- "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 Garcian Smith.
Appearance and Personality
As a former luchadore, 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 luchadore 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. SoftInteractions 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. He was also a relatively prominent member of the Union7 Party. 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.
Trivia
- MASK is the default character for the match with Julia Kisugi, an ironic trick as MASK's low rate of fire makes him the only character completely 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.