Line #15 Main/TheFaceless


1	%%
2	%%
3	%%
4	%%
5	%%
6	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
7	%%
8	%%
9	%%
10	%%
11	%%
12	%%
13	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1603151642016138700
14	%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1301348091034258900
15	%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
16	%%
17	[[quoteright:346:[[Webcomic/{{Stuffed}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stuffed.png]]]]
18	%%
19	->''"And as years passed and there were fewer in the city (and none beyond it) who remembered my face, the wildest stories got about as to what that veil hid."''
20	-->-- '''Orual''', ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces''
21
22	A variant of HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: The audience never gets a good look at this character's face. Specific variants include characters which are (almost) always...
23	* Shot or drawn using an UnrevealAngle.
24	** [[BackToCameraPose Shown from behind]].
25	** Shown behind something else.
26	** Shown with the frame cropping out their face.
27	** Shown from far away, so we can't notice any noteworthy details.
28	* Shot or drawn with POVCam, where we can only see what they see.
29	* Standing in shadow, have their FaceFramedInShadow, or are [[SinisterSilhouettes silhouetted]].
30	* Wearing a [[CoolMask mask]], [[CoolHelmet helmet]], OneWayVisor, [[InTheHood hood]], or otherwise NeverBareheaded.
31	* Only ever appearing onscreen from the shoulders down, usually done to emphasize how much taller this character is than the rest of the cast; parents and grandparents in works that focus on their offspring are particularly susceptible to this.
32
33	Closely related are:
34	* Those with EyesAlwaysShut or EyesOutOfSight.
35	* Those who always wear ScaryShinyGlasses or SunglassesAtNight.
36	* TheGhost, who is never seen ''at all''.
37	* TheBlank, who ''literally'' doesn't have a face.
38	* TheVoice, who is not seen but only heard.
39
40	There are several reasons for writing a faceless character, depending on their role in the plot. For a recurring character, hiding their face lends an air of ambiguity to the character and their motives. If said character is a villain, this additionally serves to make them seem more threatening. Often the villainous Faceless are a DiabolicalMastermind, TheManBehindTheMan, or even an UnseenEvil.
41
42	Non-recurring faceless characters tend to be CannonFodder FacelessGoons, whose facelessness removes their individuality, their humanity, and the audience's squeamishness about their deaths. [[InvisiblePresident Real-world famous people/roles may not be shown]], to prevent the work from becoming dated.
43
44	Occasionally, a faceless character will be dramatically {{reveal}}ed. This generally happens at the end of the story, or at least the character's tenure in it. TheReveal may try to surprise the audience by showing a NerdInEvilsHelmet, TheMole, or even [[NoFaceUnderTheMask no face at all]]. Perhaps we will see a NightmareFace--common for [[EvilMakesYouUgly villains]]--or perhaps they were BeautifulAllAlong, or maybe TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse
45
46	The Faceless exist to increase [[RuleOfDrama drama]] or [[RuleOfCool impress]] people. Contrast this with the FacelessMasses, which is done for [[LazyArtist the artist's convenience]], while the SceneryCensor hides ''other'' body parts, to please MoralGuardians.
