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Rumors and Misconceptions

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Like many other medias, Hetalia has been subject to a lot of fan speculation, theorizing, and headcanoning, which may turn into misconceptions when newcomers confuse fanon with canon. Mistranslations may also contribute to confusion as well. This page contains a list of some of the different rumors, misconceptions, misinformation, and theories related to the Hetalia series.

African Nations[]

Gakuen Uniform Concept Art[]

Misconception: Kenya, Zimbabwe, and other unknown female African nations appear in concept art for Gakuen Hetalia.

Fact: Uncertain. Though the hairstyles of two of the girls somewhat resemble the hairstyles of Zimbabwe and Kenya, they were not labeled, and the supposed Kenya in the reference sheet has a slightly different hairstyle.[1] Additionally, when designing the uniform reference sheets, Himaruya used generic stand-in designs for the Europe class as a way to display the uniforms without choosing a specific character to be the model.[2][3] However, the use of Korea and Taiwan in some drafts for the Asia Class uniforms[4][5] led to fan speculation that perhaps some of the models for the Africa Class uniforms were designs of personifications, especially due to two of the models looking similar to Kenya and Zimbabwe, though these similarities may be coincidences. For more information on Kenya and Zimbabwe, see their sections on the List of Minor Characters page.

Madagascar[]

Misconception: The unidentified female African nation pictured with Seychelles in the The Pearl of the Indian Ocean comic from Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 6 is Madagascar.

Fact: False. The unidentified girl is never named in the story, but she is very vocally jealous of and excited about Seychelles' ocean, which would be unlikely for an island nation. This misconception arose from the fact that Madagascar is mentioned by Seychelles in the comic, however, Madagascar is mentioned in the third person.[6] For more information on Madagascar and this unidentified female African nation, see their sections on the List of Minor Characters page.

Byzantine Empire[]

Theory: Ancient Greece later became the Byzantine Empire.

Fact: Uncertain. Whether or not Ancient Greece lived on to become the Byzantine Empire has not been said for certain, with contradictory information being given and the subject not being referenced in many years. Greece's mother was referred to both as Ancient Greece and as Byzantine in Axis Powers Hetalia: The CD, an independently-produced CD scripted by Himaruya that was produced in 2007 but not released until September of 2008.[7] However, in all other circumstances since then, Greece's mother has been referred to only as Ancient Greece. For more information, see Ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire subheading on the List of Minor Characters page.

Episode 23.5[]

Rumor: There was an episode of Hetalia that was never subbed where Germany and Japan, while stuck on the island, drown Italy Veneziano to eat him.

Fact: False. This is simply a popular creepypasta and was never a real episode.

Hanatamago and Åland Islands[]

Misconception: Hanatamago represents the Åland Islands because she lives with both Sweden and Finland (the Åland Islands are located between those two countries and has been part of both), and this is why Hanatamago is immortal.

Fact: False. Hanatamago is a normal dog. Her immortality is the result of spending a lot of time around Nations, and if she were to be separated from her owners, her life would continue as if she was a normal dog.[8] For more information on Hanatamago, see her page.

Holy Roman Empire = Germany[]

Theory: Holy Roman Empire grew up to be Germany.

Fact: True. Although this has been hotly debated by fans, and early media was sometimes too vague to confirm with certainty whether or not Holy Rome and Germany are one and the same, evidence from several official sources has confirmed that it is the case.

Fans have long noticed how similar Germany and Holy Rome look to one another, especially when comparing Holy Rome to Germany when he was a child. They have the same hair and eye color, the same eye shape, similar hairstyles, similar facial expressions, and other similarities. However, their physical similarities are not the only pieces of evidence confirming this fact.

The earliest instance of official material hinting at the fact that both characters might be the same person was Himaruya's response to a fan question (circa 2007), where he promised that "eventually, Chibitalia and Holy Roman Empire will have a happy ending".[citation needed] What exactly Himaruya was intending this "happy ending" to be is unknown, but it has been theorized that it has something to do with Holy Rome being Germany. The first substantial indication is found in the final part of Buon San Valentino. At the very end of the comic, Germany seemingly blacks out and has a flashback to the time when Italy Veneziano was still a child. This is seen from the first-person point of view of Holy Rome, judging by the small black-clad arm reaching out to put a flower in Veneziano's hair.[9] This hints that Germany has Holy Rome's memories, though it is so far the only instance where that has been directly shown.

More recently, Hetalia: World☆Stars Chapter 12 addressed the story behind Germany's "birth", and a footnote at the end of the strip reveals that while Nations are typically born as babies, Germany came into existence looking older because he already had an existing body,[10] the implication being that Holy Rome was that existing body. Additionally, in Hetalia: World☆Stars Chapter 481, after France mentioned his long history of wars with England, Germany was confused about whether or not he should feel the same way towards France considering the many times they fought against one another. However, the conflicts used to illustrate Germany's point all take place from 1214 to 1718, a time where Germany as a state did not exist yet: the entity that took part in those wars is the Holy Roman Empire (with the comic explicitly stating this for some of the examples listed, such as the Franco-Dutch War), confirming that Germany views his history and Holy Rome's history as one and the same.[11]

For more information on Germany and Holy Roman Empire, see their pages.

