Yes, but it’s in a comical manner. Although, the fact that
Italy’s not opposed to it is always something to ponder over.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 40.
Disclaimer: This
post will strictly explore Germany’s character in canon. It does not explore
nor make the Holy Rome = Germany assumption.
Misconception: He’s
gruff, mean, stand-offish, and curt to the point of being rude.
Reality: He’s
sweet and considerate but is very poor at expressing himself. He lacks
socialization skills and can also come off as too formal.
Germany’s main complex is that he comes off as angry to
others when he actually isn’t.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 1.
Ex: He asks out
Italy for drinks after a training session, and Italy interprets him as being
angry.
Source: Hetarchive, Comic Diary 4.
Ex: He has trouble
smiling. The consequence of this is that others are afraid of his domineering appearance.
Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2010 Event.
However, he’s able to smile when he’s drunk.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 1.
Ex: He’s so poor
at socializing that he needs to rely on manuals for things such as friendship,
romance, and even how to smile.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 7 + Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino Series (mentioned).
Ex: He absolutely
loves dogs.
Source: Volume 5.
Ex: He loves
baking, especially with his friends. He has an entire character song dedicated
to this, titled “Ich liebe…”
Source: Hetascanlatoins, World Stars Chapter 33.
Misconception: He
was a Nazi and rooted himself in the fascist cause.
Reality: It’s
complicated…
I know this sounds bad, but something I always want to
emphasize is the need for contextualization.
I’ll be upfront by saying that technically Germany was a
Nazi but superficially and through force. Addressing the second part, he did
not support the fascist regime at all.
Let’s unpack this.
For one thing, nations in the series are obligated to adhere
to their bosses’ orders.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 97.
Ex: Germany is
sent all over as Hitler’s lapdog and seems to be used to being screamed at.
Source: Hetarchive, Hetare 4: Pact of Steel.
The series doesn’t explicitly name Hitler,
instead describing his as strange in a euphemistic manner; he’s also said to be suffering from boss troubles—remember that the
series’ satirical and comedic genre constrains what historical material it can
cover.
Source: Hetarchive, Hetare 5: Lietuvis.
Ex: Although
Finland is joking in the strip, it’s hinted that Hitler would have been capable
of imprisoning Germany should he have disobeyed his orders.
Source: Ibid.
Things get complicated when Germany is asked to annex
Austria. He vehemently opposes but is threatened into doing so. We then see him
holding up propaganda at a booth with Nazi insignia that promotes the annexation.
Source: The Austrian Anschluus + Comic Diary 7 (mentioned).
This anti-fascist narrative is further elaborated on when
Germany describes his daily life as torture and equates torture in a POW camp
to a mere mosquito bite. In other words, Germany’s daily life in Nazi Germany
isn’t glorified; it’s instead equated to a living hell for him. He’s respectively said to be tolerating his days through pain.
Source: Volume 1, Hetarchive, Hetare 5: Lietuvis.
Not only that, but Hetalia is also anti-war.
Ex: Germany is
shown reflecting on how miserable he is at war. He then later agrees to a
temporary truce with England on Christmas Eve, where the two play soccer.
Source: Volume 3.
For longer posts with more extensive evidence on how Hetalia
as a series is anti-war and anti-imperialist, please go here [x] [x] [x].
Misconception: He’s
so straight-laced that he can’t take a break.
Reality: He’s so
straight-laced that he schedules his breaks.
Ex: Germany
actually loves vacations and is more than capable of taking breaks.
Source: Hetascanlations Chapter 7 & 216 + Vollume 6.
Bonus facts:
The greatest hint of the Holy Rome = Germany connection lies
in the Buon San Valentino strips. Germany blacks out and appears to recollect a
fuzzy image of Chibitalia, suggesting that it might, in fact, be a repressed memory
of his.
Source: Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino pt 3.
He’s a germaphobe and neat freak.
Source: Volume 1.
He first meets Italy during WW1.
Source: Volume 1.
He was originally based off a German acquaintance of
Himaruya.
Photographer: Ready?
Me: Ready.
Photographer: *takes photo*
Me:
World Stars, Chapter 41.
Source: Hetascanlations.
Sure! Mischaracterization post coming up tonight 😀
Germany: Let’s cancel and not go.
Prussia: They have a dog.
Germany:
Me: F*ck it! I don’t care if I failed that exam. What’s done is done.
Also me:
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.
Disclaimer: In
this post, I will not consider nor speculate a Holy Rome = Germany connection.
I’ll only be covering canon material.
