Misconception: He
hates Spain

Reality: He hated
Spain but puts up with him now [x].

While Netherlands may be annoyed by Spain, they’re not
hostile.

Ex: Spain and
Netherlands are spotted together during the 2010 Christmas Event. Spain wants
to take a photo and Netherlands’ is reluctant. Netherlands’ threat to flip
Spain over is actually pretty funny [x].

Further, when they’re attacked by parallel France, Spain
comes to Netherlands’ aid.

Ex: They
coordinate their costumes during the 2011 Christmas Event, along with Belgium
and Romano [x].

Ex: Having been there
for part of Romano’s childhood, it’s Netherlands who points out how unaware the
latter was of the sacrifices that Spain made for him. In this case, Spain spent most of his money on Romano.

Ex: He helps lift
Spain onto Romano’s back as Belgium cheers them on [x].

Ex: Spain teases
Netherlands by putting on glasses to make himself more approachable and
suitable for business [x].

Misconception: He’s
rude

Reality: He’s kind and an older brother type.

On
the other hand, he can also be crabby and has a ‘dirty side.’

Ex: He attempts to help Belgium and Luxembourg, who were at the
mercy of other countries, through diplomacy. The running gag is that all of his advice is about money, albeit well-intentioned [x].

Ex: He teaches Luxembourg the business skills that propelled him
into the thriving economic state that he’s in now.

Ex: He’s in his element when he’s surrounded by tulips [x].

Ex: He socializes and involves himself in a discussion on gardening [x].

Netherlands’
personality is complex in that he has faults. He’s not rude all the time. Like
everyone, there are moments where he loses his composure.

Ex: He tends to lose his composure when it comes to economic
matters relating to Greece in the EU. He’s still noted to usually be a
pleasant coworker [x].

Ex: His sister declaring independence from him made him cranky
when he visits the then isolationist Japan for trade.

Nonetheless,
like other Dutch merchants, he respectively adopted the customs of his business
partners and engaged in them during transactions.

Side note: I’ve seen enough people take a dub line
as canon, so I want to clear it up.

In the “Before an International Meeting” strip… [x].

What
Netherlands does not say: “What? Do
you envy my scarf?”

What he does say: “Yo, good morning.”

It’s a big
difference.

Misconception: Business is everything.

Reality: Business isn’t everything, but it’s extremely important. It’s what taught him how to thrive.

Ex: Witnessing the wealth of his younger sister, Belgium,
motivated him to evolve past his agrarian roots.

Ex: It’s for this reason that Belgium believes that he’s become
so stingy and obsessed with profit.

Ex: He exchanges weapons with Spain while they’re at war.

Ex: He has no problem mixing his business and personal lives
together.

Ex: When the prospect of the nations’ memories being full of
gaps is introduced, Netherlands is able to recall business transactions from the
last three hundred years, as well as European countries’ weaknesses.

Bonus Facts:

Like England,
he may, in fact, have a tattoo [x].

His hair is
naturally flat and limp [x].

His
relationship with Denmark is good enough for him to offer the latter a cheaper “buddy
price.”

He’s extremely
neat and tidy – he won’t eat in his kitchen despite cleaning it + doesn’t like
messy gardens.

As such, these compulsions, along with his obsession with money, is likely why he is described as neurotic in a character note.

In sum, while
Netherlands may appear to be rough on the edges, stemming from his occasionally
“rough’ business practices, he’s far more than that. He’s kind and is more than
capable of sharing close relationships with others. It’s not that he’s
unfriendly either. He has a stand-offish appearance. Meanwhile, he’ll stand up
for himself and those close to him.

Misconception:
She’s a ‘Plain Jane.’

Reality: Her
awareness that she’s ‘plain’ and doesn’t stand out in comparison to surrounding
countries is what adds more layers to her character [x].

Ex: She tries her
best to stand out.

Ex: If anything,
her and Luxembourg realizing how powerless they were 100 years ago makes her personality
more complex. It’s revealed that she was constantly at the mercy of other
nations. Any character that’s vulnerable and has weaknesses, flaws, and
insecurities are far from plain [x].

Misconception:
She’s weak

Reality: She’s endured a lot. Resilience is what makes her strong.

Ex: There was a
period where her and her older brother, Netherlands, had a rocky period in
their relationship.

Netherlands attempted to unite their kingdoms into one, but
she declared her independence instead. This incident is described as a fight by Netherlands’ bunny [x].

Ex: Her
personality isn’t only a stock sweet-type. She’s also noted to have quite the
temper; she becomes scary when she’s angry.

Misconception: She’s fake and ingenuine

Reality: She’s incredibly sweet and supportive.

