Q & A

I think I read somewhere that Belarus can see
ghosts? Do you know if this is true.

I don’t have a direct English translation to link you to, but it is
revealed that she can see ghosts in “Desktop Buddies” [x].

This is
the anon from earlier asking about your askbox status. I’ll send the ask now
then. So I was wondering if the canon human names that Himaruya’s picked out
for the countries have any historic relation, significance, or connotation to
be kept in mind? I believe that Hima in the past has explained some of his
reasoning to an extent, but a lot of it I think he’s left up for debate so I
was wondering if you could provide a list of plausible reasoning for their
canon names. Thanks!

The human names were deleted, so some people don’t take them as canon. Many speculate that this was because the names and surnames were not well-researched on Himaruya’s part (which is true).

Hetarchive has an entire page dedicated to extracting the possible historical references and/or significance from each of the names [x].

Although the nyos were later given names, they’re not official or canon. Himaruya stated that fans could name them however they please [x].

I love your post on
micronations and states. I’m hoping hima will put Mexico and Texas in there. I
know mexico was mentioned once. I just am hoping Texas will be
official-official since Texas used to be a country and hima saying nations
continue living if the become territory’s.

Thank you!

The strip where Mexico was mentioned is from Comic Diary 2. America speaks of the Alamo grudge [x].

As for statetalia? While state personifications exist for other nations, they don’t [officially] for America.

On the other hand, Himaruya does create a dialogue and panel in which the American states hypothetically existed [x].

I think I saw somewhere that Prussia asked
Italy on a date once- is that true?

Yup! It’s from Prussia’s Drama CD, titled “The CD of the Awesome Me,” [x].

Hi Ella! Can nations teleport? (France
disappeared after talking to Joan so I was wondering) Or maybe he just ran away…

Hello! They can transport; however, distance and the ability to travel on foot conventionally seems to be a major factor (e.g., Finland can’t transport to Seychelles and vice-versa during the 2010 Christmas Event).

*After talking to Lisa, Jeanne’s presumable reincarnate*

It’s not confirmed, but that could be the reason why France disappeared so quickly. Either that, or he was just being dramatic for flare.

Do you know some moments that Italy may looks naive, but he knows more
then he looks?

Italy’s not canonically naïve.
Yes, I’m aware that the comic gag is that he’s a “Hetare” but even in the
original webcomic, he’s not clueless at all. In fact, he constantly worries
about how he’s perceived by his allies in terms of his worth and ability to
contribute to the alliance [x].

Overall, he’s incredibly
intelligent and perceptive. He puts on a front of cheerfulness but is keenly
aware of what’s going on around him. Most of the time he brushes it off and
chooses not to focus on it.

You see this more when he refers to corruption in his nation’s
politics [x].

MORE WHOLESOME AMERICA PLEASE

Your wish is my command [x].

Why are Austria and Switzerland suddenly so
distant from each other? Okay their relationship was cut because of their boss,
but after that, why are they like cold towards each other like ex lovers or
something?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s
literally just that reason. There isn’t much of a romantic overtone (they were kids). It was more like a very tight partnership or camaraderie. I say this because Switzerland has flashbacks of the times he spent with Austria when he experiences similar moments of fondness with Lichtenstein.

He’s still bitter over the loss, having been discarded and mistreated by someone he trusted. Please remember that nations follow their bosses orders, so it’s not like Austria had any malicious intent [x].

Okay, just a quick question. Do you remember
that strip where Romano wanted his room of hopes and dreams cleaned? There was
a roman emperor looking statue on the front. Maybe he wanted to rule the empire
once? I’m feeling curious y’know.

That’s an interesting thought. My personal take on it is that it represents Romano’s failed hopes to live up to his grandfather’s legacy and inheritance [x].

You see this complex with him when he’s younger too [x].

Veneziano isn’t exclusive to failing up to this legacy either. Germany actually overestimates him when they first encounter each other in WW1 (Volume 1, Prologue).

Which character do you think is least accurate
to the country they are based upon?

