mischaracterization in hetalia – Ellawritesficssometimes

Disclaimer: This
post will strictly explore Germany’s character in canon. It does not explore
nor make the Holy Rome = Germany assumption.

Misconception: He’s
gruff, mean, stand-offish, and curt to the point of being rude.

Reality: He’s
sweet and considerate but is very poor at expressing himself. He lacks
socialization skills and can also come off as too formal.

Germany’s main complex is that he comes off as angry to
others when he actually isn’t.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 1.

Ex: He asks out
Italy for drinks after a training session, and Italy interprets him as being
angry.

Source: Hetarchive, Comic Diary 4.

Ex: He has trouble
smiling. The consequence of this is that others are afraid of his domineering appearance.

Source: Hetarchive, Christmas 2010 Event.

However, he’s able to smile when he’s drunk.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 1.

Ex: He’s so poor
at socializing that he needs to rely on manuals for things such as friendship,
romance, and even how to smile.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 7 + Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino Series (mentioned).

Ex: He absolutely
loves dogs.

Source: Volume 5.

Ex: He loves
baking, especially with his friends. He has an entire character song dedicated
to this, titled “Ich liebe…”

Source: Hetascanlatoins, World Stars Chapter 33.

Misconception: He
was a Nazi and rooted himself in the fascist cause.

Reality: It’s
complicated…

I know this sounds bad, but something I always want to
emphasize is the need for contextualization.

I’ll be upfront by saying that technically Germany was a
Nazi but superficially and through force. Addressing the second part, he did
not support the fascist regime at all.

Let’s unpack this.

For one thing, nations in the series are obligated to adhere
to their bosses’ orders.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 97.

Ex: Germany is
sent all over as Hitler’s lapdog and seems to be used to being screamed at.

Source: Hetarchive, Hetare 4: Pact of Steel.

The series doesn’t explicitly name Hitler,
instead describing his as strange in a euphemistic manner; he’s also said to be suffering from boss troubles—remember that the
series’ satirical and comedic genre constrains what historical material it can
cover.

Source: Hetarchive, Hetare 5: Lietuvis.

Ex: Although
Finland is joking in the strip, it’s hinted that Hitler would have been capable
of imprisoning Germany should he have disobeyed his orders.

Source: Ibid.

Things get complicated when Germany is asked to annex
Austria. He vehemently opposes but is threatened into doing so. We then see him
holding up propaganda at a booth with Nazi insignia that promotes the annexation.

Source: The Austrian Anschluus + Comic Diary 7 (mentioned).

This anti-fascist narrative is further elaborated on when
Germany describes his daily life as torture and equates torture in a POW camp
to a mere mosquito bite. In other words, Germany’s daily life in Nazi Germany
isn’t glorified; it’s instead equated to a living hell for him. He’s respectively said to be tolerating his days through pain.

Source: Volume 1, Hetarchive, Hetare 5: Lietuvis.

Not only that, but Hetalia is also anti-war.

Ex: Germany is
shown reflecting on how miserable he is at war. He then later agrees to a
temporary truce with England on Christmas Eve, where the two play soccer.

Source: Volume 3.

For longer posts with more extensive evidence on how Hetalia
as a series is anti-war and anti-imperialist, please go here [x] [x] [x].

Misconception: He’s
so straight-laced that he can’t take a break.

Reality: He’s so
straight-laced that he schedules his breaks.

Ex: Germany
actually loves vacations and is more than capable of taking breaks.

Source: Hetascanlations Chapter 7 & 216 + Vollume 6.

Bonus facts:

The greatest hint of the Holy Rome = Germany connection lies
in the Buon San Valentino strips. Germany blacks out and appears to recollect a
fuzzy image of Chibitalia, suggesting that it might, in fact, be a repressed memory
of his.

Source: Hetarchive, Buon San Valentino pt 3.

He’s a germaphobe and neat freak.

Source: Volume 1.

He first meets Italy during WW1.

Source: Volume 1.

He was originally based off a German acquaintance of
Himaruya.