47
48	----
49	!!Example Subpages:
50	[[index]]
51	* TheFaceless/AnimeAndManga
52	* TheFaceless/ComicBooks
53	* TheFaceless/FanWorks
54	* [[TheFaceless/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
55	* TheFaceless/{{Literature}}
56	* TheFaceless/LiveActionTV
57	* TheFaceless/{{Music}}
58	* TheFaceless/VideoGames
59	* TheFaceless/{{Webcomics}}
60	* TheFaceless/WesternAnimation
61	* TheFaceless/RealLife
62	[[/index]]
63
64	!!Other Examples:
65
66	[[foldercontrol]]
67
68	[[folder:Advertising]]
69	* In Venezuela, there is this beer ad that features a MsFanservice known as "la catira Regional" ("the Regional blonde", for the brand of the beer), that's always [[http://www.google.co.ve/imgres?imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W1w33M6yfE/R7EbRmhcrxI/AAAAAAAAAnY/Ox6uHBL1kQ4/s400/CatiraRegional13.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp%3FTID%3D53594%26PN%3D15&usg=__YSFIr_y0hWoZH9W_TftRbWdlWIg=&h=166&w=400&sz=23&hl=es&start=8&zoom=1&tbnid=Z5AfnFPokma4gM:&tbnh=51&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dla%2Bcatira%2Bregional%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-ES:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D610%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1 in a bikini]] [[http://www.google.co.ve/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mercadolibre.com.ve/jm/img%3Fs%3DMLV%26f%3D24435414_8152.jpg%26v%3DE&imgrefurl=http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ve/MLV-25372720-ccce2008-la-catira-regional-poza-vasos-sexys-cervezas-_JM&usg=__prdkA_3cYIrqp2woSfgwQsZJAYQ=&h=280&w=280&sz=11&hl=es&start=19&zoom=1&tbnid=BCFxLS0TMJZpiM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=175&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dla%2Bcatira%2Bregional%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-ES:official%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D610%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C502&um=1&itbs=1&ei=kafDTO_bHcH6lwe5ir0H&iact=hc&vpx=606&vpy=254&dur=2090&hovh=224&hovw=224&tx=103&ty=72&oei=D6bDTImCHYL98Abc45TfBA&esq=17&page=2&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:19&biw=1280&bih=610 or some]] [[http://dawarg.blogab.com/archives/261-La-catira-vestida-y-Regional-Pilsen-con-nueva-imagen.html revealing outfit.]] But everybody is more concerned about why she never shows her face: would she be ugly? Would she be a man...? And, not happy with making the whole country be worried about this matter, after years of teasing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9glHiGiCy-U they make this]], where you can see her face very briefly for some seconds. Isn't it cruel?
70	* A recent advertising campaign for the acid reflux medicine [[UnfortunateNames Aciphex]] features either people shown only from the nose down, or people who have their faces from their nose up conveniently obscured by objects like a lamp, cupboard door, and a car front hood.
71	* In commercials for 4C during their "official iced tea/bread crumbs of the Davis family" campaign, the Davises faces are never shown.
72	* In commercials for Shedd's Spread, we never see the faces of the couple talking in the commercials. Normally just their hands and arms are shown.
73	* In many recent commercials for IBM, the people being interviewed are not shown on camera.
74	* Converse recently launched their "Made By You" campaign showcasing people's customized Chuck Taylors. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYPzPXMfp8Y A short film]] sometimes shows up as a Youtube pre-roll ad featuring numerous wearers. However, none of their faces are shown.
75	* The Advertising/EnergizerBunny provides an interesting case, as while most of his face ''is'' visible, his eyes are often blocked off by his shades. Even when making fun of ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', his eyes are still largely obscured by the mask they use. The recent CGI commercials turn the sunglasses into an ExpressiveMask of sorts, eliminating the need for proper eyes to be seen.
76	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecctpF0Nf8c One holiday ad]] has the bunny take off his shades to reveal... [[TheUnreveal another pair of shades]].
77	** That being said, there are several plush toys out there that give him eyes (A given, as they'd look awkward otherwise), but its [[OffModel inconsistent]] as to whether they're beady or traditional cartoon-style eyes.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Arts]]
81	* No people Creator/TerryAnanny ever painted have faces.
82	* ''[[ExaggeratedTrope Every single artwork]]'' in ''Pottermore'' involves this trope. All of the identifiable characters in the art (even minor characters) are depicted with either their faces away from the camera, their faces obscured by scenery, or their faces shown ''highly'' in the distance. There are the rare occasions in which people are shown with their faces unobscured, such as students whom are participating in the duelling club and members of the Wizengamot, but those are only extras of whom have no clear identities.
83	* ''Art/TheProblemWeAllLiveWith'': The marshals escorting Bridges are only seen from the shoulders down, emphasizing them as representative of an institution and her as the focus of the painting.
84	* The Art/SistineChapel's altar painting only depicts {{God}}'s lower torso and feet. While it's standard practice to avoid showing the full form of God [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm for the viewer's sanity]], this is an odd choice since several full-body paintings of God, face and all, lie on the ceiling above the altar.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
88	* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Big and Little M.'s commander is only ever seen from the back, or otherwise has his face completely obscured from view whenever he is on-screen. In Season 12, [[spoiler:we do get to see some of his face; he has a big bushy mustache, but his eyes are still obscured from sight due to a shadow coming from his hat]].
