Q & A

Hey there, love your blog! What do you have on Belarus and
Ukraine’s relationship?

Thank you!

To be honest, I get a lot of mixed messages from it.

Since Belarus is obsessed with Russia, you get panels like this
(i.e., she’s indifferent to Ukraine).

But then you have panels like this…

Sources: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Nov 10th, 2011 + Jan 6th 2010).

It is a silly thought I’ve had but I have to
ask an opinion. Do you think our hetalia ladies experience menstruation? Did
they experience it very shortly or extended due to the fact that they are
countries? Do they experience at all??? Strange thought. What do you think?

No idea. There’s no canon
material that would be indicative of it.

Although, we do know
that biologically, the personifications aren’t that much different from humans.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2010 Event.

Still, there isn’t
reproduction in Hetalia, so I’m not sure. The nations—with the exception of
Germany—are born as babies.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 12.

Iceland’s birth depicts this rule.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 114.

Hello there miss ellawritesficssometimes hope
you are in good health. I have a query Is it possible for a nation to have
attributes similar to that if their people such as smoking, drinking, usage if
caffeine etc. Because I was reading some statistics and this thought struck me.

I’m in good health,
thank you ^^

I’ve already done a
longer post going into the details of the relationship between personifications
and their populations’ demographics if you’d like to check it out [x].

Hi there! I was
just wondering, but wasn’t there a whole strip of comics dedicated to Romano
wanting to be a cat?

There are, yes! Starting
from World Stars Chapter 353.

Source: Hetascanlations.

It’s been years
since I saw the anime, but am I right that England says France & Italy
share a love for smoking? Was that the dub? I know Hima drew Italy with a
cigar, but I don’t recall France smoking anywhere, tho it’s a big stereotype

None are depicted smoking, but France and England
both love their alcohol (France = wine, England’s just a messy drunk). Thus
far, while it does make sense for the stereotype model, they haven’t been
depicted that way. I think it would be a good addition for a more accurate
fanon characterization, though.

The sketch with the cigar is just him and Romano
dressing up as fake mafia members.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Nov 6th, 2013).

What this post aims to do is flesh out the “hot tempers”
that are often attributed—uni-dimensionally—to these characters. While Hetalia
is based on stereotypes, the characters’ personalities are still considerably
developed and round. It’s the fan depictions that tend to make them flatter
than what they actually are.

England:

England is probably the easiest character to misinterpret,
especially for those who don’t like him—not to mention that he’s hands
down the most hated and contested among fans.

I’m not here to debate the fact that England can be
incredibly rude. However, it’s important to contextualize and
understand the reasons for this if anyone is to truly appreciate let alone
depict him.

England’s temper comes from a place of extreme sensitivity
and vulnerability.

Ex: His temper became particularly volatile in the aftermath
of the American Revolution. We also learn that he experienced 100 years of
heartbreak. While the connection hasn’t explicitly been made in canon, I think
it’s safe to assume that the latter fact is in reference to the heartbreak that
he experienced in the wake of America’s separation from him.

Source: Hetarchive, 2007 Christmas Event + Hetarchive, Notes & Etc.

Ex: Other character notes state that he’s poor at expressing
himself (i.e., he lashes out and rubs others the wrong way). He’s even aware of
the fact that he’s misunderstood but copes with self-deprecating humour.

Source: Hetarchive, Notes & Etc.

Point is, England’s personality is two-sided: he insults and
condescends, only to reel in this scrutiny in and deprecate himself.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 25.

Germany:

Germany is notorious for being characterized as someone with
a short temper. While this isn’t in whole inaccurate, as he does have a short
fuse, it ignores the fact that most of his anger stems from confusion and
perplexion at forming meaningful relationships with others. Longer post on that
here [x].

Source: Volume 3, the United States of Hetalia.

What I particularly want to emphasize is the problem in
which other characters mistakenly perceive Germany to be angry (a German stereotype). In
other words, he comes off and seems angry.

Source: World Stars Chapter 1.

Ex: Germany asks Italy out for drinks after a training
session, only to be interpreted by Italy as being angry.

Source: Hetarchive, Comic Diary 4.

Iceland:

The most forgotten element about Iceland’s personality is
that it’s predicated on a hot and cold spectrum. It’s a clever reference to his
geography, i.e., hot volcanoes/ springs vs freezing weather.

Source: Hetascanlations, Chapter 106 + 114.

Characterizations lean more towards depicting his hot side
and how ‘annoyed’ he gets when the other Nordics—especially Norway—coddle him.

In reality, it’s revealed that Iceland doesn’t mind this
badgering. In fact, he appreciates it.

Source: Hetarchive, Halloween Event 2014.

Another example would be how flustered he becomes when he
finds out that the other Nordics had gotten together to host a surprise
birthday party for him.

Source: Hetarchive, Volume 6.

