Heroes and villains in anime may each find excuses to wear a mask. Often, it's done to hide their identity. In some stories, identity isn't exactly the issue, but the character wants to hide what they really look like. When it comes to superheroes, sometimes the mask is actually part of their powers and might come with secret abilities.

Domino masks—which usually cover the space around the eyes—are common in anime. However, since they only cover a small part of the face, characters often rely on magic or other costume tricks to hide their face. That said, some stories get creative and come up with masks that cover the entire face. Any limitations a mask could have in real life only have to be brought up if the author chooses to or not.

10 Romeo X Juliet: Juliet Dons One As The Red Whirlwind

Romeo X Juliet Red Whirlwind

As an homage to Shakespeare's habit of having his heroines often disguising themselves as the opposite sex, Juliet—the heroine of this Shakespeare-inspired animeRomeo X Juliet—has a vigilante alter-ego called the Red Whirlwind.

The black mask notably has large, black square eyeholes. Juliet also sports a large, white-collar that seems to help cover the rest of her face from onlookers. Romeo also initially encounters Juliet while in this disguise, suggesting it was also partially a reference to the masked ball in the original play.

9 Speed Racer: Racer X's Own Family Fails To Recognize Him Thanks To His Mask

Racer X

Not all anime characters are content with simple domino masks. In this classic anime series, Racer X wears a mysterious black mask covering most of his face.

He provides guidance and advice to Speed Racer and tends to be protective of him, acting as if he was his older brother. Naturally, the mask helps hide the fact that Racer X actually is Speed's long-lost older brother, also known as Ken'ichi Mifune, who keeps his identity a secret due to being a secret agent.

8 Magic Kaito: Kaito Kid's Monocle Comes Pretty Close To A Mask

Magic Kaito Kid

Long before he was adopted into the Detective Conan universe, Kaito Kid had his iconic monocle. This isn't a literal mask, but combined with how he positions his hat, it seems to function as one by helping to hide his identity. Depending on the scene, the glass within it can change from opaque to translucent. The monocle is also famous for its clover insignia.

Added to that, the monocle is also an homage to Arsène Lupin. In fact, one story claims Kaito Kid's costume was created for stage performances to honor Arsène Lupin. It can also be considered a parallel to Conan's famous glasses, another pair of eyewear that helps hide his identity.

7 Bleach: The Visord Are Known As The Masked Army For A Reason

ichigo hollow

In Bleach, the Visord, or "Masked Army," generate masks when tapping into their Hollow abilities, and this has been shown with Ichigo. Depending on the form, his eyes either begin to glow beneath the mask or disappear completely, suggesting they become pitch black.

The right side of his initial form was incomplete, suggesting he either still had some control of his body or was fighting to keep it. When Ichigo fully gains control of the Hollowfication, he no longer wears a mask.

6 Sailor Moon: Tuxedo Mask Is Named After His Domino Mask

SAILOR-MOON-CRYSTAL-TUXEDO-MASK

Tuxedo Mask's domino mask is also important to his character. It's even part of his name. He seems to have based his costume on the outfit he wore to infiltrate the masked ball before the Moon Kingdom was destroyed. As Moonlight Knight, he ditches the mask for a facial veil.

Sailor V also used a similar mask before revealing her true identity as Sailor Venus. Fans of the manga might remember that Sailor Moon had a mask in her first appearance, too, but she ditched it fairly on. The mask could give her visions of people in trouble, an ability which the 90s anime gave to her hair decorations. Sailor Mercury's visor also appears to be a variation on this theme.

5 Yatterman: Doronjo Is Famous For Her Mask

Doronjo Yatterman

In this classic anime, a lot of the characters are fond of donning masks. Yatterman himself has his famous red mask, and Yatterman-2 has a matching purple one.

Doronjo's mask probably takes the cake. Her multicolored mask resembles a cross between an owl's head and a pair of butterfly wings, with a black exterior, white borders, and red around the eyes. It also has a "D" as an initial, although it becomes more stylized in modern versions. In the remake, she is also fond of donning a red domino mask, even when wearing a disguise.

4 Tiger Mask: Naoto Sometimes Wears A Matching Tiger Cape, Too

Tiger Mask

In this manga and anime series, Naoto Date becomes a famed wrestler in America who later returns to Japan and finds himself protecting the orphanage he grew up in, essentially anime to Fray Tormenta. Ironically, there have actually been a few real-life Tiger Mask wrestlers inspired by the character.

The frightening mask can make a casual viewer think Naoto really has a tiger's head. And the mask certainly does its job: by the end of the original series, Naoto literally dies without anyone learning he was Tiger Mask's alter-ego.

3 Naruto: Kakashi Even Wears A Mask Underneath His Mask

Kakashi Hatake Naruto

Kakashi hides most of his face, initially showing only one of his eyes, with a facial mask and headband. The other characters speculate over what he's actually hiding under his mask, and the truth is simply something few would have suspected: yet another mask.

Since his childhood, he's worn a mask, so many characters don't even remember what he looks like. Eventually, however, it's revealed that he has a scar covering his left eye, a narrow jawline, and a beauty mark around his mouth. That said, he's actually considered rather handsome underneath.

2 Demon Slayer: Inosuke Wears A Boar Mask

inosuke fighting position Demon Slayer

Inosuke, raised by wild boars, is known to wear a boar's head mask, made from the head of the female boar who adopted him as a baby. Somehow, it's perfectly aged, and he was also able to tinker with the eyes to allow him to see through it. He's also known to be extremely protective of it.

Generally, the mask behaves like a dead animal hide, but it can show emotion during comedic moments. Underneath his mask, he has a surprisingly feminine appearance, as he is known to resemble his deceased mother.

No Face (Spirited Away)

In this Studio Ghibli film, No Face is a morally ambiguous spirit who seems to like Chihiro. In place of a face, he has a white mask that seems to change expression depending on his mood slightly. This is likely a subtle nod to the Noh face masks, which can appear to change expression under certain lighting or by an actor's movement. In fact, his English name is suspected to be a pun on a "Noh Face" and him literally being faceless.

On the other hand, there is some debate about just how faceless he really is, considering he also seems to have a mouth on his stomach.

NEXT: 10 Anime Characters Blatantly Inspired By Superman