History Main / CoolMask

* Kogarashi from ''Manga/KamenNoMaidGuy''. He's got super strength, super smarts, is a master of disguise - and wears a mask at all times.
* Persona from ''Manga/GakuenAlice''. The mask is what keeps his Alice in control. Otherwise it would [[spoiler:''eat his own skin off'']].
* 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]].
* 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.
* 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.
* The Jester from ''Manga/{{Grenadier}}''.
* ''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.
* ''Anime/SamuraiSeven'':
** [[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.
** 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.
* 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.
** Or the bottom half in the case of Wizardmon.
** [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Agunimon]] has a mask over his entire face.
* The title character of ''Anime/ErgoProxy''.
* 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.
* Kedamono in ''Anime/PopeeThePerformer'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerates]] this trope beyond repair: He has a mask for [[CrazyPrepared ''every'' possible situation]].
* ''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.]]
* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
** [[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]].
** Also General Winters Socalo. And [[spoiler:once he gets better-attuned to his Innocence, Allen]].
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
** [[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.]]
** [[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''.
* 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.]]
* Near in ''Manga/DeathNote''. Very briefly, but the mask is completely awesome.
** L in the second [[LiveActionAdaptation live action]] movie, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Awesome_Mask.png not so much...]]
* 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.
* ''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.
* Dynamis and Kagetarou in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. It seems to be common among [[CastingAShadow shadow mages]], and Takane's puppets also have similar-looking masks.
* ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}'':
** 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]].
** 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.]]
** 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!
* The fox masks the players of Otokoyo in ''Anime/{{Kakurenbo}}'' have to wear.
* The legendary BullyHunter "Rubber Shooter" in ''Manga/DailyLivesOfHighSchoolBoys'' wears a Kamen Rider mask.
* 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.
* 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.

* 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.
* ''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.
* 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).

* The Glittering Crux Brigade from ''Anime/StarDriver'' is practically built around this trope. Their masks even let them pilot ''HumongousMecha''.
* [[ActionGirl Juliet]] of ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', as part of her awesome, cross-dressing vigilante alter ego, The Red Whirlwind.
* 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.

* Several of the cast of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' (most notably Kakashi)
** 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!]]]]
** 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.
*** 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.
* Arshes Nei in ''Manga/Bastard1988'', though it quickly comes off.
* ''Literature/VampireHunterD''. No mask, but the shadow of his hat sometimes produces the same effect.

** 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. And how.
** 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.
** 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 entire Federation/Titan force, and one mean bastard in general.

* 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]].
* 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.
* Cain from ''Anime/TenchiMuyo In Love'', and Katsuhito Masaki/Youshou in ''Anime/TenchiMuyo Ryo-Ohki''.
* Chichiri from ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' is an interesting example. His mask happens to be [[ExpressiveMask a perfect replica of his face]], sans the scar.
* Zelgadis from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}''.
** 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.)
* Racer X from ''Anime/SpeedRacer''.
* Suiren from ''Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenToppaBashin'' has a Cool Mask of her own.

* 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.

* 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]].
-->'''Kekko Kamen:''' Nobody knows my face, but everyone knows my body...
* 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.
** 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.
** 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.
* [[MagnificentBastard 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.
* 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.

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Mystogan is one of the strongest active members of the guild and of course wears a mask that hides his face.

* [[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 [[CloningBlues clone]], and [[BetaTestBaddie hates the man who created him.]]]]

** 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 [[CloningBlues 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.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* In real life, trained birds of prey used in falconry usually wear masks when they aren't being used to keep them quiet and docile.
* 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.
* The Carnival of UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} is held since about the 13th century, and people attending it wear white or golden face-covering masks in all shapes or forms. There are [[https://www.touritalynow.com/blog/types-of-traditional-venetian-carnival-masks-and-costumes seven traditional types.]]
* Hip hop dance crew Jabbawockeez wear creepy, blank masks to give the illusion that they are a bunch of puppets moving to the music.
** Before the Jabbawockeez there was guitarist Brian "{{Music/Buckethead}}" Carroll, who still wears that same type of mask to this day.
** Other masked musical acts include {{Music/Kiss}}, The Residents, Daft Punk, and Slipknot.
* Musical/theatrical entertainers The Blue Man Group perform with their faces painted (wait for it) blue. At first, when they were giving impromptu performances on the streets of New York, this was done for anonymity and shock value. In their stage shows, it has been expanded to give the impression of an outsider (an alien, our curious inner child, what have you) exploring human society and artifacts. On the business side, the mask has also allowed them to expand the operation, bringing in [[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20080801/how-we-did-it-the-blue-man-group.html additional Blue Men]] to perform as a traveling company or take up residencies in other cities.
* Since Jacques Plante made the mask a regular part of an ice hockey goalie's gear, wearers of such equipment have taken to personalizing their masks, giving each goaltender in the National Hockey League their own Cool Mask (it became such an institution that goaltenders are the only North American athletes permitted to personalize their headwear). 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://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0711/nhl.goalie.masks/images/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 [[AngryGuardDog Cujo]] from the [[Literature/{{Cujo}} novel of the same name]], and [[http://forums.smirkinchicken.com/thread.php?forumid=1&threadid=19630 Kari Lehtonen's]] [[JustForFun/OneOfUs paintings of Yuna and Rikku]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2''.
* Can we count astronaut's helmets, with monolayers of gold to block the sun?
* The standard issue Soviet gas mask looks like a skull with glass eyes.
* The famous Guy Fawkes mask, worn by dissenters the world over.
* Bian lian is a Chinese performance art where the dancer changes mask almost instantaneously without appearing to do so (such as by switching masks in the time it takes to wave a fan in front of his face).
* Creator/YokoTaro, being a ReclusiveArtist in real life, conducts interviews while wearing a mask in the likeness of Emil from ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}''.
* {{Samurai}} had these masks, known as ''menpō'' as part of their face protection. On top of offering a moderate level of protection against cuts to the face and masking the wearer's expression (an important psychological read) from an opponent, these masks of leather and iron were designed with twisted features such as fangs and enlarged noses to make the men resemble demons and monsters. These masks inspired the design of [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader's]] CoolHelmet.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/{{Transformers}}'', Optimus Prime has a metal plate that folds out over his mouth when he preps for combat.

