America (アメリカ, Amerika) is a main character in the series Hetalia. He is the personification of America.
In 2007, Himaruya gave out human names to some of the characters and he received the name Alfred F. Jones (アルフレッド・F・ジョーンズ, Arufureddo F. Jōnzu).[1]
Appearance
Chibi America from Axis Powers Volume 4
America is a young man of average height with short, golden blond hair and a cowlick which represents Nantucket.[4][5] He has blue eyes, and his glasses are said to represent the state of Texas.[4][6] When America initially appeared in the webcomic,[7] he was lacking the distinctive cowlick.
In blog notes from 2011,[8] Himaruya stated about America's physique that "because he is still young, he isn't brawny even though he has muscles". He also added that he tries drawing America with a lean body type.
Personality and Interests
America is a cheerful, energetic, yet somewhat conceited 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, to the point of an obsession, and can even eat strange and inedible things due to inheriting England's sense of taste (or lack thereof).
America is also known for not being aware of how "the atmosphere" is when he is around others (which, at one point, he was told to read it), but it has been noted that it is not that he lacks the ability to "assess the situation", he simply chooses not to. His profile states that his hobbies are sports, games, and making movies, but he also enjoys watching movies specifically of the horror genre. On multiple occasions, he has forced Japan to watch movies that he calls "Too freaking scary!" because they are about ghosts and paranormal activity. Japan gives him zombie video games to come over his fear of ghosts. 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 Rolls Royce that belong to England with one hand behind him for an hour in order to ask permission to borrow it. In the NotoSama 6 game, America was able to stop a car with the heel of his foot.
America is shown to be ignorant of the geography outside his own home, believing that maps of the United States constitute the "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 has 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. Aside from being afraid of ghosts, scary movies, and weighing scales, he also fears marmite. As America is obsessed with heroes and happy endings, he hopes that his future will be that way.
Though he is friends with a space alien named Tony, he does not believe in England's magical friends, fairies, or unicorns, except on Halloween.
Biography
Childhood
Found as a young child during the early years of European's traveling to a new land, America was fought over by Britain and France for both rights as a sibling and control over government. Britain eventually won both these rights and America was taken into his care, although it would be rumored that it would only be a few decades under Britain's care that America eventually grew strong enough to care for himself and fight for his own independence.
Independence
WWI and WWII
Modern Era
Relationships
Canada
- Main article: Canada
America's kind-hearted brother, who is frequently overshadowed by him and is constantly mistaken for him. While most other nations either ignore or don't notice Canada, America seems to have no trouble noticing Canada most of the time and is actually the one who spends the most time with Canada. The two have a typical sibling relationship, with America being the more dominate one and trying to get Canada to be tougher and Canada simply wanting to be recognized as himself.
China
- Main article: China
America appears to have a decent relationship with China. He seems aware enough to know China is a capable fighter as he right away chose him to single handedly fight the Axis countries. When China falls into an angry fit and starts to become somewhat destructive, America is often the one to try to settle him, though this may possibly be due to America being the only one physically strong enough to restrain him.
England
- Main article: England
When America was young, he looked up to England and loved his cooking. However, their relationship became heavily strained when America started to become more independent and no longer needed Britian's support. Over the years after the Revolution, they appear to have re-established their bond, but both are still haunted by those events. They work well as part of the Allied Forces but many, if not all, of America's suggestions are met with disapproval and heavy criticism from England. While they often argue with one another, it is hinted they truly care about each other. America often teases England for acting like an "old man" and his love of tea, calling him "Limey" during arguments.
Russia
- Main article: Russia
Unlike many other characters, America does not seem instantly afraid of Russia as he can often be seen speaking directly with him without any sign of nervousness. In fact, America once stated he thought Russia was cool after hearing he fought tanks with his hands.
Japan
- Main article: Japan
America has been close friends with Japan since he got him to open his borders but appears unaware of how he made Japan feel during that time. They stayed friends as they would visit each other's house often even as America struggled with Japan's culture, such as cute things being reported as news and the difference in size regarding food portions. America often tries to get Japan to loosen up but finds the task quite difficult since Japan is so set in his ways. Although he occasionally teases Japan, America is aware of some of Japan's concerns and fears, the biggest one being that Japan was worried about not being able to make friends with others when he opened the country. While they are different in many ways, they do share several interests.
Lithuania
- Main article: Lithuania
Lithuania and America in Episode 20
Due to his economy plummeting after WWI, Lithuania lived with America[Note 10] for a brief period of time and worked for him as his housekeeper (events of the whole Lithuania's Out-Sourcing[9][10][11] series plus Cleaning out the Storage,[12] adapted in Episode 17 and Episode 20).
