[[{{Utawarerumono}} http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_utawarerumono_-_Hakuoro_wanted_poster_clip.jpg]]

-->'''Fezzik''': Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?
-->'''Man in Black''': No, it's just that they are terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.
-->-- ''ThePrincessBride''

Anyone 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.

Oddly, this also applies to those who wear little round glasses, despite the significantly lesser coverage, especially if they're ScaryShinyGlasses or StoicSpectacles.

Almost prototypical for SuperHero characters.

HumongousMecha frequently gain a mask (over their mouth at the least) when [[CombiningMecha combining]] or entering a SuperMode.

Note that this only applies to major characters. {{Mooks}} in masks are in a [[FacelessGoons special subcategory]], but are still Mooks underneath. When you take this and add [[BadassLongcoat a coat]], [[NiceHat a hat]] and [[DressedToKill a suit]], you get CoatHatMask. When done by villains, often coincides with MalevolentMaskedMen. A mask that actually gives you power is a MaskOfPower. For other headgear, see NiceHat.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime & Manga]]

* Ran Fan and Fuu from ''{{Full Metal Alchemist}}'' wear masks, and they're elite bodyguards of a prince. Ran Fan in particular seems to feel insecure without her mask on.
* Several of the cast of ''{{Naruto}}'' (most notably [[TheObiWan Kakashi]])
** Of course, he gets bonus points. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGn-Tg1j8w0 What's under his mask?]] [[spoiler:[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1eNQ68mf6Y&feature=related Another mask!]]]]
* Arshes Nei in ''{{Bastard}}!!''
* ''VampireHunterD''.
* Pizza the Zonderian from ''GaoGaiGar''.
** 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.]]
* Char Aznable and his imitators from the various ''{{Gundam}}s''.
** As well as that Darth Vader wannabe from the F91 movie.
** Bask Om from ZetaGundam (and a minor role in Gundam0083) is the "tiny little glasses" version of this. Well, goggles, really. He happens to be one of the highest ranked officers in the entire Federation/Titan force, [[CompleteMonster and one mean bastard in general]].
* Larva from ''VampirePrincessMiyu''.
* Cain from ''TenchiMuyo! In Love'', and Katsuhito Masaki/Youshou in ''TenchiMuyo! Ryo-Ohki''.
* Chichiri in ''FushigiYuugi''.
* Zelgadis from ''{{Slayers}}''.
** Xellos from ''Slayers NEXT'' and ''Slayers TRY'' makes his CoolMask through habitually keeping his eyes closed or hidden behind his hair (not to be confused with HiddenEyes).
** 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. Also another trope, but this troper doesn't recall what.
* The Zeiram's (from the ''{{Zeiram}}'' films and ''Iria: Zeiram the Animation'') only visible face is a three-inch thing on a long prehensile neck, but it resembles a Kabuki mask, so it might count.
* When Fubuki in ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh GX}}'', suffering from Jekyll-and-Hyde Syndrome, succumbs to his powerful but evil dark side, it is symbolized by such a mask appearing on his face from nowhere except a cloud of black smoke.
* The mysterious masked man in the second season of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. He could take the full brunt of Nanoha's attack without being fazed and routinely made short work of anyone he attacked.
* San from ''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 [[IGotBetter it gets better]].)
* Racer X from ''SpeedRacer''.
* Turkey in ''AxisPowersHetalia'', though he loses his mask during/before the ChristmasEpisode.
* Paul Wan from ''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 GetBackers 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.
* Otohime Mutsumi from ''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.
* Sara Gallagher, one of the [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Five Pillars]] from ''{{Mai-Otome}}'', 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.
* In ''OnePiece'', after Usopp [[spoiler: leaves the crew]], he comes back under the alias 'Sogeking', with a mask and cape, 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.
* The titular heroine of ''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... and nothing more.
-->'''Kekko Kamen:''' Nobody knows my face, but everyone knows my body...
* Subverted to the extreme in ''Ultimate!! Hentai Kamen'', 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.
