Why does Kakashi always wear a mask in Naruto?

 As usual, in great shonen franchises, Naruto has a wide cast of complex characters with well-built personalities. The members of the Naruto family have carved a niche for themselves on every popular character list and thus at every anime cosplay convention around the world. But now, a member of the Naruto cast has reached a huge level of popularity that surpasses even the main hero of the series.

After his first appearance in chapter 3 of the Naruto manga, Hatake Kakashi has become not only a fan favorite but also an icon among the audience, even for those who are not familiar with anime or anime. the manga. Needless to say, Kakashi's popularity is well deserved. In addition to possessing extraordinary intelligence and enviable combat skills - including the Sharingan eye, which allows him to copy more than 1,000 different ninjitsu - Kakashi's design is very attractive to the public and perfectly matches his character traits. . In short, Kakashi is amazing, and his design is indicative of that.

Possibly the most peculiar aspect of his appearance is Kakashi's face mask. Unlike all the other main characters in Naruto, Hatake Kakashi's face is covered from nose to chin by a tight-fitting cloth that he rarely takes off. In fact, Kakashi unmasks himself so infrequently that his own students - Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke - have never been able to see his face. Even entire (filler) episodes of both Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden is dedicated to the three of them trying to get to know Kakashi's face at any cost.

Undoubtedly, such a significant detail must serve an important function for the mission of Kakashi's character or the narrative structure of Naruto as a series. It is possible that Kakashi is hiding some terrible deformity, or perhaps an unfortunate resemblance to some villain. However, based on Ayame's reaction in episode 101, "I have to see! I have to know! Kakashi-Sensei's true face", it doesn't seem to be about it.

As important as it is to his appearance (or the secret he keeps at any rate), neither in the Naruto manga nor in the anime adaptation has it been explained why Kakashi wears a face mask. Thus, along with his face, Kakashi's motives for hiding his appearance are something of a mystery. However, instead of taking on a dark or bizarre meaning, the mystery behind Kakashi's identity and the mask that hides it has become more of a joke amongst the audience.

On the other hand, in the very parodic spin-off series Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals, it is stated that Kakashi always wears a mask to hide the nosebleeds he gets while reading his favorite (adult) book series. Although this is the only explanation given to Kakashi's mask in the media, Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals is not actually considered part of the franchise's canon, so it could not be adopted as the reason. definitive, however humorous it may be. However, there is a more legitimate explanation for Kakashi's carefully guarded appearance.

In an interview, series creator Kishimoto Masashi explained that he initially designed Hatake Kakashi with a face mask because it seemed consistent with the secrecy and mystery inherent in being a shinobi. Additionally, Kishimoto hoped to introduce more masked characters. Unfortunately, conveying Kakashi's emotions proved quite difficult, to the point that Kishimoto decided to do without masks for the rest of the main characters.

It is undeniable that it would be interesting to see the first concept images of the masked versions of the main characters that Masashi mentioned. However, the emotional depth and complexity of Naruto's main characters is part of what sets the title apart from its three great contemporaries. Hiding that complexity behind masks would have greatly softened the emotional aspect of the overall narrative, which would even have detracted from the Naruto series.

But more importantly, perhaps if there were more masked characters, it's unlikely that Kakashi would have achieved the same international popularity. Thus, although his origin is due to a creative error, Kakashi's face mask is proof that some ideas can, if used with care and precision, bring a mysterious character closer to the public.