At first England regularly visited, as he doubted America's ability to treat Lithuania well, but the latter proved to be enjoying his new lifestyle and was well-received both by America himself, but also by the other occupants of the house (America's whale and Tony). England was shocked by the ease with which Lithuania tackled his workload, to which Lithuania reponded that "if you once lived with Poland 24/7 and then got invaded by Russia, you would know".[9]
Tony specifically displayed an odd liking for Lithuania, to the point of repeatedly beaming him up into his spacecraft out of jealousy, should Lithuania spend too much time with the whale.[9] Another instance from Comic Diary Summary Part 6 shows Tony confessing to Lithuania that he would like him to meet his parents, and offers Lithuania to come with him (to the whale's clear annoyance).[13]
After the Great Depression hit, Russia came to take Lithuania back home with him, claiming that America was no longer fit to care for him.[11] Lithuania showed reluctance to leave America, but he ultimately did not have much of a choice.
Even though America was his employer, Lithuania still regarded him with the softness of a more experienced, wiser Nation. He patiently deals with America's anxiety after he just watched a horror movie by accepting to sleep with him, and answers America's many questions about his younger days during the Commonwealth[10] (Lithuania mentally notes that in that aspect, America hasn't changed from when he himself was a child). In Cleaning out the Storage[12] (or Episode 17 and Episode 20), when America sheepishly tells him he might be becoming a sentimental old man after being unable to throw away most of the storage's contents, Lithuania simply replies that he's just becoming an adult.
In the strip Happy Birthday![14] set in the mid-2000s,[Note 11] Lithuania returned to America's house to celebrate his birthday, fulfilling his long-time promise to hang out with him again once the times are brighter.[11]
Davie
As a young boy, America was friends with a boy named Davie who was searching for blue flowers. America joined his search, but he noticed how, as the years went by, Davie seemed to not remember who America was. Despite this treatment, America still viewed Davie as a close friend and continued to search for the flowers to make him happy. When seeing Davie had passed away, America appears to have taken it rather hard.
Human Name
Hidekaz Himaruya provided America with the name "Alfred F. Jones" (アルフレッド・F・ジョーンズ, Arufureddo F. Jōnzu) in 2007.[1] In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the exact pronunciation of his name is written as /ˈælfɹəd ˈɛf d͡ʒoʊnz/. For more information on using the IPA to learn how to pronounce a word, see the IPA help page for English on Wikipedia.
Alfred is a given name of English origin that is a descendant of the Old English name Ælfræd, which derives from the Germanic words ælf ("elf") and ræd ("counsel"). Jones is a surname of English and Welsh origin that is derived from the name Jone (a variation of John) and the genitive ending -s. It is also one of the most common surnames in the United States.
America's middle name is currently unknown. When asked what the "F" stands for, Himaruya stated that according to his initial notes, he originally thought of "Foster", but that there were also other names listed around it like "Franklin" and "Fuck".[15] Franklin may be a reference to Benjamin Franklin.
There are many potential inspirations behind America being given this name. "Alfred F." may be an allusion to Alfred E. Neuman, the mascot of the American humor magazine MAD. Another possible inspiration for his first name is Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker and director who is considered one of the most influential people in cinema history. His middle initial being "F" may be inspired by John F. Kennedy, one of the most well known presidents of the United States. His surname may be a reference to the famous action movie hero and archaeologist Indiana Jones, as one of America's hobbies is archaeology.[16] It is also possible that his name is a reference to the USS Alfred, which was the first ship to fly the Grand Union Flag (the first American flag). The man who first hoisted the flag was John Paul Jones.
Appearances
Manga
To avoid excessively long pages, the following list only contains America's most notable appearances. It also doesn't include content from the Bamboo Thicket blog posts that are not reuploads of pre-existing strips.
- (Power Ranger) Allied Forces[17]
- Cleaning out the Storage[12]
- Comic Diary Summary Part 2[4]
- Comic Diary Summary Part 6[13]
- Happy Birthday![14]
- Lithuania's Out-Sourcing[9]
- Lithuania's Out-Sourcing Part 2[10]
- Lithuania's Out-Sourcing Part 3 (The Great Depression)[11]
- Lithuania's Out-Sourcing Sequel[18]
- Meeting Of The World[19]
- World☆Stars Chapter 8: News Flash! Italy’s Gotten Fat!?[20]
Anime
America in the anime.
