Q & A

Hullo, I believe
there was a strip showing the 3 older brothers of England but is it possible
for you to tell me who is who of the 3 I found Scotland but am confused bw
Northern Ireland and Wales it’s awfully carking

Hi! There is no such strip. They have no official character
designs. Some people mistake this image to be them, but nothing’s been confirmed.
Although, it’s similar to Himaruya’s hypothetical-character design of what
Scotland would look like.

Sources: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Sept 28th, 2014) + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Feb 9th, 2011).

Okay, sorry to
bother you with my person. Bur i really want to hear someone’s thoughts about
this. So you know how Poland always laughs/jokes or is just a big child
sometimes? I think that’s just a persona that he puts to hide his true
identity. I think he is actually really scared and hurt most of the time. (You
can even say that he is depressed) After so many wars, partitions and
betrayals. He developed trust issues- and deep down believes he can only count
on himself. (liet doesnt know this)

You’re not bothering me!

What you said is pretty much canon except for the fact that
Lithuania is aware of Poland’s anxiety. The two are close and consider each
other to be partners.

I’ve also done a post illustrating Poland’s bizarre coping mechanisms [x].

Source: Hetarchive, Volume 2 character note.

I love reading your analysis on hetalia! I had
a question and thought you’d have the answer. So, in one of the strips, grandpa
rome is shown visiting romano in his dream. People use this to show how he
loves both romano and veneziano. But the thing is, the first thing he tells
romano is to get along with his brother. Like he’s not saying anything about
romano, but he’s talking about his brother even in his dream.

I’m not saying rome doesn’t love him because he
hopefully does, but that strip shows him caring more for italy, proving
romano’s point of him favouring italy more than himself. I’m not seeing how
people use this as evidence of rome loving them equally. Am i reading this
wrong..?

Thank you! I don’t
really believe in saying a person’s interpretations are wrong. Although, my
interpretation is different.

I think the dream
sequence is Rome recognizing that the two brothers getting along are in both of
their best interest. He simply tailors his encouragement to them.

Source: Hetascanlations,
World Stars Chapter 54.

There’s also the fact
that Romano cries tears of joy when Rome visits him.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans. April 5th 2011).

Hi! After reading most of your post about
relationships between brothers it pretty much seems that the majority of them
are pretty rocky. But which one do you think is the best brothers’ relationship
and which one’s the worst? Sorry for my English btw, love your blog 😀

Your English is perfect???! Thank you!

Honestly, the worst are probably the Italy brothers. Even Japan and China are capable of cooperating. As for the best? Recently, I’d have to say America and Canada. They even have a cooking show together!

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 272.

Hi Ella, what do we know about Romano and his
relationship with the mafia? It still pisses me off whenever people put them
together in some way, even with mafia au fics, I can’t stand it.

He hates the mafia. They have no affiliation together whatsoever. I have a longer post on that here [x],

Q & A

I was thinking over your arguement, and it
spurred this idea. It’s more of a what if theory, but I was thinking, and
forgive me if I’m bothering ya, what if HRE was still alive when Germany was
born? This being based on your point that a nation can live for sometime after
dissolution. So what if there was still enough for HR to still be present when
Germany was born in a separate body, and he died sometime after his birth.
Would that even be possible? lol As I said, crazy theory.

You’re not bothering me!
I account for this in my Holy Rome theory [x].

The fact that Germany is
born as a young child because he had an existing body can be taken literally.
The existing body was Holy Rome; he suffered from amnesia after switching
titles, having become Germany.

It explains why they’re
the same age, why they look exactly alike, and why they’re both wearing nightgowns (Holy
Rome was sick and didn’t die right after his dissolution; I propose that he’s
in a nightgown because he’s standing up from his bed for the first time + he’s
also coming out of hiding given that he was secretly being held in Prussia’s
house).

