Glory deliberately distinguished itself by all wearing silver full-face masks, except for the singer, whose mouth was uncovered, so he can sing.
255* The members of Japanese rock band Music/ManWithAMission constantly wear wolf masks. Their actual faces are a mystery.
256* Music/TwentyOnePilots often wear ski masks as part of their image.
257* Music/PoetsOfTheFall:
258** In [[https://youtu.be/MKk1u5RMTn4?list=PLjACqN5i5sDWIIpg-5EB4WcitMMqnXhFP "Carnival of Rust,"]] the Carnival customer conceals her face behind an impressive gas-mask, while its workers are all bare-faced, implying that the environment is toxic.
259** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di7NMssrqsE "Daze,"]] all the MasqueradeBall attendees wear ornamented Venetian half-masks, but VillainProtagonist EvilClown Hamartia has an exceptionally elaborate full-face Venetian Jester mask that he drops on beginning to sing, and toys with throughout.
260* Music/TenggerCavalry frontman Nature Ganganbaigal customarily performed live in a skull-like mask that entirely obscured his face. This is a nod to the war masks sometimes worn by Mongol soldiers.
261* The a number of the background dancers in [[Music/DongBangShinKi Xia's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK9gEpUVFyo "Flower"]] music video wear neat worn looking masks.
262[[/folder]]
263
264[[folder:Music Videos]]
265* Used in the music video for Music/MyChemicalRomance's single [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egG7fiE89IU "Na Na Na."]] All of the main protagonists in the story have some sort of headgear, the most notable being Party Poison's own masquerade-style mask.
266[[/folder]]
267
268[[folder:Podcasts]]
269* Vivaldi from ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'' wears a Venetian mask with a large plume of read feathers coming out of it.
270[[/folder]]
271
272[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
273* Wrestling/ElSanto is perhaps the ultimate and coolest example. His popularity was such that, in addition to his legendary career in Mexican wrestling, he made ''over 50 movies'' while still masked (!). There is only one known occasion where he was publicly seen without the mask, in his last TV appearance shortly before his passing. When he died, they buried him in it. And, if ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'' is accurate, he continues to wear it in the afterlife as well.
274** He may be the TropeCodifier for the tradition that nearly all masked wrestlers, in any country or promotion, have an overriding goal of keeping their masks on, even to the point of losing ''championship'' matches rather than reveal their identities. If unmasked, they will immediately try to flee the ring or cover their faces with their hands. Thus, being unmasked generally robs a masked wrestler of their ability.
275** Specifically, in Mexican ''lucha libre'' major feuds can culminate in a "mask vs mask" match, where the loser is required to publicly unmask themselves and have their real name revealed. The local sports commissions actually enforce these "matches of bets" -- ''luchas de apuestas'' -- in that the wrestler can no longer don the mask, at least in the locality involved!
276* In American promotions, masked wrestlers have cycled in and out of popularity.
277** In the 50s and earlier, masked wrestlers were considered one of the worst things in wrestling. Only pathetic undercarders wore masks, so that people wouldn't see who it was getting their asses kicked. (This often occurred, even later, with "Parts Unknown" wrestlers like "Mr. X"; in other words, known performers who are put out there to fill a slot on the card and do the job.)
278** The pendulum swung the other way in the 60s and 70s; The Destroyer, Mr. Wrestling I & II, The Masked Superstar, The Assassins, The Spoiler/Super Destroyer were all major stars in America and Japan.
279** In the 80s and 90s, Wrestling/BigVanVader, Wrestling/{{M|ick Foley}}ankind, and The Warlord were further unusual examples in that their masks did not conceal their identities; the masks were props reinforcing the wrestler's [[spoiler:TooKinkyToTorture]] images. American wrestlers with more traditional mask styles, such as [[Wrestling/DelWilkes The Patriot]] and The Killer Bees, never rose above mid-carder status.
280** Wrestling/RonSimmons and Butch Reed began their time as Doom in traditional masks, but in a complete inversion of the trope only won the Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Tag belts ''after'' they were forced to unmask by the Steiner Brothers.
281** The real life tragedy of [[Wrestling/OwenHart The Blue Blazer]] seems to have, among other things, ended use of the traditional mask by non-luchadores, at least in WWE.
282** On the other hand, from the 90s to the present, Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr is the most famous of the [[MaskedLuchador masked luchadores]] to become superstars north of the border as well.
283* The mask in American wrestling is also closely related to the CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown angles, where a banished/disgraced wrestler returns with a not-very-disguising mask under a different name to try to "clear" the banned wrestler (ie himself)'s name. Longtime fans still debate the ''least'' effective masked identity ever: [[Wrestling/DustyRhodes The Midnight Rider]] or [[Wrestling/AndreTheGiant Giant Machine]]. [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Mr. America]] wasn't particularly mysterious either.
284* However, in cases where a known wrestler is using a mask to hide their identity to get a match with a cowed rival, when they unmask, they become more powerful. One example would be Wrestling/DeanMalenko wearing a mask as Ciclope to get to his then-rival, Wrestling/ChrisJericho. However, this had been done before in the Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling promotion in the Maritimes in 1980, when Leo Burke used this approach to get a title shot against "Dr. D" David Schultz.
285* Subverted/Played Straight with Wrestling/{{Kane}}. In a 2003 angle, Kane was forced to unmask. When he first unmasked, he went back to being the Monster Heel he was at his debut; however, after a sucktacular match with Wrestling/TheUndertaker, he quickly became involved in some pretty idiotic storylines.
286** The unmasking was actually Kane's idea; wearing it was growing increasingly uncomfortable and making it increasingly difficult to perform, and he felt that his inability to display facial expressions was limiting what they could do with the character. He would later start wearing one again, albiet with enough missing that you could clearly see his mouth still allowing for better facial expression, regaining a Few Levels In Badass in doing so, and eventually lead into the popular Wrestling/TeamHellNo with [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]. He has since ditched it agian after taking an official position in Triple H's cabal.
287** The mask is back. After a lackluster run without it as a lackey of the management, his return to wearing the mask signalled a return to the violent, destructive Big Red Machine of old, with him being used to menace the hell out of anyone who disrespects the Authority. Since then, he's gone back and forth between the mask and the suit depending on the primary function the Authority needed him to focus on at any extended period in time.
