Memes in fandom

This is a list of popular memes that exist in the fandom for Axis Powers Hetalia/Hetalia: Axis Powers. While some of these memes have basis in the original manga and anime, others have been coined entirely by fans.

Aru
Ending sentences with aru is common among fans of the character of China or people who refer to him.

- Chuugoku can really handle that wok, aru :D

Ending sentences with 'aru' is a supposed Japanese stereotype of how Chinese people speak, thus Yao, who represents China, often ends his sentences with aru.

Baka, Baka, Baka
When fans talk about Britain and America's relationship, they often make fun of the way Britain says baka (meaning "idiot") most noticeably found in his song "Pub and GO!' and Episode 26 when he becomes drunk.

Buhyoo and CUUUUTE
In one Comic Diary strip, Spain became enthused by the sight of the young Italy brothers' haircurls making a heart and began to loudly express how "cute" it was.

In fan comments, the exclamation Buhyoo (used by Spain in the strip) is used to refer to things that fans consider to be cute, along with a drawn-out "[That's so] Cuuuuuute!".

Chigi
A verbal tic South Italy has when frustrated, or if one would pull his curl, causing him to become aroused. Though he has yet to say either version in the actual anime or manga, he is heard screaming a shrill CHIGI in his character song and at the end of his version of Hatafutte Parade. A token Chigi is often found in comments referring to this character.

Da-ze
Da-ze is a verbal tic South Korea uses extensively (for no apparent reason, it seems).

Kesese
Kesese is Prussia's laugh, as evidenced by a number of tracks on his drama CD. Kesese can commonly be seen amongst comments made by fans of Prussia or comments referring to him. The same laugh can also be heard from America.

KolKolKol, Yonda~?, and Da?
Russia's chant when he is upset, threatening someone or taking pleasure in someone else's misfortune. It is often seen in the webcomic strips and a hoarse KolKolKol can be heard on the drama CDs or in his version of Marukaite Chikyuu. Russia's KolKolKol in the anime is more 'cutsey' than those in the drama CDs and in his Marukaite Chikyuu, though in at least one instance in the anime, the usual hoarse version is heard. KolKolKol can often be seen in comments from fans:

- Poor France D: I'm sure Russia enjoys that D:

- KolKolKol I bet he does c:

Yonda~? is a catchphrase of Russia's (meaning something like "You called?"). He'll often appear out of nowhere with a Yonda~?. Comments about Ivan or referring to him may contain a token Yonda~?.

A lot of fans also use Da? as a sentence ender for Russia and in comments relating to him (meaning "Yes?" in Russian), and similiarly to China's aru (see below), is derived from an American Cold War-era stereotype of how Russian people speak.

Let's Get Married or MarriageMarriageMarriage
Let's get married comes from the Russia's Older and Younger Sister strips where Belarus breaks a doorknob that 'dared separate' her from Russia and says "Now then brother, let's talk about marriage! Let's get married! Let's get married! Let's get married!" Let's get married!, Let's Get Married!, or MarriageMarriageMarriage can be seen in fan comments referencing Belarus, alluding to her seemingly obsessive desire to marry Russia. This is often said as "KekkonKekkonKekkon".

Maple and 'Who?'
Canada sometimes utters Maple for no specified reason, though it is notable he says it when being tormented (e.g., when Cuba mistakes him for America). Fans will often insert a token Maple into comments talking about Canada.

Fans also commonly comment with Who? in discussion of Canada. This is a reference to Matthew's polar bear, Kumajirou, who can't remember who Canada is and always asks Who?, as well as to the other countries who often overlook him.

- ''OMG! Is that Canada I hear in the next episode?''

- ''...Who? XD''

Another joke is to link somebody to the karaoke version of a Marukaite Chikyuu and tell them it's Canada's version.

Ve~ and Pastaaaaaaa
Ve~ is a sound North Italy makes (for no apparent reason). Seeing Ve~ or Pasta (with numerous a's) in fan comments is quite common, with the use of Pasta spawning from Italy's obsession with the food and his dragged out 'pasta' in the first episode of the anime.

Gender Bender/Sex Change


It has become common to depict characters as the opposite gender in either fanart or fanfiction (for example, Germany as a female or Hungary as a male). In addition, "canon" genderbent designs exist for certain characters, as Hidekaz Himaruya drew them for fun to see what the nations would be like as the opposite gender. However, Himaruya also noted that when drawing the characters, he came up with their designs as if they were completely different people (if they were designed as females to begin with). This is presumably why some of the genderbent nations lack certain distinguishing details that their original versions had.