Poland 100%

Best Hetalia Quotes

America:

“Hey England, I will choose liberty after all. I’m no longer
your child or your baby brother. From now on I’m independent,” [x].

[Speaking to Canada]—

“Aren’t you the one who’s been all England this and England
that lately? …You’ve been obliging England and eating nothing but marmalade,
even though you actually like maple syrup more, right? Your will’s like a
fluffy feather,” [x].

“I guess it’s because laughing off the negative as something
positive is my style,” [x].

Canada:

“J-Jackasses…saying whatever they want…yeah, okay, fine, I’m
Mr. Blandy Bland! Dammit!—Argh, today I’m going to show-em! But what argument can I make—?” [x].

To a sick and bedridden England following the American Revolution—

“Please don’t say such sad things Mister England…I’m…I’m not
as strong as America and I don’t think I can make much money. I might be
useless, but is there anything I can do to help..?” [x]

(About America)—

“It’s true that we’ve been together since we were born, and
I do think we’re more than brothers. But the paths we’ve taken are completely different
and most importantly, our personalities are polar opposites…” [x].

China:

“War has really changed Japan, aru…Japan is not Japan
anymore, aru…I don’t like it, aru…” [x].

“Time goes so quickly when you are having fun…I’ve lived for
several thousand years and yet…really, the good things are over in the blink of
an eye…” [x]

England:

After becoming young America’s guardian—

“So, somehow I managed to kick France out and become this
boy’s big brother. But since that means I’m his guardian, it’s also a big
responsibility for me…I’ll have to give him more than he’s ever been given,
always keep him safe…I’ll have to work hard. He’ll have many obstacles and hard
times ahead. Hard trying times. And even this wide and bountiful land must give
him his share of misery. Now It’ll be the two of us. He and I. We’ll support
each other. That’s how we’ll live,” [x].

During the American Revolution—

“Eh…it couldn’t be…? Does this mean you’re all turning
against me? Why is it turning out like this? [Have I handled things so poorly
that I have nothing but enemies now!?]” [x].

“I will teach you a good word; ‘Discretion.’ Have you ever
heard of it? Seeing you reminds me of my old timid self. Make sure to fix that
before we meet again,” [x].

France:

“If you can’t be stylish everyday, isn’t life just cloudy skies?” [x].

Talking about his immortality to one of his citizens—

“If you’d like to put it into words, it’d be like a ship!
The Government is the mast, the citizens are the wind and they are swimming on
the sea of time—or so
it was said. If the mast is standing straight and a good wind is blowing, the ship
goes forward. But well, of course, there’s also the possibility of the ship
suddenly getting stranded!

As long as there is
someone who can fix the ship, you can keep on using it forever, right?” [x].

Talking about Jeanne d’Arc to someone he believes is her reincarnate—

“Yes, her execution was on May 30, 1431. The
king abandoned her and no one lent a hand to save her in her final moments. Her
patriotic volition was unbound. She gave everything for the sake of her
country. It’s sad to see that those who have patriotic volition like hers tend
to meet tragic ends…

That’s enough history! Now it’s time for me to share
something about myself. It’s a thought I always keep in mind. I believe that
anyone who’s been toyed with by history is always reborn. They’re born under
normal circumstances. They laugh, they play…and even fall in love just like
anyone else.

In their next life, they live out a happy and peaceful life
somewhere in this world. That’s what I truly think. When I first saw you, I
thought God was pulling a cruel trick on me…but I see you’re living a happy
life. It seems like my wish has been granted.”

—Volume 4, A Bientôt! (Until We Meet Again).

Russia:

During the Bloody Sunday Revolt—

“I finally made this nation stronger and more prestigious
than others by myself… I worked so hard. Why is it that nothing goes right…? Why
do they always end up hating me? Everyone says it’s my fault, my fault. I’ve
endured it for centuries. Why can’t everyone just get along nicely with each other…? [x].

Lithuania asks him about a dream that he wishes to come true—

“Living in a warm place…surrounded by sunflowers,” [x].

