A great shōnen series must have an exciting and compelling cast to engage the viewers in the story. Kakashi Hatake first appeared in Chapter 3 of the serialized Naruto manga. Since then, the character has only gained more and more fans. He is ironically recognized in the community because of his mask. The reason he wears a mask and how he looks without it is an interesting running gag in the Naruto fandom.
Kakashi’s popularity makes sense. His character design is very appealing, and his personality traits make him well-adored among the audience. He also possesses remarkable intelligence and combat abilities — including his recognizable Sharingan eye, which enabled him to copy over 1,000 different ninjutsu!
Why does Kakashi Hatake wear a mask?
In an interview with the creator of Naruto, Kishimoto Masashi said that he designed Hatake Kakashi wearing a face mask to go along with the mysterious theme that ninjas have. He was planning to introduce even more characters with masks but found it challenging to convey their emotions. That’s why Kishimoto finally let go of his plan and drew characters with actual faces.
However, watching the series’ main cast in masks would be exciting. Naruto’s base foundation of the series revolves around the emotional depth and complexity of the main characters. Hiding the complexity behind a veil would’ve nullified the overall aspect of the series.
If all the characters were masked in the series, Kakashi wouldn’t have been as famous as he is now. He would just have blended among the other characters and become nothing more than a side character. So, while the origins of Kakashi’s character may be rooted in a creative misstep, Kishimoto improvised his face mask in such away as to benefit a particular character and draw audiences closer to them.