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
92	* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'' -- Bettle's eyes have never, ever been seen. Even before he was in the army, he had a hat pulled down low to hide them.
93	** Mort Walker mentioned Beetle's eyes as being "India ink"-colored.
94	** In one ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody someone finally sneaks up to Beetle and rips his hat off. His face is much like you would expect, except that it turns out he was hiding a tattoo on his forehead reading GET OUT OF VIETNAM.
95	** In one actual strip, Lt. Fuzz noticed that he never saw Beetle's eyes, so in order to get a look at them, Sarge snuck behind him and yelled "BOO!" making it fly off his head. Unfortunately, Beetle was wearing sunglasses.
96	* ''ComicStrip/BigNate'': Chester, who we almost never see except for his arm in some occasions. The most that we've ever seen of him at one time is his body from the neck down. He's implied to have a mustache, though. According to WordOfGod, he never drew him with a face because he thought it would be too hard to draw.
97	* Spots from ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' was a criminal who had a floating array of dark spots in the front of his face where his eyes should be. Spots was killed in a street shootout with Tracy, the spots on his face dissipating upon his death, but his head was turned away from the reader, so his face still remained obscured.
98	* Despite it being a very political strip, politicians almost never appear in ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'', and are either represented by abstract symbols (a bomb for Newt Gingrich, a waffle for Bill Clinton, a giant hand for Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc), speech balloons coming out of the White House/Congress, or, in some rare cases, a face hidden in shadows, obscured by camera angles, and so on. Donald Trump is the only president cartoonist Gary Trudeau actually draws in full, and this is only because the strip established him as a "seen" human character in the strip long before his political career.
99	* The face of Mr. Pembroke, the boss of Roger Fox in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'', is never seen. usually being just off-panel, with his desk and his hands (and sometimes [[CigarChomper a cigar]]) visible. Portraits of himself in his office likewise have the face cropped out.
100	* [[AbhorrentAdmirer Lena the Hyena]] in ''ComicStrip/LilAbner,'' who was the world's ugliest woman - the area around her face initially had a blank space with the words "Deleted by Editor." Al Capp held a contest for readers to draw Lena's face. Basil Wolverton won with a spectacularly grotesque portrait in his distictive "spaghetti-and-meatballs" crosshatching.
101	** A tone-downed version of her later appeared in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''.
102	* Tiffany's father Tom Farrell in ''ComicStrip/{{Luann}}''. The few times he’s seen he normally has his back to the viewer, but at one point his face was concealed by his own [[SpeechBubbles word balloon]], his face is finally seen in the June 22, 2020 strip.
103	* In ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', there was a series of strips where Charlie Brown goes to [[SummerCampy summer camp]] and tries to befriend a kid in the bunk next to him. The kid is always shown with his face turned toward the wall, and never says anything other than, "Shut up and leave me alone!"
104	** Adults are never shown on ''[=Peanuts=]''. The only exception were some adult bodies, but not faces, that were visible when Lucy was in a golf tournament, and this was back in the strip's early days.
105	* The title character of ''ComicStrip/ThePhantom'' is a very strange example; he wears a mask in his heroic identity, as most superheroes do (in fact, he was likely the one who started the trend), but even in his civilian identity of Kitt Walker, he wears a fedora, sunglasses, and a trench coat with the collars turned up. The readers have ''never'' been able to see his unmasked face clearly.
106	* ''ComicStrip/PhoebeAndHerUnicorn'': Lord Splendid Humility subverts usual unicorn vanity by refusing to show himself, so the cast mainly interact with his horn as it protrudes from whatever bush he's hiding in.
107	* For the longest time, both Don and Marcie from ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' were never shown above the neck to emphasize their height. Eventually, though, their faces were shown, Don's when his son was born, and Marcie when Rosalind finally meets her (After a series of experiments left her at six foot three).
108	* Downwind Jackson in the ''ComicStrip/SmilinJack'' comic strip, whose face was always turned away, usually to gawk at women. Creator Zack Mosley established that Downwind was a handsome ladies' man, but decided to leave his face to the readers' imagination.
