Hydrodynamical models (lines) compared with observations of SN 2023ixf (points). Upper panel: Bolometric light curve. Lower panel: Expansion velocities. We shadowed the approximate time range when the emission is dominated by CSM interaction. (i.e. t < 20 d). This is based on previous results from the literature (Morozova et al. 2018; Martinez et al. 2023). The lower mass model of M_ZAMS = 12 M_⊙ produces a better match to the observations than the 15 M_⊙ model. In particular, the higher mass model with 1.25 × 10⁵¹ erg produces a longer plateau duration than what is observed, while the model with an energy of 1.8 × 10⁵¹ erg provided the correct plateau duration but overestimated the observed plateau luminosity. These issues cannot be solved by modifying other parameters (see discussion in Sect. 3). This suggests that M_ZAMS < 15 M_⊙.