Memes in fandom

This is a list of popular memes in the fandom for Axis Powers Hetalia.

Fatty Russia
Refers to art where Ivan is portrayed as being somewhat overweight or more noticeably heavier and larger than the other characters.

In canon, Ivan himself claims to simply be big-boned, even wearing a shirt that states such in a sketch by Hidekaz Himaruya.

Five Meters
An in-joke started by a fan about Gilbert 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".

Italy's Erogenous Zone
Started in the original webcomic. Feliciano's 'erogenous zone' is the curl of hair he has and was discovered when Ludwig started becoming curious about it, going so far as to touch it. Lovino 'saves' his brother, telling off Ludwig for doing something inappropriate. From then on, jokes about both Italies' curls have appeared in almost every medium.

Because countries such as Heracles, Sadiq, Taiwan, Norway, Roderich (though when Germany pulled on his, he seemed completely unaffected), Matthew and Yong Soo 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

-A female (or opposite sex) voice with the same lyrics

Gender Bender/Sex Change
It has become common to depict characters as the opposite gender in either fanart or fanfiction (for example, Ludwig as a female or Elizabeta 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 he had designed them 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, Antonio Lovino, Elizabeta, and Liechtenstein.

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

 * Feliciano'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 Feliciano, it appears that she can display an unusual bout of physical strength when angered (as seen in another doodle).


 * The female Ludwig still wears her SS Uniform, but her hair is somewhat messier. 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.


 * Kiku is depicted as a short girl with a bob hairstyle, and has shine to her eyes unlike her male counterpart. In Himaruya's notes, she is stated to be a Yamato Nadeshiko-type character who has a complicated yearning for America.

The Allies

 * The female version of Alfred 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). Like her male counterpart, she is considered to be a ditz and loud.


 * Arthur, 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.


 * Francis' female counterpart is an elegantly-dressed woman with her hair tied back into a bun. Her eyebrows appear to be somewhat thick. She is said to be a snob.


 * Yao wears a qipao dress and has her hair 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.


 * Ivan 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.

Other "Official" Genderbends

 * The female version of Lovino 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 female Antonio is shown to be a stylish woman with a pinstripe shirt and her hair tied back into a bun.


 * Elizabeta's male counterpart still wears the Lake Balaton flower in his hair, but keeps his hair tied back into a short ponytail.


 * The male version of Liechtenstein is depicted as a young boy in a long shirt and overalls.

Fan-Made Genderbends

 * Gilbert 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 both named her Maria, a probable reference to Himaruya's remark that Prussia originated as "the St. Maria Order". Her full name, as given on Pixiv, is Gilbert Maria Beilschmidt.

KolKolKol and Yonda~?
Ivan'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 Hetalia drama CDs or in his version of Marukaite Chikyuu. Ivan'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.

e.g.

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

'KolKolKol I bet he does c:'

'Yonda~?' is a catchphrase of Ivan'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 Ivan and in comments relating to him, simply because it is a popular sentence ender in Russia (or so pre-conceived by American fans).

Ve~ and Pastaaaaaaa
'Ve~' is a sound Feliciano 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 Feliciano's obsession with the food and his dragged out 'pasta' in the first episode of the anime.

Herahera, Patapata, etc.
'Herahera' is an onomatopoetic sound made by Feliciano in the anime, which literally means "acting foolishly". He is heard uttering it in episodes 2 and 4.

'Patapata' is the onomatopoeia for "flapping in the wind", which Feliciano is heard to say in the recycled animation scenes of the Allies ambushing the Axis on the island, as he tries to "attack" by waving his white flag.

In the anime, Feliciano is also heard making various other onomatopoeiac sounds, such as 'Washawasha' (splashing), and 'Pyonpyon' (hopping).

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

e.g

'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'.

Let's Get Married or MarriageMarriageMarriage
'Let's get married' comes from the 'Russia's Older and Younger Sister' strips where Natalia breaks a doorknob that 'dared separate' her from Ivan 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 Natalia, alluding to her seemingly obsessive desire to marry Ivan.

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

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

e.g.

'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 Matthew's version.

Chigi/Chigigi
A verbal tic Lovino has when frustrated, or if you pull his curl and he becomes 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. A token 'Chigi' is often found in comments referring to Lovino.

Buhyoo and 'CUUUUTE'
In one Comic Diary strip, Antonio 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 Antonio) is used to refer to things that fans consider to be cute, along with a drawn-out "(That's so) Cuuuuuute!".