Germany:

“Geez! I don’t know if you meant it as a joke, or if you really didn’t know, but instead of a collection of shady people, surely there’s much more to Italy that’s charming?! For example, the ancient ruins that speak volumes of history, the amazing works of art, and the unparalleled wealth of culture…the sun that shines upon this beautiful land…” [x].

“Compared to my daily life, torture from you bastards would only be about as bad as getting bitten by a mosquito!”

—Volume 1, Axis Powers.

Italy:

“Sometimes I get tired of seeing the same people all the
time, but then when I see them so much, it’s like they’re new and refreshing
again, these sort of things happen,” [x].

“Ah, sorry Germany, but I just remembered. If we go back the
way we came, there’s a really amazing ristorante! A ristorante known as ‘my
home’..!” [x].

Japan:

“Well, since you arrived, America, the environment and the people
around me have changed so much. Right after I opened up so many things happened
in rapid succession. I feel that knowing people and cultures of countries I had
only heard the names of before is wonderful…but I’m still a little anxious on
whether I’ll be able to get along well with all of them from here on out.”

—Volume 2, Japan and the Footsteps of Westernization.

“When I don’t get out of my house and only communicate with
those I can read the minds of, I start to forget how to speak verbally…”

‘The so-called isolationist country’ [x].

Misconception: The nations are a secret kept from the public.

Canon: The nations are well-known to the public. Their
existence isn’t a secret.

Misconception: The nations can speak all languages and
inherently understand each other.

Canon: There is a general meta language that they all understand but will still sometimes need translators during first meetings [x].

Thank you to @jammerlea for bringing the former point to my attention [x].

Misconception: “Flying Mint Bunny” and “Gilbird(s).”

Reality: These are fanon names. Both pets haven’t been given
an official name.

Misconception: Holy Rome died immediately after his dissolution.

Reality: He didn’t die right away and instead sought refuge in
Prussia’s home. To this day, his death has never been seen or confirmed [x].

Even in the deleted strip—not to be taken as canon—where France informs
Italy that Holy Rome is “no more” leaves things vague and open-ended.

*stomach growls*

America: Dude, I’m craving some sushi.

Canada: Let’s get you something. You get scary when you’re hungry.

America: I guess you could say I become… tempura-mental.

Q & A

Do you think America trusts his own gov?
currently only 18% of the us trusts the gov and the rest doesn’t. I’m not really
sure if they’ve gone over that in hetalia, the only time I can actually think
of one time were america was unsure(??) of his gov, is that one ep where he
finds Tony but his boss or gov tells him that he can’t tell anybody and that it
didn’t happen. Maybe I haven’t found anything yet or I’m just looking too deep
but yeah I was kinda wondering that.

It’s not clear on
whether he trusts them or not, not that he really has a choice on obeying them anyway. Nations are
forced to comply with their bosses’ orders regardless of their own will/
opinion over the matter [x].

You’re talking about the
Roswell incident where he was deliberately lied to about the UFO by his boss
(the president) and was instead told that it was a weather balloon. (Source: Assault☆The neighbor’s Roswell Incident.)

Because
that’s one of the minimal scenes where we see him interacting with his boss
(another example would be in the “Black Ships have sailed” strip), there isn’t
enough information to form a solid conclusion on what you’re asking.

@amuamoami asked: Are
there any other african (black) characters in hetalia besides Seychelles? The
only issue i have with hetalia is that I dont see much color diversity.

There
is color diversity (e.g., Ecuador, the Asian nations, Spain, and Portugal— not to be confused with race, which doesn’t exist in Hetalia).

Cameroon is the only other official black character with a full
design [x].

There’s an unconfirmed female who may or may not be an African nation that visits Seychelles in Volume 6 (most people speculate that it’s Madagascar due
to the use of third person in one panel).

Lastly, there were some “chibi head”
illustrations that appeared in Gauken Hetalia [x].

