characterization in hetalia – Page 5 – Ellawritesficssometimes

The purpose of this post will be to clarify much of the
confusion that has been generated by changes made in the anime concerning Germany’s
birth.

In the anime, what you’ll see is that the process of Germany’s
birth is depicted as a clear result of the German states huddling [combining]
together to form one state.

Meanwhile, in the manga, the process of Germany’s birth isn’t actually shown – all that’s
revealed is the end result. It’s left vague and open-ended, perhaps for the
purpose of giving Himaruya leeway to later confirm that Holy Rome is, in fact,
Germany.

That said, let’s go over the strips that cover Germany’s
birth.

Chapter 12 of World Stars:

In this chapter, a meeting for all German states is held [x].

Prussia’s suggestion of merging into one sovereign state is received
well.

Admittedly, before the German states are able to form
Germany, they’re excited about “the birth of their new baby brother.” I’ll get back to this in a minute, hold on.

Austria stops the process and claims that he’ll assume
responsibility over Germany once he’s born.

Prussia kicks out Austria from the German Confederation.

What’s critical is that when Germany is born, the previous
process in which the German states were to huddle together to form him isn’t
shown.

Instead, the strip skips straight to Germany being born.

My explanation:

I’ve done a full post on this [x], but it’s important that I
go over this again before comparing it to other strips.

The reason that I believe the German states aren’t depicted
to be huddling together, only to step back and reveal a new personification –
as shown in the anime – is because the personification already existed.

Holy Rome hid in Prussia’s house after his dissolution

[x].

He
didn’t die right away.

On top of that, we know that Holy Rome became sick as a
result of the fragmentation and lack of unity in his empire. This illness only
became worse once he was dissolved.

I
believe the reason that Germany was born as a young child is because he changed titles. The existing body panel is meant to be taken literally in
this sense. The personification was already alive – but not well.

Note: I also recognize that baby nations canonically wear nightgowns. As I’ll reveal below, I believe Germany was wearing a nightgown for an entirely different reason.

As stated in chapter 1 of World Stars, it’s completely
possible for nations to change titles and assume new personalities.

Since your
personality is very much driven by life experiences and memories from them, to have a new
personality inevitably means that you’ve obtained new memories.

Or, in Holy Rome’s case, for him to assume a different personality
as Germany would mean that he’d have to completely forget about his past life. Otherwise,
these past memories would influence his personality.

So, maybe Germany’s an amnesiac Holy Rome then…is there any
evidence of that?

Yes.

In the same strip, Prussia reminding Germany that he can
call him big brother several hundred times can easily be interpreted as him attempting to trigger the newly-born Germany’s memories of being Holy
Rome.

As such, the fact that Germany emerges wearing a nightgown,
as a child, can likewise be interpreted as an amnesiac Holy Rome – who also
conveniently wore a nightgown in his later days – stepping off his deathbed for the first time. In
other words, German Unification fixed Holy Rome’s health, the only problem
being that he’s lost all of his previous memories.

Ex: Holy Rome, sick in bed as Prussia reads him fairy tales.

Ex: An edited comparison of Germany and Holy Rome, both of whom are wearing nightgowns. They also look exactly alike.

Left – Germany, Chapter 12 of World Stars, Right – Holy Rome, Chapter 187 of World Stars.

Lastly, this would explain one German state’s sobbing
reaction to Germany being born.

This is all behind the scenes speculation, but I believe
what happened is that when the German states initially agreed to form into one
country prior to Austria’s interruption, they believed that Holy Rome was dead.
Remember that Holy Rome was hiding in Prussia’s house. That’s why they thought
they would be gaining a new younger brother.

The reason that the process of Germany’s birth was skipped
the second time around is, again, because the personification (Holy Rome) that
represented them already existed.

This panel, then, can be interpreted as one of Germany’s
older brothers realizing that Holy Rome hadn’t in fact died and had been alive the whole time.

Comic Birz Episode 11:

Timeline wise, this was made before World Stars. Nonetheless, here too, the process of Germany’s birth isn’t depicted [x]. All we see is the end result.

Volume 6: The Life of the Great Man, the Awesome Me

This is a redrawn and reprinted version of Comic Birz
Episode 11. It’s especially important because it’s what the anime adapts, as World Stars hadn’t yet come out at the time.

Notice again how the process of Germany’s birth isn’t
depicted. It doesn’t show the German states huddling together.

Bonus: Chapters 20 and 57 of World Stars

I think you already know what I’m getting at here.

The Big Difference: The Anime Depiction

Unlike the strips listed above, Germany’s birth in the anime
is drastically different. It actually shows Germany’s birth process.

Episode 5 of World Twinkle animates this, adopting the strip
from Volume 6.

I cannot stress this enough: The German States huddling
together and later stepping back to reveal a young Germany is not canon.

With all that in mind, I can see how easy it would be to
assume that Holy Rome and Germany are separate persons just by basing opinions off the anime. While the connection between them isn’t confirmed in canon,
however, the manga leaves things far more open-ended.

