America

Alfred F. Jones is a main character in the series Axis Powers Hetalia/Hetalia: Axis Powers. He represents America (アメリカ, Amerika) and leads the Allied Forces.

Appearance
He has short blond hair, with a wild strand, representing Nantucket, sticking up and blue eyes. He wears a tan uniform and a brown bomber jacket with a '50' on the back (for the fifty states). His glasses are said to represent the state of Texas. Alfred is often shown holding a hamburger or a large-size soft drink (usually a cola) and flashing a thumbs-up.

When Alfred initially appeared in the webcomic, his hair was drawn smoother and he had no wild strand. Eventually as the art style changed, Himaruya added in the strand and made Alfred's hair slightly wilder. Alfred also was shown to have his pants tucked into his boots in older designs, but more modern artwork depicts him wearing his pants over the boots.

Personality And Interests
Alfred is a cheerful, energetic, yet somewhat arrogant young man who is obsessed with heroes, justice, and freedom. He has the habit of sticking his nose into everyone else's business, which causes him to have difficulty making friends. He loves hamburgers and junk food, and can even eat strange and inedible things due to inheriting Arthur's sense of taste (or lack thereof). His profile states that his hobbies are sports, games, and making movies; furthermore, in the side-story "Black Ships Have Come", in introducing himself to Japan, he states that his hobbies are "quick-draw, archaeology, and adventures" (which is translated to Japan as America's hobby being lechery). He possesses an abnormal amount of strength, shown even as a child by easily swinging a full-grown buffalo around, and has been once seen running around dragging a heavy SUV, belonging to Arthur, behind him for an hour in order to ask permission to borrow it.

Alfred is shown to be ignorant of the geography outside his own home, believing that maps of the United States are a "world map" and believes that he can simply get to other countries by car travel. He is shown becoming concerned about his weight in the strip "Supersize You!" and it is mentioned that he's invented strange diet machines as well as becoming obsessed with exercise (which has caused him to become paranoid about his rising weight, as he is unaware of his building muscle). As Alfred is obsessed with heroes and happy endings, he hopes that his future will be that way.

Though he is friends with an alien named Tony, he doesn't believe in Arthur's fairies or unicorns.

Arthur Kirkland (England/United Kingdom)
Main Article: Arthur Kirkland

Alfred was discovered as a small child by Arthur, who adopted him and raised him as his younger brother, treating him with much care and adoration. When the Revolutionary War came, Alfred declared his independence and split from him. As part of the Allied Forces, Arthur often disagrees with the unusual ideas that Alfred presents. Even after the Revoluntionary War ended, Arthur and Alfred still remain friends, occasionally bickering.

Matthew Williams (Canada)
Main Article: Matthew Williams

Alfred's brother, who is always overshadowed by him and even mistaken for being him. Alfred and the other nations even tend to forget that he exists, but there are times, such as in Episode 44, where Matthew comes to talk to Alfred, and Alfred has no trouble recognizing him and seeing him.

Kiku Honda (Japan)
Main Article: Honda Kiku

Because Alfred is always interfering in others' affairs, his only real friends tend to be Kiku and Arthur. Alfred often visits Kiku at his home.

In the Anime
Alfred first appeared at the beginning of Episode 01 where he announced his plan to stop global warming. In Episode 06, he briefly appeared where he was spying on the Axis Powers and later roasting marshmallows. In Episode 07, he was attempting to announce his plan to take down the Axis Powers, but no one could understand him, due to him eating and drinking while speaking. He appears again in Episode 09, fully explaining his plan of being the hero while the other Allies serve as support.

Alfred had a brief cameo in Episode 11, as he attempted to talk to Arthur about something, but wound up confused when he saw that the other man appeared to be interacting with thin air. He later appears in the supermarket line in Episode 14, laughing rather loudly.

Alfred's childhood is spotlighted numerous times in the anime, including Episode 25 and Episodes 39 and 40, which tells of how France and England battled each other over his ownership.

In a minor difference from the manga design, the '50' was left off of Alfred's jacket in the anime adaptation.

Trivia

 * Although commonly referred to as America, some merchandise refers to him by the full term United States Of America, or simply U.S. for short.


 * His birthday corresponds with the Independence Day of July 4th, 1776, when the American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.
 * "Jones" is one of the most common surnames in the United States (as is "Smith" and "Williams"). "Alfred F." is most probably an allusion to Alfred E. Neuman. It is also possible that his name is a reference to the USS Alfred, the first ship to fly the Grand Union Flag. The man who hoisted the flag was John Paul Jones.
 * In some fanart, he is often portrayed with a bunny, as "U.S.A." can also be "usa", which means "bunny" in Japanese. The child version of Alfred was also shown to have a bunny following him, when he first met the older nations.
 * America is commonly displayed in fanart as having a feminine form; this character has been given various human names. She is usually displayed in a white shirt that is knotted below her breasts, often showing cleavage.  The whole outfit usually has a red, white, and blue color scheme.  She is interpreted by Japanese fans as having a very large bosom.  In some art, she is shown wearing a cowboy hat; in these instances, the '50' from her male counterpart's jacket appears on a button attached to the hat.  In fanfiction, she is usually shown chewing bubblegum, and tends to have the same loud, boisterous personality as her male counterpart.
 * According to Himaruya, Alfred's personality was based off of his teacher's. The same teacher is said to have a strong disinterest in world geography. Meanwhile, Alfred's appearance is based off of that of a Canadian that Himaruya met when he went to America.
 * In a set of character notes, it is revealed that Alfred has mingled a lot with Germanic blood.