Yes, I’m aware that a nightgown is a device used to convey youth in the series. However, in this instance, Holy Rome being sick and wearing a nightgown could also be foreshadowing his rebirth.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 12 & 187.

Edited photo, Source Hetscanlations: Germany, World Stars Chapter 12 (left), Holy Rome, World Stars Chapter 187 (right).

Do you think a nation’s physical strength is
proportional to its military strength( It’s a headcanon of mine)….I want your
opinion

You’re on the right track, but you have to think about what causes the military strength.

It’s predicated on their economic and political strength overall. Longer post
on this with more proof here [x].

Hey, i have a question that’s been bugging me
for quite a while. It’s about America and Canada. As i’ve seen in your
theories, America grew up alone, but then i’ve seen other material that states
that America and Canada grew up together. There’s a kind of contradiction
between these two materials. Can you tell me which one of them is the true one?
Thanks!

It is a contradiction. You’re right. But, it can also be worked around. Canada and America were
introduced to each other by England, but they were also able to travel on foot for
their own visits.

Sources: Hetarchive, Fly Canada-San, Fly! & Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 180.

Canada’s statement of
them having been together since they were born could just be a messy way of
saying that they’ve known each other for so long.

Source: Hetascanlations, Chapter 178.

out of all the countries who do you think is
the most lonely?

Probably England. His
characterization is very much invested in his alienation from other nations,
both emotionally and geographically.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 194.

Okay I swear on my life,
I’ve read a comic strip where Taiwan takes Vietnam to this meeting among anime
fans for subs vs dubs and Vietnam is disappointed saying something like “Oh
it’s a bunch of anime fans.” Like did I dream that??

No lol. It’s from Volume
6.

Source: Hetarchive.

Q & A

Is it cannon that Russia
has a scar around his neck and he covers it up with his scarf? Or just a really
popular fan thing?

Somewhat canon. We don’t know if there’s a scar, but he covers up his neck with the scarf/ bandage. It’s
from the history Copy Book.

I’ve done a post on how he also covers up his chest if
you’re interested [x].

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Jan 20th, 2015).

Hello! Is America’s rapid growth the reason for
his dualism? He grown up so fast that his mentality wasn’t able to keep up. So
now it’s like clashing of grown-up and child sides. His grown up side is about
working together, child side about everything being his way; grown up
successfully invested himself in the second industrial revolution, child side
believes in ‘superhero will save the day’ plan etc

Hi! I’m not a hundred
percent sure what you’re arguing but yes for the most part. He did grow up very
fast and still possesses a childish mentality. Posts on that here [x] [x]. I attribute the childish mentality to his
isolation. He matured slower because he lacked interaction with other nations and comes off as egocentric without realizing it.

However, you should also
keep in mind that there’s a panel that states that America underwent a
personality change when he became an adult.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Feb 25th, 2015).

As a Canadian yourself, how do you feel the
personification holds up to your experiences? (I think America is damn /near/
spot on for me, an American)

Stereotypes aren’t
always supposed to be spot on. The most accurate thing is how much American
content we consume. Other than that, yes, we are crazy about hockey. But no, we’re
not all nice. We’re actually quite smug and use America as the butt of all our
jokes…as if we don’t have our own racist history.

There’s also the fact
that because Canada is so big, there isn’t really a universal experience. There’s
the remote areas where there’s hardly any diversity and then there’s urban
areas like Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver that are extremely diverse.
The weather also ranges drastically across the country lol.

I don’t know if it was canon, but I saw
somewhere that Romano works as exorcist.

It’s not canon. Romano’s just used as a figure head to demonstrate jobs around the world (it’s part of the segment). In this case, it’s the Vatican.

Source: Volume 6.

I know we cannot expect Himaruya to personify
all countries (for obvious reasons) but i still think about how he at least
once thought about Latin American countries. Specifically Mexico, Argentina and
Brazil. I think it’d be fun to see these countries (if it were to ever happen),
what do you think?