Misconception: She’s weak and unassertive

Reality: Even though we don’t get much canon material of her, her
character notes state otherwise.

Those who wish to
accurately depict her should take note of the fact that she’s described as a
smart girl with a strong mind—I’ll get more into that in a little bit.

Source: Volume 2.

Ex: There’s an old
sketch where she stands up to China and tells him to back off from Japan. The
panel seems to take place in the period where China still held a wartime grudge
against Japan.

Source: Hetarchive, Taiwan’s profile.

Ex: Her appropriate
reaction to Italy requesting to place his head on her chest. Please note that
this took place during the Chest Test series, where Italy places his head on the
chests of all complying nations. The intentions weren’t perverted in nature…it’s
more reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Nov 8th, 2013).

Misconception: She doesn’t get along with other Asian nations and is
reclusive.

Reality: She’s on very friendly terms with other Asian nations.

I know that her
history is complicated, but it’s also important to recognize that Hetalia is a
series that promotes worldwide peace and solidarity.

While it does avoid certain topics—as necessitated
by its comedic and satirical genre—that doesn’t mean they’re trivialized. The
series has shown that in spite of experiencing rocky political relationships,
the personifications are nonetheless able to maintain a personal life separate from
it.

Ex: In the present, Taiwan
is a regular visitor of China’s home.

Source: Volume 4, Ilha Formosa ~Beautiful Island~ + Volume 5.

Ex: She’s on good
terms with Hong Kong. He visits her, and she visits him.

Source: Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, Nov 25th, 2013).

Besides that, she’s
particularly close with Vietnam.

Ex: She chooses
Vietnam’s Halloween outfit, much to the latter’s dismay.

Source: Hetarchive, Halloween 2013-2014 Event.

Ex: She convinced
Vietnam to take a photo with her. The significance of the moment rests with the
fact that Vietnam is insecure about her inability to smile.

Source: Volume 4,

Ilha Formosa ~Beautiful Island~.

Misconception: She’s
a flat character with no personality.

Reality: She could definitely
use more development, but she still has unique attributes.

While Taiwan’s
character is due for some fleshing out, as is the case with most female nations
[unfortunately], the facts that we do receive about her are enough to work with. The
information is all there; you just have to look for it.

Ex: She’s a skilled
businesswoman.

Source: Hetarchive, Halloween 2013-2014 Event.

Ex: She likes
fortune-telling.

Source: Hetscanlations, World Stars Chapter 239.

Ex: She’s a good cook
and likes fashion.

Source: Volume 5.

Bonus facts:

Strips suggest that
Taiwan may be attracted to both men and women.

i.e., she gives
Valentine’s Chocolates to Japan (France and Italy’s suggestive looks are
important) + she purposefully convinces Vietnam to wear a tight Halloween
costume and oggles at Belarus and Ukraine.

Source: Hetascanlations, World Stars Chapter 42 + Hetarchive, Halloween 2013-2014 Event.

She’s a bird
lover.

Source: Volume 5 + Hetarchive (Bamboo Thicket, eng trans., Jan 22nd 2011).

She’s an avid fan of
anime.

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).

Misconception: He’s
an intentionally cruel character.

Reality: He’s
cognitively unaware of his cruelty+ his cruelty is described as child-like. In
other words, he’s doesn’t have the mental capacity to realize the repercussions
of his abuse. He was tormented and abused in childhood and subsequently
normalized it.

Ex: General Winter attacks him on an annual basis despite
offering protection [x]

Ex: He was conquered [bullied] by several nations when he
was a much smaller power.

Of course, this doesn’t aim to justify his actions, but it’s
important to understand that he’s not consciously malicious or sadistic in
nature. He’s characterized as a child-like adult that doesn’t have an accurate
perception of the world due to the trauma he experienced in his childhood. You
can feel pity for him without condoning his actions. Longer post on that here.

Multiple character notes corroborate this too [x].

