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

Another relationship I’m pretty confused on is
FrUK. Not nearly as much as RusAme tho.When Himaruya writes these two its more
like the ho yay between them is a joke and twice Himaruya has shot down the
idea of either of them liking each other like that.France got freaked out over
a fan pretending to be England in love with him. England got freaked out over
the idea of France being in love with him. Of course you can ship as you please
but I’m just so bewildered as to why you think they could happen.

The idea of it + my
understanding didn’t just emerge in a vacuum. There is evidence suggesting a
possibility of romance for them, even if the series does give off mixed
messages.

For example: the second
instance you mention (I think it’s the World Stars Chapter you’re referring to)
shows England getting defensive about reciprocating his perception that France may have feelings for him.

“It’s not…it’s not
like I like you all or anything!” (he’s referring both to the French people and France).

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 317.

There’s also the running
gag where France laments about how England would be cute if he didn’t talk so
much.

Sources: Hetarchive, England Caught a Cold! + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Feb 2nd, 2015).

Another example would be
the Dream United Kingdom strip, which I covered already. Please look at my post directory before sending in asks.

Even though England
vehemently opposes the idea of being married to France, he cites that he doesn’t
want to marry him because of the economic desperation generated by the Suez
Canal Crisis.

“I don’t want to get
married for this lame reason,” is a rejection, sure, but it’s odd how it’s not
an outright rejection. It leaves open the possibility that he would be open to
marrying France for a better reason…whatever that is.

Source: Hetarchive, Dream United Kingdom.

My posts on the matter:
[x] [x].

Do you really think so positively of a
relationship like…RusAme?Its been stared time and time again that they don’t
like one another,have an extremely tense relationship and the real life
relationship between these two countries is very volatile and just as full of
hate.Russia has even fantasized about destroying something as simple as
America’s glasses.Sure Hetalia has messages of getting along and stuff but
these two just barely tolerate each other at best.

I’m pretty sure this is
the same anon from above.

If anything, I’m a bit bewildered
as to why you claim that I view RusAme so positively? I haven’t said anything
of the such nor have I only illustrated this side of their relationship. It
would be unfair and inaccurate to claim that I have.

On the other hand, what
I have done is prove that their relationship isn’t only hate—that they can
and do get along. In the Shipping Series post I made of them, I claim upfront
that there are no romantic hints of them and instead explain that the parallels
I draw between them can be used as tools for those who ship them to use in
their characterizations.

Both posts can be found
in my post directory [x] [x].

Here’s a quote from
the opening paragraph if you want to verify.

“Below will be a list of parallels between America and Russia that I think would benefit any RusAme writer should they wish to incorporate them into their works. While in canon there is minimal romantic substantiation, this post merely aims to provide writers with tools that highlight the similar chemistries and complexes that America and Russia both experience. In no way is this forcing the ship onto anyone either.“

Lastly, as mentioned
above, while Russia and America get on each other’s nerves—as I have already acknowledged
in a post documenting their rivalry—

there are also many instances where they
get along.

Ex: They’re spotted happily drinking together.

Source: Hetarchive, April Fools’ 2011.

Ex: Russia has visited America
at his home.

Source: Hetascanlatons, World Stars Chapter 157.

Ex: There’s that café scene
in World Stars, which while highlighting how they still grind each other’s
gears, the underlying message is that they nonetheless get along in the end.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 53.

I’ll be transparent in
admitting that it’s a pet peeve of mine when people only focus on the glasses
remark Russia makes in that scene while ultimately ignoring how said scene is
wrapped up. It’s cherry-picking.

Not sure if you’ve been asked this before, but
in your opinion what would you say the sexualities of the Hetalia characters
are?

If you’re unsure if I’ve
covered something, you can always check my post directory. I have done a post
on ‘sexualities’, but I use that term for a lack of a better word. I also don’t
believe in assigning labels when they haven’t been given, as I believe that the
characters are open for interpretation, and instead show how some nations are canonically
LGBTQ +.

Post [x].

What’s the context
for France getting shot???

He tries to strip Switzerland.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2007 Event.

How do different nations
deal with loss? (A friend dying, e.t.c..)

This post should help a
bit [x].

You also have Greece,
who copes with his mother’s loss by visiting her ruins and holding onto her relics, and Romano, who can’t
be visited by Rome without bursting out into tears of happiness.

Sources: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 99 & 100 Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans. April 5th 2011).

