Hetalia (ヘタリア, Hetaria) is a series created by the Japanese mangaka Hidekaz Himaruya (日丸屋秀和, Himaruya Hidekazu). Initially a webcomic, it later became a serialized manga series and eventually also gained an anime adaptation. The series personifies the nations of the world into immortal anthropomorphic characters and presents an allegorical (and often satirical) interpretation of political, historical, and cultural events throughout history and the present day. The name Hetalia (ヘタリア) is a portmanteau combining the Japanese words "hetare" (ヘタレ, a slang word for 'useless' and 'incompetent') and "Italia" (イタリア, Itaria, 'Italy').
Overview[]
Webcomic and Manga[]
Hetalia initially began as a webcomic in July 2006, with its "main storyline" having a focus on World War II (as well as the end of World War I and the buildup to World War II), and specifically the characters of Italy Veneziano, Germany, and Japan, which is why it was originally titled Axis Powers Hetalia (Axis Powers ヘタリア, Akushisu Pawāzu Hetaria). In addition to the "main storyline" chapters posted in 2006, the Hetalia webcomic also consisted of many other extra comics and artworks that expanded on the characters, introduced new characters, and took place in other time periods.
With the rising popularity of the series in Japan, dōjinshi and dōjinshi events were produced. In late 2007 and early 2008, Himaruya contributed artwork and comics to a few anthology compilations of dōjinshi: Get the World!! Kitayume Anthology Hetalian (as well as the brochure for the Get The World Kitayume Only Event this was published during) and The World of Hetalia Exhibition Commemoration Anthology: Premium.
In 2008, the webcomic was reworked and adapted into printed manga tankōbon titled Hetalia: Axis Powers (Axis Powers ヘタリア, Akushisu Pawāzu Hetaria) and published by Gentosha Comics. This is also when the name order changed from "Axis Powers Hetalia" to "Hetalia: Axis Powers". In total, six volumes were published, with the first releasing on March 28, 2008, the second on December 10, 2008, the third on May 20, 2010, the fourth on June 30, 2011, the fifth on July 31, 2012, and the sixth on October 31, 2013. The manga was also serialized in the Comic Birz magazine from the November 2011 issue until the August 2013 issue.
The first four Hetalia: Axis Powers volumes consisted of primarily republished or redrawn versions of comics from the original webcomic alongside some new material, and the final two volumes mostly contained of comics that had been originally published in Comic Birz and some new material. Every volume aside from the first also had a limited special edition release that included an extra booklet for the second through fifth and a drama CD for the sixth.
The published manga was licensed by Tokyopop in North America in 2010 and the first two volumes were published in English, with the first volume being published on September 21, 2010 in North America and October 12, 2010 in the UK, and the second being published on December 28, 2010 in North America and January 11, 2011 in the UK. However, soon before the third volume was scheduled to be released, Tokyopop shut down publishing in North America. In 2012, The company Right Stuf made a deal with Tokyopop and Gentosha, which led to rereleases of the first two English volumes and the third volume being published on June 26, 2012. The following three volumes were also published in English through Right Stuf, with the fourth and fifth being released on December 10, 2013 and the sixth on May 13, 2014. In addition to English, these six volumes have also been published in several other countries and translated into other languages, including German, Chinese, Italian, and Thai.
Anime[]
An anime adaptation of Hetalia: Axis Powers was announced on July 24, 2008. Directed by Bob Shirohata and produced by Studio Deen, it was initially scheduled to air on Kids Station on January 24, 2009. However, the broadcast was canceled following protests over the portrayal of the Korea character. Despite this, the anime was released via mobile and online streaming as planned.
The second season (26 episodes) was announced on April 16, 2009, followed by a third on December 10, 2009. On March 7, 2010, the series was renamed Hetalia: World Series, with a fourth season premiering on September 10, 2010, introducing Denmark and Norway.
Funimation acquired the rights to the first two seasons and began streaming them with Japanese audio and English subtitles. The English dub featured characters with regional accents and received a TV-MA rating. The first DVD was released on September 14, 2010. Funimation also licensed Hetalia: World Series for simulcast and DVD release in 2011. The series debuted on North American TV via the Funimation Channel on December 23, 2010, and was distributed in the UK by Manga Entertainment.
In September 2012, a fifth season titled Hetalia: The Beautiful World was announced, introducing a new art style and the character Romania. It aired in 2013, with the English dub released on July 22, 2014.
A sixth season, Hetalia: The World Twinkle, aired from July to October 2015 and was dubbed in English in November 2016.
An ONA adaptation of Hetalia: World Stars was announced in October 2020 and aired from April 1 to June 17, 2021. Funimation also licensed this series.