** Hentai Kamen gains new powers based on who's 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.
* [[MagnificentBastard Lelouch Lamperouge]], as Zero, in ''CodeGeass''. However, he's [[SquishyWizard less likely to beat you up himself]] than to have his minions do it for him.
* Despariah, the BigBad of ''[[YesPrecure5 Yes! Precure 5]]'', 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.
* Hakuoro of ''{{Utawarerumono}}'', as seen above. 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.]]
* Mask de Smith from {{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 infinite grenades without ever having to reload.
** In fact, luchadores period.
** Also, his [[InfinityPlusOneSword ultimate upgrade]] not only makes him damn near invincible, but almost as terrifying as the monsters he's slaughtering with said [[BottomlessMagazines infinite grenades]]
* Kogarashi from ''KamenNoMaidGuy''. He's got super strength, super smarts, is a master of disguise - and wears a mask at all times.
* Persona from ''GakuenAlice''.
** Could be argued that it's not his choice. The mask is what keeps his Alice in control. Otherwise it would [[spoiler: ''eat his own skin off'']]. Still a CoolMask though.
* Hei from ''DarkerThanBlack''. His mask looks like a cross between [[VForVendetta V's]] and [[{{Saw}} Jigsaw's]] and is [[MalevolentMaskedMen kind of]] [[MookHorrorShow freaky]].
* Papillion Mask from ''{{Busou Renkin}}'' 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.
* Kurei from ''FlameOfRecca''. In nearly all of his appearances he is wearing his mask, or renditions of it. Which is a very badass mask too.
* The Jester from ''{{Grenadier}}''.
* ''Everyone'' in ''{{Dorohedoro}}'', pretty much justified since mages get masks as part of their contract with daemons, and Cayman 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.
*Samurai Seven [[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.
**Same show has the Shikimoribito, who all wear fullbody 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.
* In {{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.
* The titular character of ''ErgoProxy''.
* In the {{Pokemon}} manga, [[BigBad Mask of Ice]]'s takeover of Team Rocket leads to all the grunts wearing masks and making them naturally more badass. Not to mention said Mask of Ice himself, who is pretty much the primary driver for bad stuff happening in about half of the entire series.
* KenichiTheMightiestDisciple has "Laughing Fist" Diego, the Yami Luchadore master, who, of course, 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.]])
* [[FourStarBadass General]] [[BadassLongcoat Cross Marian]] of ''[=~D.Gray-man~=]'' 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]].
** Also General Winters Sokaro. And [[spoiler:once he gets better-attuned to his Innocence, Allen]].
* How has ''SailorMoon'' not been mentioned yet?! [[MysteriousProtector He's]] called [[http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3558/tuxedounmask.jpg Tuxedo Mask]] for a reason. Sailor V also wears a half-mask.
* Noein, the titular BigBad of ''{{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 one of the male leads.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* Boy Blue from ''{{Fables}}'' when he's infiltrating the Homelands, in a clear ''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.
* The AntiHero in ''{{V for Vendetta}}'' 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.
* Pretty much most (if not all) superheroes, but the current Batgirl takes this to the logical extreme; her mask is skin-tight, designed to cover her entire skull, and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Knightalone.jpg 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 [[FetishFuel you want to see in certain nightclubs]].
* [[SerialKiller The Corinthian]] from {{Sandman}} 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 NightmareFuel teeth. [[RuleOfScary (Although he still manages to see...)]]]]
**He's a genuine nightmare. He is not bound by logic.
* ''JudgeDredd'' (and the other judges).
* The graphic novel ''Fall Of Cthulhu'' 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. You don't want to know what's behind that mask...
* Rorschach from ''{{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.
* In ''Kabuki'', all eight Noh agents wear painted porcelain masks when "in character".
* In ''JonSableFreelance'', Sable wears a black makeup design on his face because "it scares the hell out of the bad guys".