So far, the Himaruya-drawn genderbends include the Axis and Allies, Spain, South Italy, Hungary, Liechtenstein, and Taiwan.

In the Japanese fandom (including but not limited to the site Pixiv), this meme is referred to as Nyotalia, from the words nyotaika (which refers to male-to-female genderbends) and Italia. Fanmade genderbends of other characters can often be seen in the tag along with the "canon" ones. In some instances, the genderbends are depicted as completely separate characters, following Himaruya's note about their design.

The Axis


In the Japanese fandom, the female versions of the Axis Powers are often referred to as Nyojiku (from combining nyotaika with suujiku, the Japanese word for the Axis).


 * North Italy's female counterpart has her hair tied back into a ponytail, and has a wild curl of hair dangling down at the side of her head. In one sketch, she wears a more feminine version of a military uniform, with a double-breasted jacket and mini skirt. Himaruya described her as being an emotional woman who "lives for love". Contrary to the male Italy, it appears that she can display an unusual bout of physical strength when angered (as seen in another doodle). Japanese fans have given her the human name Daisy Vargas. Daisy is the correspondent of the Italian name Margherita.


 * The female Germany still wears her Wehrmacht uniform, but her hair is somewhat messier. Her eyes are green instead of blue. In a group sketch, she is shown to wear only a tank top and pants when training, much like the regular Germany. In his notes, Himaruya described her as being serious like her male counterpart, but with a large chest. The fanon human name given for her is Louise.


 * Japan is depicted as a short girl with a bob hairstyle, and has shine to her eyes unlike her male counterpart, and amber in color. In Himaruya's notes, she is stated to be a Yamato Nadeshiko-type character who has a complicated yearning for America. Her fanon name has been given as Honda Sakura (or "Sakura Honda" in Western order).

The Allies



 * The female version of America does not have glasses, but instead dresses in a crop top and shorts with a cowboy hat and boots. One illustration shows what appears to be an American flag emblem tattooed on her chest as well, though it may also be an American flag patch on her top (Some fanart tends to use the first option). Her eyes are gray and her hair is somewhat darker than her male counterpart. Like her male counterpart, she is considered to be a ditz and loud. The name used to refer to her in the Japanese fandom is Emily Jones. English-speaking fans however, will opt to use Amelia or a simialar name.


 * Britain, however, does have glasses. She no longer has the signature thick eyebrows, and instead wears her hair in long pigtails. This version of the character is called Igiko (girl Britain) by Himaruya and fans alike. Himaruya describes her as being elegant, yet with a punk side. Her fanon human name is given in the Japanese fandom as Alice Kirkland.


 * France's female counterpart is an elegantly-dressed woman with her hair tied back into a french knot. Her eyebrows appear to be somewhat thick. Her hair is changed to dark brown and her eyes are violet. She is said to be a snob. The fanon human name given to her is Françoise Bonnefoy.


 * China wears a qipao dress and has her hair, now a deep auburn, tied up in a set of buns. It is said that she is a type of girl whose emotions cannot be read easily. In her first appearance, her dress had short sleeves, but it was changed to a long-sleeved dress by the time she appeared in another illustration. Her fanon human name is given as Wang Chun-Yan (Chun-Yan Wang in Western order).


 * Russia is a modestly-dressed woman with long beige-blonde hair. There was no description given for her, though fans assume that she may be a yandere like her male counterpart. Her fanon human name is Anya Braginskaya.

Other "Official" Genderbends

 * The female version of South Italy is drawn with dark, shoulder-length hair held back by a pink headband. Unlike the genderbent version of Feliciano, she does not keep her haircurl. She wears a pink dress. The fanon name given to her by Japanese fans is Katarina Vargas (could also be rendered Caterina, a name widely used in southern Italy). In a note about the character, Himaruya said that she is better at fighting than her male counterpart.


 * The female Spain is shown to be a stylish woman with a pinstripe shirt and her hair tied back into a bun. She has two fan-official names in the Japanese fandom: Isabel Fernandez Carriedo and Carmen Hernandez Carriedo. This is due to the fact that Antonio's surname has been given as both Fernandez Carriedo and Hernandez Carriedo, causing much confusion and debate.


 * Hungary's male counterpart still wears the Lake Balaton flower in his hair, but keeps his hair tied back into a short ponytail. His fan-official name in the Japanese fandom is Daniel Héderváry.