Vol 1: “A gigantic
northern nation that has been tormented ever since childhood. At
the first impression, he seems to be a pure-hearted country bumpkin, and yet,
conversely speaking, he holds a child-like cruelty. Compared to other nations,
Russia’s history has seen more bloodbaths and tragedies.”

Vol 2: “He loves Vodka.
He has the simplicity of a country bumpkin and the cruelty of a child mixed
together.”

Vol 3: “A biiig, gentle,
and naive nation! He isn’t malicious, just extremely scary!”

Vol 4-5: “He’s
frighteningly innocent! + This huge northern country is giving off
a sense of oppression with his looks and his air of innocent scariness!”

I.e., in terms of mental
development, he’s remained as a perpetual child.

Misconception: He’s
evil.

Reality: Russia
isn’t good or bad. Someone who can’t tell right from wrong is incapable of
possessing morals. Instead, Russia often possesses good intentions despite the
disastrous consequences of his actions.

Ex: A repeated example, but the volume 4 character note
explicitly mentions that Russia isn’t a malicious person.

Ex: He thinks that anyone he meets is his friend.

Ex: He doesn’t realize that he hurts Latvia when he stretches
and squeezes him. He actually appears to kill Latvia briefly and remains
clueless to the pain he’s causing [x].

The only thing I would argue that Russia is conscious of is
the physical pressure that he puts on nations in order to get what he wants. I’ve
speculated before that Russia pushing down on Latvia’s head acts as a metaphor
for political pressure and suppression, hence the latter’s stunted growth.
Again, it’s like a child that knows what it wants and doesn’t tolerate any
deviating opinions.

Ex: Russia asks Latvia to help him build a railroad. When
Latvia refuses, Russia begins pushing down on his head until he complies [x].

Lastly, just like a child is capable of throwing tantrums,
Russia is the last nation you want to anger. He experiences mood swings that
are unpredictable, not to mention dangerous.

Ex: Russia naively believes that the Allies are his friends.
When Lithuania points out otherwise, Russia becomes angry, only to go through
another volatile shift in mood culminating in him feeling dejected.

Ex: He holds a covetous attitude towards nations that are/have been under his control [x].

Misconception: He’s hateful.

Reality: As the character note states, he can become “extremely
scary” if you do something he doesn’t like, but he’s far from hateful. He’s
known for his ability to forgive easily [x].

Ex: He dreams of living in a warm place surrounded by
sunflowers [x].

Ex: He loves children [x].

Just to prove again how unstable he is: he goes from
maternally feeding Estonia food with a bunny apron to threatening to assault
Estonia with a metal pipe—all executed with a smile on his face [x].

Misconception: He’s hated by all nations.

Reality: He’s feared and avoided for the most part. There are some notable grudges.

Ex: Although they’re not keen to be friends with Russia due
to the terror they experienced during the reign of the USSR, they don’t outright
hate him. They recognize that he’s unstable, and, therefore, can’t hold him
accountable for what he did. Instead, they keep their distance and still remain
fearful since this unpredictability hasn’t exactly gone away.

On the other hand, there are a few long-term grudges that
Russia’s held.

He and England have experienced several feuds, and it’s even
alluded to the fact that England is additionally wary of Russia because of a
dark presence that surrounds him. Longer post on that here [x].

Ex: England’s magical friends conveniently sense a dangerous
presence and flee right before Russia makes his appearance during the Halloween
2013-2014 Christmas event.

Another notable one is the grudge that he held against Japan.

Ex: Russian clergymen cursed Japan, resulting in Japan
panicking at the possibility of Germany forming an alliance with Russia during WW2 [x].

Bonus Facts:

He’s very rarely depicted without his scarf. Ukraine gave it
to him when they were children.

His heart has a habit of falling out of his chest.

His hair is blond in the manga [x].

He’s big-boned [x].

Misconception:
She’s not a pervert or presently maintaining that she’s a raging pervert.

Reality: Old tropes
pretty much characterized her as a fujoshi. The latter has since been
discarded, although some, much tamer elements of it remain.