Well, as I’ve mentioned before, Himaruya has a tendency to travel to countries before he embodies them in his work. On the other hand, the more I think about it, the more I understand why he hasn’t personified countries from Africa and the Middle East. The stereotype model would be difficult to incorporate without it being highly offensive (e.g., the uninformed and ignorant generalization that every inch of Africa impoverished). It would be pretty tricky to navigate. Although, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to see them personified.

Canada: *legalizes weed*

America: Bold of you to make me out to be the uncool brother but ok.

Boyfriend: *turns down the thermostat*

Me:

The purpose of this post is to delineate the fact that
nations that have cultural influences on each other are not biologically
related. While the influencee may adopt traits from the influencer in some
cases, it doesn’t always constitute a biological relation. What’s even more
confusing is that there are specific adopted traits that the nations use to
mark a biological relation.

I know this sounds obscure, but it’ll make sense when I go
through some examples.

Romania and Bulgaria
vs Romano and Veneziano:

A gag with Romania in the series is that he claims that he’s
a descendant of Rome, and, therefore, an Italy brother.

However, even though Rome did, in fact, instill significant
cultural influence in Romania, Romano is quick to reject this claim. He
identifies the presence of a curl as proof of biological lineage from Rome.
Remember that Rome is said to have had many grandchildren and adopted
grandchildren.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 163 + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., October 30th, 2014).

Later, we see the same rejection occur with Bulgaria, who
has Roman ruins.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 22nd, 2014).

England, America,
Finland, and France: (+ more)

As I’ve stated before, England and America are not
biologically related. England is stated to be the fourth and youngest sibling
in his family, consisting of Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Aug 4th 2010).

In the Battle for America, it’s explicitly stated that
England becomes America’s brother. We also learn that because America was a
“melting pot” of several cultures at the time, he inherited certain physical
traits from his colonizers.

Source: Hetarchive, The Battle of America.

For example, in the trio’s feud to make America their little
brother, Finland notices that America looks like him.

The distinction between cultural influence and blood
relation is necessary otherwise it would lead to a slippery slope where all
nations are related to each other. So, unless explicitly confirmed by Himaruya,
nations aren’t related to each other regardless of their histories. Arbitrary
as the biological relations may be, you work with what’s given to you.

Lastly, I’ve seen people comment that there’s a confirmed
biological relation between America and Finland. That’s not the case. Finland says that America has some genes from his people. Remember that America emerged as a personification representing several cultures. The genes are the traits, but because America has so many cultural influences, they don’t consider each other to be blood-related.

The fact that America didn’t identify with Finland as a
family member in the first place is telling of this cultural influence, as well
as the fact that Finland offers to become a father figure for America, who in
the context of the strip had been feeling jealous of kids who get presents from their fathers on Christmas.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2010 Event.

France and Canada:

Similar to the situation with England and America, Canada
inherits France’s hair.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 192.

France, America, Canada, and Seychelles vs England, Hong
Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, and Wy:

We learn that France’s cultural influence is a dominant trait
that prevents America, Canada, and Seychelles from inheriting England’s bushy
brows. Although, interestingly enough, Seychelles had initially been designed
to have one thick eyebrow and one bushy one to represent English and French influence.

Source: Hetarchive, Seychelles profile.

Meanwhile, without French influence, Hong Kong, Australia,
New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, & Wy inherited the bushy brows.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans.,Nov 12th 2013) + Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 269.

Of most importance and what I can’t stress enough is the
example of Hong Kong. It proves, with the most clarity, that cultural influence
does not have a causal relationship with biological relation.

After becoming English territory, Hong Kong’s eyebrows grow
bushy from the resulting English influence on his culture.

Source: Volume 6, A wise man has no specialty.

It’s said that England put a curse on him to have his eyebrows become so thick, but you also have to remember that England’s eyebrows themselves are cursed. The implications would be that his influence caused the curse to pass on.

