the Bakugan Anime is nothing to write home about. The story is a fantasy-oriented version of Digimon; a group of young children befriend creatures from another world. Together, these friends have to work together to save each other’s world. Added items from Pokemon (the elemental typing of monsters and the emphasis on tournament-style battles) and yu-gi-oh (the role the cards play in those battles).
In short, the series wasn’t breaking new ground. As for the dubbing… anime fans didn’t know what they were missing with 4Kids Entertainment. That’s not to say the series was a total washout. One of the brightest elements was a twist on the Season 1 villain Masquerade – it turned out to be an alternate identity of the hero Alice. This was a well-established twist that propelled both characters forward; Alice is forced to face the fact that she was unknowingly working against her friends throughout the series, but she learns to use her alter ego to help them.
9 Alice and Masquerade never appear on screen together.
One of those clues that only becomes obvious once the viewer knows the twist; unlike the other Battle Brawlers, Alice never appears on screen with Masquerade. In the introductory episode of Masquerade, “Masquerade Ball”, both Runo and Dan come face to face with him.
In episode 13, “Just For The Shun Of It”, Masquerade tries (and fails) to recruit Shun to their cause, but not before they battle Dan together. Julie and Marucho come face to face with him when Dan and Masquerade fight in episode 27. Never Alice though, because she and Masquerade are the same.
8 Battle Brawlers don’t have a Darkus member… do they?
There are six types of Bakugan: Pyros (fire), Haos (light), Aquos (water), Ventus (air), Subterra (earth), and Darkus (dark). The Battle Brawlers have six members, one for each type… except Alice, who doesn’t fight. Masquerade is instead Darkus’ main fighter in the series.
At first glance, this makes sense; Darkus is framed as the “evil” element, so naturally the villain is the one who wields it. However, when Alice accepts Masquerade as part of her, she takes over as the Darkus Brawler on the team, using Masquerade’s Darkus Bakugan as her own.
7 Masquerade is the #1 Bakugan Brawler, Alice is the #1 Bakugan Tactician
Alice is the only member of Bakugan Battle Brawlers who doesn’t actually fight…at least at first. She is too scared to fight, but she knows the Bakugan rules inside and out and is still useful to her friends as a strategist; they win many battles due to her suggestions.
If Alice ever wanted to fight, she could easily be the #1 Bakugan Brawler…and sure enough, that’s exactly what Masquerade is. In addition to having access to Alice’s knowledge and strategies, Masquerade has the added bonus of knowing Alice’s friends personally, giving her an added advantage.
6 Masquerade is connected to Hal-G, an alter ego of Alice’s grandfather.
Masquerade is the practical villain the Battle Brawlers have to deal with for most of the series, but he answers to higher powers. One of them is Hal-G, a green-skinned demonic man, who is himself a servant of Naga, a power-hungry Bakugan who lacks a type. Hal-G is the alter ego of Alice’s grandfather Michael, who the heroes discover when a video recording Michael left in the lab shows him transforming into Hal-G.
A silent masquerade is seen in the background of this video; It turns out that Alice was visiting her grandfather when Naga’s energy transformed him into Hal-G and she became Masquerade alongside him.
5 Masquerade and his minions always know where the Battle Brawlers are
In episode 14, “The Story of Vestroia”, Masquerade decides to level the playing field and recruits his own team. He invites the best fighters in the world (those not yet aligned with the heroes) to visit him, then brainwashes them into his servants. He also equips them with Doom Cards, the cards that send lost Bakugan to the Doom Dimensions.
No matter where the Battle Brawlers go, Masquerade and his minions can follow them; the logical conclusion is that she has an insider on the team. This is a clue that even the Battle Brawlers themselves pick up on, not that it does them any good in determining Masquerade’s identity.
4 Runo previously thought that Alice *worked for* Masquerade
Continuing from the previous clue, Runo finally decides in Episode 25, “Trust Me”, that Alice is the most likely candidate to work at Masquerade. The others resist, but Dan admits that the evidence is not in Alice’s favor. When Alice helps Dan and Runo win a battle, their bonding moment erases any doubts.
The episode is both an omen and a false reassurance for viewers. He brings up the possibility of a connection between Alice and Masquerade, then shoots her down. The episode even has scenes of Alice alone, hurt that her friends believe this; no spy would, and that’s because Alice doesn’t know she’s Masquerade.
3 Masquerade outfit hides her chest
This is just a flashback clue, and one related to the elephant in the room: the gender aspect of this twist. The program ignores this; after all, explicitly trans characters are something cartoons are now reluctant to have, let alone ones made in 2008.
Still, Masquerade is essentially a trans guy, and his mask is the easiest gender-affirming surgery ever. Still, some of his outfit choices take on deeper meaning after it is revealed that he lives in a biologically female body. His long coat opens at the lower torso; above it are a pair of straps that fasten his coat. Beneath his coat, he wears a metal plate on his chest. It’s clear Masquerade isn’t doing this just for fashion, he’s using them to hide Alice’s very feminine chest. Whether he’s doing it just to hide her identity or suppress any dysphoria is subtext the writers probably didn’t intend, but adult fans can speculate.
two Alice doesn’t go to the Doom dimension nor does Dan and Masquerade battle with the others
Related to the point that Alice and Masquerade are never in the same scene, Alice is conspicuous by her absence in some important scenes featuring Masquerade; scenes where all the other Brawlers are present. Some of them include Dan’s battles with Masquerade in episodes 27 “Showdown” and episode 38, “Behind The Mask Of Masquerade”.
She also doesn’t go to the Doom Dimension to get Dan and Drago back, but when the Brawlers return, she starts disappearing. That’s because Masquerade makes her her own journey to the Doom Dimension…
1 Masquerade fights an appearance of Alice In The Doom Dimension
This is easily the most open track; the show tips its hands a few episodes before the reveal occurs. When the Brawlers went to the Doom Dimension, they each had to fight an avatar of their own self-doubt in order to emerge stronger. When Masquerade faces her own challenge, she arrives in the form of Alice.
The two have had, as mentioned, no prior interaction or relationship. Alice being “what [Masquerade] must overcome” only makes sense if there’s a deeper connection the two share, one that viewers haven’t been aware of.
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