288* Played Straight with [[Wrestling/GregoryHelms "The Hurricane" Gregory Helms]], who underwent a FaceHeelTurn upon (voluntarily) unmasking. He [[GrowingTheBeard developed actual depth]] during his time afterward, but suffered from severe under-pushing, though he underwent a HeelFaceTurn much later. He recently returned from injury on ECW, redebuting with a slightly DarkerAndEdgier AntiHero version of The Hurricane, as Hurricane Helms. It seems to be rather successful, though time will tell whether it results in a title push or Kane-like decay.
289* Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} features Allison Danger and Cat Power, both of whom incorporate cool masks into their entrances. Later, Japanese wrestler Leon and Chinese wrestler Ray would compete in masks. They've also had the {{legacy| character}} masked wrestler The Spider Lady.
290* In SHIMMER's spinoff Shine Las Sicarias Wrestling/IvelisseVelez and Wrestling/MercedesMartinez are hooded and masked when they come to the ring.
291* [=InstaGraham=], [=SnapChad=] and their DistaffCounterpart [=FaceBrooke=] of SMS wrestled in masks, which was kind of at odds with their ''social media'' gimmicks but anonymous chat rooms weren't hot at the time and the former two were able to each win the PWA TagTeam titles in Austraila with Unsocial Jordan(you actually shows his face on his youtube channel), so the masks clearly didn't hurt.
292* Wrestling/DaltonCastle's attendants who remove his peacock cape after his entrance wear masks. They weren't particularly "cool" at first(the attendants that is) despite Silas Young's best efforts. But after Castle got The Boys back he whipped them into enough shape to help him win Wrestling/RingOfHonor's six man tag belts, making them worthy of their masks.
293* ''Wrestling/DramaticDreamTeam'': Subverted by Wrestling/KazushiSakuraba's, as he can't see through it and risks running into things or falling off the stage during his entrance.
294* [[Wrestling/LondonAndKendrick Paul London and Brian Kendrick]] started wearing these when they teamed up (again) in their 2005 tag team run in WWE, switching from Guy Fawkes masks, Phantom of the Opera-esque masks, purple fencing hoods, gold face masks, etc. Michael Cole and JBL even lampshade this on one occassion.
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Radio]]
298* As his [[http://www.radiohalloffame.com/lone-ranger Radio Hall of Fame entry]] and this [[https://ew.com/article/2013/07/06/lone-ranger-flashback-radio/ Entertainment Weekly article]] illustrate, ''Radio/TheLoneRanger'' has embodied the trope back to his very first adventures on [[RadioDrama WXYZ Detroit.]] That's right; the creators were so taken with the CoolMask that they insisted the actor always be masked ''on radio''.
299[[/folder]]
300
301[[folder:Roleplay]]
302* ''Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForums'':
303** ''Magi Wars'': Drest wears a cool, white mask almost constantly.
304** ''[=FEF2=]'': Julius Orto wears one of these to cover up his [[ScarsAreForever scarred face.]]
305** ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsWonderfulBlessing Wonderful Blessing]]'': The Demon Lord Mephistopheles wears one resembling [[Literature/KonoSuba Vanir's]] mask. Jarvis and the other Wiggler tribe members all wear one resembling [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Wigglers]].
306** ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsDemonSoulSaga Demon Soul Saga]]'': Fantomas, Mori's Kaijin form, wears one constantly to hide [[TheFaceless the void that comprises his body]].
307** ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsChainsOfHorai Chains of Horai]]'': Noriaki Kiritani, the leader of LaResistance, wears a ''kitsune''-themed mask [[spoiler:to hide that he is one of the Cursed.]]
308[[/folder]]
309
310[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
311* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
312** Ethergaunts are a race of (evil) [[EldritchAbomination alien supergeniuses]] dwelling on the ethereal plane whose faces are entirely covered by [[TheFaceless blank, bisected masks]], with the color of the masks indicating their rank. Especially the black ethergaunts, which are some of the most intelligent monsters out there, and cast spells as a 17th-level wizard. [[GoMadFromTheRevelation And you do NOT want to see what's underneath the mask.]]
313** While masks have been included in the Magic Items section of the rules for years, 3.5's ''Complete Psionics'' introduced Crystal Masks. Almost all of them are overpriced and very weak (despite most of them being constantly active), and were reprinted in the ''Magic Item Compendium'' (and given a price retuning). Most of these are trash, but certain Fighter builds can make use of the Crystal Mask of Dread.
314** Mask, the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' god of thieves.
315* TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}: [[http://cdn.obsidianportal.com/assets/76891/Icon_PrincessMagnificent.jpg Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers.]]
316** Likewise, her fellow Deathlord, [[http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/Mike5000us/MaskofWinters.jpg Mask of Winters.]] So cool that it covers both sides of his head, and if he ever wants to show what he's feeling, he just reverses his entire body so that either the "happy" side or the "pissed off" side is facing you.
317* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has Balthasar Gelt, the current Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic and head of the Gold College, who wears a golden Greek-style face mask at all times. He only took to doing this after a mysterious alchemical lab accident many years ago, but nobody is quite sure what the mask (and his full body robes and gloves) covers. Some speculate his skin has turned to gold, others that he is horribly burned and disfigured, others that there's actually nothing wrong with him at all and it's merely an affectation. Balthasar isn't the sort of person one generally feels comfortable asking these things, and he probably wouldn't tell you even if you did.
318* [[TheCorruption Legion of Everblight]] Nephilim warbeasts and the warcaster [[http://battlecollege.wikispaces.com/mkiiLylyth2 Lylyth]] wear masks covering the top half of their faces. Legion beasts don't need eyes to see, but the Nephilim and Lylyth actually have eyes that they need to cover so normal vision doesn't distract their super senses.
319* ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' has a temple of the Scholastica Psykana called the Temple Calix. Its members and students, collectively known as the Templar Calix, are trained as much in controlling their psychic powers as they are in swordsmanship, leading to an order of [[KungFuWizard warrior-mystics]]. What makes them fit this trope is that they all wear tarnished silver masks. They aren't psychoreactive, they're just a badge of office for an order of badass psychic-swordsmen, and in some circles of the Calixis Sector that reputation precedes them.
