Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire (神聖ローマ, Shinsei Rōma), often abbreviated to HRE, is a character in the series Hetalia: Axis Powers.

Appearance
He is a small blond child, clad in a black hat and matching cloak. Underneath his cloak, he wears a long black tunic, and tan-colored breeches. In at least one illustration, his eyes are depicted as black, though they are colored dark blue in the Hetalia trading card game. In some instances, his black clothing is also colored navy blue.

A deleted character design by Hidekaz Himaruya, as well as an illustration included on Bamboo Thicket, both depict an older version of Holy Roman Empire (presumably in his early teens). In his teenage design, he no longer wears his hat and has traded in his black/navy outfit for a white one.

The illustration on Bamboo Thicket, which was done as a tribute for a game that a fan created, depicts HRE in an outfit reminiscent of Prussia's Teutonic Knight uniform.

Personality And Interests
The grandson of Germania, he seemed strong but had a weak constitution. His main goal was to get Chibitalia to become part of his empire. He was said to have loved "her" so much that his house crumbled and he didn't care.

He later threw himself into the Thirty Years War, but eventually, after long periods of fighting, he was believed to have crumbled and fallen.

Chibitalia
He loved Chibitalia (whom he thought to be a girl) and wanted to make "her" part of his empire, but the other child refused to join with him, having seen Grandpa Rome's scars the last time they saw him alive.

When he left to go to war, Chibitalia gave him the panties "she" had worn (though it was changed to Chibitalia's deck broom in the anime) and they promised to see each other again when the war was over. He told Chibitalia that he had he loved "her" since the 900s, and kissed "her" (a scene that was edited out of the published version of the manga but retained in the anime). After that moment, they never saw each other again. Hidekaz Himaruya has promised a "happy ending" to their relationship, but this ending has not been revealed yet.

In The Anime
Holy Roman Empire first appears in the Chibitalia segment in Episode 01, and expresses his desire to make Chibitalia become one with him. He continues to appear in the Chibitalia sub-storyline, up until Episode 11, when he runs away after Chibitalia refuses to join with him. The sub-storyline was put on hiatus until Episode 21, where he prepared to leave for war.

In Episode 22, he bid Chibitalia farewell as he headed off to war, though Chibitalia wouldn't let him leave without "her" gift. In the anime adaptation, the scene with the panties was changed to Chibitalia giving Holy Roman Empire "her" deck brush. HRE thought of how he loved Chibitalia since the 900s, and they kissed. A post-credits teaser showed that HRE enjoyed his new deck brush very much. HRE later appears in brief cameos in episodes 39 and 40, dreaming of Chibitalia (only to wake up and realize he was only dreaming).

His design was changed slightly for the anime, with his eyes becoming rounder and brighter in appearance. His breeches were also changed from tan to gray, and the navy blue coloring is used for the rest of his clothing.

The fifth volume of the anime DVD releases includes a version of Marukaite Chikyuu sung by Holy Roman Empire (along with a version sung by Chibitalia). It was released on October 23, 2009.

In the English dub, HRE appears to have an Italian accent.

Trivia

 * In a scrapped scene by Himaruya, France breaks the news of HRE's death to an older Italy and tells him to forget about him (as he's suffered enough in the war).


 * It is hinted in the Buon San Valentino strips that Germany may in fact be HRE, or have some sort of connection to him. The plot point, however, has yet to be resolved. Himaruya himself tends to avoid directly answering any questions that pertain to whether the two are connected or not.


 * Though HRE is referred to as Germania's grandson in the official character profile by Himaruya, the Axis Powers Hetalia trading card game refers to HRE as his son.
 * Hidekaz Himaruya has stated that HRE's clothes are based off of the clothes that philosophers wore in the time period that he (HRE) grew up in.


 * When asked by a fan what HRE's height was, Himaruya answered that he and Chibitalia were both "7 apples tall", which would be approximately 3 feet in length (or nearly that).