The strength of the two’s relationship begins before Germany’s
birth. Prussia zealously worked towards consolidating the German states into
one sovereign nation. While Germany has plenty of older brothers, Prussia steps
in as his main caretaker.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 12.
Ex: In the scene depicting Germany’s birth, there’s a clear moment
that demarcates Prussia’s status as the closest elder brother.
Germany’s a source of pride and joy for Prussia but also
someone whom he loves deeply. As such, he protected Germany—a then helpless
and inexperienced child—from political enemies.
This period of impotence doesn’t last very long, however. Germany
learns the ropes of being a nation very quickly and respectively ages just as
fast. He’s immediately immersed in the world of politics.
Ex: As a young adult, Germany participates in the first
Industrial Revolution. Together with his brother, the two co-engineer several technological
inventions.
Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 57.
What I particularly want to stress is that while Prussia
loved Germany, he’s very much a regimented and strict person due to his
combative history. In turn, Germany was raised to be cool-headed and to not
disclose his emotions. There’s also the whole Germanic stereotype where they
don’t show their emotions, as revealed with Germania—their ancestor.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Feb 24th, 2015).
It’s for this reason that I believe Prussia becomes surprised
at the thought of Germany reading romance novels and immediately dismisses it,
referring to the latter as a “battle-crazy guy.” Truth is, Germany was actually an avid reader of romance novels at the time.
It proves my point that the
emotional bonds that they shared was embedded in a war and politics mindset. It’s
a very backwards way of looking at how men aren’t allowed to show their emotions,
or, if they are, it has to be in a manly and comradery-oriented environment. It’s
important to contextualize the fact that this takes place in WWII.
Source: Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino pt. 2 & 3.
Ex: The two bond by participating in war missions together.
Source: Volume 6, The Awesome Me’s Biography.
One last aspect that I want to highlight before moving onto
other sections is that there’s a significant gap in their relationship post–WWII.
Prussia fell under Russia’s control. If he wanted to
communicate with other nations, he had to write letters, and even those were censored
heavily.
Sources: Hetarchive, Notes & Etc + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Oct 30th, 2013).
We later learn that the two brothers eventually move in
together during German Unification. Hints of their lack of communication reside
in Germany’s surprised and pitying expression at Prussia’s shabby attire.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Oct 8th 2013).
…or should I say new blood in old bottles?
The basic idea of this theme is that while Prussia and
Germany may appear to have different personalities, the two
are also very similar.
They both
like beer, they’re both
neat, and they’re both
meticulous researchers and documenters.
Sources: Volume 6, Awesome Me’s Biography + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Dec 23rd, 2014) + Hetascanlations World Stars Chapter 28b.
One last theme revolves around generational inheritance.
Putting aside the reason why Prussia still exists—too many theories on that—the matter of him disappearing was once brought up by a fan. Even though Himaruya
states that he’ll be living with Germany for a while, the possibility of
Prussia disappearing isn’t shot down definitively either.
Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Jan 17th 2015).
The main point I want to devote attention to is the mention
of Prussia passing down his knowledge and awesomeness to Germany. How I
interpret this is that it’s Prussia passing on the baton of his nationhood and
legacy to Germany. He raised Germany and now Germany’s the one providing for
him in the post-Soviet era. The roles have reversed. Prussia’s no longer a
nation, whereas Germany wouldn’t have existed without Prussia.
This message becomes more obvious in the “Private Concert”
strip, where Prussia gives Germany a private flute performance. The inclusion
of flashbacks and the ending is of particular relevance here. The strip ends
with Prussia encouraging Germany to take on the flute.
Source: Hetarchive, Private Concert.
The symbolic meaning surfaces when it’s revealed that
Prussia hasn’t healed from a dog-bite wound, lying to Germany about when he received
it. He claims that it was a recent scrape and given their extraordinary biology,
Germany dismisses it and remarks that the wound will heal right away. It’s
through the dog’s internal dialogue that we learn that Prussia was actually
bitten a week prior—the fact that he hasn’t healed suggests that he’s losing
his nationhood and/or becoming human.
The passing on the baton theme becomes relevant in the sense
that the flute is used as a metaphorical device to represent Germany taking on the
full helm of their legacy. Just like Fritz used the flute to rally the motivation
of German troops (i.e., leading the charge), this scene is Prussia being
cognizant of the fact that he hasn’t led the charge for a long time.
Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2011 Event.
And who
better and more competent to lead it than Germany?
Sure, no problem!
Post coming up tonight!
Ellawritesficssometimes 