 * The male version of Liechtenstein is depicted as a young boy in a long shirt and overalls. He is referred to by Japanese fandom as either Hr. Noah Stein, or given his brother's surname of "Zwingli" (making him Hr. Noah Zwingli). "Hr." is the short form of the German and Scandinavian title Herr, an equivalent to the English "Mister".
 * In a recent blog post, line art of a male Taiwan was posted. He has short hair, Taiwan's ahoge, and seems to be wearing an overshirt/jacket with the white sun from the flag of the RoC on it. He also seems to carry a bag.

Fan-Made Genderbends

 * Prussia has two versions. The first version has her hair short and wild (much like her male counterpart) and seems to be much like a tomboy as her clothing appears to remain the same. The second version has her hair long and more tame and has her pants replaced with a long skirt. It appears that these two versions have been used interchangeably as fans have named both Maria, a probable reference to Himaruya's remark that Prussia originated as "the St. Maria Order". Her full name, as given on Pixiv, is alternatively Gilbert Maria Beilschmidt or Maria Gilbert Beilschmidt.

Italy's Erogenous Zone
Started in the original webcomic. North Italy's 'erogenous zone' is the curl of hair he has and was discovered when Germany started becoming curious about it, going so far as to touch it. South Italy 'saves' his brother and tells off Germany for doing something inappropriate, but fails to convince him and winds up with his curl pulled as well. From then on, jokes about both Italies' curls have appeared in almost every medium.

Because countries such as Greece, Turkey, Taiwan, Norway, Austria (though his curl represents Mariazell and both Germany and France have pulled it without any reaction other than annoyance), Canada and South Korea have similar curls, jokes and plot ploys have been developed from them, though any sign that they too are 'erogenous zones' has yet to be shown.

Marukaite Chikyuu
Because of the different versions of Marukaite Chikyuu sung by each country's respective voice actor, it has become a common meme to either perform a version of the song in:


 * Japanese but lyrics are changed to suit the country in question


 * English but lyrics are changed to suit the country in question


 * The language of the country with the lyrics changed to suit the country in question


 * An opposite sex voice with the same lyrics

Nekotalia
Nekotalia originates from a strip by Hidekaz Himaruya in which the nations have their own identical cats, or "Neko" (猫).

The word derives from "Neko" meaning "cat" and "talia" from "Hetalia" which combines to form "Nekotalia". Nekotalia is a fast-growing fad in the memes and fanart of Hetalia.


 * America's cat has a mane around it's neck resembling the top of America's bomber jacket, an ahoge like his, and a brown tail.
 * England's still has the bushy eyebrows, and a large light orange spot over his left eye and an orange tail. He also appears to be a Scottish fold.
 * France's cat is a longhair (likely a Persian) with a very bushy tail.
 * Russia's cat is a large Siberian breed with dark fur. This cat is often stalked by one owned by Belarus (that wears a bow on her head like her master).
 * China has a brown cat with a ponytail on the back of its head, much like its owner.
 * Germany's is a black, serious-looking cat with blue eyes and a collar modeled after the German flag.
 * North Italy's cat (Gino) appears to be a white and brown spotted tabby with a curl on the left side of his head. This cat also has a brother that resembles South Italy.
 * Japan's cat (Tama) is a small black cat with dull eyes. He cares deeply about tuna and won't stand for it to be banned.
 * Austria's cat appears to be a black and white cat with a white face, chest, tail tip, and paws. He has Mariazell and a ribbon collar modeled after the Austrian flag. He wishes he could become a house cat because his pads are always getting dirty.
 * Monaco's cat is a white long hair that looks like a persian (Much like France's). She wears a bow and glasses and has a neckless for a collar. She potitions for a ban on tuna transactions between the other cats.

Five Meters
An in-joke started by a fan about Prussia during a discussion about the average penis sizes of men in various countries. After stating that Prussia was "five meters long", the joke quickly caught on as a meme and fanworks with Prussia can often be seen referencing "FIVE METERS".

Anime Endings/Openings
A relatively common meme in anime fandom, but seems to have boomed in the Hetalia fandom. Anime endings/openings are animated by fans to portray the Hetalia characters in place of the actual characters in the series. Some examples of these include the Hetalia version of the Azumanga Daioh opening and the Hetalia version of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N095fGlt7gw Baccano! opening].

Commercials
Commercials are animated by fans to portray the Hetalia characters. The best example of this is a series of fan animations of the Apple iPod dances with black silhouettes of the Hetalia characters and the Hetalia recreation of a pocky commercial.