Ex: When Spain buys new clothes for a young Romano at the cost
of wearing rags, Belgium pleads for him to get new clothes too.

Ex: She cheers on Romano as he attempts to lift up Spain [x].

Ex: Because they’re so familiar with each other and regardless
of the fact that she’s a girl, Romano gets nervous and will swear in front of
her [x]. He used to have a crush on her, after all.

Ex: She gets to share rare moments with Netherlands where he
reveals his softer side [x].

Bonus Facts:

Her smile is sometimes cat-like, a probable reference to the
annual Cat Festival held in Ypres.

Given that Hima bases a lot of the physical traits of the
nations on population statistics, Belgium has large breasts [x].

She’s very serious about her waffles and will make a sour
face if she eats a foreign recreation of the treat.

All in all, even though Belgium doesn’t appear very often in
the manga, she still has a unique and distinct personality. Yes, she’s long due
for further character development, but she’s
not plain.

It flows
differently for them:

Of course,
being immortal affects how the nations experience time. They’ve lived for
centuries/ millennia and experience time at a much faster pace. A year, let
alone a decade, for a human is nothing to them.

Ex: Canada once
spent an entire weekend in a trance, staring into Kumajiro’s eyelashes. [x]

Ex: Because time flows differently for him, by the time America visits his child/ later teen friend Davie again, the latter’s had both children and grandchildren [x].

Interestingly,
the nation’s immortality can also rub off on other beings.

Ex: Pets like
Hanatamago, Pochi, or the Gilbird’s have extended lifespans as a result of
being around their owner nations. Should they separate, they would become
normal pets again. [x]

Ex: The
situation with humans is similar, but not quite the same. Unlike pets, humans
have a stronger developmental capacity to perceive time. It’s likely for this
reason that being around a nation for too long would cause them to go mad. The
drastic warping of time would be too much to handle.

How the Nations cope with their Immortality:

From what we’ve
seen in the strips, immortality is depicted to be more of a curse than it is a
blessing. There are several instances where nations have expressed regret over
their existence.

Ex: Germania
and Rome, as fallen ex-nations, experience relief over not having to deal with
wars and their leaders.

Ex: As an
Ancient in his own right, China romanticizes about the past, wishing that the
world was the same as it was 4000 years ago.

Ex: Italy
admits that he sometimes gets bored of seeing the same people every day [x]. Also
notice how his boss recognizes that immortality isn’t beneficial in practice,
as Italy’s had to endure countless painful memories and experiences.

Ex: The nations
have gaps in their memories [x].

While it would
be impossible for them to remember everything, as they’re not perfect immortals
and can get injured and die, the fact that Russia claims that it’s good that
they don’t remember all the bad in their life may allude to an unconscious repression
of memories.

Still using
Russia as an example, given how he’s historically been tortured and punished by
his bosses, it’s easy to understand why he wouldn’t want to remember everything.

Any other misconceptions about Romano?

He’s not the lazy, unmotivated child he used to be. [x]

He wants to work.

Yes, he 100% does. A lot of Romano’s hostility toward Veneziano stems from old feelings of jealousy and anger during their childhood. On the other hand, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Romano doesn’t love Veneziano either. All I mean to say is that the two don’t have a good personal relationship beyond the fact that they’re brothers.

Post on Romano’s inferiority complex coming up tonight!

*Looking at baby photos*

Spain: Wasn’t I cute?

Romano: It all makes sense now.

Spain: What?

Romano: Your turtle obsession. You literally were one…

Can we have some aph Babies?

Always.

Are they ‘with’ the mafia?

No. This is a common headcanon/ misconception that I’ve noticed in the fandom.

The Italy Brothers don’t run the Mafia, nor do they work for
them. Instead, they’re often victimized by them.

Since mobsters are more of a problem in the Southern half of
the country, Romano’s respectively more affected by their activities. [x]

Ex: Romano is frequently coerced into doing favors for the Mafia
against his will. He complies because he’s terrified of them.

Nonetheless, Romano has proven to be capable of standing up
to them.

Ex: With Spain’s life hanging on the line due to an economic recession, Romano refuses to hand over the imports he intends to use in saving Spain’s
economy.

Typically, however, he’s seen as easy prey for the Mafia to
get him to do their bidding.

It’s only in the above circumstance where he becomes “stronger”
than usual. Put another way, Spain’s potential death kicked in Romano’s fight
or flight instinct.

How They’re Affected:

Both Italy brothers are frequently stolen from. While some
of this is from regular pickpocketers…

Ex: Veneziano has his car and wallet stolen. [x]

Ex: Romano is well-trained in guarding himself against being
pickpocketed. [x]

…the Mafia [and corrupt politicians] also steal from the
Italy brothers, albeit indirectly.

