MASK de Smith

MASK de Smith
kana	マスク・ド・スミス
romaji	Masuku do Sumisu
Also known as	"The Mask"
Age	38 years old
Nationality	Mexican
Occupation	Assassin
Weapon	2 M79 grenade launchers "DREAM ALL DAY"
Special abilities	Wrestling moves
First appearance	killer7 (2005)
Voiced by	Miguel Angel Caballero

"Children are pure, they know who's the strongest."

—MASK de Smith

MASK de Smith is a character in killer7, one of the playable protagonists and a persona of the Smith Syndicate.

Appearance and Personality

As a former luchador, MASK always wears some kind of lucha libre mask, hence his name. He also wears a white suit and, after upgrading his weapons, various Spanish bullfighting capes, until finally he is wearing a full luchador costume.

Soft-spoken and rather collected, MASK is known for his gentle personality, compared to the often violent and erratic behaviors of the other Killer7 members. Interactions MASK has with several characters suggest that he is fond of children, though the opposite is not always true; his exasperated announcement of "I'm not a monster, it's only a mask!" may be interpreted as being directed at a child.

Story

In his life as a real human, MASK was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and became a respected pro wrestler by combining lucha libre with Lancashire wrestling to create a new style. Just as he was about to get his big break and perform at a major lucha libre event in New York City, however, he was murdered by a jealous rival or fan. He was rescued by the resurrecting powers of Harman Smith, who then recruited him to his killer7 assassin organization.

MASK eventually dies when Emir Parkreiner murders the entire killer7, absorbing their personae into himself. The boy confronts MASK on the third floor of the Hotel Union, killing him while he showers, naked and exposed. As a backlash to this failing, MASK's wrestler side asserts itself fully; apart from a flashback to his death, he is never seen out of costume in-game.

MASK squares off with Jean DePaul in the basement of Restaurant Fukushima.

It is MASK who shows himself at the entrance to Restaurant Fukushima, requesting owner Toru Fukushima; when the waiters ask the purpose of his visit, he explains that he needs to kill him, at which point they transform into Heaven Smiles and a battle ensues. Later on in the level, MASK saves the life of a seemingly helpless chef, Jean DePaul, who shows nothing but admiration for his idol. Towards the end of the mission, however, DePaul reveals that he is a fellow assassin and attempts to kill MASK. He is unsuccessful, as MASK fires his grenade launchers at the ceiling above DePaul, crushing and killing him.

When the killer7 faces off with the Handsome Men in Broadway, New York, MASK initially seems to lose his fight with Handsome Purple, but is reborn in an upgraded state and proceeds to kill Purple with his improved weaponry.

MASK presumably ceases to exist when his persona is killed by a Black Smile in the gymnasium of Coburn Elementary School.

Powers and Abilities

MASK fires his grenade launchers at some enemy Heaven Smiles.

Wielding two M79 Grenade Launchers, MASK is able to kill off Heaven Smiles with ease, but due to the imprecise nature of his weapons, MASK is the only member of the killer7 who is incapable of normally getting a critical hit. This also means he tends to rarely accrue any Thick Blood if the opponent in question is an enemy with a focused weakpoint.

MASK's main power is his wrestling moves, which he uses in a variety of situations, including in his Down Attack. He also uses them to muscle his way through barriers, and in several cut-scenes, such as when he head-butts a bullet fired at his forehead, causing it to crumple and flatten, falling away uselessly. He can also use his powerful grenade launchers to defeat foes that others would have more difficulty with, particularly when he makes use of Thin Blood: One test tube for a powerful Shock Shell, two for an even more devastating Focus Shell.

Upgrades

MASK is tied with Con for the lowest number of upgrades available to him, at just three. MASK's "Criticals" category is replaced with the "Range" category, which affects the range of his grenades and special shells.

Upgrade	Category	Level	Description
Down Attack	Speed	1	Finish off a Heaven Smile crawling on the ground with this downward move.
Counter Attack	Range	1	When a Heaven Smile leaps towards you, press X Button to counter attack.
Critical Lock-On	Range	5	Automatically lock on to a Heaven Smile's vital organ with this scan.

Official Website Description

Mask de Smith The third personality: the kind-hearted masked man. A mysterious former professional wrestler, he managed to build quite a following with his unique blend of Lucha Libre and British Lancashire style wrestling. There are rumors of his rampaging maskless through the ranks of the No Holds Barred circuit as well. Just when he had been invited to New York to appear at the main event, he vanished without a trace. His specialty move is known as the Smith Special (usually referred to in wrestling circles as the "burning hammer".) His double grenade launchers pack a powerful punch and can fire normal, Electric and Gravity grenades. Animals naturally flock to the young and kind-hearted Babyface.

Trivia

• MASK is the default character for the match with Julia Kisugi, an ironic trick as MASK's low rate of fire makes him almost incapable of winning.
• According to Hand in killer7, many years after the events portrayed in killer7 and many iterations of the Smith Syndicate later, MASK is the dominant personality, rather than Garcian or even Dan.
• In No More Heroes, Travis Touchdown receives letters stuffed into the mouths of wrestling masks. These letters are signed M. S., hinting that the author may be MASK de Smith, but it is never confirmed.

Quotes

"Destiny." -- character selection screen

"Yeah. I'll just set them on fire. Piece of cake." -- character selection screen

"Judge. I'll take care of 'em." -- character selection screen

"I'm not a monster, it's only a mask." -- character selection screen