Kesese
'Kesese' is a verbal tic Gilbert seems to have, as evidenced by a number of tracks on Oresama no CD. 'Kesese' can commonly be seen amongst comments made by fans of Gilbert or comments referring to him.

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-

Alfred- Nice Florida

Ivan- Nice Primorsky

Berwald- Nice Stockholm

Honda- Nice Kansai...?

Arthur- Nice Big Ben

Gilbert- Nice Königsberg

Ludwig-Nice Frankfurt

Heracles Karpusi- Nice Thessaloniki

France and UK- Nice D0ver!

The Axis: Ludwig, Feliciano and Kiku- Nice suji9!

Toris - Nice Neringa

Matthew - Nice Montreal

There is also a gag Matthew 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.

There is also a live action version forYao - Nice Beijing(s)

as well as a live action Feliks and Gilbert.

Also, there appears to be one for the minor character the Netherlands/Holland - Nice Amsterdam

Dance Dance World Revolution
Again, this meme started with Alfred and was originally created by 'yuumei' on deviantART and is accompanied by music by NIGHTkilla from Newgrounds.

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 Alfred, Arthur, Francis, Sadiq, Heracles, Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert, Roderich, bot Vargas brothers, Tino, Berwald, Yao, Yong Soo, Matthew, Norway, Feliks, Ivan, Elizebeta, Iceland, Liechtenstien, Vash, Australia and Hong Kong.

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, Gilbert, Natalia, Vash, Liechtenstein, Matthew, Roderich, Antonio, and Lovino.

In the series, Kiku 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 Kiku in their party is an "error" and an evil duplicate, and that the real Kiku has actually remained outside of the computer (though he assists the others from outside the game). Alfred 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 Ludwig, Gilbert, and Antonio are healed, Ivan is unable to be cured and is revealed to have been behind the manipulation of the fight, having worked with the evil duplicate of Kiku (with Natalia following after him).

The Vargas 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 Lovino is eventually taken out, a still-infected Feliciano 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 Ivan's base to destroy another mind-control artifact, but have to fight both Ivan and Natalia. Ivan is about to kill Alfred, but Natalia sacrifices herself and reveals that she was secretly working with Alfred to save her brother from the evil Kiku. This causes Ivan to go catatonic with shock.

It is later revealed that Natalia survived the attack, as the evil Kiku manipulates another nation. Natalia and Liechtenstein journey into Ivan's mind and manage to free him from the mind-control, but the evil Kiku reveals his newest ally to the other nations: Matthew.

The "holy" versions of the Vargas 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: Lovino's Rosario Impale and Antonio'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. 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 has caused much death and chaos under her rule, 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
In a MAD based off of "Servant Of Evil", Feliciano plays the part of Rin, while Lovino plays Len. Feliciano sees that his brother has become interested in Antonio (in the role of Miku Hatsune), and orders Lovino to kill him. In the end, Lovino decides to switch places with his brother when the revolution occurs, and has his head cut off by Gilbert (in the role of Meiko). Roderich, who is also included in the storyline, plays the part of Kaito. "Servant of Evil" APH Video on youtube

The "Regret Message" followup contains Feliciano 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. "Regret Message" APH Video on youtube

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 Lovino is reborn. "Re_birthday" APH Video on youtube

America and Canada
Alfred and Canada have also been featured in MADs, though their roles are subject to vary. In one particular MAD (Aku no Maple), Alfred is the "evil" twin and Matthew is his servant.

The North American brothers are the most common to be used in fanfiction based off of the series. "Aku no Maple" on Youtube

There is also a version of "Regret Message" for Alfred and Matthew, it follows the plot of the original "Regret Message", but with Alfred and Matthew in it. It also includes brief flashes of other characters, such as Ivan, Kiku, and Arthur. "Regret Message" AmericaxCanada Version On Youtube

Germany and Prussia
Ludwig and Gilbert have also been used to portray the siblings in MADs, though depending on the author, either Ludwig or Gilbert may be the "evil" one. "Servant of Evil" Germany/Prussia on youtube

America and England (Devilish Brother)
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 Alfred's relationship with Arthur. In general "Servant of Evil" terms, Alfred would be the servant and Arthur would be the "evil" twin, but their roles are descibed in many different ways throughout the song. "Devilish Brother" (english subs) on youtube

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.

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 examples 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.

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. Lovino suplexing Antonio, Feliciano suplexing Ludwig, Taiwan suplexing Hong Kong.