The personification’s income, as in how much money they have
available to them in their wallet, is dependent on how wealthy their country
is. If the government is corrupt and funds are being frauded/ embezzled, the personification
doesn’t receive as much money as they should.

Ex: Veneziano’s wallet runs thin as a result of corruption
in the Italian government, specifically in the South.

It’s not like they’re not aware of this corruption either,
because they are.

Ex: Veneziano comments on the corruption within Rome’s
municipal government and casts his vote for Virginia Elena Raggi, whose
campaign ran on combatting corruption. [x]

The problem is that because the nations have little
influence in how their government
runs, they don’t have the means or resources to tackle this corruption.

Without exaggerating
and as I’ve proven in other posts, the nations suffer from a lot of things; to
name a few, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. One thing that they don’t have and
have never suffered from is Stockholm Syndrome.

Of course, the whole unequal power dynamic between the conquered country and
their conqueror makes for an unhealthy relationship, no doubt. However, it’s
within these relations, problematic as they may be, that the conquered
countries are able to form better personal relationships with their ruling
country.

What needs to be
differentiated here is that the nations have a persona as well as a person. Put
another way, they relate to each other both politically and on a personal
level. This is why you’ll see nations fight over one seeking to obtain sovereignty
and yet still attempt to befriend each other despite their hostile political
relations.

Ex: America wanting
to visit a sick England after the American Revolution.

Regardless if the
nation is conquered and ruled over, what I’ll argue is that they’re still able to
exercise agency and free will. Not only that, but they don’t wholeheartedly
comply, have their own opinions, and their survival is never threatened should
they oppose their ruling nation. It’s for this reason that Stockholm Syndrome
doesn’t compare to what we see in Hetalia.

There are many
problems with the characterization in these earlier strips [x]. Stockholm Syndrome
isn’t one of them.

What is Stockholm Syndrome?:

Stockholm Syndrome
occurs when a hostage forms an emotional bond with their captor. This, in turn,
is at first a survival response that eventually becomes internalized and warped
into an unhealthy attachment. [x]

The victim’s response
occurs in four stages; shock, denial, traumatic depression and recrimination,
and resolution and integration.

The shock stage
occurs when the victim realizes that their life is in danger. On a surface
level, their behaviour appears to be cooperative and friendly when they abide
by their captor. In reality, they’re only trying to stay alive.

The denial stage occurs
as this cooperative rationality further moulds itself into the victim’s
thinking. The victim minimizes and dismisses the abuse committed by their
captor as they spend more time with them.

The traumatic
depression and recrimination stage occurs when the victim begins to see their
captor more and more as a provider. This is called traumatic infantilism, which
entails the victim’s becoming increasingly compliant, obedient, submissive, and
more sympathetic toward their captor. It’s a survival tactic whereby children
are engrained to cling to their caregivers for protection.

The last stage, resolution
and integration, occurs when the victim loses their agency [identity] and
identifies with their captor. In their eyes, their captor gives them life. This
is especially in cases where the victim’s life is saved by the captor.

The attachment grows
so strong that being released from their captor is now seen as the danger
rather than being with them. Again, it’s like a child being separated from
their parent. The trauma causes the victim to develop an infantized mentality. They cling to the figure with the most power, someone who can offer the most protection.

That said, let’s tie
this back to the strips.

Why Italy didn’t have Stockholme Syndrome:

Don’t get me wrong.

The trauma that both
Italy brothers went through in being conquered and fought over by other
countries is not healthy at all.

Holy Rome attempting
to drag Chibitalia against his will is not healthy.

Austria’s harsh
punishments of Chibitalia are not healthy.

Despite all this,
Chibitalia does not have Stockholm Syndrome.

I’ve said this
before, but a lot of the older characterizations of the nations are cruder,
more exaggerated, and not up to par as they are now. Hima’s grown as a
content creator, and it’s important to recognize that.

I acknowledge the
problems of these earlier storylines. All I’m aiming to do is prove that
Chibitalia isn’t a victim of Stockholm Syndrome.

Chibitalia’s life isn’t
ever in danger, unlike a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. Although, he is
a hostage in that he has no choice but to live in Austria’s house.

It’s bullying that
Chibitalia fears, not a fear for his life.

The boss and house
system that the series depicts involves the conquered nations acting as a
servant to the ruling nation.

Despite this power differential, they live together and have been seen
to treat each other as family members.

Chibitalia still
exercises agency and opposes Austria and Holy Rome on several occasions.