Source: Volume 5, Special Booklet.

Point is, as far as Himaruya’s concerned with his
characterizations:

Cultural influence ≠ biological relation.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., May 19th, 2011).

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Nov 23 2013).

Source: Hetarchive, The Battle for America.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2009.

Q & A

A good majority of the fan-fiction I read about
Belarus is about how she’s obsessed with Russia. Is there more to her than just
her obsession? I know she’s really really likes Russia but I want to believe
that’s not all to her character.

Honestly, no. Her
obsession is what shows up in most of her appearances. This doesn’t mean that
she can’t act normal, though. I have a post dedicated to showing that [x]. However,
even in the moments where she’s not hostile or aggressive, the gimmick still
ends up relating back to Russia.

It’s unfortunate, but
that’s just how it is. I’m still waiting for Himaruya to do something with her
character, as she’s only had one appearance in World Stars. It’s not even a
full appearance…

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 235.

I’m not an expert or anything, but I think
Canada has some symptoms of having abandoned child syndrome (ACS) or something
similar to it. Almost any official story arc involving him is about how he’s
neglected by everyone, his own family too. Poor baby I just want him to be
happy D’:

Without a doubt, Canada
was neglected as a child, but it’s not to the extent of abandoned child
syndrome. I’m also iffy on your claim that he’s neglected in every arc he’s
portrayed in. In fact, a key theme of America and Canada’s relationship—which
is depicted in more depth in World stars—shows that Canada is actually taken
for granted by America. America relied on Canada to follow his every command;
Canada’s character development revolved around him learning how to stand up for
himself.

I’m always hesitant to
medicalize characters because often enough labels like abandoned child syndrome
are thrown around without any substantiation, leading to exaggerated and
inaccurate conclusions (very similar to false claims that Chibitalia suffered
from Stockholm Syndrome).

The only symptom I would
say that Canada does have is guilt and believing that he did something wrong/
something is wrong with him that caused the neglect + accompanying
feelings of depression. Otherwise, he doesn’t have clinginess, he doesn’t
experience withdrawal from social activities, he isn’t resistant towards
others, he doesn’t have any sleeping or eating disorders, and he doesn’t have a
problem with substance abuse.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 180.

Oh, and I’m not an expert either ^^

Hey,
why do you think Germany doesn’t share the same last name as Prussia?

I agree with Hetarchive’s perspective on this. They believe
that the last name wasn’t given in order to leave more ambiguity in the relationship
between Holy Rome and Germany. They also go on to point out that the founder of
the Holy Roman Empire was named Ludwig (actually Louis, but Ludwig is the
German name version of Louis).

Hey Ella, do you have a theory as to why
Veneziano and Romano call Rome grandpa and not father? Is it a term of
endearment like “big brother” or are they actually blood related? And
if so do you think there was another nation between them and Rome that would be
their parent but didn’t last long? I’ve been wondering about that since day one
😅

No theory needed. It’s confirmed that they’re biologically
related. Their descendancy is confirmed through a curl of all things. It’s used
to discount Romania’s claim that he’s biologically related to Rome in spite of
being largely influenced by the latter’s culture.

Based on what I’ve seen in the manga, I think
the grandpa label is interchangeable and they just used what felt right to
them. Rome was older when the two of them were born, so ‘Grandpa’ likely felt
more appropriate in spite of the fact that he was their sole parent figure.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 163.

Another example: Ancient Egypt had a more
youthful appearance, which could explain why Egypt refers to her as Mom.

Is it true that England once hired China and India
to cook for him?

Yes. It’s meant to represent their cuisine’s
growing influence in his country.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 291.

Out of context, it looks like a sitcom…

*insert laugh track*

Note: This post
will use Adler’s theory of Birth Order.

Birth Order
Psychology…what is it?

In analyzing how children’s personalities develop, Adler was
the first to point out the impact of birth order. Essentially, he contended
that regardless of genetics and the environment children are reared in, the
order in which siblings are born have a unique impact on their personalities.