Note: This is a
guide. It’s not meant to cover an exhaustive list of all relevant examples in the manga. If I did that, this post could
easily be a novel.

Before I get into the direct blood relations of the
characters, this guide aims to chart out and differentiate between the different
types of relationships that we see in the manga.

Biological:

Biological siblings, obviously, means that the nations in question
are blood-related.

Ex: America and Canada.

Ex: Greece and Egypt and their moms, Ancient Greece and
Ancient Egypt.

The best example of a biological relation is that of Norway and
Iceland’s.

Iceland had no native people. Since it was Norwegians alone
who first settled on the island, the two are directly related [x].

Iceland innately senses Norway when he’s first born.

Norway
also senses Iceland.

Likewise, DNA testing – in this case, a land excavation – is
done to confirm their biological relation.

Now, let’s do a comparison.

When America’s born, he doesn’t sense a biological brother
among the countries colonizing him. The reason for this is that he’s referred
to as an ingredient, meaning that not only were there native tribes living on
the land he represented but that America existed as a mix of several European
cultures [x].

The point to differentiate here is that America doesn’t have
a direct biological relation to these colonizing countries due to the large
volume of them.

Instead, what you’ll see is that the colonizing countries
fight over assuming the role/ title of being America’s big brother, or
onii-chan.

Onii-chan:

Continuing from America’s example, after he chooses England
over France, he asks England if he can refer to him as onii-chan – ‘Big Brother.’

As stated in the translator’s note, onii-chan can be used as
an expression of adoration and endearment. Put another way, ‘big brother’ here
has an entirely different cultural connotation. It’s a brother-figure relationship
and isn’t meant to be taken literally.

Not to mention the fact that England initially rejects the
label of onii-chan, claiming that “just ‘England’ is fine.’” The reason England
is hesitant to accept the label stems from the horrible relationship he has
with his own older brothers.

France is another example where the term Big Brother is used affectionately.

Ex: He claims to be the Big Brother of the world.

Ex: He’s described as a Big Brother-type.

Ex: The first thing that he does when he meets Lisa, Jeanne
d’Arc’s reincarnate, is introduce himself as Big Brother.

Ex: The reason that Italy refers to France as Big Brother is simply because they grew up in Rome’s house together for some time.

This title of endearment is confirmed in one of Hima’s blog
posts, where he clarifies that Italy and Monaco both call – as in refer – to France as Big Brother [x].

More examples of France’s use of the title ‘Big Brother’ can
be found here [x].

One last example of this is that of Netherlands, Belgium,
and Luxembourg.

Netherlands and Belgium are biological siblings. Meanwhile,
Luxembourg refers to Netherlands, France, Spain, and Belgium as Big Brother and Big Sister respectively [x].

While the translation is noted to be rough, the distinction
is nonetheless made very clear.

Marriage:

A full post on this can be found here [x].

All that needs to be known is that when two nations
willingly unite – not to be confused with being conquered/ annexed – the personifications
involved are considered to be married.

Austria is notorious for this, being noted to have solved
all his problems in the past through marriage (e.g., the Austro-Swiss
partnership, The Hapsburg Monarchy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire).

Ancestors:

In the manga, sharing similar ancestors doesn’t make the
nations involved biologically related. In this case, I’m talking about cultural
influence.

Ex: Spain and Portugal. (Chapters 77-79 of World Stars).

Both are noted to share a similar ancestry. As such,
Seychelles can’t tell which one is Portugal when she has a letter to deliver to
him.

Given the context in which the topic of their physical resemblance and relationship is discussed, if they were siblings, France would have attributed the reason for their likeness to this. He doesn’t.

Not once is a relation ever confirmed except for the fact that they’re neighbors.

Point is, it’s the similar ancestry that causes them to look alike.

Ex: Romania and the Italy Brothers [x].

While Romania may have inherited much of Rome’s culture, he’s
not related to the Italy brothers.

This brings me to my next point.

Influence:

While cultural influence often affects the physical
and personality traits of nations, it doesn’t make them biologically related.

Ex: Seychelles was originally designed to have one thick
eyebrow and one thin one to represent French and English influence.

Ex: As an amalgamation of several cultures, America
resembles bits of Finland, France, and England.

Ex: France’s influence prevents America, Canada, and
Seychelles from inheriting England’s bushy eyebrows [x].

Ex: Young Canada inherits France’s hair due to his
influence. This is before England had assumed control over him.

The House System:

When a country is conquered and their conqueror is on the
same continent, the conquered personification lives with the conquering personification.

Ex: France, Holy Rome, and Chibitalia living in Rome’s house (panel used above).

Ex: Chibitalia and Hungary living in Holy Rome’s house. Despite the rough start, they become so close that they refer to each other as family.

Ex: Romano, Netherlands, and Belgium living in Spain’s house.