320[[/folder]]
321
322[[folder:Toys]]
323* At least half of the appeal in Toys/{{Bionicle}}. Despite years of similar builds in the toys, there is ''always'' a new set of masks with each set of toys. Definitely in the "tropical mysticism" tiki-mask style, as the franchise had a number of Polynesian influences in its earliest days, though they were never without a certain sci-fi twist, with the characters being robotic and all. Being worn by our main heroes and gifted with all sorts of strange powers, they are very cool.
324[[/folder]]
325
326[[folder:Video Games]]
327* Takuma Sakazaki a.k.a. Mr. Karate from ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting''. He acts goofy and jovial and frequently plugs his dojo when talking to others, and his kids treat him as something of an embarrassment. He still is quite dangerous in a fight despite his age and mannerisms (he ''is'' a master of Kyokugen-ryu, after all).
328** Then sometimes he'll get "Serious", which is your cue to run. When his son Ryo inherits the title of "Mr. Karate", he does not wear the mask (in most continuities - he does wear a different mask in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: Maximum Impact 2'' though).
329* [[PlayerCharacter Ash]] from ''VideoGame/{{Dawn}}'' wears a mask with one horn longer than the other.
330* ''VideoGame/{{Extrapower}}'' has many cool masks among its cast of heroes.
331** ''VideoGame/ExtrapowerAttackOfDarkforce'' is the most densely packed with masks, being the CrisisCrossover drawing from all over ''EXTRAPOWER''. It gives us Sharkungo, the MaskedLuchador prince of the Shakun Star in his trademark red mask with yellow star over his face. Toyama, a human wrestler out of Iwate prefecture, also wears a mask to go with his hat, but in the Zorro style. His wife and tag team partner Hamayo wears a domino mask. Galaxystar wears one that gives him a sharp, angular appearance out of American comics, and leaves room for his fabulously coiffed hair. Kurogane's comes up to cover the lower half of her face in combat, but usually brings it down for casual wear. Shimoun, the Purple Hikari Warrior, also favours a mask that covers the lower half of his face. Mashura and Bashura wear masks to go with their ninja outfits, with Mashura's resembles a bird's beak. And that's just among the main hero characters. Certain major villains wear masks befitting their {{Toku}} or manga influences, on top of the many masked FacelessGoons.
332** ''VideoGame/ExtrapowerStarResistance'': Sharkungo and Galaxystar return and bring their masks with them and introduced Monokage, the NobleDemon aiding Nemuri in her story, combining it with a hat and BadassCape for the full combo. Other Star Lore Superstars make background appearances in full costume, such as Mr Green in his mantis-headed mask.
333%%* El Blaze from ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter''.
334* King Dedede in the ''[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Kirby Super Star Ultra]]'' game "Revenge of the King". Fed up with being defeated by Kirby so many times, he comes back wearing a steel mask and a badass new hammer three times the size and weight of his old one, known as Masked Dedede. This alter-ego continues to appear throughout the series, either by cameo or alternate variants.
335** Meta Knight wears a mask almost all the time. The only times his face is revealed is when he's defeated and his mask breaks.
336* Wodan Ymir of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', what with his "BFS" which can become a giant "LaserBlade".
337** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsX'': The members of the Order of Mages tend to wear them, in particular the first leader we see. [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic Not the protagonist though]]. [[spoiler:While they're ''being'' protagonists anyway, as the apparent leader [[DramaticUnmask turns out]] [[SchrodingersGun to be]] the one you weren't playing as.]]
338* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
339** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
340*** BigBad PhysicalGod Dagoth Ur wears a full-faced golden mask with a third eye slot.
341*** In the ''Tribunal'' expansion, [[PhysicalGod Tribunal deity]] Almalexia dawns one when [[spoiler:she confronts [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] in the final confrontation in the Clockwork City]]. It's known as her "war mask" and is made of the same greenish-bronze material as her CoolCrown. It has two long tusks attached and the face is scowling like a RageHelm. Most depictions of her, such as the frescoes throughout [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] sites, show her wearing it.
342** The Grey Fox's mask in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' is cursed to magically induce amnesia in anyone who meets the wearer. The previous Grey Fox claims to have met the PlayerCharacter on several occasions, but the mask's magic erased the memory each time. When the player lifts the curse and acquires the mask, it allows them to commit crimes with impunity.
343** The Dragon Priest Masks from ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]''. Each is fully face concealing and imbues the wearer with multiple skill-boosting powers.
344** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'', Vaermina, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of Nightmares, gets one. Indeed, her emblem consists of her mask, and [[SnakesAreEvil a snake]].
345* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' gives us the quarians, a race of cool mask wearers. Most characters put on their own cool masks to walk around in hostile environments too. Special mention needs to go to Zaeed's and Thane's.
346** Also the Recon Hood from the third game.
347* Proto Man from both ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork''. In his case, they are more like CoolShades, but still.
348%%* All four of the Testaments from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''.
349%%* Sturm from the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series.
350* Several games in the ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' series have these as available clothing customization options for the player-character; ranging from a simple bandanna, to ski masks, to gas masks.
351* Prinny Mask and the whole Masked Hero class in general from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}''.
352* Salem and Rios of ''VideoGame/ArmyOfTwo'' both wear metal metal painted facemasks, which actually have some practical applications in the game; one of their melee attacks is a simple, brutally effective headbutt, and if an opponent punches one of them in the face, he recoils, shaking his hand in agony, letting them set up to finish them off.
353* [[Website/GaiaOnline Labtech X]] has always been one of TheFaceless, but when he traded in his old ScarfOfAssKicking to one with a full mask... well there's a reason his scarf is one of the most valuable prizes you can win from playing zOMG. (By the way, X actually has a reason for hiding his face, since [[spoiler:he's a clone, and [[BetaTestBaddie hates the man who created him.]]]])
354* Psycho Mantis, from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid''. Even if he's a villain, you can't top that [[GasMaskMooks gas mask]].