In fact, the birth order itself was considered to be a
different environment in itself. For example, an only child would have grown up
in a much different environment than a first-born with one younger sibling or a
youngest child with five elder siblings.

While only for fun, I’m going to analyze the personalities
of different siblings in the series. Their personalities don’t correspond with their respective birth order; however, a lot
of their personalities fit very well in Adler’s personality model.

Let’s go through them.

First-born Child:

First-born children tend to adopt the role of the teacher,
the tutor, the leader, and the disciplinarian. They are intellectually mature
and have a deep interest in maintaining order and authority. As such, they’re
good organizers, are very detail-oriented, and hold authoritarian/ conservative
attitudes.

Sound familiar? It should, because this describes both
German brothers: Germany and Prussia.

Both are very disciplined and ordered.

Ex: Prussia
mentored America and gave him vast military knowledge.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2011

Ex: Germany
trains his allies, Japan and Italy, in a hierarchical manner during WW2.

Source: Hetarchive, Diary Sketches Summary.

Both are very organized and devote a great attention to
detail.

Ex: Germany is
known for his neurotic attention to detail, such as keeping his kitchen clean,
meticulously organizing his day with agendas, and following manuals to the
letter.

Source: Volume 1.

Ex: Prussia has
documented several centuries worth of diary entries and has an entire library
to shelf them.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 339.

Second-born:

Second born children often have a pacesetter set in the
older sibling or vice-versa. A lot of times, this involves becoming locked in a
competition with the other sibling where they may strive to surpass them.

This is especially relevant to Canada and Romano.

Romano has felt inferior to Veneziano ever since he was a
young child.

Source: Hetarchive, Boss Spain’s Control of Southern Italy pt. 2

Canada’s characterization often revolves around his struggle
to overcome his invisibility, step out from America’s shadow, and develop a
unique and memorable identity for himself. His greatest irritation is being
mistaken for America.

Source: Hetarchive, Fly Canada-San, Fly!

Last-born:

Like second-borns, last borns are also driven by the need to
surpass their older siblings and often develop at a remarkably fast rate. They are
high achievers in whatever they decide to undertake. On the other hand, if they
fulfill the role of the “baby” of the family and are coddled too much, they can
also become dependent and helpless in adulthood.

This personality is most relevant to America, who both
developed (aged) at a remarkably fast rate but also rose to surpass England as
a world power to be reckoned with during the second Industrial Revolution.

Source: Volume 3, England Dreaming of Long Days Passed + Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 71.

A good example of the baby-like aspect of his personality is
that America is notorious for pouting when he doesn’t get something he wants.

Ex: He pouts and sulks when England doesn’t give him
chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

Source: Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino pt. 2.

Only-child:

Only childs are far more mature than their peers due to being reared in an environment with adults. They are likely to
experience difficulties in situations outside the home where they are not the
center of attention.

Italy fits this personality-type best.

Italy grew up in prosperity and accumulated aptitudes in
several things, such as trade and commerce and art.

Ex: Both he and Romano had a talent for business at a young
age.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2011 Event.

It’s not so much that Italy wants to be the center of
attention, but abandonment issues that he suffered from after Rome and Holy
Rome died definitely plays a part in how initially clingy he was towards
Germany.

Source: Hetarchive, Main Storyline Chapter 4.

Romania and Bulgaria vs Romano and Veneziano:

England, America, Finland, and France: (+ more)

France and Canada:

France, America, Canada, and Seychelles vs England, Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, and Wy:

Birth Order Psychology…what is it?

First-born Child:

Second-born:

Last-born:

Only-child:

Romania and Bulgaria
vs Romano and Veneziano:

England, America,
Finland, and France: (+ more)

France, America, Canada, and Seychelles vs England, Hong
Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Hutt River, Sealand, and Wy:

Birth Order
Psychology…what is it?