I understand your sentiment. On the other
hand, Himaruya does have a habit of travelling to countries before he creates a
character for them. There’s also the whole matter of how messy and complicated
it would be to try to depict the subject of colonialism intersected with race.
It would be pretty unavoidable if he were to create these characters.

What are your personal opinions on Czechia and Slovakia?
They’re some of my favourite characters!

They’re hilarious
together! I love them! Taken out of context, this scene is even funnier for
some reason [x].

There isn’t much to base
my opinion on, unfortunately. There are very few interactions between them.

Ex: They have tea
together [x].

Ex: India comes to
England’s aid after the American Revolution and heals the latter [x].

Do you have any particular mischaracterizations of Hetalia
characters that you absolutely hate? This can also include falsely portrayed
relationships and such.

Hate is a strong word, but I definitely get irritated.

People’s inability to reconcile the idea that
deleted material is deleted material and that the shock “perverted” humour used
in the past by Himaruya, while incomprehensible, is no longer incorporated in
the series. France, in particular, would be a prime example of this.

Misconception: He’s a rude ‘hedgehog-type’ character.

Reality: He’s a hedgehog-type with a soft underbelly.

Following this hedgehog metaphor, while Switzerland can be abrasive
and rub others the wrong way, he still has a notable soft, compassionate, and
sentimental side. In some cases, his tone may be aggressive, but it’s the
intention of what he’s doing that truly matters.

What Switzerland is most known for is his ruthlessness.

Ex: He’s indifferent toward how money is obtained and will
protect the bank accounts of cronies and criminals [x].

Ex: He’s easily irritated by other nations [x].

Ex: He supplies weapons to Germany during WW2.

He can also be quite grumpy.

On the other hand, it’s important to understand this from
the perspective that Switzerland’s a survivor. He didn’t have the privilege of
having fertile land and turned to banking as a way to sustain himself and later, Liechtenstein.

His sweet side is something that is often neglected.

Ex: He’s described to be rather affectionate toward
Liechtenstein.

Ex: He wears the frilly pajamas that Liechtenstein made for
him.

Misconception: He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

Reality: He puts up a guarded front, having been used and
betrayed in the past. He very much cares about others but will, of course, put his and Liechtenstein’s best-interest first.

Ex: He took Liechtenstein in and gave her food, despite running out of it himself.

Ex: Switzerland teaches Liechtenstein self-defence, but later
succumbs to her request to make more cute drawings.

Ex: In the present, he advises Liechtenstein to boost her
tourism. Liechtenstein soon realizes that Switzerland is projecting his past
onto her. He wants to protect her with a back-up plan; that way, she won’t be
treated as disposedly as he had once been [x].

“I don’t want you to go through the same mud and misery that
I did and be used as a shield by other people.”

Ex: Switzerland also projects himself onto Japan. He
reprimands Japan for not stating his opinions. In other words, he wants Japan
to stick up for himself.

Ex: He helps France after he’s defeated by Spain in war.

Ex: Back when their countries were united, Switzerland saved
Austria fifty-two times. While he’s still grumpy and complains a lot, that doesn’t
stop Switzerland from exercising his loyalty [x].

This brings me to my next point.

Misconception: Switzerland hates Austria.

Reality: Switzerland has mixed feelings toward Austria
resulting from their past partnership. While he claims to be independent and indifferent
[economically and politically], Switzerland is far from neutral when it comes
to his emotions.

Ex: Switzerland is revealed to still harbor complicated
emotions about his past with Austria. He experiences flashbacks when he
replicates fond moments with Liechtenstein (i.e., holding hands, exercising
table manners) [x].

Ex: The resentment over betrayal is seen in how Switzerland
constructs Austria as a shady figure during one of his lessons with
Liechtenstein.

Misconception: Switzerland and Liechtenstein are biologically
related.

Reality: Switzerland and Liechtenstein are not biologically
related, but Switzerland did adopt her into his household. They’re adoptive
siblings. Liechtenstein originally represented Austrian nobles [x].

Ex: Switzerland adopted Liechtenstein following WW1.

