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Feb. 24 is “Moonlight Mask Day”.

On Feb. 24, 1958, the first Japanese series TV drama called “Moonlight Mask” was broadcast on Radio Tokyo, the modern day TBS.

“Moonlight Mask” was well known for hiding his real face, and TV anime “Moonlight Mask: The Man Who Loves Justice” was broadcast in 1972, and “The Familiar Moonlight Mask-kun” in 1999 to 2000. Moonlight Mask also appeared in an animation movie in 1999 called “My Neighbors the Yamadas”.

The characters with masks are often popular for being mysterious. They are sometimes the rivals of the protagonists, a savor of the characters during great danger or they can be the villains who attempts to conquer the world. Who would be the most popular mask character?

Here at Anime!Anime! we conducted the survey titled “Who is the most popular masked character?”. The survey was conducted from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 and a total of 175 people answered. The male readers made up approximately 30%, while female readersmade up 70%. Minors made up about 55% of the overall vote, and readers in their 20’s made up approximately 30%.

■The characters with mysterious charms ranked high!
1st Place
1st place goes to Tuxedo Mask from “Sailor Moon”. The support rating was approximately 13%.

Many fans who voted for Tuxedo Mask mainly talked about the first appearance in the series, and the comments mentioned said, “If I were to be asked, ‘Who is the character with a mask?’, then I would answer Tuxedo Mask! He is like a prince who will save Sailor Moon when she is in danger for sure!”, “Tuxedo Mask is cool because he throws roses”, and “He appears with a mask on and leaves without even telling his name. His behavior charmed me”.

Tuxedo Mask will also appear in the ongoing movie “Sailor Moon the Movie: Eternal”.

2nd Place
2nd place went to Zero “Code Geas: Lelouch the Rebellion”. The support rating was approximately 10%.

Zero is the leader of the Dark Knights, a group of rebels fighting the Novel Britania Empire, but his true identity is Lelouch Lamperouge . Many comments have been sent about Zero, such as, “He is the protagonist who rebels against the world to make it a place where his sister can peacefully live. I feel his seriousness from his famous line, ‘You can shoot if you are prepared to be shot'”, and “Lelouch and Zero are so different that both can exist at the same time, and this character makes me feel interested in the voice actor Fukuyama Jun-san”.

3rd Place
The 3rd place was Char Aznable from “Mobile Suit Gundam”. The support rating was approximately 5%.

Char is the ace pilot for Zeon Empire. He has a reason to keep wearing a mask at all times. “He is forever the rival of Amura Ray, and is the origin for all rival characters with masks appearing in the Gundam series”, and “His appearance with a mask is inherited over the series”. He seems to be popular for not only being a wonderful character in the anime, but also is highly evaluated for affecting future series as well.

■Introducing other comments!

To Hibiki Wataru from “Ensemble Stars!”: “He has a nickname of being a nerd mask, and he always hides his feeling with a mask.”

To Hermes in “The Heroic Legend of Arslan”: “He seeks for a revenge, and he hides his scar from burning with his mask. It was good to see Kaji Yuuki-san’s dark side through his acting”.

Action Mask from “Crayon Shin-chan”: “He is a tokusatsu hero that Shin-chan loves, and he appears in the anime for that reason. His honest justice is very favorable. His mask strengthens his identity as a hero.”

Usamimi Mask from “Onegai My Melody”: “Handsome beam is very impressive. I loved so hard together with my family when his mask broke with his special move, a’Handsome Real Face'”.

Many mysterious characters ranked high in this survey. They look more mysterious with a mask and it is appealing.

■Ranking Top 20
1st: Tuxedo Mask from “Sailor Moon”
2nd: Zero (Lelouch Ramperouge) from “Code Geas: Lelouch the Rebellion”
3rd: Shar Aznable from “Mobile Suit Gundam”
4th: Hibiki Wataru from “Ensemble Stars”
5th: Banile from “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World!”
6th: “Amamiya Ren/Joker from “PERSONA 5 the Animation”
6th: Shoukiin Kagerou from “Inu x Boku SS”
6th: Dia Crawley from “Disney Twisted Wonderland”
9th: Adam from “SK∞”
9th: Kaneki Ken from “Tokyo Ghoul”
9th: Kurosaki Ichigo from “BLEACH”
9th; Hermes from “The Heroic Legend of Arslan”
13th: Action Mask from “Crayon Shin-chan”
13th: William Vengeance from “Black Clover”
13th: Utsuro from “Gintama”
13th: Urokodaki Sakonji from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
13th: Thief Jack from “Inspector Nishikida Likes the Thief”
13th; Sabito from “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”
13th: Zechs Merquise from “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing”
13th: Zero from “Idolish Seven”
(Survey conducted: Feb. 5, 2021~Feb. 12, 2021)