Q & A

Do you have a theory on Germania? It seems weird
that Rome is still his friend in heaven if he did kill him. Also Himaruya wrote
something along the lines “it’s ‘believed’ he killed Rome” so… he
didn’t really kill him?? Also he says they’re friends, but later says they hate
each other, with Persia and Germania being all buddy-buddy taunting Rome. And
why is he Prussia and Germany’s dad when Rome is a grandfather?

– Yes, it is weird. You are right that the matter
of whether Germania really did deliver a fatal blow to Rome is left open-ended.
It’s neither a yes or a no.

– That’s also true. His character notes do tend to
contradict each other. I covered this more in detail in my characterization
post of Rome, although that was written after you sent in this ask 😊 [x].

– That last question isn’t necessarily true. The
relations between them is incredibly wonky. Germania’s referred to as both the
father and grandfather of Germany in different pieces of canon material. Search Hetarchive’s profile of Germania.

Image: Grandpa Rome’s Visit Home, Hetarchive.

I genuinely learn so much more about the manga
after you analyze it and uncover those hidden messages that have been embedded
into Hetalia ❤ Any chance you know a little something about India and/or
Thailand? Thanks anyway!

I’m glad!

I do know some things and anyone can too if they search the relevant character tags on the English translation
of Bamboo Thicket, provided by Hetarchive! (ah geez, I sound like a
telemarketer…)

Not all information can be found on the blog, though!

Just for fun, here’s one
fact each.

India: He has
considerable stamina.

Source: Halloween 2011 Event, Hetarchive.

Thailand: He’s somewhere around 22
years old according to Himaruya.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Nov 26th, 2010).

I got a question about the U.S. states. I
know they are not officially canon, that’s not what I wanted to ask. In the
sketch Hima showed what they’d be like, am I mistaken or did he confirm that
they would not be America’s children but his relatives, like Germany’s states?
And that they were all male (brothers I think the state shown said)? I may be
wrong though, it’s been awhile since I seen it, but my friend got into it with
me over whether it disproved the whole his children thing.

Note: Originally in my
State-talia post, I accidentally cropped and posted an image from the question
below in the same Q & A where Himaruya created a hypothetical dialogue with
the states. Nothing about the information I gave or said was incorrect (again,
total accident and you can verify in the initial reblogs to see that I haven’t
changed what I said), but the image was misleading (it had to do with computer
programs/software being personified). Still not sure how that managed to slip
past me [x].

Anyways, no. They’re not personified. We got a dialogue of
what it would be like if they existed. There is no confirmation of their
relation. All we know hypothetically is that while some possess “mixed feelings,” they still “love America very much.”

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Jan 10, 2015).

Tbh, I don’t even know
where to start with this lol. This blog is pretty much dedicated to proving
that whole assertion, so I would recommend checking out my post directory 🙂

People have yelled at me before for me asking
for them only to give me proof for things, since i dont believe just from
someones word. No one ever wants to give proof and gets angry from me not
wanting to believe them until I get proof. So I’ll ask you, does Belgium have a
cannon nyo? And does France have a canon mother (Gaul i think it was)?

I’d suggest removing
those people from your life. If they can’t respect you, then they’re not worth
your time.

Belgium has a canon nyo. Just remember that the nyos that have made appearances in the manga don’t exist
in the same world. There is no canon Gaul. While it’s still not canon, Himaruya
has pondered over the idea of the Kingdom of the Franks being a parental figure to
France.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., April 1rst, 2011 + May 6th, 2008).

Germania:

Most of these can also be applied to other Germanics, but
for the purpose of this post I’ll only be focusing on the similarities between
Germany and Germania.

Emotional stuntedness
+ awkwardness

Both Germania and Germany are unable to smile.
Well, at least expressively and regularly.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas Event 2010 + World Stars chapter 7.

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

Perverted trope

While I’m not exactly favourable of this, there’s still the
running joke that Germans are closet perverts.

Source: Volume 1 + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Eng trans., Feb 6th, 2015).

Bridge between
nations: the organizer and ‘Mom of the group.’

Both bridge the gap between chaos and civility. In other
words, they organize those around them and keep them in line.

Ex: Germany demanding order at a world meeting vs Germania
making a snide comment when a meeting in Rome goes awry.

Source: Volume 1 + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Eng trans., May 3rd 2011).

Ex: Both are adept planners.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Eng trans., Oct 20th 2013).

Ex: Both have an Italian to look after. This often includes
calming the latter down after an emotional outburst.