Romano:

Romano’s personality is very much along the same lines of
England’s. His hostility is a self-protective mechanism employed in order to hide his sensitivity.

Ex: He’s described as a crybaby and coward.

Source: Volume 2.

Ex: When he confronts Germany during WW2, putting on a macho
act, he’s quick to retreat when France appears.

Source: Volume 1.

Ex: When they lived together, Romano became fed-up with the
maid work America tasked him with. The comic gag revolves around Romano
attempting to intimidate America with a gangster persona, only to cower and
surrender when America perceives him to be a “bad guy” in need of being brought
to justice.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 59.

As most people already know, the nations’ body parts represent
different geographical landmarks/ land within their territory..

What I’ve found particularly interesting about Hetalia is
that it plays around with the idea of Cartesian Dualism, conforming to its
rules at times, while at other times subverting it.

The basic and essential principle is that the mind and the
body are two separate things. Himaruya, on the other hand, blurs those
boundaries.

I’ve broken down representation of this dualism into a model
consisting of three categories.

1)
Physical body part = geographical elements

2)
Geographical element –> personality influence

3)
The sociological collective –> bodily influence

Let’s break down these categories.

Physical body part = geographical elements

Fairly self-explanatory. As mentioned above, geographical
elements of the nation are reflected in the personification’s body.

Source: Comic Diary 2, Hetarchive.

Geographical element –> personality influence

The body in question here is the
body of land as opposed to that of the personification’s.

In these instances, the geography
and/or climate of the country affects the personification’s personality.

Ex: Iceland’s volcanoes and cool
weather are reflected in his canon hot and cold personality. He’s quick to rise
with anger but just as quick to cool off.

Source: World Stars Chapter 114, Hetascanlations.

The sociological collective –> bodily influence

This last category has more to do with the collective unconscious
of the society in question.

Ex: Both Italy brothers’ curls represent the “sexual
something” of Italians and function as an erogenous zone.

Source: Notes and Etc, Hetarchive.

Ex: Austria’s mole is said to have a similar function to the
Italy brothers’ curls.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., June 26, 2008).

My best guess is that this is a reference to Freud, who
believed that humans at their core are primarily sexual and aggressive beings
and that civilization exists only by repressing these urges into the unconscious mind.

Lastly, although it doesn’t exactly fit into this category, Austria’s glasses also represent his “musical something.” It would stand that this is a larger reflection of Austrian culture considering that classical music is something they are known for.

Source: Hetarchive, Notes and Etc.

In sum, while I understand that Himaruya likely didn’t have
an intent of tracing out and implicating Cartesian Dualism into his characterizations,
it still provides us with an interesting lens to analyze his work. It also proves
that a lot more thought and consideration was put into the characters than he’s
given credit for.

Me: Time to go to sleep.

Brain: Overthink every embarrassing and awkward thing you
did today.

Me:

Q & A

Are Seborga
and Genoa related to anc.Rome too? Since They have the curl.

(The Italy brothers use a curl as proof of a
blood relation to Rome [x].)

By the logic vested in the manga, I would say
so. It’s similar to how Himaruya approached the German states. They were all
considered to be brothers.

In your opinion,
are there any secret/low-key stoner characters?

No one is confirmed to be a stoner lol. However,
Canada has smoked pot once.

Source: Christmas 2010 Event, page 5.

Although he’s never been shown to smoke pot in
canon (therefore it’s not canon), Netherlands would be another contender. There’s
a panel even depicting how some “coffee shops” in his country sell it.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, February 24, 2015).

Is there
enough evidence to say that Prussia is an albino? Or Iceland or someone else in
the series for that matter

This is actually a mistake I’ve made in the
past in my own fics. Pale eyes and hair doesn’t automatically make someone an
albino, even though Prussia is sometimes depicted with characteristic red eyes—point is, it doesn’t automatically make him an albino.

Source: Christmas 2007, Hetarchive, page 5.

Canon evidence has actually pointed otherwise since
Prussia’s color scheme varies. He’s had blond hair and blue eyes, and his eye
color can range from hues of red, blue, and purple.

Edit: I’m aware that albinos can have blue/ purple eyes, but the fact still remains that Prussia hasn’t been confirmed as one.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, Nov 22nd, 2011).

slightly
personal question for mun: what do u think the most endearing trait of your
favorite character is?

I don’t have a favourite character!

…The first character that comes to mind is
Finland.

He’s just a genuinely wholesome person that can
cheer up anyone [x].

Where did the
Netherlands and Taiwan ship come from? Is there any interaction between them in
canon?

There is no interaction between them.

I’m not favourable of the “they must have an
interaction in order to be shipped” mentality, though. People are free to ship
what they want, and they shouldn’t have to justify it based on canon material,
ya know?

Why is Iceland’s childhood the same as my dating life?