109	** ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' did a spoof that revealed his secret - he's actually an ugly little man who is chased by women because he happens to have a $100 bill stuck between his front teeth.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
113	* ''WesternAnimation/AnnabellesWish'': Agnes's lawyer. Only his hands and the back of his chair are seen.
114	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby'': [[spoiler:Tim and Theodore Templeton]]'s faces as grown-ups are deliberately kept out-of-frame in the epilogue.
115	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnoldTheMovie'': The mysterious informant “Deep Voice” is covered up wearing a trench coat with their face not shown. It’s revealed that Deep Voice is none other than [[spoiler:Helga Pataki.]]
116	* ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1'':
117	** An in-universe variant happens to Mike Wazowski, who for some reason, ''always'' has his entire face covered up in whatever media he's appeared in, such as a commercial, a magazine, and even the DVD! (The hole in the middle of the DVD was actually placed in a way so that it too covered Mike's face).
118	** A more straight example would be a [[{{Notzilla}} Godzilla stand-in]] named Ted, who is apparently so tall that he can only be shown from the legs down and clucks like a chicken (he was originally going to sound exactly like Godzilla himself, but the idea was refused due to copyright reasons). A blooper at the end of the film actually revealed that his upper body actually belonged to [[Franchise/ToyStory Rex]], here portrayed as a normal-sized UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex instead of a plastic toy.
119	* The gangsters' leader from ''Animation/TheReturnOfHanuman''.
120	* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': Aurora's face is never shown in the early scenes when she was a baby.
121	* ''Franchise/ToyStory'':
122	** Played with in the [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory1 first film]], where Andy's mom is typically seen from a KneeHighPerspective as a pair of legs, or from a distance where she can't be easily made out. This is averted in the following films, in which adults are clearly seen along with the kids and toys. However, in the fourth film prologue, she is again only seen in glimpses.
123	** In the [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory2 first 2]] [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory3 sequels]], the flashback sequences avoid showing off Emily and Dasiy's faces in full, showing them from either a (blurry) distance or side glimpses.
124	** Somewhat played with regarding Molly. In the original trilogy, her face is clearly visible (as a baby in the first 2 films, then a tween in the third film), but in the prologue of the [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory4 fourth film]] (taking place before the third film), when she and her mom are selling Bo Peep, neither are seen in full.
125	* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' - We viewers never get a good look at poor Jim's DisappearedDad; some people on the Internet have taken advantage of this for video crossovers and/or fanart.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Manhua]]
129	* The previous DM in ''Manhua/InfinityGame''. He states this is because his face would mean nothing to the [=NPCs=] as it's just the face of a stranger. [[spoiler:It's never revealed]].
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Manhwa]]
133	* In ''Manhwa/WitchHunter'', we have [[BigBad North]] and Edea Florence. [[spoiler: In the latter case, it only lasts until Chapter 31]].
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Pinballs]]
137	* Cousin It from ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily''.
138	* The green-skinned alien Tube Dancer toy in ''Pinball/BigBangBar'' doesn't have a face... nor [[BarbieDollAnatomy any other anatomical detail,]] either.
139	* The Nihilists in ''Pinball/TheBigLebowski'' have their faces replaced with indicator lights.
140	* In ''Pinball/FullThrottle'', the player's character is always shown wearing a head-covering motorcycle helmet.
141	* In Creator/SternPinball's ''Pinball/HarleyDavidson'' games, the Mystery Rider is always seen wearing a helmet that completely covers his face.
142	* ''[[Pinball/{{Pinbot}} Pin*Bot]]''[='=]s face is covered by its visor. Even with it up, however, there's no face to be seen.
143	* ''Pinball/TronLegacy'' has Clu and Rinzler, as well as [[TheCameo Daft Punk]]. Most prominent in the third release of the game, as the backbox translite features Clu's faceless black helmet front and center.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Radio]]
147	* Madame Boss, Giovanni's mother and the previous leader of Team Rocket, is depicted this way in ''Radio/PokemonTheBirthOfMewtwo''. The artwork shows her body but shades out her face.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Roleplay]]
151	* Reyven Samoth in ''Roleplay/TheGunganCouncil'', who probably doesn't even have a corporal face at this point. Darth Apparatus also used to run around with a mask or obscured face until recently.