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* The Man in Black from ''ThePrincessBride'' (see page quote). He never actually wins a fight on his own without his mask.
**Except for his "ToThePain" moment at the end of the movie.
***He was bluffing there, though.
***He never actually fights after losing his mask, given that he's taken prisoner without a fight, then dies, and then spends the rest of the movie barely able to stand at best. SoYeah.
* [[StarWars Darth Vader]].
**Dies when he takes it off...
** Don't forget Darth Revan of ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'', who is stated to be one of if not ''the'' most powerful Force user in history, masterminds elaborate {{Xanatos Gambit}}s for dealing with events centuries if not millennia in advance, and of course who also ''[[spoiler:[[ItWasHisSled happens to be you]]]]''.
*** 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.
** Subverted in that Vader is actually proven to be weakened after his transition into the mask as he can no longer cast Force Lightning because of his mechanical limbs. He is, however, much more intimidating and serious in a mask.
*** Then played straight in that he's possibly the only Jedi ''ever'' to wield their lightsaber so effectively with just one hand (outside of Episodes 4-6). He's also insanely good with his little Force Grip trick. He's a half-robotic horror that can choke-hold you from 50 feet, then slowly walk up to you with that horrible breathing he has...
* What, no {{Predator}}? After all, his mask features (at least) IR vision, EM vision, "preda-tech" vision, optic zoom, breathing mask and a targeting module for the [[FrickinLaserBeams Plasma Caster]]. I'd buy ''that'' for a dollar!
* No love for Optimus [[{{Film/Transformers}} Prime]]? A metal plate folds out over his mouth when he preps for combat.
* As a part of his HistoricalHeroUpgrade, King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (Edward Norton) got a pretty spiffy metal mask in the ''Kingdom of Heaven'' movie to cover his [[IllBoy leposy-stricken face]].
* How have we not mentioned RoboCop yet? He's the future of law enforcement!

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* How about some ''actual'' HPLovecraft examples? Some I can think of:
** The High Priest Who Is Not To Be Described in ''Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath'' wears a mask.
** The horrible [[spoiler: worm-monster-horrors masquerading as people]] in "The Festival" wear waxen masks.
** The entity [[spoiler: masquerading as Henry Akeley]] in ''The Whisperer in Darkness'' is a [[EpilepticTrees powerful being and may even be]] [[spoiler: [[EldritchAbomination Nyarlathotep manifest]]]].
*** Apparently the way its way of speech was described pretty much gave away it was just an ordinary Mi-Go. [[spoiler:With prosthetic hands, mask, blanket and the place being pitch-ass dark,]] it could pass for a [[spoiler:sick old]] man, though.
* In Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'', a takeoff of ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', the Opera Ghost is [[spoiler:actually a pitiably clumsy, shy, and just plain ''weird'' janitor who becomes ultra-coordinated and suave when he wears a mask, through the magic of MagicFeather.]]
** Let's not forget ThePhantomOfTheOpera himself.
* {{Zorro}}, who seems to have been one of the earliest practitioners, if not the TropeMaker himself.
* In ''{{Vampirates}}'', the captain of the title creatures' ship wears a mask, as the ExpositoryThemeTune says, "to curtail your fright".

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

* Comes up on occasion, especially Mexican ''lucha libre'' - major lucha libre feuds can culminate in a "mask vs mask" match, where the loser is required to publicly unmask themselves and have their real name revealed.
* Subverted/Played Straight with Kane. In a 2003 angle, Kane was forced to unmask, leading to some major CharacterDerailment and BadassDecay. When he first unmasked, he went back to being the Monster Heel he was at his debut; however, after a sucktacular match with the Undertaker, he quickly became involved in some pretty idiotic storylines.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Role Playing Games ]]

* Ethergaunts from ''DungeonsAndDragons''. They are a race of (evil) alien supergeniuses dwelling on the ethereal plane whose faces are entirely covered by bsected masks, with the color of said masks indicating their rank. Of special note are the black ethergaunts, which are some of the most intelligent monsters out there, and cast spells as a 17th-level wizard.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Toys]]

* At least half of the appeal in {{Bionicle}}. Despite years of similar builds in the toys, there is ''always'' a new set of masks with each set of toys. InUniverse they grant a ton of powers, to name a few: [[BarrierWarrior shielding]], {{flight}}, [[XRayVision x-ray vision]], [[ImprobableAimingSkills accuracy]], [[VisibleInvisibility invisibility]], [[TeleportersAndTransporters teleportation]], even [[WindsOfDestinyChange altering probablity]]. (But note that the series has been {{ReTool}}ed a bit away from this, now including other headgear without powers.)