Caramelldansen
Probably the most expansive meme in relation to anime. Caramelldansen features character(s) 'bouncing' their hips from side to side while opening and closing their hands above their head in time with the beat of Caramelldansen by the Swedish group Caramell, as remixed by SpeedyCake. Hetalia characters are usually featured individually, in pairs, or in a group (e.g., the Nordics or Baltics). While there are a large number of variants, there exists a "Perfect Edition" which features all characters that existed at the time of its creation dancing with characters they have interacted with in the webcomics.

Dance Dance World Revolution
This meme was originally created by yuumei on deviantART and is accompanied by music by NIGHTkilla from Newgrounds. The original features the character of America.

The meme features the country in question dancing from side to side with their national flag in each hand with little icons (e.g., Hello Kitty for China, or Tomatoes or 'Ve~' for Italy) flying from the flag each time they wave it. Some countries have numerous versions; their videos can be found on YouTube and/or deviantART.

Versions currently exist for America, Britain, France, Turkey, Greece, Japan, Germany, Prussia, both Italy brothers, Finland, Sweden, China, South Korea, Canada, Norway, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Australia and Hong Kong.

Nice --
On YouTube, it is quite common to find videos of Hetalia characters doing a continuous pelvic thrust in their underwear to the song I Like Your Booty (But I'm Not Gay) by Dana Swanson and Nick Ingkatanuwat. The song originated on the television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which spawned the meme; the string of Hetalia videos started with 'Nice Florida'.

Currently existing versions: (some of these videos may be considered 18+; please be careful!)

America- Nice Florida

Britain- Nice Big Ben

Denmark- |Nice Nice Copenhagen

Poland-Nice Warsaw

France and Britain- Nice D0ver!

Prussia- Nice Königsberg

Greece- Nice Thessaloniki (Fans have noted that his 'vital regions' are notably bigger then the others. This could be a joke on Greece's sex prowess.)

Japan- Nice Kansai...?

South Korea-Nice Seoul

Russia- Nice Primorsky

Germany-Nice Frankfurt

Canada - Nice Montreal

Lithuania - Nice Neringa

There is also a live action version for China - Nice Beijing(s) as well as live action versions of the ones for Poland and Prussia.

There is also a gag Canada version entitled 'Nice Toronto' though all that is seen is the Canadian flag as the background, as a reference to how no one notices him.

RomaHeta
RomaHeta is a series of fan videos that circulated on Nico Nico Douga. They play out as an RPG featuring characters of the Axis, the Allied Forces, Prussia, Belarus, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Canada, Austria, Spain, and South Italy.

In the series, Japan creates a game that can send people to the second dimension. However, this proves to backfire when it sucks him and a bunch of other nations into its programming, trapping them in the computer. In order to return to their world, they must beat the game.

While training, it is revealed that the Japan in their party is an "error" and an evil duplicate, and that the real Japan has actually remained outside of the computer (though he assists the others from outside the game). America attempts to gather all of the other trapped nations, but the Allies and Axis soon face off against each other. It is revealed that some of the nations have become contaminated with a type of virus. While Germany, Prussia, and Spain are healed, Russia is unable to be cured and is revealed to have been behind the manipulation of the fight, having worked with the evil duplicate of Japan (with Belarus following after him).

The Italy brothers are later revealed to have also been corrupted by the virus, and the other characters must destroy the altar they guard to free them. However, the destruction of the altar only triggers a transformation in the two, who power-up into white robed, "holy" forms and attack the others. Though South Italy is eventually taken out, a still-infected North must be restrained and is nearly killed by a statue. The ghost of Holy Roman Empire intervenes to save him.

The Allies move on to Russia's base to destroy another mind-control artifact, but have to fight both Russia and Belarus. Russia is about to kill America, but Belarus sacrifices herself and reveals that she was secretly working with America to save her brother from the evil Japan. This causes Russia to go catatonic with shock.

It is later revealed that Belarus survived the attack, as the evil Japan proceeds to manipulate another nation. Belarus and Liechtenstein journey into Russia's mind and manage to free him from the mind-control, but the evil Japan reveals his newest ally to the other nations: Canada.

The "holy" versions of the Italy brothers quickly became popular in fanart on Pixiv as a result of the video series, along with the names of the spells used in the game (ie: South Italy's Rosario Impale and Spain's Passionate Breakup attack).

However, due to controversy that arose in the Japanese fandom over fanart for the game being more popular than actual Hetalia fanart, the author discontinued the video series and made their videos private, opting later to delete them. They proceeded to release an official statement about the discontinuation, as well as regret that they didn't get to animate the battle with Canada and other planned plot points. Despite the deletions, copies of the videos continue to re-appear on other sites such as YouTube.

Servant Of Evil Series
Another meme present on Nico Nico Douga and YouTube involves the creation of MADs based off of the Vocaloid song "Servant Of Evil" and the other songs related to it.