In modern times, we still see this occur, albeit it’s a bit
different.

The Chinese provinces +
Macau and Hong Kong (under a one country two systems principle) all
live in China’s household.

The Colony/ Household System:

*Note – I made up the labels of house and household system
to better clarify and more easily distinguish between the two different living circumstances.
In canon, ‘House’ and ‘Household’ are terms used loosely and interchangeably in the translations.

The household system is separate from the house system in
that because the colonies are on separate continents, they’re part of a
household. In other words, they’re together and considered to be a unit despite
not living with the ruling nation.

Ex: England visits America, but America doesn’t live with
him in England.

Ex: England hosts a household meeting, requiring the colonies to travel [x]. (America is already independent here, by the way. He’s not part of the household.)

Ex: Likewise, England has holiday houses in Hong Kong and
India, as alluded to in one of his character songs [x].

“

Curry, Chinese cuisine, my holiday houses’ meals.”

Ex: Hong Kong, who used to live with China and referred to him
in a more intimate way [x], changed after he became an English colony.

When he becomes Chinese territory again, he refers to China
as teacher/ Mr., seeing him more as a mentor.

What I want to stress here is how fluid interpersonal relationships
between nations are in Hetalia. They’ve lived for centuries; how they view and
interact with each other changes with time. Their relationships – aside from
biological relations – aren’t as static as human patterns of organization.

A lot happens in 4000 years. For one being to experience it,
let alone endure all its hardships, and still manage to find moments of joy and
reasons to smile is incredible.

That said, I’d like to take this post to go over how strong
China is in all facets. He’s not weak, nor is he lame. In fact, he’s likely one
of the richest characters in the series considering everything that he’s been
through.

Physical Strength:

As mentioned, China’s lived for several millennia.

Now, imagine how painful that would be for him to bear.
Every time a country experiences an economic recession and/ or political struggle
(e.g., war) their health declines, they get scars, and their bodies begin to
ache [x].

This is especially the case for China, who’s had a particularly
rough history [x].

Ex: As early as when he first meets Japan, China’s still
considerably old, despite being dubbed as “Young China.” He’s spotted complaining about the aches and pains that his
country’s political struggles cause him.

Ex: After Japan betrays him, it’s hinted that China’s
developed several scars on his back. Point is, he’s endured.

Ex: While America’s perception may be exaggerated, the fact
that he, as someone bearing super strength, thinks that China is strong is
pretty telling. It’s a clear acknowledgment of China’s strength.

Ex: In the “Hetalia of the Dead” strips, other nations show
fear at the prospect of China being able to summon a dark spirit.

On the other hand, due to how long China’s lived, his
physical body has aged.

Ex: He tires and gets worn out easily.

Ex: He’s stiff from age, albeit flexible in weird places [x].

While he may be “lazy” in his everyday life [x] and regardless
of how much it tires him, China still pushes through with “feats of strength.”

Ex: He’s a sore loser and stubbornly tries to touch his toes
when stretching.

Ex: He goes to world meetings and events at the cost of
getting fatigued.

Mental Strength:

Back to history, China’s ability to cope and function from
all the adversities he’s faced is unarguably a strength in itself.

Despite being betrayed by Japan [x], he eventually overcame his grudge.

In the present, he
and Japan are sometimes spotted working together.

Ex: He works on strengthening his diplomatic ties with
Japan.

Ex: He asks Japan to design him a New Years’ postcard [x].

Ex: In a character note, it’s explicitly stated that his history
has made him thick-skinned. He’s “tough mentally.”

No one likes change, but it’s inescapable, especially for
someone like China.

Ex: On several occasions, he’s been shown to be melancholic and
upset over how drastically the world has changed.

Economic Strength:

Obviously, he’s become an economic superpower in modern
times, and while his old age prevents him from assuming the same physical strength
as a younger country in a similar position would – like America – the strength
is in his performance.

Ex: He’s very up-to-date with technology and squashes
competition for production costs [x] – although unmentioned, this is at the
consequence of terrible working conditions for his people. It’s important to
recognize that.

Ex: He’s referred to as a powerhouse, regardless of the fact that he gains weight due to rising Chinese obesity rates.

Ex:There’s also this beautiful sequence where Hima draws out a scenario from a movie he watched. China holds America as collateral until the latter’s
debt owed to him is paid [x].

In sum, while China may be weakened by old age, he’s far
from lame and he’s anything but a plain character. If anything, the series
could really use a lot more of him.

PART 2

Italy:

Loneliness–

Ex: During the Second Industrial
Revolution, Italy breaks down crying when England asks him for help, citing
that it had been a long time since someone had last trusted him. At the time,
he had just unified with Romano, so their relations were even rockier than they
are now.

Fear of being useless and
unwanted, abandonment–

Ex: When Germany makes an
alliance with Russia, Italy gets anxious and suffers from a nightmare. He imagines that his allies, Germany and Japan, want nothing to do with him.

