Hesse (ヘッセン, Hessen) is a minor character in the series Hetalia. He is the personification of Hesse[Note 1].
Appearance[]
Hesse is a young man of an unknown physical age, however it is likely he looks older than Germany due to being described as his older brother. He has long light-colored hair tied back into a low, loose bun tied with a ribbon, with one longer tendril hanging down on the left side of his face (the viewer's right side). The color of his hair and eyes is currently unknown, however it can be presumed he is blonde with blue eyes due to his relation to and extremely close resemblance to Germany and Germania. Hesse also has a long, vertical scar going over his right eye (the viewer's left side), starting near his hairline and ending in the lower middle part of his cheek. How he received this scar is unknown.
Personality[]
Not much in depth is known about Hesse's personality. According to Prussia, himself, Saxony, and Hesse have passed on some of their stubborn traits to Germany[1]. He is also described as being a tough and cruel soldier, but he seems to also be rather cheerful as well[2][3].
Biography[]
Nothing is known about Hesse's life before he was part of the Holy Roman Empire, but it stands to reason he represented previous iterations of Hesse.
Holy Roman Empire[]
Hesse was one of many German nations that made up the Holy Roman Empire. However, all of the nations within the empire were not very united, meaning they had different lives and opinions and all grew and strengthened as individuals[4]. At some point (presumably in the 1600s), Denmark approached Hesse to say he could use some help from Hesse's mercenaries, to which Hesse responded with a less than enthusiastic "Guess I've got no choice…"[5][6][Note 3].
American Revolution[]
During the American Revolution, Hesse was hired as a mercenary by England. During the war, he and his men participated in the Battle of Trenton, when American troops crossed the Delaware River in the middle of the night on December 25, 1776 to attack the Hessian winter camp in the morning of the 26th. In the comic Himaruya drew of the event, as America and a soldier approach the German camp, the soldier warns America that the mercenary army is known to be cruel and higher-ups have told them to be even more careful than with the English. America agreed that they have to keep their guards up. When they approached the camp, the Hessians were drunk and celebrating Christmas, and Hesse seemed surprised by the attack and instead asked America to come celebrate with them. America then commented to his soldiers that the Hessians seem like very cheerful people[2][3].
In a summarization of the event after the comic, Himaruya explained that George Washington predicted the Hessians would have large Christmas celebration and decided to attack on this day for this reason, and that the Americans won an overwhelming victory[2][3]. It is currently unknown if Hesse himself was one of the many men who were captured during the battle or if he escaped. Additionally, it should be noted that the idea that the Hessians were actually drunk during the Battle of Trenton is in fact an unproven myth that has been perpetuated in popular history. The Hessian troops were surprised, dazed, and tired, but not extremely drunk or hungover[7]. It seems likely Himaruya was not aware this story is only a myth, or possibly decided to include it regardless because it was entertaining.
German Confederation[]
After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Hesse and several other German nations created the German Confederation[Note 4]. In a blog post where Himaruya explained some of the history of Germany, he stated that the Holy Roman Empire being dissolved caused the German nations to think about what Germany stood for and they became nostalgic for Germany. So, Prussia, Austria, and the German States formed the German Confederation[4].
Eventually, under the leadership of Prussia, the German states chose the path of unifying into one country, Germany[4]. World☆Stars Chapter 12 depicts this event, and while none of the German nations pictured in this chapter are named or labeled, there is one with a scar over the same eye as Hesse's scar, so it is possible that this is intended to be him. The German states are seen arguing due to their many different opinions, and when Prussia speaks up many seem excited at the prospect of unifying into a stronger country. Some of the states are pictured again later in the chapter greeting the newly born Germany[8].
Post-Unification and Present Day[]
Though it has not been definitively stated whether Hesse is currently alive in the present day representing the current state of Hesse, this scenario is extremely likely. During Cleaning Mr. Prussia, Hesse was name-dropped, along with a few other states, while Prussia was explaining to Germany that Germans historically overreach themselves and that he shouldn't overwork himself because he is not alone and all of his siblings are with him (but also that Prussia was still the best older brother)[1]. When asked about what Germany's brothers other than Prussia were doing, Himaruya said they are either retired in their regions, gradually disappearing, or something else like that, and that they are still connected to the present Germany, but that the baton has been passed on to him[9].
Relationships[]
- Germany: Hesse is Germany's older brother, and according to Prussia, Germany has inherited stubborn traits from himself, Saxony, and Hesse[1]. Hesse was one of many German States who came together to unify, which led to Germany's birth.[4][8].
