There are many ways to make an anime character memorable and iconic. The use of scars, specific outfits, hats, and even masks can help distinguish them from the others and make them more unique. Masks are particularly useful in hero and villain stories like in the animes:My Hero AcademiaorDemon Slayer.Masks are a great way to hide one’s identity, no matter their motives (good or evil), and make the character even more intriguing and mysterious to the viewers.
Masks can be of all shapes, and sizes and with various details– the more unique they are, the more interesting they become for fans. These are some of the most iconic anime masks in the anime world so far.
Updated Jul 13, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Iconic anime masks become synonymous with the character’s identity, showcasing the effects symbolism can have on the identity of a character. Perhaps ironically, many of the anime characters who use masks use them to hide who they really are behind a veil of disguise. There is little they can do about it, however, when the mask itself becomes their identity.
9Licht Bach
Plunderer
Licht’s real name is Sakai Rihito. He is known as the Flash Baron, one of the seven Legendary Red Barons who were heroes of the Abandonment War 300 years ago. After the war ended, the barons became some sort of myth as they all disappeared from society. To others, they were almost viewed as outlaws and were looked for.
To hide his identity from the world, Licht always wore different masks inspired by the Japanese Theatrical masks (Noh) with various costumes. However, he has a hard time keeping to the shadows when people are in danger as he always feels the need to protect them even at the cost of having his identity revealed.
Tobi first appears in Naruto as an enigmatic figure belonging to theAkatsuki, a group of S-Class ninjalooking to capture all tailed beasts in existence, including the one inside Naruto. In every appearance, Tobi wears an orange mask with a unique pattern, hiding his identity.
For most of the story, Tobi doesn’t reveal his real face, even among his allies. Over time, Tobi’s mask andchildlike personabecomes synonymous with the good guys losing because every time he appears, Naruto ends up facing defeat. Eventually, though, Tobi has his mask caved in after taking a Rasengan to the face, finally revealing his identity as Obito Uchiha, Kakashi’s childhood friend who was presumed dead until then.
Lelouch vi Britannia is the main character of the Code Geass series and dons his iconic mask alongside the Zero getup near the beginning of the series. Standing against the tyrannical government that took everything away from him, Lelouch assumes the role of thehead of a terrorist organizationseeking revenge on his father, the King of Britannia.
Because of his complicated identity, Lelouch needs to hide who he really is—a prince of Britannia—from everyone, including his allies. During much of the story, foes and friends alike try to guess his identity, but inevitably,Lelouch’s incredible intellectensures that he always remains shrouded in shadow. Lelouch eventually passes the Zero mask to his closest friend, Suzaku, who takes up Zero’s mantle after him.
Tuxedo Mask’s civilian self is known as Mamoru Chiba, the reincarnation of Prince Endymion. When he was young, he lost his parents in a car accident, and as the only survivor, he forgot everything about his past. Since that fateful night, he started having recurring dreams about a mysterious girl seeking help to retrieve the “Silver Crystal”.
These dreams led him to believe that this crystal would help him remember his past, so he began his quest to find it by adopting a secret identity known as Tuxedo Mask to fight alongside Sailor Moon.Tuxedo Mask’s mask is whiteand conceals his eyes from the good and evil of the world. His mask has been iconic since the early 90s.
Kakashi Hatake isone of Konoha’s most talented Ninjasin the series. He spent most of his life wearing a mask that covered half his face (nose, mouth, and chin). He rarely shows his face to others, and many believe it’s because he has a striking resemblance to his father. Those lucky enough to glimpse at his bare face called him handsome.
According to a few theories, since his father was famed as a notorious ninja who had killed many enemies, Kakashi was afraid of being mistaken for him and getting targeted.
Tomura Shigaraki is one of the main villainsofMy Hero Academia. He was raised by his master, All For One, and eventually became the leader of the League of Villains. His priority in life is to kill All Might and everything he represents by plunging society into chaos.
Tomura’s villain outfit is not only iconic but also creepy when considering that the hands attached to his body are from actual people he murdered and got embalmed. Most of his hands are from his own family: his mother, his grandparents, and even his father. The one hand he uses to hide his identity (by covering his face) used to be his father’s left hand. Tomura named this particular hand “Father” and although his style is disturbing to many, it ensures he will be remembered.
Shizu was once known as the Conqueror of Flames and as a member of the Free Guild Headquarters. She was summoned to this world by a Demon Lord named Leon Cromwell during the bombing of Tokyo that happened in the Second World War. Leon planned to bring forth Chloe Aubert, but when Shizu appeared before him, he found another use for her. He called upon the Flame Giant Ifrit to possess her body but to better control the Giant’s will, Shizu was given an Anti-Magic Mask.
This mask allows the wearer to resist magic, serves as an antidote, and breathing support, and amplifies their senses. The mask was later given to Rimuru and then to Chloe Aubert.
Kaneki was just a normal student living in Tokyowho studied Japanese literature. He loved to read and hang with his best friend Hideyoshi until he met Rize, a cute girl he was crushing on, and his life changed forever. One night he took her out on a date and almost became her diner when he learned of Rize’s true ghoul identity.
After a tragic accident that killed her and severely injured Kaneki, he found himself at the hospital recovering thanks to doctors implanting some of Rize’s organs within his own body. However, this transplant also included Rize’s kakuhou (an organ only present in ghouls), which transformedKaneki into a one-eyed ghoul.
To hide his new identity, during the day, he wore an eye patch over that affected eye, while at night, he wore a mask that hid his human one. His ghoul mask was made of leather with a large mouth and gnashing teeth design, as well as bolts at the neck to give it a Frankenstein-type of vibe. His mask is one of the most iconic ones out there in the anime world.
Tanjiro’s iconic Hakuko Maskappears in season one of the series. He was given this fox-carved mask during his training for the Final Selection test by his master Sakonji Urokodaki. This mask could be seen as a tradition as every one of his students, like Sabito and Makomo, inherited one as a method to shield themselves from harm.
Tanjiro’s mask eventually breaks during his fight against the Hand Demon but remains one of the most popular masks in anime culture. It even became a classic item of cosplay, as well ashis Hanafuda earrings, to represent this character during Otakuthon and Halloween.