Ex: Due to the high volume of gay porn videos in her country,
Himaruya depicted her to be obsessed with “cute boys,” [x].

Later in the series, we still see her getting excited over similar
things, but it’s much in the same way that any girl fawns over a cute boy—butts,
abs, muscles, or in this case, a fan request steering Austria onto the topic of
underwear.

Misconception:
She and Austria hated each other; therefore, a romantic relationship between
them is impossible.

Reality: Hungary possessed
“defiant feelings” over being under Austria’s rule, but also held “complicated,
yearning-like feelings towards him,” [x]. Evidence suggests that they still have
romantic feelings for each other.

The point of differentiation here is how the nations are
able to separate their political and personal selves. How I interpret this is
that she was defiant towards Austria the country, not Austria the person
whom she lived with in the same house.

A further substantiation would be a character note claiming
that Hungary is fond of Austria because he was the first person to treat her
with kindness, as opposed to other nations in the past who treated her very
poorly (Vol 1).

Nonetheless, the two still fought a lot until they formed a dual monarchy.

As for hints of romance, there are several [x].

Ex: Austria ‘anonymously’ sends Hungary flowers for
Valentine’s day [x].

Ex: They spend their holidays together seemingly as a
couple. Prussia actually tears up at the sight of them, a likely mix of
jealousy and lamenting over his own loneliness [x].

Ex: Not necessarily romantic per say, but Hungary secretly
cleaned up after Austria despite their marriage (empire) having been dissolved.

Misconception:
She and Prussia hate each other.

Reality: 9/10 times,
they’ll be fighting, but they don’t truly hate each other. It’s more like they really don’t get along.

Ex: She’s said to hate Prussia due to him “making fun of her
hardships in childhood,” [x].

This bickering dynamic doesn’t go away as they mature [x].

Ex: They consider each other to be family during the
holidays. Of course, that doesn’t stop Prussia from finding an excuse to initially bar her and Austria entry into his and Germany’s home. He was just being an ass,
nothing more.

Still, this shouldn’t
negate the fact that they worked with each other on several occasions.

Strips even allude to the fact that Prussia has unreturned
feelings for her.

Misconception:
Hungary gave up everything for Austria and rendered herself weak and feminine.
In other words, she copped-out.

Reality: While
Hungary had a complex over settling down with Austria and feared that her
battle skills would get rusty, she did anything but cop-out [x].

Even though she bore stereotypical feminine household
chores, she still holds the title as the “manliest” country in the comic (Vol 2).

Ex: She didn’t hesitate to aid Austrian troops and kicked
some ass while doing so [x].

Bonus facts:

She used to represent an equestrian tribe [x].

She was raised to be like a man by Magyar and initially
identified as such. This only changed when she matured and realized
that she was actually a girl [x].

She and Romania get along like dogs and monkeys (the
Japanese equivalent of the saying “like cats and dogs”).

She’s described as a big sister-type (e.g., she acts maternally
towards Italy and Germany) [x].

Misconception: He’s
weak.

Reality: Austria
was born a fighter [x], but as he turned to marriage to solve his political
problems, he lost shape and became accustomed to home life. He’s actually quite
lazy now [x].

Misconception: He
was cruel and heartless when he ruled over Chibitalia.

Reality: While he
was strict and stern with Chibitalia, a lot of this can be attributed to the extreme
and exaggerated humour employed by Himaruya in the series’ early days.

Even with the strict punishments, Chibitalia still shared
many fond moments with Austria—nations living in Holy Rome’s household
considered each other to be family and even maintained this sense of closeness
decades afterwards [x] [x].

Misconception:
Due to historical tensions, it’s impossible that he and Hungary were able to
possess such a strong relationship under their empire. [x].

Reality: Yes and
no.

You have to remember that the nations are people too. They
have a political self and a personal self. It’s for this reason that while
Hungary has “defiant” feelings from her time spent under Austrian rule, she also
has “complicated, yearning-like” feelings for him [x].

How I interpret this is that she despised Austria for what
Austria the country stood for at the time but not who he stood for as a
concrete and separate person.