Ex: He makes Germany reassure
him several times that he’s not hated.

Discontentment with looks–

Ex: Italy panics when he gains
weight. Germany has to reassure him by drawing up a poll that confirms that it’s okay for handsome Italian men to have a bit of stomach.

Ex: He worries that he’s not
macho enough.

Prussia:

Fear of being alone + single–

Ex: He never married.

As such, no matter how much he
tries to convince himself that he likes being alone, the fact that he cries
when he sees Austria and Hungary on Christmas proves otherwise.

Fear of being weak + inferior–

Prussia’s life cycle is full
of peak and weak moments.

When he’s weak, he’s meek and
down in spirits.

When he has power, he becomes
cocky and will degrade others to make himself feel better.

Romano:

Inferiority over being
compared to his brother–

Russia:

Fear of being alone +
inability to make friends–

Ex: He’s put-off by America’s ability to make friends.

Ex: He grows disheartened
when many nations are unable/ choose not to visit him during the New Years’ break. A blizzard plays a part in this too.

Ex: He’ll call anyone his
friend, even General Winter who abuses and attacks him on an annual basis.

Ukraine:

Discontentment over looks–

She doesn’t like her big
chest. One strip in Volume 2 is literally titled:

“I Hate my Big Boobs!”

Ex: During the 2013-2014 Halloween
Event, others point out that her costume is too tight and restraining. (It’s to prevent
them from bouncing).

When other nations point this out, she grows uncomfortable and tells them not to mention it.

That said, you can’t say that
these characters don’t have their flaws or complexes, hardly any of which that
you see depicted in the anime. So no, Hetalia isn’t simple. The fandom didn’t
make it any deeper than what it already was.

Note: This is an example and reference post. By no means does this cover every case or detail in the manga.

PART 1

America:

Fear of Criticism–

Ex: In earlier strips, he’s
depicted to be reluctant to show England his movies.

This changes as he later
warms up to showing England his latest movies, only to have it be brutally
ripped apart, again. He’s gotten so used to being criticized by England that he’s normalized it all together.

Perhaps because of these
criticisms, on top of how poorly his movies are rated, is what caused him to
begin “laughing off the negative as something positive.”

Fear of Being Challenged–

He likes to be the #1 at
everything.

While it’s not made explicit, it’s clear that others’ opinions
threaten him.

Ex: He claims to want to hear
alternative opinions but later refuses to accept them.

Ex: He crushes bundled
spoons, likely as a form of intimidation, to prevent other nations from
disagreeing with his world defense plan.

Fear of Being Alone–

Due to England’s long absences,
he grew lonely.

This translates into adulthood,
where he pesters other nations into hanging out with him.

Ex: He breaks into Japan’s
house + desperately tries to convince himself that at least Japan likes him,
despite all other nations ‘hating’ him.

Discontentment with his
weight–

Ex: He doesn’t like being
called fat.

Ex: He refuses to acknowledge
the ‘number’ on his scale and instead convinces himself that it’s broken.

Austria:

Fear of Being Plain–

Ex: He doesn’t need to wear glasses
but feels simple without them [x].

Canada:

Fear of Being Ignored/
Forgotten–

Canada was neglected in his
childhood and consequently developed low self-esteem and self-worth.

Ex: He mistakenly believed that
the then colonizing England was looking at
him as a person and not as a resource when they first meet. If anything,
this fleshes out how young Canada wasn’t accustomed to being valued on a
personal level. As such, he doesn’t value himself later on in life.

Ex: He at one point believed
that America was disinterested in him.

Ex: He was once too shy to communicate
with America directly, so he used England as a mouthpiece.

Ex: He cries when Seychelles
remembers that he’s a member of the G8 .

Discontentment with Looks–

Ex: He doesn’t think he’s
good looking.

England:

Fear of being weak + inferior–

Ex: After being conquered
several times over, young England aspired to become strong himself.

Ex: He longs for the golden days of his empire [x].

Ex: He especially feels
inferior when America surpasses him in manufacturing during the Second Industrial
Revolution.

Ex: In “England’s Plan to Be
the Strongest”, England trains to become stronger – an implicit acknowledgment
that he’s lost power.

Low self-esteem–

Ex: As a child, he took France’s teasing
insults to heart and believed that he was “unrefined.”

Ex: While he’s critical of
others, he’s just as critical of himself. He’s self-deprecating.

Fear of Being Alone–

As the “Black Sheep of
Europe, he was constantly isolated from other countries.

Ex: The American Revolution.

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.

To begin with, I want to emphasize how important it is to
recognize that Hetalia is not a series that believes in permanent grudges. Regardless of
the betrayals that occur in the manga, the grudges that the nations bear rarely
if ever remain.

This doesn’t go to say that grudges can’t last for a long
time, because they do and for good reasons. What I’m getting at here is that
while the nations are cultural personifications – representing their citizens,
not just the government – they’re also people just like you and me.