Hong Kong and Taiwan: Twins?[]

Rumor: Hong Kong and Taiwan are twins.

Fact: False. There is nothing in the series to suggest this. Furthermore, the territories have had little history shared together other than being under the control of China, so while it is possible that they could be considered siblings, and they are both youthful in appearance, it is false that they are twins.

Human Names[]

In Hetalia, the Nation characters' human names fall into three categories:

  1. Official names given by Himaruya. This original listing of names occurred in 2007 and early 2008, and it remains uncertain whether or not he will ever update this list, though it is unlikely given how much time has passed.
  2. Fan-submitted suggestions from which Himaruya listed his favorites. This occurred on a 2010 blog post.[12]
  3. No name given at all.

Fanon Names[]

Due to the fact that only a small number of characters received a human name, fans often come up with their own names for the characters who did not receive one. Sometimes, these fanon names become very popular and end up being misconstrued as being official due to their popularity.

Misconceptions:

  • Ukraine's human name is Yekaterina Braginskaya and her nickname is Katyusha.
  • Denmark's human name is Mathias Køhler.
  • Hong Kong's human name is Kaoru.
  • Ancient Rome's human name is Romulus.
  • Scotland's name is Alasdair/Alistair Kirkland.
  • Many more. This is not an exhaustive list, there are other characters with popular fanon names.

Facts: False. None of the characters listed above were given official human names. Many of these characters were included in the list of Himaruya's favorite fan-suggestions, but these specific names were not. To break it down easily, below is a list of characters organized by the categories listed at the top of this section.

  1. Characters who have been given an official name by Himaruya: America,[13] Austria,[13] Belarus,[14] Canada,[15] China,[13] Egypt,[16] England,[13] Estonia,[13] Finland,[citation needed][Note 1] France,[13] Germany,[13] Greece,[13] Hungary,[13] Italy Romano,[13] Italy Veneziano,[13] Japan,[13] Korea,[13] Latvia,[13] Lithuania,[13] Poland,[13] Prussia,[citation needed][Note 1] Russia,[13] Sealand,[15] Spain,[13] Sweden,[citation needed][Note 1] Switzerland,[13] and Turkey.[13] More information about the names of these characters can be found on their individual articles.
  2. Characters for whom Himaruya listed his favorite options from fan-submitted suggestions: Australia, Belgium, Cuba, Denmark, Hong Kong, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan, and Ukraine.[12] More information about the names of these characters can be found on their individual articles.
  3. Characters whose human names have never been brought up, even as suggestions: Every other character.

Germany's Surname[]

Misconception: Germany's full human name is Ludwig Beilschmidt.

Fact: Uncertain. When Himaruya originally assigned human names for the characters,[13] Germany was simply listed as "Ludwig" with no surname. Himaruya also stated that there was a reason for Germany not receiving a surname, and that fans would eventually find out the reason and significance for it.[citation needed] Many fans give Germany the surname Beilschmidt to correspond with his elder brother, Prussia, whose canon human name is Gilbert Beilschmidt.[citation needed][Note 1] Though it is worth noting that some groups of siblings in Hetalia (such as America and Canada, or Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine) do not bear the same surname, so it is not necessarily a requirement that Germany has the same surname as Prussia.

Spelling Debates[]

Due to none of the names provided by Himaruya being spelled out in the Latin alphabet and instead being written in katakana, debates over how to romanize certain characters' human names are common. Sometimes, often due to a lack of knowledge or resources on certain languages, figuring out the correct spelling of names can be tricky, and there are some names that have been mistranslated or translated into the wrong language.

Some of the characters whose names are or were often the subject of translation or spelling debates amongst fans include: Belarus, China, Finland, France, Hungary, Hong Kong, Iceland, Korea, Lithuania, Prussia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine. In depth information about the names of characters and the misconceptions, debates, or discussions surrounding their names can be found on their individual articles.

The Italy Brothers: Twins?[]

Misconception: Veneziano and Romano are twins.

Fact: False. Their physical ages are different, with Veneziano being 20 and Romano being 22–23.[17] Though some fans argue that they are twins due to their shared "birthday" of March 17, 1861,[18] it is not their literal day of birth because both characters were alive for centuries before this date, and this date refers to the Anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the day when the Kingdom of Italy was officially proclaimed.

North Korea[]

Rumor: There is a North Korea character in the series.

Fact: False. There has yet to be an official character for North Korea, though Himaruya mentioned some thoughts on a possible North Korea character in a 2006 blog post.[19] For more information, the North Korea subheading on the List of Minor Characters page.

Prussia[]

Baltic Prussia[]

Theory: Prussia either first represented the Baltic Prussians or he killed/merged with the personification of the Baltic Prussians.

Fact: Uncertain/Unlikely. There has been no mention of the Baltic Prussians thus far in the series. Prussia is stated to have first represented the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, the original name of the Teutonic Order, and after "some other stuff" happened, he eventually represented Prussia.[20][21]

Post-World War II Status[]

Misconception: Prussia died following the dissolution of the Prussian state in 1947.