If Chibitalia’s life
was truly in danger, he wouldn’t have drawn a mustache on Austria’s portrait.

Nor would he have painted,
dressed up in costumes, or spent more time with Holy Rome than he absolutely
had to. Politics and nationhood personas aside, they’re people living in one
house, dysfunctional as the reason that brought them all together was.

Not to mention that
Chibitalia refuses to form an empire with Holy Rome.

However little power that
he had, Chibitalia wasn’t wholeheartedly complying to demands in order to
survive. He didn’t sympathize or adopt Holy Rome/ Austria’s perspective as his
own. Instead, he maintained his individuality and held firm on his opinions.

If anything, Holy
Rome learns from Chibitalia and apologizes for all that he’s done before he leaves for war.

Admittedly, there is
one moment where Italy is taken hostage by Spain in the Maria Theresa Series. When given a choice between
the two, Italy chooses to stay with Austria. This is the closest that we come
to an aspect of Stockholm Syndrome, and yet, it’s distinctly not the same.

Just imagine it.
Italy loses his grandfather, his security blanket and protector, and is living in
a new house with big, scary adult nations. Eventually, they warm up to them and
he grows accustomed to the new niche he’s found. Being conquered and having to
move again would disrupt that environment – his comfort zone.

That’s why I believe
that Italy chose Austria. It didn’t have to do with survival. Spain would have
taken good care of him, probably even better than Austria in terms of emotional availbility. Italy
simply wanted to stick with what he was familiar with, with those whom he had
formed a close personal bond.

It’s also important to mention that Italy is still a child in this strip. He’s
terrified and respectively clings to Austria because that’s who he’s been
raised by ever since Rome’s passing.

Lastly, when he’s not
forced to choose between who he’s ruled by, Italy doesn’t perceive his freedom
from Austria to be dangerous, as would someone with Stockholm Syndrome. He
zealously fights for his autonomy.

In sum, while many
aspects of the older strips are questionable and problematic, applying a label as severe as
Stockholm Syndrome is not warranted. It actually detracts from the discussion
acknowledging how the series has evolved for the better…

There’s nothing wrong with
acknowledging past mishaps of a content creator if they’ve already proven to
have learned from these mistakes.

Actually, insulting your sibling may not be a sign of inferiority. It is very, and I do mean very common, for siblings to insult or even constantly insult each other. My little brother falls me stupid sissy all the time, I call my little sister shorty. And none of us have the issue. It would be very weird if we didn’t us them at this point. And, North and South Italy have special insults for each other, can’t remember the exact words but the insult could be to show the divide and normal sibling

[On the topic of
Romano referring to Veneziano as stupid/ idiot little brother]

While that may be the
case for most siblings, Romano doesn’t use insults to show his affection. I
know it’s nice to imagine Romano and Veneziano to be like that, but from what
we’ve seen in the manga, they just don’t have that type of relationship dynamic.

You work from what’s
seen in the strips, not what you interpret a character to be like – especially if
canon has already proven the contrary.

If anything, Romano uses actions, regardless
of the insults that fly out of his mouth, to show his affection.

Ex: He’s still calling
Spain an asshole or bastard as he sends imports to help with the Spanish
economic recession.

On the other hand,
with Veneziano, Romano doesn’t ever use insults to refer to the latter in an
affectionate way. They don’t have a good face-to-face relationship, and there’s
a ton of hostility and resentment on Romano’s side of things. In this case,
Romano’s insults do in fact have to do with inferiority.

The suddenness of
their unification is noted to have caused a tension between them.

Romano is also noted
to detest North Italy “a bit.”

As such, he has a much
better relationship with Spain than he does with Veneziano.

Romano’s inferiority
complex is most seen when he uses insults to undermine Veneziano’s accomplishments.

Ex: Veneziano’s
engineering feats during the Industrial Revolution.

It’s like this in
present strips too. The complex hasn’t gone away.

In the Annoy Romano
series, one of the prompts is to be surrounded by Veneziano, his mochi, and his
nekotalia counterpart.

Similarly, Romano
hates to be referred to as Italy’s older brother, as it lacks individual
differentiation.

Again, his insults toward
Veneziano don’t possess any affection to them. Romano refuses to work with Veneziano.

To put things more into perspective, Romano’s hostility of Veneziano is bad enough for Rome to visit him in his dreams, chiding him for this.

Of course, this doesn’t
mean that Romano doesn’t care about Veneziano either. He’s just not direct with
it.

Ex: He looks after Veneziano during WW2, regardless if he degrades him while doing it.

Like I said, they lack a solid face-to-face relationship.