Lest we forget all the times where it’s hinted that the
two still have feelings for each other. The most notable panel that substantiates
this claim is from Buon San Valentino. There, Hungary receives a Valentine’s
day gift from someone with “glasses and one hair standing up,” [x].

“He hides his name but not his Mariazell.”

Misconception:
Austria and Prussia hate each other.

Reality: Again,
yes and no. It depends on the time period. The ‘hatred’ isn’t deep-set but
rather it’s temporary. Himaruya once said that it would be fun to draw Austria, Germany, and Prussia as a “chaotic sort of family,” [x].

Undoubtedly, Prussia gets on Austria’s nerves…a lot [x]. (Another good reference would be the Maria Theresa series).

Still, the strips have also shown that they don’t truly hate each other.

Ex: Austria
receives a censored letter from Prussia (who was under Soviet rule at the time)
and reads it out of pity [x].

Ex: The two still
consider each other to be ‘family’ and spend their holidays together despite
all the fighting it causes (Christmas 2010 Event).

(Prussia initially didn’t want to let Austria spend
Christmas with him because he was a “lesser German”. He was just being an ass;
I wouldn’t take it seriously, especially given Germany’s response).

Bonus Facts:

He’s considerably self-critical.

Ex: He wears his glasses to avoid looking plain. It’s not
from poor eyesight. Instead, they represent his “musical something,” [x].

Ex: Being unsatisfied with his appearance is enough to make
him feel discontented [x].

Similar to Freud’s “anal-retentive” personality-type,
Austria is a stingy [x] perfectionist [x].

His mole acts as an erogenous zone, not his ahoge
[Mariazell] [x].

He gets grumpy when he doesn’t have coffee.

He spent part of his life in a wheelchair [x].

He doesn’t have a sense of direction.

He once avoided fighting with Prussia because he didn’t want
to harm young Germany [x].

Misconception: He’s a critical asshole.

Reality: He’s a critical asshole with low self-esteem. This
criticism isn’t only directed at others; he directs it at himself just as much.
As such, he knows he’s misunderstood by others for his actions but doesn’t care
enough to do anything about it.

“He’s quite bad at expressing himself. He himself knows that people often misunderstand him, he uses this fact for self-depreciating jokes.”

Ex: The most common trope for this is how critical he is of
America’s movies.

Ex: England is described as simultaneously self-deprecating
and condescending.

England also has a notable sweet, compassionate, and sentimental
side.

True to his tsundere
character-type, he’ll get flustered and play off his acts of kindness.

Ex: Usually, he detaches himself and claims that he’s not
doing a favor because it’s in his self-interest.

He will also verbally refuse to do things for others yet
still do them anyway.

Ex: He helps France find a hotel to stay.

Ex: After learning that Japan took strides to learn parts of
his culture, England returns the favor by drawing him a portrait… It’s the thought
that counts.

Misconception: He’s a horrible parent and is, therefore, a
terrible person.

Reality: He’s a horrible parent figure that loves his
colonies deeply but had a poor way of expressing it.

England grew up alone. The only parent figures that he had
were France and his other three brothers, those of whom all teased him. England’s
brothers would even go so far as to send him hexes.

Since isolation is how he
was raised and it’s all he knows, this explains why he repeats these same parenting
patterns on his colonies.

Ex: He doesn’t see anything wrong with leaving America for
long periods of time, as this was something that he had endured in his own childhood.
He’s wrongfully normalized it.

Ex: When England lost America after the Revolutionary War,
he grieved with anger. His temper is described to have become particularly
stormy in the years following America’s independence. It’s also alluded that
the 100 years of heartbreak that England once suffered from was due to this
separation (Source: 2007 Christmas Event).

In the present, the two have shifted more to a teasing
relationship.

Misconception: He hates France.

Reality: As lifelong rivals, France and England both despise
and respect each other. They get on each other’s nerves more than they get
along. Nonetheless, this shouldn’t negate the fact that when the time requires
it, the two will stand together in solidarity.

