Sweden

Sweden (スウェーデン Suweden) is a character in the series Hetalia: Axis Powers. In 2008, Himaruya gave human names to some of the characters and he received the name Berwald Oxenstierna (ベールヴァルド・オキセンスシェルナ Bēruvarudo Okisensusheruna).

Appearance


Main article: Uniform Guide: Sweden 

Sweden has short, light blond hair and greenish-blue eyes. He wears a long blue overcoat with a matching hat, a black shirt and tie, and black pants, gloves, and boots; he also wears glasses. He is the tallest of all five Nordics; there is approximately a 12cm difference between him and Finland (the latter standing at about 170cm, which would make Sweden 182cm). He is the same height as Russia, making them the tallest out of all the nations to date.

Personality and Interests
Sweden was once a viking and the "Conqueror Of The Baltic Sea", but now stands neutral in military matters; he has calmed down and currently puts his strength into welfare. He is silent and difficult to understand; his taciturnity is due to the fact that he was born in a cold area. Deep down, he is actually quite playful, but it's rarely shown because of his intimidating aura.

His hobbies include making furniture and art. It is said that his canned Surströmming can be used as a deadly weapon. He speaks in a Tohoku accent, often translated as grunts and truncated words.

Despite his silence, he apparently takes interest in arguments and debates.

Denmark
Main Article: Denmark

Denmark once ruled over Sweden and Finland, but Sweden grew aggravated by his control and his refusal to listen. Sweden finally snapped and ran away from their home. The recent strips on Himaruya's blog suggest that Denmark challenged Sweden a number of times, though they also suggest his defeats.

Finland
Main Article: Finland

The two were once under the control of Denmark, but managed to escape. From that point, the two began living with each other; because of this, Sweden considers him to be his "wife" (though Finland denies such relation). Finland later fell under the control of Russia for some time; he stated that he felt more "free" there, though he quickly added that it was more fun being together with Sweden.

Finland often refers to Sweden as "Su-san" for short in the strips.

Netherlands
Main Article: Netherlands

It is confirmed that, though Sweden is one of the few characters taller than him, Netherlands succeeded into beating him up and scaring him out of the New world. It is not clear if Sweden still fears him.

Sealand
Main Article: Sealand

Sweden's adoptive son, whom he bought from an auction. He also has partial custody of Latvia and Estonia.

In one strip, after Sealand ignored his "papa" in favor of playing video games and watching TV, Sweden came up with a solution: He wrote "England" on a box, placed the box over Sealand, and began shaking it (while the box made noises like "Please stop it!!"). Sweden called it a Dambolis.

Spain
Main Article: Spain

During a war when Sweden was allies with Spain, Prussia and France spot Sweden and become extremely frightened by him (although they were also allies with him). They coax Spain into getting to talk with Sweden. Although Spain is unsure at first, he chats with him, and gets him to eat some of his churros. Very quickly, Spain gets over Sweden's intimidating aura and understands that the reason for Sweden's personality is because he becomes easily embarrassed and shy. In turn, Sweden also grows comfortable around Spain and uses him as an "interpreter" to talk to Prussia and France. When Sweden leaves, Spain cheerfully tells him to visit again.

In The Anime
Sweden is first seen in a brief cameo in Episode 01, sitting next to Finland in the meeting room. He later appears in Episode 14 as one of the many characters stuck in line at the supermarket, and comments on what a peaceful day it is.

His character design was altered slightly for the anime; his blond hair changed to a light brown while his eyes became a darker brown, matching the way he appeared in the Meeting of the World strip.



However, in Episode 69, his appearance was changed to fit his original design, as his hair was given a "yellow hue" similar to Finland's.

Name
It is assumed that his surname, Oxenstierna, came from the Swedish statesman Axel Oxenstierna (Oxenstjärna), and that his given name Berwald came from Franz Berwald, a Swedish Romantic composer, for whom the Berwaldhallen in Stockholm is named after. The Berwaldhallen also happens to be near Oxenstiernsgatan (Oxenstjärnsgatan).

Character Songs
Always With You... Nordic Five! (featured)

Trivia

 * His birthday corresponds with the National Day of Sweden, also known as Swedish Flag Day.
 * It has been said by Hidekaz Himaruya that Sweden is homosexual. It has also been said that he only has romantic feelings towards Finland.
 * Sweden is the only character with a confirmed sexual preferance; other countries' sexualities are implied or hinted at, but not confirmed.