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

* Mr. Karate from ''ArtOfFighting''. He acts goofy and jovial and frequently plugs his dojo when talking to others, and his kids treat him as something of an embarassment. He still is quite dangerous in a fight despite his age and mannerisms.
* El Blaze from ''VirtuaFighter''.
* King Dedede in the ''{{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 [[DropTheHammer hammer]] three times the size and weight of his old one.
** Metaknight wears a mask almost all the time. The only times his face is revealed is when he's defeated and his mask breaks.
* Wodan Ymir of ''SuperRobotWars'', what with his "BFS" which can become a giant "LaserBlade".
* Godot from the ''AceAttorney'' games.
** Also Masque*DeMasque, who is a charismatic GentlemanThief [[spoiler: compared to his alter ego, the nervous Ron DeLite]]
* Proto Man from both ''MegaMan'' Classic and ''MegaManBattleNetwork''.
* All four of the Testaments from ''{{Xenosaga}}''.
* Sturm from the ''AdvanceWars'' series.
* Prinny Mask and the whole Masked Hero class in general from {{Disgaea}} 3.
* Salem and Rios of ''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.
* [[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 [[CloningBlues clone]], and [[BetaTestBaddie hates the man who created him.]]]]
* A whole folder for video game characters and no love for Psycho Mantis from the MGS games? Even if he's a villain, you can't top that gas mask.
* Aoi "Zaki" Himezaki of ''[[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 [[{{Delinquents}} delinquent]] 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.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''"[[DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog Doctor Horrible is here/To make you quake with fear/To make the whole world kneel/And I won't feel....]]''[[TearJerker a thing.]]"

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* Tarvek Sturmvoraus from ''GirlGenius'', in the {{Chessmaster}} MadScientist sense; a BadAss he is not. They keep falling off when he gets hit, possibly because they don't have earpieces.
* Dave of ''{{Narbonic}}'' fame, begins with apparently opaque round glasses. But, [[spoiler:as he realizes his mad science abilities, his glasses turn transparent.]]
* Eternion and the rest of the Eternals in ''{{Adventurers}}!''

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* Robin in ''TeenTitans.'' Even if this is potentially an artifact of the comics, it was acknowledged in-show as looking cool. (Beast Boy's 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.
** Red X wears a full-face mask, and he can fight Robin blow-for-blow.
* 80's cartoon ''MASK'' also had (almost) everyone in masks, which produced a variety of powers and effects, including Gliding, Holograms and Flamethrowers.
** And throwing daggers.
* The Blue Spirit in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'', even [[BadassNormal without being able to bend the elements]]. When [[spoiler:Zuko]] takes the mask off, he seems to become noticeably less successful.
** 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.]]
** Also it was probably psychological. The Blue Spirit didn't have [[spoiler:Zuko's]] emotional baggage.
** This may also apply to Avatar's [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Kyoshi Warriors.]] While their facepaint doesn't give them any special powers (Suki and the others are just about 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.

* What of [[{{Transformers}} Optimus Prime]]'s Mouthplate?
* How about [[{{Eldritch Abomination}} Dirge]] from [[{{Star Wars Clone Wars}} The Clone Wars]]?


[[/folder]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* In real life, trained Gold eagles wear masks when they aren't being used. Their wing span can easily reach 8 to 9 feet at age and their claws can rip through falconers gloves and keep going to crush bones.
* Shamans of various traditions and cultures the world over wear masks of animals or spirits in ceremonies in order to assume the aspects, powers and identities associated with the animal or spirit.
* Hip hop dance crew Jabbawockeez wear creepy, blank masks to give the illusion that they are a bunch of puppets moving to the music. They're masked heroes! Like Rorschach.
* Since Jacques Plante introduced the goaltender mask to ice hockey, wearers of such equipment have taken to personalizing their masks, giving each golatender in the National Hockey League their own Cool Mask. Starting with Gerry Cheever's [[http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0810/halloween.trick.or.treat/images/cheevers%282%29.jpg scars]] for every time he was hit in the mask with a puck, art has evolved with motifs such as [[http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w240/NHL_Mitchell/NHL%20Goalie%20Masks/nabokov.jpg Evgeni Nabokov's]] [[DemBones skeletons]], [[http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0810/nhl.goalie.masks/images/curtis-joseph.jpg Curtis Joseph's]] painting of {{Cujo}} from the novel of the same name, and [[http://forums.smirkinchicken.com/thread.php?forumid=1&threadid=19630 Kari Lehtonen's]] [[OneOfUs paintings of Yuna and Rikku]] from FinalFantasyX2.
[[/folder]]