In the original song, Rin Kagamine is the "Daughter Of Evil", a tyrannical ruler who fell in love with a prince (represented by KAITO), whose feelings, unfortunately, were focused on another girl (played by Miku Hatsune). Enraged, Rin orders Miku's kingdom burned, causing a revolution to occur. Her brother and servant Len, who knew of her kinder and gentler side in addition to her cruelty, decides to switch places with her and be captured by the villagers she wronged. The "Daughter Of Evil" (in actuality Len) is then beheaded, while Rin is left free to run, but distraught by her brother's death.

In some cases, the MAD author will also do videos based off of the two sequels to the song: "Regret Message" and "Re_birthday". However, this is not always the case. It is rare to find MADs based off of the original "Daughter Of Evil" song which preceded "Servant".

In the Hetalia versions, sibling pairs are usually used to further mirror the songs. Fanfiction and fanart have also been done with this theme.

North and South Italy
Versions: "Servant of Evil", "Regret Message", and "Re_birthday"

In a MAD based off of "Servant Of Evil", North Italy plays the part of Rin, while South Italy plays Len. North Italy sees that his brother has become interested in Spain (in the role of Miku Hatsune), and orders South Italy to kill him. In the end, South Italy decides to switch places with his brother when the revolution occurs, and has his head cut off by Prussia with a sword (in the role of Meiko). Austria, who is also included in the storyline, plays the part of Kaito.

The "Regret Message" followup contains North Italy reminiscing over happier times spent with his brother, and the wish that they both secretly expressed in the end: To be reborn and meet again.

The artist of both videos had also done a doujinshi based off of the "Evil" story, which was used as the basis for a short "Re_birthday" video, in which South Italy is reborn.

America and Canada
Versions: "Aku no Maple" ("Servant Of Evil") and "Regret Message"

America and Canada have also been featured in MADs, though their roles are subject to vary. In this particular MAD, America is the "evil" twin and Canada is his servant.

There is also a version of "Regret Message" for America and Canada, following the plot of the original. It also includes brief flashes of other characters, such as Russia, Japan, and Britain.

Germany and Prussia
Version: "Servant of Evil"

Germany and Prussia have also been used to portray the siblings in MADs, though depending on the author, either brother may be the "evil" one.

America and England
Version: "Devilish Brother" ("Servant of Evil")

While most Hetalia videos based on "Servant of Evil" contain the original Vocaloid audio and stick to the original storyline, another version has been found where a different version of the song is sung by Shion Kaito. It keeps the same tune, but the lyrics have been altered to revolve around the Revolutionary War and America's relationship with Britain. In general "Servant of Evil" terms, America would be the servant and Britain would be the "evil" twin, but their roles are descibed in many different ways throughout the song.

Sound MADs
There exist several MADs in which music is played to Hetalia characters, as the vocals are replaced with voices of Hetalia characters, or sounds from the anime or drama CDs, usually edited to fit the tune of the song. The majority of videos in this category originate from Nico Nico Douga. They tend to have sounds that can range from simple and catchy, to fast-paced and chaotic.

Here are a few examples:


 * パ//ス/タ Pa//s/ta


 * 【APヘタリア】　トマテイ　【音MAD】 【APHetalia】 Tomatei 【Sound MAD】


 * 【ヘタリア】 シュウデン・マタ・ナイツ 【手描き】 パスタ~ 【Hetalia】 Shuden・Mata・Nights 【Animation】 Pasta~

Suplexing or Wife's Last Stand/Attack
This meme usually depicts one character holding on to the waist of the other character while throwing themselves backwards so that the captured character's head hits the ground and the offensive characters ends up with his/her back parallel to the ground. Sometimes this meme is turned into a chain, with one character holding another character's waist who holds another characters waist etc. The 'weaker' character usually throws the 'stronger' character backwards, though the strength of either character could be debated e.g. South Italy suplexing Spain, North Italy suplexing Germany, Taiwan suplexing Hong Kong.

This famous meme in the Japanese anime fanon comes from a security video tape of a woman 'suplexing' a thief in an elevator.

This is -
There is another YouTube meme stemming from the many 300 parodies, of the scene where the King of Sparta would normally say, "This is Sparta!". There are several variations of this, replacing "Sparta" with other object or food memes in Hetalia, such as Italy's "Pasta!".

Here are a few examples:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7MUZE8peTE This... Is... PASTA!!!!!]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_PTK8Qik8 This... is... AISU!!]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofNN5BHr2kU This... is... VODKA!]