Bonus Facts:

Switzerland is described as thin with muscles [x].

In the “Can’t Escape from Italy” strip, it’s revealed that
the Italy brothers hired Switzerland to get England out of the ditch they entrapped him in [x].

Note: This post will explore the mystery behind why Russia
covers his neck. This isn’t a theory, as I use facts to come up with a
speculation that, while probable, hasn’t been substantiated in canon. I find it
very important to distinguish between facts, theories, headcanons, and
opinions.

What’s the deal with Russia’s heart?:

I know, I know. This
post is about Russia’s neck, but I have to do some backtracking first.

All right. In canon, it’s normal for Russia’s heart to
spontaneously burst out from his chest.

In earlier posts, I’ve speculated that
this acts as a metaphor for how Russia’s conception of love has been equated
with violence.

He grew up being routinely conquered and chased after.

Not
only that, but General Winter – who acted as Russia’s de facto parent figure
due to the protection he provided the latter with – also attacked [abused]
Russia on an annual basis [x].

As such, what Russia
grew to understand as love and friendship became irreparably warped.

Ex: He thinks that anyone he meets is his friend. This
includes General Winter, his abuser.

Ex: He uses violence as a solution to his problems. He’s
normalized it [x].

In conjunction with the first reason, I also believe that
Russia’s heart falling out so violently symbolizes being cut up from the inside.
Since the personification’s body is a physical representation of their nation’s
landmass, this would relate to the act of partitioning and being partitioned. The
heart and soul of a nation are tarnished upon being conquered.

Ex: Russia’s hobby during WW2 is partitioning Poland [x].

Ex: When he exerts political pressure on Japan, notice how
Russia sends a heart. Again, I interpret this as another example where Russia
has conflated love and violence [aggression], confusing the two of them.

Russia’s Neck:

As many others in the fandom have pointed out, there is a mystery
surrounding why Russia takes great lengths to cover his neck, most notably with
his scarf. It’s not just his neck, but I’ll get back to that in a moment.

Originally, the scarf was a gift given to him by Ukraine.
While she wanted him to keep warm, she also did this to get him to make Kiev
successful in return.

On the other hand, the scarf has taken on a much darker
meaning in Russia’s adulthood.

Ex: In Italy’s Chest Test Series, instead of his usual
scarf, Russia’s wearing bandages around his neck [x].

Ex: In the History Copy Book, there’s a strange panel with
an angle that reveals Russia wearing a single bandage around his neck [x].

What I haven’t seen people mention is that it’s not just his
neck that Russia tries to cover.

1) He’s often spotted clutching his chest, an
action that I believe is done to prevent his heart from falling out.

2) Russia takes great lengths to cover his chest
too [x] [x].

Putting this all together:

The answer I have that possibly explains all this isn’t
grandiose or complicated. It’s simply medical. I think that by covering up his
chest and neck, Russia’s concealing the physiological effects of heart failure.
The heart failure here is his heart falling out.

Conditions like Congestive Heart Failure occur when the
heart is unable to pump enough blood to give your body the sufficient oxygen it
needs. A symptom of this failure in the right side of the heart can cause
bulging tube-like veins to appear on the right side of the neck – jugular vein
distention.

If that’s the case, then no wonder Russia wants to cover up
his neck. Not to mention that he would without a doubt have massive scars and
damaged unhealed tissue from his heart popping in and out like a revolving door.

May you please site comic strips and anime episodes where Hetalia is serious?

I’ll kindly direct you to my post directory, considering
that most of my posts tackle how Hetalia is riddled with serious,
thought-provoking, and dark subject matter [x].

The scars that accumulated on Lithuania’s back, a
consequence of being under Russia’s rule [x].

America giving advice to Canada on being open to welcoming people from different races, ethnicities, cultures, and religions [x].

England asking for Italy’s help in improving his artistic
skill during the second Industrial Revolution. Due to his and Romano’s rough and
sudden unification, Italy breaks down crying:

“It’s been so long since anyone has trusted me this much.” [x].