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
155	* ''TabletopGame/ApocalypseWorld'' features the player character class '[[{{Exactly What It Says On The Tin}} The Faceless,]]' a mask-wearing thug. If their mask is removed, it's always treated as TheReveal, stunning everyone nearby and freaking the Faceless out.
156	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', the god Nara-O is always covered in thick dark bandages that completely obscure his features. As the god of Secrets Known To One Person, it is suspected that if any being besides himself was to know his appearance, he would cease to exist.
157	* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
158	** In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the preferred form of the Changeling’s is that of a multi-armed Daemon with [[InTheHood its face covered by a heavy hood]]. It is said that the Changeling has taken on so many forms over its existence that it cannot even remember what its true face and form looked like.
159	** In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', Balthasar Gelt, the [[TheArchmage Supreme Patriarch]] of the [[WizardingSchool Imperial Colleges of Magic]], has never been seen without a [[CoolMask gold mask]] and heavy robes since an explosive MagicMisfire in his laboratory. Whether he's hiding [[SculptedPhysique skin transmuted to gold]], FacialHorror, [[{{Mutants}} Chaos mutations]], or worse is a matter of in-universe speculation.
160	** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' specific examples:
161	*** Harlequin Shadowseers wear face-concealing, featureless masks in combat (and outside of it?), ensuring that the last thing the enemy sees will be the reflection of their own face (though the implication is that it goes beyond a reflection, and the enemy literally feels as though they are fighting themselves). On that note, all other Harlequins use masks as well, but theirs have actual theatrical expressions.
162	*** One of the defining physical characteristics of [[SpaceElves Eldar]] [[{{Golem}} Wraith-Constructs]] is that they typically sport smooth, featureless heads.
163	*** The Angels Sanguine never remove their helmets, refusing to show their faces to those outside their Chapter. It is rumoured that the reason for this is related to a dark secret that lies in the catacombs beneath their Fortress-Monastery.
164	** In the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' [[TabletopRPG RPG]] ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'', Eloeholth the Faceless is a possible main villain.
165	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Arcanis the Omnipotent wears a hood that conceals his face, and Eldrazi of the Ulamog lineage have heads covered entirely in bony plates. Honourable mention to Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, a planeswalker whose entire head is transforming into black mist, who isn't The Faceless ''yet'', but is well on their way.
166	* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Pandemic}}'' expansion ''On The Brink'', the Bioterrorist is depicted clad in a chemsuit, with no indication of hir sex or ethnicity.
167	* ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'''s kasathas have a taboo against showing their mouths in public. They are always shown in illustrations with their lower faces covered with scarves.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Theatre]]
171	* In the stage version of Soviet rock opera ''Music/JunoAndAvos'', Count Rumyantsev always wear a creepy golden mask, although he's rather a symbol of a heartless Imperial bureaucracy then an actual villain.
172	* In classic stage versions of ''Theatre/PeterPan,'' the crocodile was never seen, but represented by an offscreen ticking from Hook's watch he swallowed.
173	* Matt Cameron's play ''Theatre/RubyMoon'' features an unseen character called 'The Wizard', who always wears a mask and creeps around the cul-de-sac knocking on people's doors.
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
177	* Caster in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', played for an ambiguous and mysterious enemy. You can see her mouth, chin and lower cheeks, but most of her emotions have to be expressed through body language. When [[InTheHood the hood]] finally falls off, it's revealed that she's actually incredibly beautiful... but she just skewered and is bleeding to death.
178	* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'' has the mysterious villain known as the phantom, an emotionless assassin who can perfectly disguise themselves as anyone. They have done this so many times that the phantom has actually forgotten who they really are, and in the end suffers a ShapeshifterIdentityCrisis.
179	* ''{{VisualNovel/Tsukihime}}'': In the original visual novel, Shiki's face is never shown except as a child. Since the game is told from his perspective, this makes sense; he only shows up on-screen during unlocked images, but never with any detail above his mouth. [[spoiler:This is [[ExploitedTrope exploited]] in the side-story ''Alliance of Illusionary Eyes'', which follows someone pretending to be Shiki, since although he looks different he matches how Shiki is described in ''Tsukihime''.]] Averted by everything afterwards, such as ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' and ''Anime/CarnivalPhantasm'', where his face is readily shown.
