Hungary

Hungary (ハンガリー, Hangarī) is a character in the series Hetalia: Axis Powers. In 2008, Himaruya gave human names to some of the characters and she received the name Elizabeta Héderváry (エリザベータ・ヘーデルヴァーリ, Erizabēta Hēderuvāri).

Appearance
She has long, light brown hair and green eyes. Her most common outfit, seen in merchandise and official artwork, is a green military uniform and matching beret. In the actual series, she can usually be seen dressed in traditional Hungarian folk dress.

The flower she wears in her hair, according to notes by Himaruya, is meant to represent Lake Balaton. It has been alternatively colored pink and yellow in the official artwork, though it is colored orange in the anime adaptation.

Personality and Interests
In her past, Hungary was once a nomadic girl who loved to chase after horses on the plains, and was a rather tomboyish child, to the point where she believed herself to be a boy until hitting puberty. She is described as being both a reliable older sister type (mainly to Belgium and Italy) and the manliest character in the series, and she also appears to be a fujoshi (literal: "rotten woman," a woman who is a yaoi fan).

She does not get along well with Romania, to the point where their relationship is described as being like that of a cat and a dog. It is also said that due to her dislike of Romanians, she would name her dogs after them.

Mongolia is said to have bullied Hungary in her youth, along with the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).

Austria
Main Article: Austria

Hungary's former husband and close friend, yet the status of their relationship is going very well. Throughout the anime and manga, the two share many moments that suggest that they have feelings for one another. For example, in the Buon San Valentino strips, Hungary is given a gift from an anonymous source, but when described the man has many of the same facial features that Austria has. In the anime, she seems to enjoy hearing him play his piano, close to his side. Also, during the third season, Hungary seems worried that Germany wants to annex Austria and she asks him "to please consider his feelings." Although the relationship has been confirmed, they both seem to care deeply about the other's well being and happiness. Many believe that the marriage was mostly a valuable war alliance and the two supported each other in war. The two have a very close relationship, despite the dissolution of their alliance and marriage. As children, Austria was often beaten up and defeated by Hungary when it came to wars, but when they got older, she became his servant while they were both under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire.

Italy
Main Article: Italy

When they were both under Austria's rule, she and Italy were very close and she saw herself as his older sister figure. Apparently, she was one of the few characters who knew his true gender at that time.

Prussia
Main Article: Prussia

She and Prussia were rivals as children. Prussia and Hungary herself both believed Hungary to be male. Since he made fun of her problems during that time, Hungary is seen to hate him and often hits him with her frying pan whenever she sees the opportunity to. Notably, Prussia is seen to have groped her as a child, unaware of her true gender and thinking that he was simply grabbing a weak spot, though he was utterly horrified by his actions. They are also seen as a pairing in some of the fandom. It is a fairly popular pairing in the series.

In the Anime
A younger Hungary first appears in Episode 10, in the Chibitalia sub-storyline. Having found that she happens to be in a similar situation to the child (as a servant to Austria), she spends time with him and dresses him up in her old clothes. She is shown to be interested in Austria and concerned with how the villagers have been heckling him.

The adult Hungary officially appears in Episode 59, receiving a message from God to hit France with her frying pan.

Name
Her first name (Elizaveta), due to not being rendered in romaji, is often a subject of debate as to how it should be spelled. Elizabeta is the most accurate spelling of her name according to the characters, though some fan sources use Elizaveta, as well as Elisabeth and Elizabeth (although the actual Hungarian equivalent of Elizabeth would be Erzsébet). Using the spelling of Elisabeth could be an allusion to Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria, who was the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She was married to Austrian Emperor Franz Josef, who is mentioned in the anime briefly.

Trivia

 * In older archived notes by Hidekaz Himaruya (circa 2007), it is mentioned that he originally considered making a male Hungary character, who was supposed to be a crossdresser. In the end, he decided to make Hungary the first female character of the series while Poland (who was originally planned to be female) became a cross-dressing male instead. The male version of Hungary was later used as the basis for Lithuania's design. Himaruya also initially thought of making a female Hungary who was more snide and "witchy," describing her as hot-tempered to the point where she would shoot people with arrows if they thought she was a guy.
 * In later notes that were compiled in the special booklet for Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 3, Himaruya revealed that a Hungary character actually was the first nation in the design department, as the witchy woman idea was recycled from a Hungarian witch character in a scrapped "hero in New York" series that would be replaced by the idea of Hetalia.
 * A blog entry by Himaruya revealed that Hungary has an ancestor, known only as Magyar, but he has not been mentioned or visually depicted in the actual series. In the screenplay for Gakuen Hetalia, her ancestor is referred to as Hun.
 * Though her birthday has not been revealed yet, her "Wedding Day" corresponds with the date of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise.
 * In the official English translation from Tokyopop and in the official subtitles from FUNimation, her catch phrase "Give back the vital regions" was changed to "Give back his little happy place!".