- Prussia: Hesse and Saxony are brothers, though it is unknown which is older. Hesse and the other German states followed Prussia's lead to form the German Confederation and later unify to create Germany[4][8].
- Holy Roman Empire: Hesse was one of the states within the Holy Roman Empire. Though Hesse was a part of the Holy Roman Empire, he also grew and strengthened as an individual entity because the Empire was not very strongly united[4].
- Austria: Hesse and Austria were also part of the German Confederation together along with several others, however over time the German states began to greet Austria awkwardly[4]. It is also unknown if Austria shares the same cousin relation to Hesse that he does to Germany and Prussia, but it is possible.
- Other German States: In the time of the Holy Roman Empire, the German States, while all within the Empire, were not very united and could easily become friends or enemies depending on their interests[4]. Even when they formed the German Confederation together after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, they still argued and had many different opinions. Still, they were eventually able to decide to come together and unify to create Germany[4][8].
- Germania: Hesse, like the rest of the German nations, is a descendant of Germania[10][Note 5].
- England: England hired Hesse as a mercenary during the American Revolution[2][3].
- America: America fought against Hesse during the American Revolution, most notably during the Battle of Trenton in 1776, where the Americans won an overwhelming victory over the Hessians[2][3].
Appearances[]
Manga[]
- Christmas Trivia Comics
- Nordic Manga Summary: Denmark and Sweden’s Friendly Relations (this strip was had been posted in Blog Entry 1538 a few days earlier)
- Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 6 (the comic in Christmas Trivia Comics was included as part of Track 1, Hetalia à la carte 1)
- Hetalia: World☆Stars Chapter 12 (possibly; cameo)
Other[]
- Cleaning Mr. Prussia (mentioned)
- Blog Entry 874 (indirect mention)
- Blog Entry 1215 (indirect mention)
- Blog Entry 1383 (mentioned)
- Blog Entry 1538 (later reposted a few days later in Nordic Manga Summary)
- Blog Entry 1774 (indirect mention)
Trivia[]
- In a 2012 blog post, Himaruya mentioned that the German lands have a lot of interesting states and he was glad he had included Hesse in Hetalia[11].
- In a 2011 blog post, Himaruya commented that the uniforms of Germany's brothers were unusual[12].
- Hesse is one of the only designed characters who did not appear in the Hetalia☆Collezione, and the reason for his exclusion is unknown.
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Though it has not been directly stated, it has been implied that Hesse is still alive representing the modern state in Germany in addition to previously representing pre-unification Hesse. See the Post-Unification and Present Day subheading on this page for more information. Additionally, he represented Hesse during the German Confederation and the Holy Roman Empire, and presumably previous iterations of Hesse as well.
- ↑ Hesse has been mentioned multiple times as being related to Germany, Prussia, and the other German states, and they are all also descendants of Germania.
- ↑ This is likely a reference to the practice of Soldatenhandel (soldier trade), which became more widespread in the 1600s and was participated in by the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel.
- ↑ It is not known which of the three states with "Hesse" in the name that Hesse represented, or if he represented all of them because they were all made up of Hessians.
- ↑ Hesse is very likely one of the "many others" mentioned as Germania's descendants on his profile.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 31, 2010. おそうじプロイセンさん [Cleaning Mr. Prussia]. Scenario: ドイツ [Germany]". English.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 18–20, 2012. "クリスマスの豆知識漫画 [Christmas Trivia Comics]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2013. "ヘタリア アラカルト１ [Hetalia à la carte 1]". Axis Powers ヘタリア 6 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 6]. Page 23. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82867-4(JPN), 978-1-570-32152-8(ENG). English.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 22, 2016. "めでたし、めでたし [Happily Ever After]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 04, 2013. "デンマークとスウェーデンの友達付き合い [Denmark and Sweden’s friendly relations]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 06, 2013. "北欧漫画まとめ [Nordic Manga Summary]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2014. "[12話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 12] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. September 04, 2010. "スイスさんちはスイスさんと何らかの関係がないとなかなか滞在できないんだぜ！ [It's pretty hard to stay at Mr. Switzerland's place if you don't have some sort of relationship with Switzerland!]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 04, 2021. ヘタリア☆Collezione [Hetalia☆Collezione]. Page 162. Jump Comics. ISBN: 978-4-08-882870-1.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 24, 2012. "本当に遅くなってしまってすいませんでした。 [I’m really sorry for having been so late.]". Japanese. English.
- ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 20, 2011. "ドイツ諸国の軍服 [German nations’ military uniforms]". Japanese. English.