How the nations associate
with each other is influenced by their political relations. On the other hand,
to say that, because of these rocky political relations, the nations in
question inevitably hate each other is a shallow way of understanding things.

Their pasts together extend beyond their present situation. They’ve
lived for several lifetimes and have their own memories and experiences; there are
other factors to take into account that influence how they view each other on a personal level. To view and associate are two
very different things that are wrongfully equated together in the fandom.

I say this because you’ll see moments where enemy nations
drop their political masks and treat each other as friends.

Ex: After being stranded on Seychelles during WW2, Italy invites
France to his side of the island and asks not to pick a fight. Italy still
fondly refers to France as Big Brother, a title that originated from their
childhood spent together in Rome’s house.

Ex: When he occupies Rome, rather than treating the Italy
brothers with hostility, America politely asks them to make him authentic Italian
cuisine.

Ex: Italy excitedly greets Austria after his annexation,
despite having recently fought him in WW1.

What this post will explore is how grudges held by the nations
subside with time.

That said, let’s go over some examples.

America and England:

Of course, I’ll get the most obvious one out of the way
first. America’s declaration of independence was experienced as a personal betrayal to England.

Ex: He’s noted to have had a stormy temper in the decades
following America’s independence. [x]

Ex: While it’s not explicitly stated, it’s alluded that
England is talking about America when he claims to have suffered from 100 years
of heartbreak.

Of more importance is that aside from their volatile political
relations, America still demands to see England when he hears that the latter’s
fallen ill as a result of the war.

Notice how distressed and panicked America is here. He even
tries to force his way into the house, despite being barred entry by
Canada. Again, the personal triumphs over the political.

As mentioned, with time, a lot of this anger and resentment disappears.

Ex: England takes the leap and attends America’s centennial
celebration.

Ex: The two are now able to tease each other void of any
spite.

Belgium and Netherlands:

There’s a rocky period in their relationship after Netherlands attempted to unify them into one Kingdom. Belgium declares her
independence instead.

We learn from his bunny how upsetting this “fight” was for
him. He copes by constantly keeping busy.

China and Japan:

This one is definitely the most difficult betrayal to
digest. It’s easily the most brutal scene depicted in the manga.

Japan stabs an unsuspecting China in the back during WW2.
What I want to place particular emphasis on is the fact that even though China
knew that their political relations were tense, he still personally trusted Japan, even as the katana was pulled out.

Additionally, notice how Japan’s face goes blank before he
stabs China. To me, this appears that he’s emotionally removed himself from the
situation.

In the aftermath of this betrayal, we see China drunkenly
crying as he realizes how war has changed Japan. Russia’s response to this is
crucial.

Nations don’t remain as enemies
forever.

It’s the good memories that last.

Even though China developed a grudge against Japan, it doesn’t
last.

Ex: In a more recent strip, China attempts to strengthen his
diplomatic ties with Japan.

Following the abolition of their empire, Lithuania falls
under Russian control. As Lithuania’s forcefully dragged away, Poland doesn’t
answer Lithuania’s pleas for help and instead laughs at his facial expression.

Because of all the fond moments they shared together,
Lithuania resents Poland for this, but he doesn’t hate him.

If he did, then he
wouldn’t have warned Poland of Russia’s plan to invade him in WW2.

All in all, the point to take away from this is that while
hatred exists in the manga, it doesn’t persist. Political relations may influence
the nations, but in no way does it define them in whole.

The relationship that Italy and France bear is subtle, but
it’s nonetheless there. What this post will explore is the reason why Italy
holds France with such fondness.

Additionally, because they grew up together, France is one
of the select few nations who know how secretly vulnerable and insecure Italy
is, regardless of the cheerful front that the latter puts up to hide this from
others.

Childhood:

The two of them both grew up in Rome’s household. It’s for
this reason that Italy refers to France as “big brother” or “onii-chan.” Again,
it’s important to remember that in this context, the title is an expression of
affection or adoration.

There was a latent period in which Italy had no
contact with Holy Rome and France.

When he does meet them again, Rome had just passed away.

Although France protected Italy from being bullied by Holy Rome,
he himself also bullied Italy and later joins the campaign to conquer the
weakened Italian Peninsula.

After falling under Austria’s rule, Italy didn’t get to see
France for a long time.

He’s still under Austria’s rule and lacks independence
here, but he’s aged considerably since the last time they had last seen each other.

Of course, France has one of two reactions.

One, excitement to see Italy.

Two, an eagerness to make Italy French territory.

Still, having lived with Italy for a considerable time,
France is fully aware of how fragile Italy is.

While this is a deleted strip and should not be taken as
canon, the fact that Hima once depicted France to brave it out and break the
news of Holy Rome’s dissolution to Italy, not to mention the conflicted look on
his face, proves that he cares about Italy’s emotional welfare above his own.