355* Aoi "Zaki" Himezaki of ''[[VideoGame/RivalSchools Project Justice]]'' is almost always seen wearing a mask covering the lower half of her face. The supplemental board game reveals that she even refuses to eat in the presence of others since it'd require taking off her mask. A number of members in the Ladies Team, the {{Delinquent|s}} gang she leads, also wear [[http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z295/NeoChaosX/Seijyun%20HS%20story/ladies-team.png similar]] [[http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z295/NeoChaosX/Seijyun%20HS%20story/vs-gedo.png masks]], though whether they're following Zaki's example or just doing it for some other reason isn't clear.
356%%* Arakune, Hakumen, and Relius from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''.
357* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
358** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Helmasaur King covers its weak point with a ceratopsian, three-pronged, bony blue mask that must be broken with Bombs or the Magic Hammer.
359** The entire premise of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' is that Link obtains lots of masks with unique powers. There are 28 obtainable masks in total: Four transformation masks, twenty regular masks that have different effects or uses, and the four masks from bosses that allow Link to refight them without having to go through their dungeons again.
360* The Garif from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', a race of shamanistic mask wearers who put on their first mask when they are born and are NEVER WITHOUT ONE AFTER THAT.
361* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
362** Sirius, [[spoiler:who's actually Camus BackFromTheDead and thus using the mask to hide his identity]], in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem''.
363** "Marth" and Gerome in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]''. [[spoiler:"Marth" (Lucina) has her mask destroyed early, however, and from then on she goes without it. Gerome (the one who made the mask) keeps his own save for counted exceptions, though.]]
364** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', Saizo hides his face behind a black and blue mask.
365** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEchoesShadowsOfValentia'', [[TheHeroine Princess Celica]] is aided by a mysterious knight who has a quite nice mask. He wears it for three reasons: to deliberately cultivate a "cool" persona, to hide his identity from anyone, and ''especially'' [[spoiler:because he is Celica's lost half-brother Prince Conrad, and has been forbidden to tell her who he is. He ends up taking it off anyway, though.]]
366* Mask de Smith from ''VideoGame/Killer7'' is a luchadore who has the most powerful weapon (dual grenade launchers) and largest health bar of any playable character in the game. He's physically strong enough to lift a semi-trailer truck. Near the end of the game, he receives an upgrade in the form of a new mask and costume that lets him fire [[BottomlessMagazines infinite grenades]] without ever having to reload. Also, his [[InfinityPlusOneSword ultimate upgrade]] not only makes him damn near invincible, but almost as terrifying as the monsters he's slaughtering with grenades.
367* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'':
368** King wears a leopard mask, making him look like a man with a leopard face. And he always straps a tail on his pants for good measure. And his dialogue is always snarls. Same thing applies to his mentor, Armor King, whose mask also has different colored eyes, one of which is ''[[RedEyesTakeWarning red]]''.
369** Yoshimitsu also dons a mask throughout the series, and is every bit as badass for it. Same goes to his predecessor from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''.
370** Kunimitsu and her daughter wear kitsune masks to conceal their identities.
371* The Pyro and the Spy from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' wear masks ''all the time.'' In fact, the Spy disguises himself by putting a second mask on over the first mask.
372* The Children of the Earth in ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' all have them, which are used to filter the miasma out of the air so they can breathe. Mizuti, who joins your party in ''Eternal Wings'', has a particularly cool one, which only comes off once (not counting the epilogue).
373* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'':
374** Joachim Valentine from ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant Covenant]]'' uses a mask as a part of his ultimate power-up when he appears as Grand Papillon, [[spoiler:and later as the Great Question after he defeats his mentor during the Man Festival]].
375** Joachim's sister, Hilda, in ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld From the New World]]'' also uses a mask for her powered-up forms, when her Calorie meter reaches +[=/=]-100. [[spoiler:Like Joachim, she also gets a Question mask in a sidequest, which makes these forms even stronger.]]
376* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' deserves at least a few mentions given the preponderance of ninjas. Notables include Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Smoke, Jade, Kitana, Mileena, the cyber-ninjas Smoke, Sektor, and Cyrax, the shadowy Noob Saibot, Shao Kahn (who has an intimidating skull mask-helmet), Khameleon, Chameleon, Rain, and Skarlet.
377* Darth Revan of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', who is stated to be one of the most powerful Force users in history, masterminds ThePlan for dealing with events centuries if not millennia in advance, and who also ''[[spoiler:[[ItWasHisSled happens to be you]]]]''.
378** Proving his mask power even further, Revan fought and killed Mandalore the Ultimate, the other Cool Mask user of his time in hand to hand single combat.
379** And then there's Darth Nihilus from the sequel, whose mask can be obtained to get you more Force Points, and who is coincidentally extremely close to being an EldritchAbomination. Quite a few Sith from those games have part or all of their faces obscured, actually.
380*** In Nihilus's case, while the mask itself still technically has no powers, [[spoiler:his body has actually been destroyed and corrupted by the force. His mask IS his face.]]
381* [[TheDragon Death's Hand]] in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' has a pretty nasty-looking red mask on the front of his helmet.
382** There is also the Watcher, a minor villain whose blank-featured red mask made him one of the creepiest-looking villains ever.
383* In ''VideoGame/LightningLegendDaigoNoDaibouken'', the mysterious Hero of Justice Adolf Rätsel wears one to conceal his real identity. It has a Mohawk design, and sports a "A" letter (standing for "Adolf") on its forehead.
384* A wearable disguise in the Heaven and Hell Party mission for 47 in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'' is a white suit with a cool, white mask with a black scar-type thingy over his right eye. It's probably only made of flimsy plastic, though.
385* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare2'' gives us Simon Riley, better known as "Ghost", for the very cool skull mask that he wears. We never see his face, leading to fan speculation (until the comics came out) that he is actually [[spoiler:Gaz from the first game]].
386* Sima Shi starts wearing one in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' after surviving a sword blow to the face.
387* The eponymous item in the ''Mask of the Betrayer'' {{expansion|Pack}} to ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2''.
388** [[DontFearTheReaper Kelemvor]], god of the dead, is depicted wearing a full-face gold mask.
389** Belueth the Calm, an aasimar rogue you can hire in ''Storm of Zehir'', wears a jet-black domino as a symbol of her devotion to the thief-god Mask.
390* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', the armour of Ishak Pasha has one.
