Germania (ゲルマン, Geruman) is a minor character in the series Hetalia. He is the ancestor of the Germanic countries and represents the Germanic Tribes (though it is believed by some that he may instead be intended to represent the region of Germania).
Appearance[]
Chibi Germania from Axis Powers Volume 4
Germania has armpit-length blond hair, some of which is done into a thin braid, green eyes (blue in the anime), and a distinctive scowl he shares with Holy Roman Empire, Germany, Prussia and Sweden, a nod to the fact that they are all tied to Germanic Tribes.
His signature outfit is a plate armor and a cloak, but he has also been drawn in modern clothes, namely in Grandpa Rome's Visit Home[5] where he is sent back to present-day Earth along with Ancient Rome. In that same strip, he is described as having "huge pectoral muscles".
Personality and Interests[]
Little is known about Germania. He is a man of few words with a rough, wild and brave personality,[6] and his bio from World☆Stars Volume 2[7] states that not being able to tell what he's thinking is part of his charm. Other than that, he is said to be a brutal warrior who dislikes Ancient Rome greatly, and seems unable to smile.[3][8]
However, he is very fond of his family as shown in a request strip from the Christmas 2011 Event[2] (which prompts Rome to call him a doting parent for thinking of his family instead of potential love interests). Because Germania is often calm and collected around Rome, the latter has a tendency to poke fun at him and his relatives in hopes to rile him up enough that he wants to fight.[9] In return, Germania sometimes bickers back.[8]
Biography[]
Prime[]
Germania was alive during pre-Christianity times, during which he fought a lot against Ancient Rome (something Rome seems very excited about)[9] after having temporarily been his guard.[10] Despite that, the two of them still had to occasionally join forces, which lead them to develop an odd kind of friendship.
He claims to have given Rome his "fatal blow",[10][Note 4] although the truth behind that statement remains unclear. After both he and Rome died, they found themselves stuck together in the afterlife, to Germania's dismay. It is worth noting that their deaths constitute one of the rare mentions of personifications losing their immortality (Germania and Rome are described to have "rotten to bones").[10][11]
Modern Era[]
In the modern day, Germania is enjoying himself alongside Rome in the afterlife, though he never visits Earth like Rome sometimes does. The only exception to this is in Grandpa Rome's Visit Home,[5] where Germania is appointed by God to watch over Rome after the latter asked to be allowed to visit his grandsons on present-day Earth. Germania wants to quickly get it over with, and ends up lashing out at Rome for throwing a tantrum over what remained of his old house. However, when Rome gets melancholic about his past life, Germania cheers him up wholeheartedly, reminding him of the legacy he left behind and the fact that he no longer has to go to war or obey a boss.
Relationships[]
Ancient Rome[]
- Main article: Ancient Rome
At some point he was a bodyguard for Rome,[10] but the two then became enemies. Despite that, they still had to occasionally unite for military purposes, which lead to a peculiar love-hate relationship. Germania allegedly delivered the fatal blow to Rome, and died himself sometime after. In later strips, it is shown that they are once again friends in the afterlife.[2][5]
Unlike Rome, Germania is rather down-to-earth, calm and collected, but Rome enjoys trying to get a reaction out of him (especially if it can lead to a brawl).[9]
In Together with Grandpa Rome[12] (adapted in Episode 60), Germania interrupts Rome's musings to ask him to talk about something else than seducing women, drinking alcohol and fighting, as he is not interested whatsoever. In a similar way, in Grandpa Rome’s Visit Home,[5] Germania has to step in to cut short to Rome's tamper tantrum upon discovering what happened to his former house. Whereas Rome was quite pessimistic about his legacy, Germania reminded him of how much he left behind for people to remember, and also that he can now finally enjoy the gift of eternal peace.
Holy Roman Empire[]
- Main article: Holy Roman Empire
Although it remained unclear for a period of time what kind of relation there was between Germania and Holy Roman Empire, it has since then been confirmed that Germania is his grandfather (as opposed to the occasional mention of Germania rather being his father), and he has also been confirmed to be Prussia's and Germany's grandfather.[7] Sweden, Austria and Switzerland are also shown to be other descendants of his,[2][Note 2] but although their relation to Germania was never explicitly stated, it is very likely that they are grandsons just like the others.