180	[[/folder]]
181
182	[[folder:Web Animation]]
183	* WebAnimation/AnAdventureOfSheepAndChicken: The only creature/person in the video who has a face is Chicken.
184	* ''WebAnimation/DingoDoodles'': Gothi always wears a flat rectangular slab of wood over her face. For a long time, the only time she has ever taken it off was to replace it with a fancy party mask. When this mask got damaged in a fight only a single eye was exposed. It is not until episode 15 that we finally get to see her face during a flashback, and it is revealed that she covers her face because [[spoiler:she has NoFaceUnderTheMask. [[FacialHorror It was cut off, leaving her with nothing but eyes, nostrils, exposed muscle tissue, an a mouth with no lips, where her face used to be.]]]]
185	%%* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': The antagonist from the ShowWithinAShow ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6''. [[EpilepticTrees Rumored]] to be Coach Z's 20X6 counterpart.
186	* Most of the cast of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', since it's a ''{{Franchise/Halo}}''-based machinima. In Season Three it's revealed that not only do the troopers of Blood Gulch never take their helmets off even when off-camera, but Church has no idea whether Tucker is black or not (though Tucker's more annoyed Church never learned his first name). The AnimationBump of Seasons 9 and 10 lets us finally see most of the Freelancers bareheaded during the flashback sequences, though with a few exceptions. Agent Washington almost never takes his helmet off, even eating with it on, though in one shot we get to see the back of his head (he has short blonde hair, by the way). The Director doesn't wear a helmet, but the camera avoids his face until [[spoiler: the Season 10 finale, and the reveal that he and Carolina have FamilyEyeResemblance]]. The only time Maine has his helmet fully off, Sigma is obscuring his face, and we later get a shot when he's putting his helmet on, revealing himself to be BaldOfEvil and have the Meta's symbol tattooed on the back of his head.
187	* ''WebAnimation/TrickMoon'': The villain Dr. Bleak is seated on a throne with his entire body in silhouette.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Web Original]]
191	* The musician and voice-over artist known only as Creator/CorpseHusband, who rose to prominence through group play-throughs of Videogame/AmongUs, due to his dark sense of humor and his unusually deep speaking voice. Corpse's real appearance is unknown. He has only shown rare photos of his hands with accessories and a strand of his hair; even among Corpse's friends, only a few of his trusted friends (Sykkuno, Boyinaband, Anthony Padilla) are confirmed to have seen Corpse's face.
192	* ''WebVideo/{{Dream}}:'' While George, Sapnap, and Bad had done facecams revealing their true face, Dream's real appearance remained unknown for a long time even after he came to fame. This has since been subverted on October 2nd, 2022, after he uploads his own face reveal video.
193	* On Froghand, the chances of Froge revealing his identity is close to zero, given how he wrote [[https://froghand.neocities.org/accountsec.html an entire article]] on how to prevent doxing.
194	* WebVideo/HowToBasic is probably the most well-known example of a [=YouTube=] celebrity who has yet to reveal their face.
195	* In ''Webcomic/PhillerSpace'', Brick's face is always out of frame or covered.
196	* Back in the early days of his [=YouTube=] career, WebVideo/{{Zerkaa}} hid his face behind a mask in live-action videos. After his group the WebVideo/{{Sidemen}} became popular in 2014, Joshua [[DoNotCallMePaul Bradley]]/"[[StageNames Josh Zerker]]" [[SubvertedTrope stopped wearing the mask]], showing himself to be a man who maintains a consistent look of combed black hair and a modestly thick beard.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	[[folder:Web Videos]]
200	* The Chief from ''WebVideo/AgentsOfCracked'' is always lit from behind. Lampshaded in the first episode of the second series, when the Sarge points out that the Chief's office always has terrible lighting.
201	* ''WebVideo/BigStackDCasting'' is an Australian guy who salvages scrap metal to make his own treasure hoard. The only time his face appears directly on camera is when he's wearing a full-face respirator for his own safety. On the occasions where his reflection can be seen in polished metal, he is usually wearing a clown mask or similar.
202	* ''WebVideo/BingingWithBabish'' host Andrew Rea frames each main shot he's in from his waist to his chin, in order to balance out his presence while cooking with keeping the focus on the food and the process instead of him. If his face ''is'' seen, it's only in short, incidental moments.