I say this because it was France who caused Holy Rome’s
dissolution. Just imagine the shame and pain he would have had to go through in
confessing this to Italy, who loved Holy Rome. France was a role model for Italy
and to have that image destroyed by the death of the loved one could have put
their entire relationship on the line.

Non-canon material aside, Italy’s canonically noted to be
one not to hold grudges.

Let’s explore how this carries into his adulthood.

World War 2 Relations:

I’ve said this before, but it’s important to recognize that
while the nations’ interactions are influenced by their present political
relations, that doesn’t in whole
affect their personal lives.

As people in their own right, the nations’ opinions of each
other is predicated more on the past. Put another way, they have a personal history
together aside from politics.

This would explain why Italy refers to France as onii-chan both
in his childhood as he was being conquered by the latter and later in the world
wars.

Ex: Both find themselves shipwrecked on Seychelles during
WW2. While France is skeptical at first, the two agree not to pick a fight with
each other and to drop the political personas that would have designated them
as enemies.

Ex: When engaging in a gossiping smear campaign against the
Axis, France stops short and claims that Italy isn’t that bad of a person.

England still implants false ideas into Italy’s head anyway,
claiming that Germany hates him.

The reason that I believe that France is so hesitant to
attack Italy with words is because he knows how sensitive he is. It was incredibly
perceptive and considerate on his part.

Ex: Right after being told this by England, Italy clarifies
with Germany if he really does hate him. Of course, he doesn’t.

The insecurity stems from the fact that Italy needs
reassurance and does not hold a confident opinion of himself. He believes
England when he’s told that he’s useless.

This isn’t the first that we’ve seen of Italy’s insecurity
over his friendship with Germany.

Ex: He worries that he’ll be left behind when
Germany forms an alliance with Russia. He himself fears that he’s useless,
weak, and troublesome to his allies and has a nightmare about this.

That’s a tying theme of Italy’s characterization. He
experiences constant anxiety over the fact that he’s a hetare – a useless and weak individual. You can see why France was so opposed to doing
anything that would influence Italy’s already poor opinion of himself.

The closeness of their relationship further comes to light
when we learn that France is the first person Italy calls to voice his concerns
over Germany not liking him.

Italy trusts France so much that he takes his first
sarcastic piece of advice to heart – he did call in the middle of the night,
after all.

France later gives real advice after Italy calls him again.

The Present:

The two still get along really well, although the hints of
this relationship remain to be subtle in nature.

Ex: When France attempts to get closer with Germany, he
cites that Spain and Italy – his other
close friends –don’t care for aesthetics. What’s important here
is that France appears to consider Italy as a close friend.

Ex: He comes to Italy’s aid when Romano refuses to cooperate
with him.

In sum, France and Italy’s relationship, while not made to
be obvious, remains strong.

Unlike in fanon depiction, Germany’s anger isn’t senseless and inherently
driven by aggression. While Germany’s short temper may have originated from aggression,
having been reared in a hostile environment, his anger later shifts to an expression
of frustrated confusion.

What this post will also explore is how Germany gets in
touch with his kinder, softer, and sentimental side, as well as his troubles in
expressing this aspect of his person.

Where did his temper
originate?

To understand why Germany was so aggressive and angry, it’s
important to situate his life.

Germany’s childhood was not a healthy one. He was reared in
an atmosphere of constant war, hostility, and aggression. As such, he didn’t
learn how to trust and form healthy relationships with others, but rather, he
learned to view others with distrust and suspicion.

Ex: When Germany
first meets Italy as enemies in WW1, notice how suspicious, paranoid, and
hostile he is of Italy. Regardless of the fact that they’re in a war, Germany’s
reactions here are over the top.

Likewise, when Germany became frustrated with Italy, he
would use physical force. His childhood was primal in that the use of physical
force was wrongfully normalized.

Ex: Germany would put
Italy into headlocks when he fell out of line.

What you’ll see is that as Germany’s relationship with Italy
deepened into a true friendship, Germany not only learns how to be receptive
toward others, but his temper diminishes significantly. He still has a short
fuse, although in no way does he see aggression – verbal or physical – as an
appropriate method of communicating.

Ex: He begins
hugging Italy, albeit being confused by this.

How his temper changed:

As mentioned above, Germany’s friendship with Italy changed
him dramatically. Italy was the first person that indirectly taught Germany
what a healthy relationship entails.

To put things into perspective, Germany’s understanding of
relationships was so warped from his past that he needed Austria to clarify
what his relationship with Italy was.

Before asking this, he had also bought a manual on relationships.

The running gag of Buon San Valentino is that Germany panics
over whether Italy is his friend or “partner.” It’s a big misunderstanding on his part.

What’s important here is that as Germany confronts his
relationship with Italy, he comes to realize how he had normalized hostile
relationships. His relationship with Italy confused him because he hadn’t been
used to experiencing something so pleasant or “fun.”