391** All Janissaries wear intimidating face masks. They also happen to be the resident EliteMooks.
392* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', Corvo wears one that was constructed specifically to look as freaky as possible; it looks like a crudely-made metal skull with asymmetrical lens-eyes and wire strung jagged over the jaw-area. It's also lined with cloth to protect him against the deadly plague spreading through the city, and can be upgraded to add a miniature spyglass that allows him to zoom in on distant objects.
393* ''VideoGame/EYEDivineCybermancy'' has the intricate horned/halo designs of commander Rimanah and your mentor.
394* ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' has your crew wear creepy clown masks during a heist in order to conceal their identity. You can also use masks based on U.S. Presidents, zombies from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', and troll masks.
395** ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' ups the ante by adding a ton of new masks. You can also customize them if you don't think they're cool enough on their own.
396** ''VideoGame/PAYDAY3'' continues the trend, with a wide variety of mask moulds to customise, and plenty of pre-made masks all ready to go. Both are available from Gleam in the shop.
397* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', the Demon Lord Odin wears an intimidating helmet whenever he goes to war. [[spoiler:When Mercedes breaks it along with his Psypher the Balor,]] she notes how the once fearsome Demon Lord looks like a helpless old man without his helmet.
398* Mr Foster from ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' is practically the poster boy for the game. He not only wears a Russian surplus gasmask but also a [[BadassInANiceSuit (rather battered) suit and tie]]. And he manages to avoid collapsing from heat exhaustion, AND also be heard clearly yelling insults.
399* The Masqueraider class in ''VideoGame/{{Dofus}}'' gets different powers from wearing different masks. They wear their default "Classic" mask all the time, even outside of combat, which gives them health-stealing attacks and an area-of-effect shielding spell. Their other masks give them powerful close-range attacks (Psychopath Mask) and long-range attacks and escape abilities (Cowardly Mask).
400* Sora of the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series wears one of these in [[WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas Halloween Town]], though [[GogglesDoNothing he wears it]] as an [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]] rather than over his face. In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', it is the only part of his outfit in that world that changes whenever Sora enters a Drive Form. A Cool Mask, indeed.
401* The Forest Dwellers from ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' all wear animal masks (possibly because they have no faces otherwise). Eventually, Hat Kid can wear some of these masks herself.
402* Several masks can be obtained, or even crafted, in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'' and ''3 Ultimate'' for [=ChaCha=] and Kayamba to use. Each mask provides different, unique abilities.
403* Judas's mask in ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'', made out of a dragon skull. It may not be a good disguise, but it's hard to deny it's cool.
404* The animal masks worn by the main character and various other characters in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'', which [[MalevolentMaskedMen look creepy]], hide their wearer's identity, and [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane (somehow)]] grant abilities when the main character wears them.
405* HUNK in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' wears a gas mask. It is probably 25% of the reason for his EnsembleDarkHorse status - the rest being [[MemeticBadass memetic badassery]].
406* Ninja from the ''VideoGame/{{Richman}}'' series wears one that cover the lower half of his face as his standarad ninja outfit. Zig-zagged in ''11'' as some of his alternative skins has no mask.
407* Big "L" Lincoln in ''[[VideoGame/{{Lisa}} Lisa - The Joyful]]'' wears a wolf mask, and he spends the entire game staying in his fortress and murdering anyone who challenges him for the title of the strongest human in Olathe. [[ThatOneBoss He's pretty good at it]].
408* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}'' features the god Philemon, who is always seen with a mask that sports a butterfly-like design on one side.
409* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': All the main characters have FightingSpirit representations of their own psyches (the eponymous Personas) that turn into personalized thief masks when not in use. Most of these Personas also sport masks of their own.
410** Arsène becomes a black and white bird mask, and his own "face" is a semi-transparent horned mask.
411** Carmen becomes a red panther mask that she herself also wears.
412** Captain Kidd becomes a skull mask, matching the skull that serves as his head.
413** Zorro becomes the black bandana he wears on his own face.
414** Goemon becomes a traditional Japanese fox mask, and wears an armored facemask of his own that leaves his mouth and hair exposed.
415** Necronomicon becomes a pair of NightVisionGoggles that look like giant alien eyes.
416** Johanna becomes a metal mask, and Johanna's own face is a feminine mask on the front of the bike that serves as her body.
417** Milady becomes a black domino mask, and uses a ball gown mask for her "head".
418** Robin Hood turns into a red mask with a bird beak. [[spoiler:Loki, however, turns into a crimson hellish crow mask complete with black helmet and neck brace.]]
419* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'': The Leper wears a metal mask over most of his face to cover the FacialHorror beneath. Only times it's removed are when he loses his mind, and when he purposefully lets it down to feel the air against his skin as a way to de-stress (while everyone else catches an eyeful and gets stressed out). It looks unusually solemn for the trope, yet doesn't detract from his intimidating look, fitting him quite well.
420* ''VideoGame/LostSoulAside'': A shiny black one covers the bottom half of Ventas' face, in contrast with his blonde hair.
421* ''VideoGame/{{Inscryption}}'': Your host has a collection of them and will put one on during a boss fight. Which one he uses depends on the boss you are facing. He makes sure to "roleplay" as the character the mask represents too. [[spoiler:All of which represents his old allies back when he shared his position with the other Scrybes.]]
422* Uncle Albert from ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsAdventures'' has a collection of cool-looking masks from various countries in the world, which he got during his travels.
423[[/folder]]
424
425[[folder:Visual Novels]]
426* Baron Munchhausen in ''VisualNovel/ShikkokuNoSharnoth'' always wears a strange, inhuman mask. [[spoiler:Underneath it is a strange, inhuman face. ''Sometimes.'']]
427* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'':
428** Godot wears the mask [[spoiler:because he's completely blind without it due to the damage done to his nervous system by the poison.]]
429** Also Mask☆[=DeMasque=], who is a charismatic GentlemanThief [[spoiler:compared to his alter ego, the nervous Ron [=DeLite=]]].
430* Korekiyo Shinguji from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' wears a mask with a zipper that covers the lower half of his face. He even has identical copies of it that can be used for eating, sleeping, etc.! [[spoiler:The mask helps to hide his SplitPersonality based off his deceased older sister. Underneath, he wears lipstick, [[DudeLooksLikeALady which makes him look more feminine.]]]]