Source: Ibid + World Stars chapter 1

Rome + Germania

Italy + Germany

There’s also the tendency for the Italian to be late.

Lastly, it’s obvious that they look pretty much identical
save for hair length.

Ancient Rome and the
Italy Brothers

Both brothers inherited the signature curl and a love for
women. Notice the positions of the curls and then compare them to Rome’s (i.e., one curl for each brother).

Source: World Stars Chapter 20 + ibid

The split between them lies more with the expressions they
make.

Italy is the softer, more relaxed side of Rome, while Romano—while
also considerably vulnerable and soft—bears a more abrasive external shell; that is, when he’s not being a crybaby.

The best way to go about this is to just show comparisons.
Notice how each Italy brother uniquely adopted specific expressions from Rome
that tailor well to their respective personalities.

Source: Vol 1 + Vol 2

Source: Vol 1

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?

Misconception: He’s
dead and no longer exists.

Reality: He is
dead, but he still exists in heaven.

Ex: He once tied
up God so that he was able to visit his grandsons.

(Source: Together with Grandpa Rome, Hetarchive.)

Ex: He visits
Earth with Germania, only to find out that his home has since been replaced by
a bench.

(Source: Grandpa Rome’s visit home, Hetarchive).

Misconception: He
and Germania hate each other and are grave enemies.

Reality: It’s not
so much hatred but rather a strong one-sided dislike on Germania’s part. A lot
of canon information is contradictory, so it’s tricky to piece together.

Ex: A character
note for Germania: “Has a taciturn but rough personality and dislikes Rome
greatly.”

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, May 6th, 2008).

Ex: Germania is
easily irritated by Rome.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, Feb 6th, 2015).

A condensed explanation of their relationship would be
childhood rivals who teased each other, a disgruntled Germania becoming Rome’s
bodyguard + occasional teasing, tension, Germania probably—although unconfirmed—giving
the finishing blow that ended Rome’s life on Earth, and reconciliation in
Heaven.

Ex: Childhood
teasing.

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

Ex: Germania
acting as Rome’s bodyguard and making a snide comment about the latter.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, May 3rd, 2011).

Ex: The
unconfirmed status of whether Germania truly killed Rome is mentioned in this
character note “A brave man who is said to had [sic] defeated Rome, although
the truth is hard to find out.”

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, May 6th 2008).

Ex: The two visit
Earth together. Germania consoles Rome, who became distraught after learning
that his home no longer exists.

Source: Grandpa Rome’s visit home, Hetarchive.

Misconception: He
doesn’t care about Romano.

Reality: While he
may have devoted more attention to Veneziano, he very deeply cares about Romano
too.

Ex: Sketches indicate that Himaruya may have intended for them to have a more
tangible family dynamic.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, May 1rst 2011).

Ex: Rome visits
both Italy brothers in their dreams [x].

Ex: Romano bursts
out into tears of happiness when Rome visits him from heaven. The meetings don’t
occur often because Romano gets embarrassed by his crying.

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

Misconception: He’s
not biologically related to the Italy brothers.

Reality: While
the labels attributed are awkward due to the absence of a traditional birth
process, the three of them are, in fact, biologically related.

Ex: Rome is said
to have many grandchildren, both biological and adopted.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, Oct 30th, 2014).

Ex: On several
occasions, the Italy brothers are said to have inherited his legacy.

Source: Grandpa Rome’s visit home, Hetarchive).

Ex: The presence
of a curl is later used to distinguish a direct blood relation from Rome [x].

Bonus facts:

He was originally conceptualized as a much older man.

Source: Main story line chapter 4, Hetarchive.

He also visits Germany quite often to check up on the latter’s
research on him.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, Oct 20th, 2014).

Himaruya intended to give him a retired playboy vibe.

Source: Bamboo Thicket (Eng trans., Hetarchive, May 6th, 2008).

History really does repeat itself. Thanks Hima, I hate it.

ROME:

ITALY:

Are there any parallels between Ancient Rome and germania and Italy and Germany? Are their personalities the same?

I wouldn’t say the same. Veneziano and Romano are like a
split from Rome’s personality. Rome is a conflation of both of them. If you
read the manga, you’ll notice that his expressions are very uncanny to the ones
his grandsons make.

Anyways, there are similar parallels between them that I
think would be worth exploring later.

Ex: This scene replicates Italy and Germany’s typical dynamic:
frantic Italian and no-nonsense German.