Additionally, Italy causes Germany to experience emotions that
he’s never felt before. He never felt anxiety on the battlefield, meanwhile, his
friendship with Italy causes him to experience it. Even more extreme, is that he’s uncertain if what he experiences with Italy is happiness.

How I interpret this is that
war was something that Germany was used to; receiving unequivocal affection was
foreign and strange to him, which would explain why it produced so much panic and confusion. Similarly, happiness was not something he had learned. He’s experiencing it for the first time.

The last thing I want to mention here is how Germany’s anger
shifts to a frustration over being confused.

As Germany experiences these new emotions – confusion, shame, happy, and heartbeat– he gets angry as a result of his inability to process/
handle them properly.

Ex: Germany getting mad at Italy for flirting with girls, as
he had mistakenly perceived their dinner to be a date. The ellipses are
extremely important here as it demonstrates how overwhelmed he is.

These new emotions make him feel vulnerable and confused,
resulting in him losing his composure. For someone as ordered as Germany,
losing this sense of composure is terrifying, especially since he doesn’t like to
show weakness.

This refusal to show weakness still persists in modern
times. Perhaps this is yet another link to his do-or-die war-ridden past – it’s
a primal instinct.

Ex: I find it interesting that when Germany experiences confusion at Italy’s behaviour, it’s his mind that explodes.

Ex: When Germany’s misunderstanding is taken a step further
and he proposes to Italy, the shame of the event is enough to cause him to
blackout. We are then introduced to a pan-in on his brain, which reveals another
surplus of emotions that Germany is experiencing for the first time.

The progress in Germany’s character, then, is that as Italy
inadvertently helps Germany learn how to form trusting relationships, Germany’s
inherent hostility and distrust of others disappears. This is especially the
case following both world wars, as he no longer has to keep up his guard.

Another problem that Germany faced was that even when he
attempted to reciprocate Italy’s affection, he came across as angry and
intimidating.

Ex: Germany scares Italy just by asking him if he’s all
right after a training session and if he needs anything to drink. Italy interprets
this as Germany being angry with him.

Germany’s softer side and his difficulty in expressing it:

The irony with Germany is that even though he learned how to
get over the majority of his anger and hostility, he has trouble expressing
himself.

While he may have mellowed out and calmed down considerably…

…he still comes off as angry and troubled to others.

On top of that, he also has trouble smiling. It’s something
that doesn’t come naturally to him. Just like he read a manual on
relationships, he’s once shown to be reading a manual on how to smile properly.
It’s something that he’s still working on and isn’t very easy to undo. Point
is, he’s trying.

Ex: He still has difficulty receiving praise from others.

That said, I want to end this by pointing out that however
poorly Germany expresses himself, his actions are what is truly important in
proving how sweet and considerate he is.

Ex: He loves his dogs.

Ex: He loves baking, especially with friends.

Ex: He’ll come to his friends’ aid without any question or
deliberation, no matter how ridiculous the request.

Ex: He worries about others more than himself. This is
especially relevant when you consider that he’s pretty much holding up the EU.

All in all, to portray Germany as a strictly angry character
doesn’t do his personality any justice.

Yes, he may have been
an angry and hostile character, but you have to situate that with his childhood
and understand that he’s evolved past his initial distrust of others. Germany
has always been an inherently kind person – all it took was another person,
Italy, to bring this side out of him.

It’s a tedious process, but Germany’s slowly opening himself up
more and more as the strips progress. For a person who was born in a primal
environment, of course it’s going to take some emotional priming before he’s
truly ready to show all sides of himself.

What this post aims to do is illustrate why Romano has such
a poor personal relationship with Veneziano. Aside from the fact that they’re
brothers, the two simply don’t get along.

Of course, this doesn’t mean to say that Romano doesn’t care
about/ love Veneziano, because he does. What it does say and what I will
elaborate on is that Romano holds onto a lot of anger and resentment from his
childhood which still affects how he relates and interacts with Veneziano.

What is an inferiority complex?

To understand why Romano is so hostile toward Veneziano, we
need to situate how this hostility stems from feelings of inferiority.

An inferiority complex is a “condition that develops when a
person is unable to compensate for normal inferiority. Such individuals have a
poor opinion of themselves. They feel helpless and unable to cope with the
demands of life.”

In other words, these individuals are unable to come to
terms with the fact that there will be people in their life who are better than
them at certain tasks. They compare themselves to the person above them and let
this difference inform their self-worth.

As such, they have a low self-esteem and opinion of
themselves. The helplessness occurs from being unable to change this self-perceived
inferior position.

There are three sources in childhood that can lead to the
development of an inferiority complex. In the case of Romano, we only need to
focus on the last one – neglect.

Childhood neglect results in the child developing an
indifferent or hostile attitude of their parents. They can later develop
feelings of worthlessness and anger and view others with distrust.

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

The Origin of Romano’s Inferiority Complex: Childhood Neglect

Right from the get-go, early strips in the series depict
Romano feeling inferior in comparison to Veneziano.

