Switzerland

Switzerland (スイス, Suisu) is a character in the series Hetalia: Axis Powers. In 2007 and early 2008, Himaruya gave human names to some of the characters and he received the name Basch Zwingli (バッシュ・ツヴィンクリ, Basshu Tsuvinkuri).

Appearance
He is a short young man with blond hair (in a chin-length bob cut) and green eyes. He wears a green jacket, brown pants, and a white hat, and is often seen having a rifle slung over his shoulder. He also has a cross shaped scar on his left shoulder.

In an earlier design, his hair was drawn much shorter and he wore a green hat. However, in the earliest design known of him, he wore no hat and his jacket was blue, with his pants colored beige. This version can be seen (in color) in a set of counter icons that Hidekaz Himaruya made for his site (with Switzerland being the "0" icon).

Personality and Interests
Switzerland is seemingly eternally neutral and lives his life as a hermit/recluse, surrounded by the Alps. Though he appears to be peaceful, he actually is the biggest producer of guns in the world and has the most military strength. He hates outsiders and in the past, was hired by the Vatican as a mercenary. He is also very frugal, for buying cheap cheese rather than a more expensive variety, claiming he likes the taste of it better. He once went to lunch with Austria just to save money. He has shown to have quite a temper, but has a soft spot for Liechtenstein and is extremely protective of her.

Due to Italy's habits of forgetting his pants and streaking, Switzerland becomes trigger-happy if he catches him running through his property.

Austria
Main Article: Austria

They were very close as children, though Switzerland expressed irritation at the fact that he taught Austria to be a fighter, only for him to keep failing and having to be bailed out when it came to wars. However, due to their bosses, the two friends eventually grew apart. In their adulthood, Switzerland does all he can to deny that he was ever friends with Austria or had any close connection to him.

Liechtenstein
Main Article: Liechtenstein

He is a doting older brother to Liechtenstein, having found her and taken her into his care. The close relationship that he shares with her, however, reminds him of his childhood days with Austria, which he has tried to forget.

In the Anime
Switzerland first made two minor appearances in the first season; in Episode 01 where he yells at Japan for agreeing with America's plan on global warming, and in Episode 21 where he walks past Sealand, ignoring him.

He finally debuts in Episode 23 and the following episodes, which adapts Liechtenstein's Journal Of Swiss Dopiness from the webcomic strips and Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 2.

Name
An alternate name is Vash Zwingli''. ''However, the kana for Switzerland's human name uses "バ" (ba). In German, a "v" sounds close to an English "f", making Basch a more appropriate Romanization. Additionally, the character Basch from Final Fantasy XII shares the same katakana. Early Japanese fanworks rendered his name in English as Bache Zwingli. Though proponents of the alternate "Vash" spelling theorize that it could be descended from the French word 'vache', meaning 'cow'. As Switzerland is known for its domestic dairy industries and products, and French being one of its official languages, some believe in this spelling having basis. His human surname is believed to have been inspired by Huldrych Zwingli, the leader of the Swiss Protestant reformation.

Trivia

 * His birthday corresponds with the date that the Swiss Confederation was founded, on August 1st, 1291. Though he is technically older than America, he is only a year younger than him in physical appearance and "human age".
 * A production note by Hidekaz Himaruya states that he played around with the idea of making Switzerland a female character, and that Germany would be shocked when he saw her in woman's clothing.
 * Additional sketches reveal that Switzerland has three pet goats: Eiger, Jungfrau, and Mönch, named after Switzerland's famous mountains.
 * His Japanese voice actress, Romi Park, also voices Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist, as well as Toushirou Hitsugaya from Bleach. Incidentally, Liechtenstein's voice actress is Rie Kugimiya, who also voices Alphonse Elric.