Appearances[]
Manga[]
- Christmas 2011 Event[13][2][14]
- Germania And[8]
- Grandpa Rome and Spartacus[15]
- Grandpa Rome’s Visit Home[5]
- Persia and the Two Kings[16]
- Reverse Countdown Comic[3]
- Together with Grandpa Rome[12]
- World☆Stars Chapter 21[4]
- World☆Stars Jump SQ 2015 Mar Issue Spin-off Chapter[17]
Other[]
- Grandpa Rome [Request][18]
- Love? Hate? [Request][9]
- Hetalia☆Collezione
Anime[]
Germania and Ancient Rome in Episode 60
Germania first appears at the beginning of Episode 60 during the pre-Christianity era with Ancient Rome, who he becomes annoyed with for constantly talking about the women he flirts with, drinking, and battle. The both of them appear again at the beginning of Episode 61, where Germania cheers Rome up after he lost a battle. These are the only times Germania was seen in the anime so far.
His anime design is notable for removing the side braid in his hair, and his eye color was changed to blue.
Trivia[]
- Though the descendants of Germania are referred to as his grandsons in recent media, the 2008 trading cards game erroneously refers to HRE as his "son" (while giving no relation status to Prussia). Similarly, in the description of the independently-produced Axis Powers Hetalia: The CD, he was listed as being Germany's father. It is likely that his relation to HRE was changed in order to make them parallels to Ancient Rome and Italy Veneziano.
- Unlike Rome, Germania never made on-screen contact with any of his decendants.
Notes[]
- ↑ Germania is strictly a geographical region, but Germanic peoples did not exclusively live in that region (some of them also originated from parts of the Roman Empire or south Scandinavia).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 In the sourced strip from the Christmas 2011 Event, Germania shows Rome a vision of his family, which includes Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. It makes sense since Germanic Tribes have lived in most parts of these present-day countries.
- ↑ The German States, such as Saxony, Bavaria, and Hesse.
- ↑ The fall of the Western Roman Empire is a complex topic. Some scholars have theorized that Germanic leaders were the cause of the Empire's decline, but it has been challenged over the course of History as it cannot be the one and only cause. Click here for more information.
References[]
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 9, 2014. "仮装ランド [Costume land]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 3, 2012. "リクエスト4コマ まとめ１ [2011 Christmas – Requests Page 1]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 18, 2008. "逆カウントダウン漫画 [Reverse Countdown Comic]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 28, 2014. "21話 [Chapter 21: The Mood is Positive]". ヘタリア World☆Stars [Hetalia World☆Stars] English.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 20, 2013. "ローマじいちゃんの里帰り（＋大胸筋） [Grandpa Rome’s Visit Home]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 6, 2008. "おわんないぜ！ [It’s not over yet!]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 3, 2015. ヘタリア World☆Stars 2 [Hetalia World☆Stars 2]. Shueisha. ISBN: 978-4-0888-0440-8 (JP) English.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. February 24, 2015. "ゲルマンさんと [Germania and]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Himaruya, Hidekaz. February 6, 2015. "【リクエスト】すき？きらい？ [Request] Love? Hate?]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 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 23. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. June 30, 2011. Axis Powers ヘタリア 4 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 4]. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-2233-7(JPN), 978-1-5703-2150-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 10, 2008. "ローマじいちゃんと [Together with Grandpa Rome]". Axis Powers ヘタリア 2 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 2]. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 4, 2011. "はみ出しハロウィーン 2ページ目 [2011 Halloween Overflow – Page 2]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 3, 2012. "リクエスト漫画２ [2011 Christmas – Request Strips Page 2]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 5, 2011. "ローマじいちゃんとスパルタカス [Grandpa Rome and Spartacus]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 28, 2014. "ペルシアさんあーんどふたりの皇帝 [Persia and the Two Kings]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 2015. ヘタリア World☆Stars [Hetalia World☆Stars] English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 26, 2011. "リクエスト「ローマじいちゃん」 [Request “Grandpa Rome”]". Japanese. English.