203	* The ''WebVideo/ChroniclesOfSyntax'' never clearly show The Lady's face. It's either out of the shot, covered, or too blurry/far away to be seen in detail.
204	* Neil, the cameraman on ''WebVideo/ACoupleOfCuntsInTheCountryside'', often chimes in on the discussions, but was not seen on camera until the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_U3Da_mwA 50th]] [[GrandFinale episode]].
205	* [=Sp00nerism=] from ''LetsPlay/TheCreatures'' barely shows himself on camera and when he does, his face is hidden by a comedic horse head mask.
206	* ''WebVideo/DaisyBrown'''s face is always offscreen.
207	* ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'':
208	** The full face of Mr. Administrator is never shown -- he's only shown below the eyes.
209	** Zack as well; he's usually behind the camera, filming everything. [[spoiler:Although we do see his face briefly in [[FreudianExcuse episode 2]]. It's dark enough that most of the details aren't easily distinguishable.]]
210	** [[spoiler:Both of their faces are fully revealed in "ComingOfAge" and "MindScrew".]]
211	* ''Film/TheFlyingMan'' is always shown from too far away to make out his facial features... [[HumanoidAbomination if he even has any.]]
212	* IGSRJ, a parody of WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd and WebVideo/TheIrateGamer. Furthermore, IGSRJ [[SyntheticVoiceActor speaks through a text-to-speech program]], making his voice hidden too.
213	%%* Drew Avery in ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15''.
214	* Some spoof film trailers made by Italian director Maccio Capatonda (real name Marcello Macchia) feature an entity named "[[IronicNickname the little]]" [[FluffyTheTerrible Riccardino Fuffolo]], represented by a very tall man in a black trenchcoat and a white towel on his head. His face was partially visible during a parody of Film/TheMatrix's bullet time sequence, when the towel slipped and his chin and mouth were visible.
215	%%* The Specter in ''WebVideo/{{Mega64}}''.
216	* WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter [[spoiler: used to be.]]
217	* WebVideo/OddityArchive: Ben Minotte consistently conceals his face with a upended Banker's Box-style cardboard box (with a relevant screenshot pasted on it) when he appears on camera.
218	* WebVideo/RedLetterMedia: Though his face is illustrated on the website, Mr. Plinkett's face is never seen in his reviews - only his hands, present in first person perspective.
219	* Downplayed by ''Ru's Piano'', which has piano arrangements of tunes from anime and video games. In most of her videos, [[https://youtu.be/v9h0ghAUNKg this one]] for example, pianist [=RuRu=]'s face is either hidden by her long hair or completely out of shot; but in some of them, [[https://youtu.be/apyCfDSk1Os this one]] for example, she is accompanied by violinist Kathie, and both of their faces are on public display.
220	* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/user/oyabakatousan Sen, Momo and Ai Channel]]'': The mom of the titular kids' face is never seen. If the video does show the area where her face is (like if it's focusing on Aiko if the mom is carrying her), it's usually censored.
221	* Eljay from The Three Virtues, a Franchise/{{Bionicle}} fan site, always has his face covered by a cardboard Miru.
222	* ''WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows'':
223	** Todd is either FaceFramedInShadow, filmed with his back at the camera, or [[https://web.archive.org/web/20121112211029/http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2027320900106978597ZwpGhZ masked]].
224	** His title card artist, Krin, [[https://thatguywiththeglasses.fandom.com/wiki/Krin also likes to mask herself in online appearances]].
225	** When the website made a video about a few of the reviewers' RealLife trip to Washington, D.C. to talk to a politician about SOPA, they just put a black box in front of his face, with a caption noting that he doesn't like his face to appear on the Internet.
226	* J. Geil, in contrast to the original ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'', is this in ''WebVideo/VaguelyRecallingJoJo''
227	* Dr. Bob, in-Verse narrator of numerous ''Website/SCPFoundation''-based animated videos, always has his face off-camera, shadowed, and/or concealed. In the only case where he faces the viewer, he's wearing a scuba mask that hides all but his chin.
228	* [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI7ktPB6toqucpkkCiolwLg Pan Piano]], like Ru's Piano, does piano covers of music from anime and is always shown from the shoulders down (apart from when a face covering is being worn).
229	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TheFaceless