Ex: The two team up against Finland when the latter proposes
the possibility of becoming America’s older brother by virtue of his similar looks.

Ex: England took France in after the Germans occupied the
latter during WW2.

Misconception: He’s antisocial.

Reality: England’s rude behaviour has frequently isolated him
from others, hence the nickname of “the Black Sheep of Europe.”

On the other hand, he’s a gentleman that knows how to
socialize. More than that, he enjoys it.

Ex: He engages in a discussion on gardening with Netherlands
and Japan.

Ex: He has tea with India.

Ex: He bonds with Norway over their affinity for magical
friends.

Bonus facts:

He acts as both the representative for the UK and England [x].

On the topic of where England’s hypothetical tattoo could
be, Himaruya points…

He’s very passionate about steampunk and once gave America
an entire lecture on the subgenre when he learned that they shared a common
interest.

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].

Misconception: He’s weak
because he’s terrified of Russia OR “stop portraying Estonia as a fraidy cat.
He’s strong!!!!”

Reality: Anyone in their
right mind would be terrified of Russia when he’s angry. Estonia and the other
Baltic nations being scared of him is completely logical. The real Estonia is
both a careful and extremely intelligent tactician who is realistically scared
of Russia should he get on the latter’s bad side.

To portray and argue that
Estonia isn’t scared of Russia is just as one-sided as portraying him to be a
trembling, sobbing mess.

Ex:The Baltics aren’t called
the Trembling Trio for nothing. They withstood decades of oppressive Russian
rule [x].

Ex: Whether it has to do with
money or his plans to gain independence, Estonia prides himself on his
calculative nature [x] [x].

Most of Estonia’s strength
comes from his wit.

Ex: He’s described as an
“honor student” [economically and politically] that’s “rational and businessman-like.”

Ex: He acts as Prussia’s
senior and gives the latter advice on how to live in Russia’s house [x].

On the other hand, Estonia
isn’t completely afraid of Russia either. He’s stood up for himself several
times.

Ex: He has no problem
confronting Russia when he believes that his blog was hacked by Russians [x].

Ex: He confronts Russia about his bullying behaviour during a world meeting.

Ex: He hangs up on Russia
during the 2010 Christmas event [x].

Ex: He was eager to sell any
belongings associated with Russia in the post-Soviet era [x].

Misconception: He’s a plain
‘in the shadows character” that is insecure of himself.

Reality: He’s very
self-confident.

Estonia arguably has the
highest self-esteem of all aph characters. When he commends/ boasts about himself, he truly means it [x].

Bonus facts:

He’s known for his IT
technology [x].

He’s part of the Choral club
in the World Academy AU.

Estonia is the caretaker of
the mochis. He bought most of them from an online auction [x].

He wants to become a Nordic.

When asked why Estonia has so
many strange experiences – i.e. being transported into the world of the mochis
and the dream in which several male nations were replaced by their nyo versions
– Himaruya stated that his “elite glasses summon strange fellows,” [x].

Misconception: He’s
an anxious person without a backbone.

Reality: He’s an
anxious person with an exceptionally strong backbone.

Lithuania used to be a world superpower. While he’s quiet
and introverted – like the other two Baltic countries – the fierce warrior
aspect of his personality hasn’t quite left him.

The most common piece of information that is used to
characterize him is that he “tends to think too much, which gets him depressed
and a stomach ache,” [x].

Ex: In his volume
3 character note, he’s described as a “serious young man with a strong body.”

Ex: In Italy’s
Chest Test series, Italy is surprised at how tough and muscular Lithuania is [x].

Ex: He loves
martial arts [x].

Ex: During the
Battle of Tannenberg, we learn from Finland that Lithuania is a “sharp” person.

In other words, he’s not someone to be underestimated on the
battlefield.

Prussia does exactly this, and it doesn’t turn out very well for
him. He actually hides from Poland and Lithuania after the battle, although he later
becomes a lackey to Poland.

Misconception: He’s
a sweet, pushover type.

