Axis Powers Hetalia (manga)

Axis Powers Hetalia is a webmanga by Hidekaz Himaruya, that began in 2003 and continues to run on his website "Kitayume". It has been adapted into print form, several drama CDs, and an anime series.

The series involves anthropomorphic representations of the world's nations, with the main storyline taking place in WWI and WWII, though there are stories set in earlier and more modern eras. The series is named for the main character Italy, with "Hetalia" being a portmanteau of the words hetare (useless) and Italia.

Plot
During WWI, Germany, in search of the heir to the empire of Ancient Rome, finds Italy hiding in a crate and takes him as a captive. After living with him to the start of WWII, Italy takes it upon himself to become Germany's ally. The two are soon joined by Japan, though the three wind up having to deal with the arrival of the Allied Forces: America, England, France, China, and Russia.

Characters
Main article: List of Axis Powers Hetalia characters

The Hetalia series is notable for its large, colorful cast of characters. Each of the characters represents a nation, complete with the stereotypes attributed to it. The original webcomic initially focused on the nations of the Axis Powers vs. the Allied Forces, with the cast quickly expanding to include others.

Original Web Version
Main article: List of Axis Powers Hetalia chapters (webcomic)

The main storyline so far involves five chapters, a bonus story, and several side stories and "comic diary" strips by Himaruya.

Hetalia Chapter 1
The first arc in the main storyline covers the meeting of Germany and Italy, followed by the formation of the Axis Powers. Other events in the arc include Italy traveling to Egypt to start a fight (only to wind up needing Germany to bail him out), and Germany and Italy becoming prisoners of war.

Hetalia Chapter 2: Allied Forces
The Allied Forces, lead by America, form to take down the Axis Powers.

Hetalia Chapter 3: G-R Non Aggression Pact
The Axis Powers train for war as England attempts to sabotage America in various ways.

Hetalia Chapter 4: Pact Of Steel
Italy becomes paranoid of Germany and Japan abandoning him due to his weakness, while Lithuania overhears Russia's plans to invade Poland. Italy and Germany form the "Pact Of Steel", much to the aggravation of Italy's older brother, Romano.

Chibitalia
The story of Italy in his youth, and his relationship with the Holy Roman Empire.

Published Manga
Main article: List of Axis Powers Hetalia chapters (published manga)

A print version of the manga came out in 2008, and has been collected into two volumes so far. The published version differs somewhat from the original online strips, with several events being retold or redrawn for better quality. New strips exclusive to the volumes were also included. Some scenes have also been cut or edited from the originals for content (ie: Holy Roman Empire kissing Chibitalia in the "Chibitalia" arc).

The first volume was released on March 17th, 2008, with the second volume being released in December.

Drama CDs
There have been three drama CDs released for the series so far, with a fourth to come.


 * Hetalia Drama CD: Prologue, released as a Comic Market 74 exclusive on August 15, 2008.
 * Hetalia Drama CD: Volume 1, released on October 24, 2008.
 * Hetalia Drama CD: Prologue 2, released as a Comic Market 75 exclusive on December 29, 2008.
 * Hetalia Drama CD: Volume 2, to be released on April 22, 2009.

The first two CDs feature the Axis Powers, Austria, and the Allied Forces, with the absence of China, who wasn't cast at the time. Instead, Lithuania is included in the main cast. China however, did make his debut in "Prologue 2" along with Hungary. Sealand is slated to appear in "Volume 2", though his voice actor has not yet been announced.

Anime
Main article: Axis Powers Hetalia (anime)

An anime adaptation of Axis Powers Hetalia was announced in July 2008, and premiered on January 24th, 2009 on Animate.TV. It was originally scheduled to air on Kids Station, but was pulled from the lineup due to "various circumstances". It is scheduled for 26 episodes.