431* In ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateNinjaShadow'', Toru often shows up wearing a very cool-looking black mask [[spoiler:to hide his identity as Makoto's [[StrongFamilyResemblance very similar-looking]] [[CainAndAbel brother and opponent]].]]
432[[/folder]]
433
434[[folder:Web Animation]]
435* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
436** Adam Taurus wears a distinctive white mask with red accents, which resembles the faces of the Grimm. The distinct design marks him as more important than the normal White Fang members, who wear [[WhiteMaskOfDoom plain white masks]]. After the battle for Haven, he abandons the mask in favour of a black blindfold. [[spoiler:This occurs after he slaughters the remaining White Fang for turning against him and hunts down his ex-girlfriend, [[PsychoExBoyfriend to kill her]] for [[NeverMyFault "causing" his self-inflicted misfortune]]. Removing the blindfold reveals terrible scars from having been branded like cattle by the abusive SDC.]]
437** Raven Branwen wears a mask that covers her entire face and is designed to mimic a Giant Nevermore, being the head of a raven, and containing four eyeholes and red patterns like a Grimm face. She wears it into battle, and when confronting potentially hostile people. [[spoiler:It is heavily implied that she wears it to hide the [[MagicalEye eye fire]] that reveals when a [[ElementalPowers Maiden]] is using [[WrongContextMagic true magic]]. Vernal is her decoy Maiden to keep the true Spring Maiden's identity secret.]]
438** [[RedBaron The Grimm Reaper]] was a legendary Huntress, known only for her [[TheAce unmatched skill]], iconic [[SinisterScythe twin kama]], and the [[SkeletonMotif painted skull mask]] that hid her identity. She inspired Qrow's own scythe weapon, and her abrupt disappearance is one of the Huntsman world's greatest mysteries. [[spoiler:Maria [[MeaningfulName Calavera]] hid her identity because her father believed that [[MagicalEye Silver-Eyed Warriors]] were being hunted to extinction. Tock successfully tracked her down on behalf of [[BigBad Salem]], but could only blind her instead of kill her. Maria then [[FakingTheDead went into hiding]], [[BreakTheBadass terrified]] that further assassins would come.]]
439%%* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Strong Bad's wrestling mask.
440* ''WebAnimation/{{Shrapnel}}'': Reznya, a brutally efficient [[BountyHunter Hunter killer]], wears a metal face plate that conceals her face.
441[[/folder]]
442
443[[folder:Webcomics]]
444* Dave of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' fame begins with apparently opaque round glasses. But, [[spoiler:as he realizes his mad science abilities, his glasses turn transparent]].
445%%* Eternion and the rest of the Eternals in ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}!''
446%%* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': The whole [=McNinja=] family.
447* In ''Webcomic/{{Blip}}'', The Adversary wears a blank white mask. Apparently this is for everyone else's protection; even [[{{satan}} Lucifer]] would cease to exist if he were to see the Adversary's real face.
448* Shows up a lot in ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}''. "I keep meeting people wearing strange masks, you see."
449* Guy, from ''Webcomic/MushroomGo'', is a [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 Shyguy]] with a scarred mask.
450* ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}'': Weijuaru wears a mask whenever he goes out in public. This is half because it provides his political persona with a level of mystique that helps things work out better in his favor, and half because it hides the fact that [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld he hasn't aged a day during his reign thanks to his Shift magic]].
451* In ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'' Harper and other performers at his fetish club have notably cool masks.
452* The Placidus masks that switch dreamers between placid and lucid dreams in ''Webcomic/EndOfInfinity''.
453* Muko from ''Webcomic/FurryFightChronicles'' wears a black mask as part of her MaskedLuchador attire in the comic. She sees the mask for the first time in Chapter 30.
454* The Rogue class God Tier outfit in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has one of these. In the form of a DominoMask.
455* The mysterious Velvare Bamidele of ''Webcomic/TheSilverEye'' wears a fancy mask constantly, and only a handful of people in Gallitan have seen him without it. Initially it was to protect his identity, but eventually he wore them mostly because people expected it of him.
456* Most of the characters in ''Webcomic/BeCalm'' wear masks, the most notable being protagonist Red's full-face plague doctor mask. It becomes apparent later on that this is [[spoiler:because the air in the underground facility is poisonous and will mutate humans unless filtered through a mask.]]
457* In ''Webcomic/KiddCommander'', Ulrich magically puts on and takes off his mask. It's an important part of his attire.
458* ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'':
459** Karla, and [[spoiler:other]] Sarbling trolls wear "Dark masks" which cover their entire face, and are enchanted to limit the amount of light that gets to their light-sensitive eyes.
460** The goddess Sharlise wears one because she doesn't have a face, and doesn't want to disturb people.
461* Anna's father from ''Webcomic/AshfacesDaughter'' wears one of these and has never been seen so far without it.
462* ''Webcomic/DemonHunterKain'': The Demon Hunter body armor's one feature.
463[[/folder]]
464
465[[folder:Web Original]]
466%%* Only his trusty driver, Kit Baxter, knows who wears the mask of [[http://www.decoderringtheatre.com/redpanda/ the Red Panda!]]
467%%* In ''ARG/DarkDreamChronicle'', every Chosen has one.
468* ''Blog/HowToHero'' discusses the need for masks in their [[https://howtohero.tumblr.com/post/159777930244/costumes entry on costumes.]]
469[[/folder]]
470
471[[folder:Web Videos]]
472%%* The mysterious masked man in ''WebVideo/OneHundredYardStare'' could fit this trope.
473* During certain scenes in episode 32 of ''WebVideo/VaguelyRecallingJoJo'', Joseph wore [[Manga/{{Kinnikuman}} Neptuneman]]'s mask. When he does a cool combination attack with Avdol when they fight Mariah, Avdol dons Big Budo's mask.
474* A few characters in ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'' wear masks: Justice Guild leader Heimdäl, Player Killer guild leader Roxana, Précieux, Ystos while in battle and in-game BigBad Tabris. Ark'hen, the [[PhysicalGod Source]] of death has an impressive animalistic one.
