Russia

Ivan Braginski is a main character in the series Axis Powers Hetalia/Hetalia: Axis Powers. He is the representation of Russia (ロシア,Roshia).

Appearance


The tallest of the Allies, as well as the tallest of all the nations together with Sweden, Ivan wears a long, heavy tan coat, brown pants, and a long tan scarf. He has a round, childish face, and tends to carry around a bottle of vodka or a faucet pipe. His hair is a light, beige-ish blond and his eyes are violet (purple), though they were initially colored blue in early color artwork by Hidekaz Himaruya.

Personality And Interests
A large young man who is seemingly bighearted and innocent, but is in reality childishly cruel. He comes off as intimidating without even saying a word, his gentle smile and disposition only intensifying the aura of dread which seems to constantly hang over him. Ivan ends many of his sentences with 'da', the Russian term for 'yes', although in Japanese it is often used to confirm the topic of the sentence, as an informal form of 'desu', the ubiquitous form of 'to be'.

He has been tormented since his childhood, having seen many tragedies and wars, which have cracked his mentality. He is, in other words, completely insane. General Winter haunts and attacks him every year, which has caused him to hate the cold. However, in the face of war, General Winter is his best ally. He dreams of one day living in a warm place surrounded by sunflowers.

Though he is capable of being incredibly cruel-minded, Ivan himself is unaware of it.

"Kolkolkol"
When Ivan is upset, he uses the chant "KolKolKol" to threaten and frighten others into submission. However, there has been speculation that there are other possible meanings for 'kol' than those involving kolkhozy:


 * Tsar Ivan The Terrible's favorite way to deal with disobedience was impaling. 'To impale', pronounced in Russian as сажать на кол ('sazhat' na kol'), or just на кол 'na kol' is easily understood.  So, Ivan is possibly trying to intimidate people by the threat of impalement, although he is saying the noun 'kol' (which means 'stake', in this context being thrust towards a person).


 * There is also the possibility that Ivan could be issuing a warning to others. 'Kolokol' means 'bell' in Russian, and 'kol' is often used as an onomatopoeia in Russian for the tolling of a bell, a centuries-old designation of approaching danger.


 * Another interpretation offered by the Japanese fandom is that "kolkolkol" is "korukorukoru", which sounds similar to "korosu", the Japanese word referring to killing.

Ukraine
Main Article: Ukraine

Ivan's older sister, who acted as mother to both him and Natalia. She was also the one who gave him his scarf. Though she wants to be with him again, she either winds up running away at the chance due to the issues that arisen between them (such as paying for gas), or due to being blocked from seeing him in some way (such as her boss prohibiting her from giving him anything). In his own way, Ivan also cares about her, describing her in quite fond terms in the manga.

Natalia Arlovskaya (Belarus)
Main Article: Natalia Arlovskaya

Ivan's younger sister. She has a deep, obsessive love for him, to the point of stalking him and wanting him to marry her, but Ivan is terrified of her and doesn't return these feelings.

Toris Lorinaitis (Lithuania)
Main Article: Toris Lorinaitis

In the past, Toris was his subordinate and is not-too-subtly hinted to be a victim of Ivan's abuse, as Ivan is seen standing over Toris (who is wearing a maid costume) with a whip being lashed at him in the 'While You Were Gone' strip. In the present, Ivan wishes that Toris, along with the rest of the world, was 'one with Russia'. It is also hinted at that Toris is the only one Ivan is truly happy around, hence his obsessive stalking of him. However, Ivan thinks of Toris as an object, saying that Toris was "secondhand from me" when he visited Alfred, who was taking care of him after WWI and before the Great Depression. When Toris returned to Ivan, he listened to Toris' dreams, even going so far as to share his own of 'living in a warm place with sunflowers' and letting Toris sleep on his shoulder (replacing himself with a panda when Toris woke up the second time).

Wang Yao (China)
Main Article: Wang yao

Though Ivan and Yao had a close relationship throughout their history, Yao is very suspicious and fearful of him, especially after the Sino-Soviet Split. In return, Ivan has been shown to stalk Yao, especially when disguised in a panda suit, and takes a special interest in him.

In The Anime


Ivan appears at the meeting in Episode 01, stating that he only wants to see a troubled Toris come running back to him. His plan is quickly thwarted by Feliks, who threatens to make his capital Warsaw.

He later appears with the other Allies in Episode 06, as they roast marshmallows at a campfire. In Episode 09, he remains mostly quiet through the meeting, afterwards remarking in amusement to Francis that he can feel his heart pound whenever he thinks of how "those idiots" will beg for their lives.

In Episode 13, Arthur attempts to summon a demon to curse Ludwig, but winds up with Ivan, who carries some sort of grudge himself. Ivan later curses Kiku to have stomach pain by chanting "Jiii" over and over (the Japanese onomatopoeia for aggressively staring), in a reference to the Russian Orthodox Church's curse against Japan, which is thought to have caused the Great Kanto Earthquake in the 1920s, 18 years after the curse was first cast. At the end of the episode, he disturbs Francis once more, as he openly fantasizes of twisting someone's face.

Ivan's design is relatively the same in the anime adaptation, though the color of his scarf was changed from tan to pink. His hair is also colored more beige than blonde.

Volume 4 of the anime DVD includes his and China's "Marukaite Chikyuu". It was released on September 25, 2009.

Russia's character CD will be released on the 20th of January 2010.

Trivia

 * Due to his thick clothing and his tall, somewhat heavyset appearance in comparison to the other characters, a fan had asked Hidekaz Himaruya if Ivan was fat. The in-character answer from "Ivan" was that he was simply "big-boned". A later black-and-white sketch also depicts Ivan wearing a shirt that claims such.


 * In the World War-set strips, Ivan technically represents the Soviet Union, rather than the Russian Federation (as evidenced by his flag). However, Himuraya explained in liner notes that he was simply called Russia in the series due to it being cuter and the kana being simpler to write. His birthday being given as December 30th also corresponds with the date that the Soviet Union was founded.


 * While the flag used for Ivan is the Soviet flag in most of the webcomic, the published version of the manga, as well as the anime and merchandise, has opted to use the standard Russian flag.


 * His given name is believed to have come from Ivan the Terrible or, equally as likely, Ivan The Great. Ivan happens to have been a common name for Russian tsars (there were six Tsar Ivans, including two Romanov Ivans), as well as being a common name for Russian males ("Ivan" is the Russian equivalent of "John"). Ivan has frequently been used as a stereotypical slang name for a Russian male.  It is pronounced 'EEVAHN', not 'EYE-VAN', in Russian (with emphasis on the second syllable).  The Russian diminutive of Ivan is Vanya, and is frequently used in fanworks.


 * Ivan's jacket is a stylised Red Army overcoat, with the colors more or less reversed.
 * In response to a fan's question (circa 2007), Himaruya stated that Ivan is unaware of his own cruelty.
 * In chapter four of the Hetalia manga, after a heart pops out of Ivan's chest, he claims it as his own, saying "it just pops out of me sometimes". This could be symbollic of the heartbreak he's suffered in his time, or a representation of just how insane he is (while the other Allies are completely freaked out, Ivan doesn't even seem to mind that his own heart is literally falling out.)