“

He wanted more people to be interested in him so he tried to send out letters but he couldn’t see anything particularly good about himself, so he mostly gave up,” [x].

Q & A

‘But big brother don’t you always say you don’t
want to see me at all?’this. I do wonder if Himaruya will ever make Romano
realize the weight of his words. I’m sure deep down he doesn’t mean any harm
with them,but they surely leave a scar.

I think that’s
the whole point. Romano doesn’t realize the impact of how mean and vicious he
can be to Veneziano. Veneziano’s also a very sensitive person, so it doesn’t
help. Everyone has their limits

The fact that Romano’s shocked by this is most
telling for me [x].

Countries such as England, Spain, Netherlands,
Portugal, America, and France did overseas trading but weren’t pirates.

While there is a fan request where Himaruya depicts
England and Spain as pirates for fun, it’s important to remember the negative
implications of the word [x].

Ex: France knew the
real Captain Hook and warns Seychelles of him [x].

On the other hand, there is one strip that depicts
an unknown African nation as a pirate (in this case, they actually personified
a band of pirates in the region) [x].

I’ve done a post on religion if you’d like to check
it out. It’s listed in my directory under Characterization in Hetalia [x].

The basic gist is that religion and the belief in
God still remains because there is an actual God in Hetalia. Whether they have faith in God depends on the individual and what they’ve experienced.

Well, all episodes are based on the comics!

Right now, the first thing that comes to mind is America and Canada’s series of
arcs in world stars.

(He doesn’t have a rifle as a child in the growth spurt strip: “England dreaming of long days passed, Vol 3).

There is this panel of child America gripping onto a rifle, though [x].

I’m just
going to start by saying that I don’t make any canon conclusions without basing
it on something in the manga/ character notes provided. As such, what you
mention would fall under headcanon territory.

The part about America clutching guns is
depicted in canon but the leap to him viewing guns as a safety net and this
being reflected in his gun culture today doesn’t draw on canon material. For
me, a conclusion has to tie two or more pieces of canon material together rather than
using one piece to make a speculation where there aren’t any definitive links.

I know this model is nitpicky, but I’m very
stringent when it comes to forming and supporting an argument ^^

However, your headcanon wouldn’t be entirely
impossible. It actually draws on a similar structure in logic to what we’ve
seen with America before!

Ex: America’s tendency to mass produce is a
reflection of the trauma he experienced as a child in that he didn’t possess
many belongings.

So, it’s not impossible, but the link hasn’t
been made in canon yet.

Hey, seeking some nordic justice here. Norway and Iceland aren’t expressionless!

Figured you would appreciate this sarcastic response to fans [x].

Q & A

I strictly base my
opinions on the information presented in the manga [x].

From what we’ve seen,
Norway can see and communicate with fairies (including England’s fairy friends), and Iceland can see these creatures but chooses not to let people
know this to avoid being seen as childish and weird [x].

There’s no indication
that they can perform magic, unlike Romania and England who are in the magic
club in the Gakuen AU and are depicted with spell/fortune books in other blog updates [x] [x]

Given the legends, it’s
possible that Himaruya will decide to give them the ability to cast spells, but for now,
no. That doesn’t mean you can’t headcanon this, though!

Russia and America are distinctly
singled out as the strongest as the nations, but Germany is noted to possess
significant strength and muscles too [x].

This doesn’t go to say that
Germany wasn’t strong enough to defeat America or Russia in different battles (obviously), but
Himaruya has been consistent in elevating Russia and America’s strength above
other nations [x].

As a title of endearment, yes [x].

Do you have some favorite Finland strips?

The fact that he cuts Iceland’s hair [x] and his love for nature [x].

Which Hetalia mochi or
cat would you keep as a pet?

No mochis
for me. Too much of a hassle.

I like
Spain cat because he’s super cute and Franchat, mainly because of the pun.

Q & A

Can I request some wholesome Britain please? 🇬🇧

Of course! England was the first person to follow America on Twitter [x].

to what extent are the countries affected by
climate/weather extremes in their countries? for example how would aussie be
affected by the droughts going on right now?

Two ways, as far as I’m
concerned.

They experience the
natural weather just like any other regular human does.

Ex: America hating the
cold weather [x].

Climate has also been
proven to impact the nation’s personality.

Ex: Iceland’s hot and
cold personality respectively stems from the volcanic activity and cool weather
of his country [x].

Do you think Romano was aware/ever became aware
of the fact that he got special treatment? Do you think he was happy about
that? (I have not read all of the comics so forgive me if it’s been stated in
canon.

He didn’t realize it
until he read a Spanish history textbook as an adult.

Vietnam once asks him to
teach her how to smile [x].

I
also hold that England and Romano are realistic. I’m tired of the criticism of
people hating on characters whose moods aren’t picture perfect. People are like
this in real life. Another character I would add is Italy and America; both
mask their insecurities by overcompensating with smiles.