America makes his first appearance at the beginning of Episode 01 where he announced his (albeit far-fetched) plan to stop global warming. Throughout many episodes where the Allied nations join together, America is often self-appointing himself the leader of the group and laying out plans that usually spell out trouble for the others while leaving himself to come out looking the hero.
His childhood is spotlighted numerous times in the anime, including Episode 25, Episode 39, and Episode 40, which tells of how France and England battled each other over his ownership. He is later shown meeting Davie and learning of the unpleasant impact of being immortal when Davie passed away.
In a minor difference from the manga design, the "50" was left off of America's jacket in the anime adaptation. This is most likely due to the time setting of the series starting between America's founding and World War 2 which meant that all fifty states were not yet founded by this time.
For a complete list of his anime appearances, see this page.
Songs
Anime Ending Themes
- "Marukaite Chikyuu (America)"
- "Wa! Wa!! World Ondo" (featured)
- "Hatafutte Parade (America)"
- "Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo (America)"
- "American☆Jet"
Character Image Songs
- "W・D・C ~World Dancing~"
- "Hamburger Street"
- "I'm your HERO☆"
- "C.B.C. (Cowboyz Boot Camp) Vol.1"
- "It's Easy!!!!"
- "Million Calories Party"
Other Songs
- "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" (featured)
- "United Nations Star ☆" (featured)
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.
- In some fanart he is portrayed with a rabbit as a reference to how "U.S.A." can also be "usa", which means "bunny" in Japanese. The child version of America was also shown to have a bunny following him when he first met the older nations.
- According to Himaruya, America's personality was based off of his teacher's. The same teacher is said to have a strong disinterest in world geography. Meanwhile, America's appearance is based off of that of a Canadian that Himaruya met when he went to America.
- Notes in the special edition booklet for Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 3 revealed that America was originally intended to be smarter and more cocky, but evolved into a louder, heroic-wannabe type of character. Himaruya noted that in retrospect, the original character personality would have been harder to use.
- In a set of character notes, it is revealed that America has mingled a lot with Germanic blood, and that he was insecure for having no history of his own before England adopted him.
- In England, Dreaming About The Past, it was revealed by a sleeping England that America used to wet his bed when he was younger.
- It is a source of debate among fans as to whether it is America or Canada that is the older of the two brothers (with Himaruya having not confirmed a set age difference between the two). A common fan interpretations is that the two are twins, due to their very similar appearances, though this has not been directly confirmed. Though they do not have the same birthday, supporters of this theory point out that the nations' birthdays merely refer to their date of independence or unification, and that a nation may not have an official birthday in the same sense as humans. For example, America's "birthday" is listed as July 4th, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, however, he was alive for an unknown number of years prior to this.
- It is unknown when exactly either were born and it is also unknown what Canada's physical age is. However, when Canada asked England which of them was older, England used the measurement of who learnt the alphabet first. In this case, Canada determined that this would make him the older sibling.[21]
- The number "50" on his jacket, representing the 50 states, is historically incorrect during the comics taking placeduring World War II. Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959, and Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959, both long after the end of World War II. This is likely the reason the "50" is not present in the anime adaption.
- America served in the Air Force branch of the U.S. military. This is known because he has been repeatedly drawn in Air Force uniforms and he has been depicted flying a plane.
- In Hetalia Fantasia 2 it is revealed that America has at least 238 weaknesses, one of those being Dora The Explorer.
- America like cars and seems to have a car collection, as it is said that he has several, including a Mustang, a remodeled Caprice, a 1955 Thunderbird, and a DeLorean modeled after the car in the movie Back to the Future.
- In the 2010 Christmas event, he said that he was jealous of all of the kids in his country that get presents from their fathers. This may be a reference to America's fast growth and young age, how he missed out on a lot of childhood things by growing physically mature so quickly, and the fact that he does not have parental figures.
- In World☆Stars, America is shown to secretly admire Canada's personality to get along with everyone (despite Canada's desire to change it), calling him "blessed" to have such an ability. He is also shown to be taken aback by how much Canada knows about his politics and entertainment, while he knows very little about Canada's.
- In the strip Until It Becomes Buried in the Cabinets, America stars in a hair iron commercial. An off-screen voice refers to him by his human name of Alfred.
- In response to a question from a fan on Himaruya's blog, it was stated that in addition to America's glasses representing Texas, his glasses are "a prop to show you he's normally disguising his power". This pays homage to the American cartoon trope where the hero conceals his identity with a pair of glasses. However, America still feels like a hero even with them on.