Reality: He’s a
sweet, pushover type that has admirable moments of defiance. Lithuania isn’t only
defined by the above [partial] misconception. Even though he’s often bossed around and
later plays servitude to Russia, he’s still able to exercise his own agency.

Ex: The common
mistake is to only conceive him as someone who is introverted and good-natured.
He’s also a big brother type [x].

Ex: In addition,
he’s also noted to be bossed around frequently in Volume 5 – keep in mind that this
strip occurs during the Soviet Era.

Nonetheless, Lithuania’s seriousness and “strong perseverance”
is something that has consistently prevailed in him, no matter how dire the
circumstance.

Ex: Despite being pressured, Lithuania refused to convert to
Catholicism and holds defiance toward Prussia over this [x].

Ex: In strips that presumably take place during the Soviet Era
– as the setting is in Russia’s house – Lithuania’s old defiance for Prussia is
still alive and well. He gives him a “cold stare” and asks Prussia to leave him
alone [x].

Despite admitting to not liking him, Lithuania’s still civil
toward Prussia and gives him advice on living in Russia’s house [x].

Ex: It was
Lithuania who rallied the other Baltics to declare their independence from the USSR [x].

Misconception: He and Poland don’t have good relations
anymore.

Reality: He has some issues with Poland, stemming from their
past, but for the most part the two of them still share a good relationship in
the present.

Ex: Lithuania pulled a lot of the weight during their
union.

Ex: The fact that Poland laughed in his face as Russia
dragged him away during their forced separation didn’t sit well with Lithuania.
He holds clear bitter feelings about it [x].

Ex: On the other hand, Lithuania still cares about Poland
and tries to warn the latter of Russia’s intentions to partition him once again
in WW2.

Ex: While Lithuania is “dragged” around by Poland, he’s stated to still “enjoy himself” as this happens. My understanding
of this is that even though Lithuania does a lot of things for Poland, he doesn’t
mind the company [x].

On a similar note, in the World Academy AU, Lithuania is too
busy to attend the Choral Club’s meetings because he’s doing favors for Poland [x].
While he may be a pushover, I don’t think Lithuania would be doing this if he
didn’t care about Poland.

Misconception: He hates Russia.

Reality: He doesn’t have great relations with Russia, but he’s
civil.

Obviously, they’re not ‘friends-friends’ due to their past
together; however, it’s not pure hatred either.

Ex: He received many
scars during his time spent under Russian control.

Ex: He’s noted to be rehabilitating with Poland in the
post-Soviet era.

Ex: It’s alluded that Lithuania may suffer from PTSD. As he
recalls declaring his independence, he also remembers that Russia used to
squeeze his shoulders – a metaphor for political pressure. Without realizing it,
he begins squeezing Estonia’s and Latvia’s shoulders. It’s hard enough to cause
them pain [x].

Ex: Upon gaining independence, he was eager to get rid of
any belongings that were associated with Russia [x].

Ex: When asked if he considered Russia a friend, Lithuania
doesn’t “want anything in particular” and yet realizes that it’s probably
better to placate Russia. Of course, this is to be expected. The transition
toward a healthier relationship with Russia will take a long time for the ex-Soviet
countries to achieve. There’s also the fact that Russia’s sanity is unpredictable.

On the other hand, they still attend events together, so it’s
not as if the possibility of friendship – or at least acquaintanceship – isn’t
something on the horizon [x].

Bonus Facts:

Following WW1, Lithuania lived with America. This is done to
represent the Lithuanians who out-sourced themselves during this time.

Lithuania is later taken back by Russia once the Great
Depression hits [x].

America’s pets were very fond of Lithuania.

He has a crush on Belarus. On their first date, which predictably
didn’t last all that long (three minutes!), Belarus breaks his fingers [x].

In sum, as sweet, meek, and good-natured as Lithuania is, he’s definitely not someone to be underestimated. He’s an amazing, well-fleshed out character that is far more than the nervous wreck he’s commonly portrayed as.