475* ''Series/TheCallOfWarr'' has "Prisoner Sarah", who wears a face-concealing mask made of metal bars. It cannot be taken off.
476* Percy De Rolo in the first campaign of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' had a bird-style mask that he wore during his time as "No Mercy Percy".
477[[/folder]]
478
479[[folder:Western Animation]]
480* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'': Robin. Even if this is potentially an artifact of the comics, it was acknowledged in-show as looking cool. (Beast Boy's ComicBook/DoomPatrol mask, sadly, was not.) Similarly, archnemesis Slade wears a mask, and for most of the first season concealed even that in shadow. Slade's mask is ''also'' an EyepatchOfPower.
481** As seen in season 4's episode "The Quest", Robin's mask looks cool on everyone.
482-->'''Raven:''' You know Robins, I have to admit, the mask makes me feel... cool.
483** Red X wears a full-face mask, and he can fight Robin blow-for-blow.
484** Cheshire wears a cat mask with a permanent scary grin during her brief but memorable appearance in the series. She made enough of an impression that the ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'' version of the character retains it.
485* 80's cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{MASK}}'' also had (almost) everyone in masks, which produced a variety of powers and effects, including Gliding, Holograms and Flamethrowers. And throwing daggers.
486* The Blue Spirit in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', even [[BadassNormal without being able to bend the elements]]. When [[spoiler:Zuko]] takes the mask off, his fighting changes in terms of technique. In his defense [[spoiler:with his mask off, he's only firebending, something he knows, but never came easy to him. However, in the fight against Jet in Ba Sing Se, he's still being a badass swordsman, and did anyone else see his little bit of firebending WITH the swordfight? Also, Zuko's firebending skills are much greater after his visit with the dragons. He's a Master after that.]]
487** Also it was probably psychological. The Blue Spirit didn't have [[spoiler:Zuko]]'s emotional baggage.
488** The [[AmazonBrigade Kyoshi Warriors.]] While their facepaint doesn't give them any special powers (Suki and the others are as deadly without it), they use it to remind themselves of their connection to Avatar Kyoshi, and it is definitely a symbol of being at the top end of their power scale.
489** Avatar Kyoshi herself, as detailed in her [[Literature/TheRiseOfKyoshi two]] prequel [[Literature/TheShadowOfKyoshi novels]]. Her parents' gang of bandits tell her that "putting on her face" will make her feel more confident, and she comes to agree, relying on the makeup to both hide her identity before she's ready to reveal herself and to help disguise her facial expressions when she's attempting to project a certain mood or air of authority. She and Rangi go so far as to attribute their losing in the final battle to forgetting to put their faces on before fighting someone who knew them before they became ''daofei'' bandits.
490** From ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', they don't get much cooler (or creepier) than [[https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111129742/3356673-tumblr_m2wjriuklw1qlg334%5B1%5D.png Amon's mask.]]
491* Optimus Prime's mouthplate in ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}''. In ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars,'' the toy had it, making him look like his mouthless G1 counterpart, but his CGI character model didn't. The showrunners dealt with the accuracy problem by making the mask his GameFace; when he activates his jets, the mask appears. Apparently it caught on, because very nearly every Optimus Prime since, including the live-action movies, has a normal face only for the mask to appear at times as a HarbingerOfAsskicking.
492* How about [[EldritchAbomination Dirge]] from ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars The Clone Wars]]''?
493* [[Franchise/GIJoe Cobra Commander]] wears a featureless, mirror-polished mask. Or occasionally, a KKK-like dark blue hood.
494* [[spoiler:The real Noodle]] in Music/{{Gorillaz}} Phase 3 now has a cat mask. It's hinted that it's hiding some form of facial injury. 2D wears a clown mask for as-yet-unexplained reasons in the "Stylo" and "On Melancholy Hill" videos. [[AllThereInTheManual In the iTunes interviews,]] 2D explains he had the mask to cover up a massive hangover.
495* In ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'', all three evil witches, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy (The Trix) wear eye makeup that goes down to their cheekbones on the bottom and to their eyebrows on the top. When they achieve Disenchantix, their eye makeup goes from the top of their face to their chins on either side. Darcy in civilian form also wears a tiny pair of spectacles on her nose and when she was a child wore a large, round pair.
496* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Rollbots}}'', Vett's mask makes him look even more badass than he is.
497* Dutch in ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'' wears one of these when graffiti painting in Motorcity or working on a car (he's an engineer).
498* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' the Wonderbolts, made up of the best fliers in Equestria, wear blue masks as part of their uniform.
499* In ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' : [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "I! Am! That! Hero!"]] They call him... LARRY-BOY!
500* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' Hunter wears a golden mask that marks him as the Golden Guard, one of Emperor Belos' most trusted servants. It conceals his true appearance as an unintimidating teenager, as well as [[spoiler:obscuring that there have been [[ArtificialHuman many similar looking]] Golden Guards]]. Later after losing it he wears another mask in an attempt to reclaim the confidence he felt with it.
501[[/folder]]
502
503!!Exceptions
504
505[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
506* Jeremy of ''Petopeto-san'' also wears one, with a heart on it, and is fairly pathetic.
507%%* Wannabe SuperHero Strike Man, from ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest''
508* Done in ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' (in a ShoutOut to ''Franchise/SailorMoon''), where Nagi dons a small face-mask and takes on the name "Mask the Money" when she rescues Hayate from the Yakuza looking to collect on his debt. She takes CrimefightingWithCash [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney very literally]].
509* ''Manga/Overlord2012'': The first few times he goes out and about, Ainz (a lich) wears a mask to conceal the fact that he's a skeleton. The mask itself is strictly cosmetic, and was a promotional item called the [[http://overlordmaruyama.wikia.com/wiki/Mask_of_Envy Mask of Envy,]] given to those players who logged in at nighttime on Christmas Eve ([[AloneAmongTheCouples as opposed to normal people with social lives or relationships]]). Ainz claims it's used to control summoned undead as an excuse for not removing it.
510* Every member of the Chess Pieces in ''Manga/{{MAR}}'' wears a unique mask. In fact, masks are quite telling of a Chess Piece's power, as the lowest ranked Mooks, "pawns" are only allowed [[FacelessGoons identical masks]], the same as every other pawn. If a Chess Piece has a unique mask, you're dealing with something a bit more worrisome.