- In chapter 32, thirty of America's New Years resolutions were revealed to focus on body image; wanting to either build muscle, drop down to 3% body fat, or be skinnier or slimmer.
- Because of his relatively strong/stable economy, America has been shown to have a cold only once but that it spread to others, notably Japan, possibly because of trades he has with other countries.
Notes
- ↑ This is the exact pronunciation of America's human name written in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For more information on using the IPA to learn how to pronounce a word, see the IPA help page for English on Wikipedia. For more information on America's human name, see the Human Name subheading on this page.
- ↑ The Independence Day of the United States. It celebrates the date of the Declaration of Independence, when the colonies declared independence from British rule. Click here for more information.
- ↑ The phrase "sworn brother" refers to men who are either siblings by birth or who have sworn loyalty to each other.
- ↑ The scientific name for the genus of 130 flower species commonly known as Columbines. These are very prevalent native wildflowers in North America. Also, the name Aquilegia comes from the Latin for eagle, aquila Click here for more information.
- ↑ The national flower of the United States. Click here for more information.
- ↑ A pastry dessert made from leavened flour dough that is deep fried, shaped into a ring or filled with a sweet filling, and then topped with glaze, icing, chocolate, or other toppings. Donuts were invented in the United States are often regarded as a symbol of American identity/culture. Click here and here for more information.
- ↑ A frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavored with spices such as vanilla or chocolate, fruits, or other ingredients. Ice cream is commonly associated with the United States and is regarded as a symbol of American identity/culture. Click here and here for more information.
- ↑ A double crusted pie with a filling made primarily of apples (with spices such as cinnamon also being included) and the top crust often being arranged in a lattice design. Apple pie is considered one of the United States' unofficial national dishes and is regarded as a symbol of American identity/culture. Click here for more information.
- ↑ A patty of ground beef often served on a bun with various toppings such as cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce, ketchup, and more. Hamburger is one of the most popular foods in America, and it is considered the unofficial national dish (in addition to apple pie). Click here and here for more information.
- ↑ Because of a famine in the late 19th century as well as the onset of WWI, about a third of Lithuania's population emigrated to the United States. Click here for more information.
- ↑ A telling indicator of this is Japan's gift for America being a Nintendo Wii, which released worldwide in November/December 2006.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 2007. "Old Blog 2007/05". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 2006. "Old Blog 2006/10". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 10, 2008. "ヘタリアと愉快な仲間たち [Hetalia and Funny Friends]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 2 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 2]. Page 14. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 01, 2007. "日記漫画まとめ その２ [Comic Diary Summary Part 2]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 31, 2012. Axis Powers ヘタリア 5 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 5]. Page 10. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82563-5(JPN), 978-1-5703-2151-1(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 6, 2014. "おまけ７ [Extra 7]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. June 26, 2007. "世界の中心で会議を開く （みかん） [Opening of the Meeting at the Center of the World]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 30, 2011. "ベラルーシさんとウクライナさんの軍服バージョン [Belarus & Ukraine military uniform versions]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 11, 2007. "出稼ぎリトアニア [Lithuania’s Out-Sourcing]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 18, 2007. "出稼ぎリトアニア２ [Lithuania’s Out-Sourcing Part 2]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Himaruya, Hidekaz. February 11, 2007. "出稼ぎリトアニア３（世界恐慌） [Lithuania’s Out-Sourcing Part 3 (The Great Depression)]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 23-26, 2007. "倉庫掃除 [Cleaning out the Storage]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 20, 2007. "日記漫画まとめ その６ [Comic Diary Summary Part 6]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 5-9, 2007. "お誕生日おめでとう！ [Happy Birthday!]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 25, 2011. "リクエストもろもろ [Various requests]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 30, 2006. "黒船キタヨー [Black Ships Have Come~]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 28, 2008. "Power Ranger Allied Forces" Axis Powers ヘタリア 1 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 1]. Page 55. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1275-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1876-8(ENG). Japanese.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 3, 2007. "出稼ぎリトアニア 後日談 [Lithuania’s Out-Sourcing Sequel]" Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 28, 2008. "Meeting Of the World" Axis Powers ヘタリア 1 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 1]. Page 3. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1275-8(JPN), 978-1-427-818-768(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 17, 2014. "8話 [Chapter 8: News Flash! Italy’s Gotten Fat!?]" ヘタリア World☆Stars 1 [Hetalia World☆Stars 1] English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 22, 2016. ヘタリア World☆Stars, Chapter 199: A Friendly Argument. Gentosha. Shueisha. JP.EN