While he still does get part of Rome’s inheritance, he feels
undercut in that he doesn’t inherit Rome’s aptitude for trade and art, unlike
Veneziano, who does.

The helplessness and inability to cope with life’s demands
reveals itself as Romano admits that he “can never win against Veneziano”,
regardless of what he does.

This unhealthy drawing of comparisons between him and his
brother, therefore, leads Romano to develop a poor opinion of himself. He views
himself as “weak” and “useless.”

He can still show his love and affection for Veneziano, but
notice how he also feels compelled to undermine him with a demeaning insult.

*They didn’t see each other very often during their separation. This is a rare occasion.

That’s why I believe that Romano constantly refers to others
as bastard, shitstain, idiot, etc. It’s because he has very low self-worth and
unconsciously needs to degrade others.

What doesn’t help is that just like Rome, Spain initially
plays favouritism toward Veneziano due to his polite manners and dedicated work
ethic in performing household chores…something that Romano wasn’t capable of.

However, as I’ve pointed out in another post [x], Romano’s distrust
of Spain when they first begin living together is a symptom of Romano acting
out the frustration of his childhood neglect.

Rome didn’t pay as much attention to Romano as he did to
Veneziano. This childhood neglect is the source of Romano’s inferiority.

This would then explain why Romano views Spain with
distrust. He wasn’t used to being consistently cared for and didn’t “attach”
himself to Spain right away, not to mention that Spain had originally wanted to
trade Romano for Veneziano.

Nonetheless, Spain eventually realizes how harmful his
valorization of Veneziano is to Romano’s self-esteem.

One strip, in particular, depicts Spain apologizing to
Romano upon realizing that Romano has his own way of expressing affection,
crude as it may be.

Ex: Romano mistakes German soldiers as enemies and ‘sacrifices’
himself to allow Spain to get away.

When Romano’s reprimanded by Spain, who perceived his
behaviour to be rude and him acting out, he gets frustrated with Spain and
snaps at him for not understanding this.

The resolution of this strip involves Spain learning to
value Romano for who he is, instead of constantly
comparing him to his brother and valuing him for what he has to offer as a conquered territory.

Romano’s Inferiority Complex in Adulthood:

The problem now is that Romano’s inferiority complex still
resides with him in the present. Unlike that one childhood strip, however,
Romano isn’t able to openly express his affection for Veneziano.

Their sudden unification left a ridge in their relationship
that has yet to be rectified.

Ex: Romano refused to rely on Veneziano during the Second
Industrial Revolution. This refusal was so strong that he moved to America to
sustain himself.

Despite this, Romano cares
about Veneziano, but he doesn’t express this at a face-to-face level.

He looks after Veneziano behind his back by confronting Germany…

…and yet, will insult and degrade Veneziano and his
accomplishments straight to his face.

It’s not so much that he compares himself to his brother
more than he hates being compared to him by others. Veneziano continues to be valorized,
meanwhile Romano still comes second.

Ex: Romano snaps at Prussia for referring to him as Italy’s
older brother.

One of the few people who puts Romano first is Spain. This
is likely why he’s the first person Romano calls when he immigrates to
America. Romano canonically finds it easier to talk to Spain than with
Veneziano.

It’s not like this hostility toward Veneziano has gone away
either. The division in their relationship is still very much present.

Ex: Romano refuses to cooperate with Veneziano, the consequences
of which are seen in their country’s total economic performance.

Ex: Romano expresses frustration over his brother’s infantilization
of him. He wants to work, but Veneziano tends to take over.

Romano’s actually an extremely dedicated worker if he’s motivated enough. The issue
is that either Veneziano doesn’t give him a chance, or he stubbornly
refuses to cooperate.

While some have argued that in more recent strips, Romano
and Veneziano appear to be getting along better,
this still doesn’t compensate for why Romano continues to refer to
Veneziano as “stupid/ idiot little brother.”

Until Romano stops referring to Veneziano like that, the
inferiority complex and subsequent compulsion to degrade his brother down a
notch have not truly gone away.

Remember that Romano doesn’t express his affection using words. Even with Spain, the person whom he’s closest with, he still refers to him with insults. Nothing about the tone or the way the insults are used indicate fondness. If anything, Romano uses actions to show that he cares.

The persistence of feelings of worthlessness:

Much of Romano’s childhood inferiority affected who he is as
a person.

He’s an extremely sensitive and insecure character, having always
felt like he was never good enough.

Ex: He’s noted to be a crybaby.

Ex: He cries when his audition doesn’t make the cut for a
movie. Notice how he immediately cites other people caring about his brother
more than him as a reason for this.

Ex: He cries when Germany points out that Veneziano is
taller than him.

His character notes are the best and most explicit
indicators of his inferiority complex:

1)
He’s said to only be aloof with Veneziano.

2)
He’s said to detest Veneziano “a bit.”

All in all, it’s not that Romano hates or resents Veneziano.
He hates and resents being compared to him.