* 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 [[DropTheHammer hammer]] three times the size and weight of his old one.

* In ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}'', [[TheDragon Klytus]] wears a mask that completely covers his face.

%% Image chosen per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1298550524005500100
%% Please do not change or remove without discussion.

[[quoteright:317:[[Series/Zorro1957 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zorro1.jpg]]]]

* Joachim Valentine from ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHearts Shadow Hearts: Covenant]]'' uses a mask as 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.]]

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Quaithe, the MysteriousWoman in Qarth who wears an elaborate mask that covers everything but her eyes.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'', Vaermina, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[YourWorstNightmare Nightmares]], gets one. Indeed, her emblem consists of her mask, and [[SnakesAreEvil a snake]].

* Sara Gallagher, one of the [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking 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.

** 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.

* 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/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''.

* 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.)

** ''[[Roleplay/FireEmblemOnForumsWonderfulBlessing Wonderful Blessing]]'': The Demon Lord Mephistopheles wears one resembling [[LightNovel/KonoSuba Vanir's]] mask. Jarvis and the other Wiggler tribe members all wear one resembling [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Wigglers]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Robin in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans.'' 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.

** 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/YoungJustice'' version of the character retains it.

** 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.

* Zelgadis from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''.

* 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 ''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.

* Noein, the titular BigBad of ''Manga/{{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.]]
** [[spoiler:Actually two of the male leads, seeing as the male leads are both the same person.]]

* ''Casshern'' wears a lower face mask for combat. In ''Anime/CasshernSins'', it resembles a motorcycle helmet. TheMovie version resembles an oversized jaw.

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' 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]].

* ''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.

** 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.

** 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.]]

** 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 [[CloningBlues 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.

* 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.)

* 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.

* Persona from ''Manga/GakuenAlice''. The mask is what keeps his Alice in control. Otherwise it would [[spoiler: ''eat his own skin off'']].

* 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.

* ''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.]])

** [[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]].

** [[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]].

** The Guy Fawkes mask has enough cool cred to be popularized as a symbol of mass protest (Anonymous, Occupy, some Arab Spring demonstrations, etc.)
* [[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...)]]]]

* 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.]]

* 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.]]

** 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.
** 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.

* 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.

** 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.

** ''[[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.]]

** 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.

** ''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.]]

** Sirius, [[spoiler: who's actually Camus BackFromTheDead and thus using the mask to hide his identity]], in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem''.
** "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.]]

** 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.]]

* Joachim Valentine from ''[[VideoGame/ShadowHearts Shadow Hearts: Covenant]]'' uses a mask as 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.]]

*** 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.]]

** Godot wears the mask [[spoiler: because he's completely blind without it due to the damage done to his nervous system by the poison.]]

* ''Blog/HowToHero'' discusses the need for masks in their [[https://howtohero.tumblr.com/post/159777930244/costumes entry on costumes]].

* 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.

* 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.

* The Carnival of UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} is held since about the 13th century, and people attending it wear white or golden face-covering masks in all shapes or forms. There are [[https://www.touritalynow.com/blog/types-of-traditional-venetian-carnival-masks-and-costumes/ seven traditional types]].

* ''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.

* 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.

* Michael Myers' iconic mask in the Halloween series. (It is actually a replica of a Captain Kirk mask, that was sprayed white and the eye holes were punctured.)

* Michael Myers' iconic mask in the Halloween series. (It is actually a replica of a Captain Kirk mask, that was repsraided and the eye holes were punctured.)

* Michael Myers' iconic mask in the ''Film/Halloween'' series. (It is actually a replica of a Captain Kirk mask, that was repsraided and the eye holes were punctured.)

* Several masks can be obtained, or even crafted, in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Tri'' and ''Ultimate'' for [=ChaCha=] and Kayamba to use. Each mask provides different, unique abilities.

* ''ComicBook/LeScorpion'' 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.

* ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD''. No mask, but the shadow of his hat sometimes produces the same effect.