Top 10 Masked Video Game Characters

Top 10 Masked Video Game Characters

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There's nothing like the air of mystery. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we countdown our picks for the Top 10 Masked Video Game Characters. For this list, we’re focusing on characters that use masks either to survive, or to hide their identity. However we are not talking about characters who wear helmets, so characters like Master Chief and Samus Aran don’t qualify here.

#10: The Masked Lumen “Bayonetta 2” (2014)

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A recurring boss character, the Masked Lumen is Bayonetta’s main rival in “Bayonetta 2” - a mysterious figure seeking vengeance for the murder of his lost loved one. The Masked Lumen believes that the young boy known as Loki is responsible for his lover’s death, and so he repeatedly tries to assassinate him, being thwarted by Bayonetta each time. In battle the Masked Lumen will leave the inexperienced players retrying a lot. He can turn into a wolf, throw large energy balls and even use Bayonetta’s signature Witch Time – not fair bro!

Psycho Mantis holds a place in the upper echelon of “Metal Gear Solid” characters. Born with innate psychic powers, Mantis originally worked for the FBI, but defected when he delved too deep into the thoughts of a psychopath and scarred his own mind. Now using a mask to block out the thoughts of other humans, the boss fight against Psycho Mantis is one of the most memorable in gaming history, as Mantis breaks the fourth wall by reading and commenting about files on the gamer’s memory card and making the rumble pack go off. Sure, Borderlands has their own Psycho, but he's second to the Mantis...

The full bodysuit and mask worn by Tali and her Quarian counterparts is the trademark attire of her race, which make up a nomadic migrant fleet. Possessing an extremely fragile immune system, Tali’s mask allows her race to breath in the universe’s various atmospheres. Along with her trusty combat drone, Tali is one of the backbones of Sheppard’s efforts to save the galaxy. Plus, her breathing unit does nothing to impair her singing abilities.

There’s a long history of evil clowns in pop culture, but Needles Kane is one of the most nefarious. He’s a giant, musclebound serial killer with a flaming head who drives the ice cream truck ‘Sweet Tooth’, decked out with devastating weaponry, after all. Needles Kane is an integral part of the “Twisted Metal” mythos, and is a major player in many of the series’ characters storylines. “Twisted Metal” isn’t as popular as it once was, but in the heyday of the original Playstation, Needles Kane was one of the most recognizable characters around.

Handsome Jack isn’t a nice dude, but you don’t become the head of the Hyperion by having strong morals. The main antagonist of “Borderlands 2,” Handsome Jack is happy to sit in his space station unleashing equal measures of devastating loader bots and sarcastic wit on the Vault Hunters. Handsome Jack’s real face was mangled, leaving him with a huge scar and one blind eye. The ‘handsome’ Jack you see is actually a mask which he had permanently grafted on. If you complete the game with Lilith, Jack’s mask falls off, revealing his ravaged face.

The co-antagonist of the “Kirby” series alongside King Dedede, Meta-Knight is a mysterious masked knight who wields the legendary blade Galaxia. Meta-Knight is also the commander of a massive army and pilot of the immensely powerful airship, Battleship Halberd. Meta-Knight’s motives are usually unclear; half the time he’s Kirby’s sworn enemy and rival, while sometimes they are allies. Though he usually remains masked, there are rare occurrences where Meta-Knight’s face is revealed, and strangely enough he looks almost exactly like Kirby, fuelling speculation that they are members of the same race of creatures.

#4: Scorpion “Mortal Kombat” series (1992-)

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“Get over here!” One of the most iconic video game sound bites of all time comes from Scorpion, the undead assassin who was resurrected from the afterlife. Alongside his fellowmasked assassin, Sub-Zero, Scorpion is the longest tenured Mortal Kombatant and one of the faces of the franchise. Scorpion is a malevolent spectre hell-bent on retribution for the death of his clan of assassins and family. When Scorpion wears his mask, he looks almost human, but in reality, he’s a flaming skeleton/ghost hybrid thing. He’s not exactly evil, but he certainly looks pretty scary.

One of the highest-ranking members in M.Bison’s evil Shadaloo crime syndicate, Vega is a skilled and agile fighter, as well as a full-time narcissist. Enamored with his own fighting prowess and beauty, the Spanish ninjutsu/bullfighting master is rarely seen without his trademark mask and claw. Vega wears his mask in an effort to preserve his good looks, which are so very important to him. However, if you hit Vega enough, his trusty mask will fall off, leaving his precious face wide-open for a beat-down.

#2: Skull Kid “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

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Though he’s technically responsible for the near-destruction of the world in “Majora’s Mask,” it’s hard to completely blame the Skull Kid. The skull kid was originally just a mischievous, imp-like creature and friend of the four giants that protected the land, but when the four giants decided to become dormant, he felt forsaken and abandoned, turning to crime and mischief. Upon stealing Majora’s Mask from the Happy Mask Salesman, the Skull Kid is granted powerful magic which he uses to pester and destroy the land. Horrible as this little monster is though, it’s the mask itself one should be afraid of. Before we get to our number one pick, here are some honourable mentions: Pyro “Team Fortress 2” (2008) The Payday Gang "Payday" series (2011-) Yoshimitsu “Tekken/Soul Calibur” (1994-2014) Ghost “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” (2009) Sly Cooper “Sly Cooper” series (2002-13)

Originally the Lord Protector for the Empress and her daughter, Corvo becomes an outcast after being framed for the Empress’s untimely death, and the kidnapping of her daughter. Thus, Corvo’s awesome story of redemption begins, as he slowly tries to clear his name by taking out his accuser, the Spymaster Hiram Burrows, and his legion of yes-men. Corvo’s iconic mask was given to him by a famous inventor, who dreamed that he had seen ‘death itself staring back at him.’ It serves various functions: hiding Corvo’s identity, acting as additional protection, but also including advanced technology like a high-power telescope. Agree with our list? Did we miss any iconic masked protagonists? For the more mysterious top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com