Sure, Spain is a lovable character; what with his sunny smile, goofy, weird humour, and cheerful ‘obliviousness.’ However lovable, the Spain depicted above makes him out to be a flat character, one that doesn’t have any flaws.

Flaws make characters interesting, and trust me, Spain is chock-full of flaws. He has a violent temper when tested (he’s also a violent drunk), is able to read the atmosphere and be fully aware of it, and can be pretty spiteful too.

In this strip, Spain recognizes that contrary to what Germany says in terms of guiding the rules of the meeting, it isn’t actually a compromise. I like to interpret this as a small reference to how strict Germany has been when regulating Spain’s economy in the EU.

Spain wasn’t oblivious to his financial situation at all, despite irritating Germany by “singing songs” as the latter helped him out of his property bubble.

This hilarious panel in particular clearly shows Spain’s recognition in needing Germany to help bail him out financially.

On the other hand, there’s a notable spiteful side to him too. America claims that Spain “attacks him in the knees” every time they see each other. Spain can hold grudges; not only that, but for a long time too, as there isn’t much of a reason for Spain to hate America in modern times.

Here’s another example. In the 1990s, at the peak of a financial crisis, Spain lies on his deathbed and suffers from a high fever. His last regret is that he didn’t get to give England and America one last punch.

Spain’s competitive nature can be dangerous too. Here, he puts in a bid to host the Olympics, but loses the privilege to Japan despite having already built a stadium.

Yes, that’s right. That’s caution tape behind him, warning of a potential explosive outburst. I certainly wouldn’t want to piss him off, that’s for sure.

There you have it. Spain isn’t your typical cheery Gary-Stu. He’s a lot more complex than people give him credit for. Let’s stop seeing him as “plain,” yeah?