What's the secret behind Kakashi's mask in Naruto?

Kakashi Hatake is one of those characters in Naruto that one cannot hate. This character has gone through a lot as some of the events that have taken place would have traumatized anyone who was in Kakashi’s place.

Despite that, he overcame many obstacles and became a fine shinobi. One of the most striking features of this character is his mask. He always wore a mask no matter what place or the situation he was in.

While the Naruto series didn’t explicitly mention why Kakashi wore a mask, fans have come up with some compelling theories to explain this.

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Why does Kakashi wear a mask in Naruto?

We know that Kakashi’s father was an extremely strong shinobi of Konohagakure who was nicknamed “The White Fang.” However, Kakashi’s father was ostracized by the village people since he failed to carry out a mission since he had to save his friends.

Sakuma Hatake committed suicide which his son witnessed. Fans thought that Kakashi wore a mask to hide his identity so that the villagers wouldn’t treat him the same way.

However, this theory doesn’t hold water simply because Kakashi wore a mask even when his father was alive. However, a particular interview with Kishimoto could give a possible answer to the question above.

Kishimoto said that he intended on designing the characters like Kakashi since that’s how ninjas were dressed. They had to maintain their covers and naturally wore masks.

However, he found it hard to display complex emotions that the character wants to show without facial expressions. This is why most characters apart from Kakashi do not wear masks in Naruto.

Another reason mentioned in the Naruto series is that Kakashi didn’t want other people to see him bleed from his nose.

Anime aficionados are aware of the fact that a nosebleed is an indication of inappropriate thoughts. Kakashi usually bleeds from his nose when he reads Jiraiya’s book called Makeout Tactics.

Certain fans also theorized that wearing a mask during their days in the academy could be a tradition for members of the Hatake clan. Upon graduating, one would remove the mask, and Kakashi would be the only exception since he didn’t want to be treated the same way his father was.

These are some of the theories posed by Naruto fans. It is essential to know that the article merely explores fan theories and is speculative in nature.