!!For those little round glasses, see:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Vash the Stampede from ''{{Trigun}}''
* Kagato from ''TenchiMuyo! Ryo-Ohki''
* Lobelia Carlini from ''SakuraTaisen III''
* Negi Springfield from ''MahouSenseiNegima!''
** It should be noted that whenever he activates his BlackMagic, his glasses get blown off his face.
* Captain Kuro from ''OnePiece''
* ''{{Hellsing}}'' subverts this. Alucard is usually at his least powerful while dandied up in his signature hat, suit, and little round glasses. As a combat progresses and Alucard unleashes higher levels of powers, his appearance becomes more feral and otherwordly. This is somewhat justified in the fact that opponents have to knock him around first before he increases his power level.
* Gendo Ikari from ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' wears little round {{scary shiny glasses}}, and while he may or may not be physically formidable, he's a megalomaniacal mad genius and absolutely ruthless, as well as having large numbers of security goons and assassins at his beck and call, not to mention that he commands a force of HumongousMecha; he is definitely ''not'' a man to be trifled with.


[[/folder]]

[[folder: Music ]]

* Ozzy Osbourne.
** who was just imitating John Lennon.
** also Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* [[strike:Elzam von Branstein]] Ratsel Feinschmeker of ''SuperRobotWars''.
[[/folder]]


!!Exceptions

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Jeremy of ''{{Petopeto-san}}'' also wears one, with a heart on it, and is fairly pathetic.
* Arguably, Tuxedo Mask from ''SailorMoon''. In the manga, at least, he has some pretty hefty informed abilities and some extra powers. Still gets pwned.
* Wannabe SuperHero Strike Man, from ''YoureUnderArrest''
* Done in ''HayateTheCombatButler'' (in a ShoutOut to ''SailorMoon''), where Nagi dons a small face-mask and takes on the name "Mask the Money" when she rescues Hayate from the [[strike:{{Yakuza}}]] very nice people looking to collect on his debt. She takes CrimefightingWithCash [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney very literally]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

* {{WWE}} Wrestler Charlie Haas tries to gain a CoolMask through putting on a Luchadore Mask during his matches. Most of the times it doesn't work.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Role Playing Games ]]

* Inversion : In the ''{{Legend of the Five Rings}}'' 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. ''[[OrIsIt Or are they ?]]'' Of course, 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 {{Xanatos Roulette}}s from that point on, sometimes bordering on downright Xanatos Wank.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Johnny Sasaki (who wears a mask, of course) spends most of the ''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.
* The narcissistic Vega of ''StreetFighter'' 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.
* Before the director of ''GEARFighterDendoh'' went on to direct ''GundamSEED'', he was already referencing that franchises masked characters with a masked mentor (Vega) and masked rival (Altair).

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[[folder: Web Animation ]]

* Strong Bad, of the website ''HomestarRunner'', who has a Mexican masked wrestler's mask for a face. He's more a wannabe supervillain than anything.
** When he finally takes it off, it's apparently very painful.
* Joachim in ''Shadow Hearts: 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.
* Every member of the Chess Pieces in ''MÄR'' 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.
** Their rank is also identified by their earrings, which ARE chess pieces.
* Blood Boy from ''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.
* [[http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0325.html Utterly subverted]] in ''{{Adventurers}}!''.
* Shows up many, many times in ''TheFall'' (and even on the cover of the DVD!).
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