511** Their rank is also identified by their earrings, which ARE chess pieces.
512** Once they get to the earring stage it doesn't ''have'' to be an earring though (at least one has it as a tongue stud). They still have the masks of pawns, they can just choose how to wear it or customize it.
513[[/folder]]
514
515%%[[folder:Film]]
516%%* Shows up many, many times in ''Film/TheFall'' (and on the cover of the DVD!).
517%%[[/folder]]
518
519[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
520* Wrestling/{{WWE}} wrestler Charlie Haas tries to invoke this through wearing a ''luchadore'' mask during his matches. Most of the time it doesn't work.
521* During the mid 80's-early 90's there were several masked jobber tag teams including but not limited to The Conquistadors, The Cruel Connection, The Shadows, The Galaxians, The Thunderfoots, The Executioners, The Head Hunters, and various assorted Demons.
522* For some reason practically every two-bit independent wrestling promotion has to have a Doink the Clown rip off. The role is usually given to the worst wrestler on the roster, a fat, charisma-deficient load. The worst part of an already awful idea is that they are given a Doink mask of horrible quality instead of simply painting their face like the original did. In every instance the matches are awful, the fans hate it, and yet the promoters will keep doing it.
523[[/folder]]
524
525[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
526* In the ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' universe, the whole of the Scorpion Clan (one of the 7 major factions) wear masks of one sort of the other. It doesn't give them any kind of power whatsoever, though. In fact, all it does is ''make them look shifty''. Which is the whole point, as the basis for the Clan is that they are good guys pretending to be bad guys to ferret out the bad guys within the ranks of the ''other'' good guys. Or are they? Only they know that, all the other Clans think they're just {{Manipulative Bastard}}s being really [[EvilGloating obvious]] about it. Obviously, it's all {{Gambit Roulette}}s from that point on. The best explanation is simply that [[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof it's a tradition]].
527[[/folder]]
528
529[[folder:Video Games]]
530* Johnny Sasaki (who wears a mask) spends most of the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series as a diarrhea-plagued ButtMonkey who can't go 5 seconds without making a fool of himself. Once that mask comes off in the later part of the 4th game, however, he evolves into a badass of such magnitude that one can't help but wonder if that mask was some kind of PowerLimiter.
531* Raiden in ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots MGS4]]'' has 2 retractable Solid Eyes that come into his face together with his helmet. Doesn't seem to have any major effect since he uses to fight lots of weak (weak for ''him'') Gekkos, and after revealing his face, he fights Vamp (which he would need better reflexes to fight) without activating them.
532** In ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance Metal Gear Rising]]'', he uses a simple mask that retracts when he enters a major fight/event. Then he is ready to fight Sam and they pose as they were doing a wild west duel, and seconds after their fight, both masks retracts on their faces as they rush into each other.
533* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
534** The narcissistic Vega wears a mask to protect his face. Considering how easily it's broken in his loss images, his face must be made of ''solid steel'' to hold up that well.
535** The coolness value of El Fuerte's mask is often undone by his goofy expressions and hamminess. The coolness of it can really only be appreciated in his AssKickingPose at the start of the fight.
536* Joachim in ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: Covenant'' actually actively parodies this with his Grand Papillion identity--in which he wears a large butterfly mask, but rather than magnifying his powers, it magnifies his tendency towards over-the-top posing and silly heroic pronouncements.
537[[/folder]]
538
539[[folder:Web Animation]]
540* Strong Bad, of the website ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', has a ''luchadore'' mask for a face. He's more a wannabe supervillain than anything. It also averts the "mask" part by being his actual face: when he finally caves and [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail162.html removes it,]] there's audible tearing and he screams in agony.
541* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': The Master of the Dammed's mask is golden, creepy, and seems to be his actual ''head''.
542[[/folder]]
543
544[[folder:Webcomics]]
545* Subverted with Phillip Kim from ''Webcomic/WeakHero''. Though he's rarely seen without a face mask, usually black and sometimes with nice decals, most of the characters are aware that he just wears one to ''seem'' tough, and see him as a tryhard rather than a cool guy.
546[[/folder]]
547
548[[folder:Web Original]]
549* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', General Leopold covers half of his face with a cool mask. The Totenkopfs are fond of masks that look like skulls.
550* In ''Literature/MasqueradeHallsTrilogy'', everyone who enters the Masquerade Halls has to have one of these or they're thrown out.
551* Blood Boy from ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' both uses and subverts the trope. Due to hideous facial disfigurations (and REMOVING the skin of his face in one of the game's first posts) he almost always wears a smiley face mask, and was until recently the biggest killer on the island, and is still the most psychotic and sadistic. While lacking physical strength, his surprising agility and knowledge of the body's weak points make him a very capable hand to hand combatant, and his sharp mind makes him even more dangerous. However, this ability doesn't actually come from the mask itself, and he can't see nearly as well with it on. This hinders his combat abilities and actually makes him a worse shot than normal, which inspires his normal gunfighting style of [[MoreDakka just trying to put as much lead in the air as possible]] because it means he can really only hope to hit someone at greater than point blank range by firing an insane number of bullets.* Blood Boy from ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' both uses and subverts the trope. Due to hideous facial disfigurations (and REMOVING the skin of his face in one of the game's first posts) he almost always wears a smiley face mask, and was until recently the biggest killer on the island, and is still the most psychotic and sadistic. While lacking physical strength, his surprising agility and knowledge of the body's weak points make him a very capable hand to hand combatant, and his sharp mind makes him even more dangerous. However, this ability doesn't actually come from the mask itself, and he can't see nearly as well with it on. This hinders his combat abilities and actually makes him a worse shot than normal, which inspires his normal gunfighting style of [[MoreDakka just trying to put as much lead in the air as possible]] because it means he can really only hope to hit someone at greater than point blank range by firing an insane number of bullets.
552[[/folder]]
553
554[[folder:Western Animation]]
555* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': While she is still at the higher end of the power scale, Hexadecimal's mask is actually a PowerLimiter. When it comes off, she overloads and nearly explodes before Bob puts it back on.
556[[/folder]]
557

Top