Fact: False. Though Prussia's exact status in the modern-day strips is something that has yet to be explicitly said, it has been strongly implied several times that he became East Germany (German Democratic Republic) and fell under the control of Russia. The common fan theory before he appeared in contemporary strips was that he was dead, however, strips set in the the modern day show this is clearly untrue. That being said, it should also be noted that in the modern day his wounds do heal slower than they did in the past, indicating that he has weakened since German Reunification.[22]

Some of the most notable instances pointing towards Prussia being East Germany are Himaruya writing that occasionally, Prussia's "Ostalgie levels get higher"[23] (Ostalgie is a combination of Ost (East) and Nostalgie (Nostalgia) that refers to nostalgia for aspects of life in former East Germany), that Prussia is shown owning a Trabant (an East German car) when he moved back in with Germany after the German reunification,[24] and that he refers to Germany as "West" (see the next subsection). It has also been stated that Prussia hates Russia,[25][26] and there have been numerous comics depicting his experiences having to work for Russia after World War II,[27][28][29][Note 2] which is another indication of his status as East Germany because East Germany was one of the Soviet satellite states.

It is also possible that he additionally represents the Kaliningrad Oblast, which used to be Königsberg, the capital of the Teutonic Order and later of Prussia. This has been briefly hinted on a few occasions, such as in a response to a fan question and in Prussia's bio in Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 3.[30][31] Though there is some doubt on this, as Kaliningrad Oblast is still considered part of Russia and its population is mostly Russian following the expelling of the German population after World War II.[32] Some fans believe Prussia may simply represent the Germanic minority of Kaliningrad, and some believe these statements from Himaruya are simply a reference to how Prussia's former capital and some of his land is now Kaliningrad.

Regardless of what name Prussia may have taken on later, he is still referred to as "Prussia" in comics taking place in the modern day.

Calling Germany "West"[]

Theory: Prussia refers to Germany as "West" because he is East Germany and Germany is West Germany.

Fact: Uncertain/Likely. The exact reason for Prussia calling Germany "West" has not yet been stated by Himaruya, but there are a few fan theories for why this is, with the above being the most popular and the most likely. These theories are listed here:

  • Prussia became East Germany following World War II (see previous subheading), so he refers to Germany as "West" because Germany was West Germany. This theory seems to be the most likely because of Prussia's confirmed status as East Germany,
  • Himaruya was taking the history of Prussian territory into account and Prussia refers to his brother as "West" because Prussia was somewhat to the east/northeast of other German territories. This is supported by Prussia referring to Germany as "West" in a few comics that take place during World War II (however, this could potentially be a mistake from Himaruya.[33][34][Note 3]
  • "West" is short for Westphalia, after the Kingdom of Westphalia, which was created a year after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Parts of Westphalia had also once been Prussian territory, including the Electorate of Hesse.

Albinism[]

Theory: Prussia is albino, as evidenced by his white/silver hair and red/purple eyes.

Fact: Uncertain. While his design does invoke the image of an albino, it has yet to be outright confirmed or commented on by Himaruya.

Younger Brother[]

Theory: Prussia is actually a younger brother to Holy Roman Empire, rather than older.

Fact: Half true. Prussia originating as the Teutonic Knights would suggest that he is in fact the younger brother to Holy Rome, who was born much earlier. However, Holy Rome remained a child while Prussia (and the other German states) aged considerably and became older than him, so Prussia is still the physically older of the two no matter what their chronological ages may be.

Sweden and Finland[]

Misconception: Sweden is confirmed to be homosexual, but only for Finland, and he and Finland are a canonical couple.

Fact: Half true. In 2007, it was said by Himaruya that Sweden was homosexual but that he only has romantic feelings towards Finland. The post in which this was said has since been lost and/or deleted, however content from it and other old posts were later found and listed in a post on this wiki in 2009.[35] As this post was lost or deleted, and because Himaruya's plans for characters sometimes change, there is debate as to whether this statement could still be considered canon or not. That being said, Sweden has been shown numerous times, including in more recent content, to have romantic feelings for Finland. Though Finland's own feelings are somewhat less clear, the two of them do both own Hanatamago, and they also raise Sealand and Ladonia together.

Title of the Series[]

Misconception: The full title of the series is "Hetalia: Axis Powers".

Fact: False. While this was the original name of the series, it has not been officially referred to by this title in any capacity in more than 12 years. Even when this title was in use, Himaruya primarily referred to the series as simply "Hetalia". The anime dropped the "Axis Powers" part of the title in 2010, with the third season being renamed to Hetalia: World Series by March 9 of that year.[36] The published manga continued using the title, likely due to licensing reasons with the publisher, until the release of Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 6 in October of 2013. Since this point, the "Axis Powers" title has not been used. The name of the series is simply "Hetalia", with "Hetalia: World☆Stars" being the full title of the serialized manga.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The exact source for where Himaruya said this is currently lost. The name was not given in the list with most of the others.
  2. ↑ This is not a comprehensive list, there are other comics depicting this time period.
  3. ↑ This is not a comprehensive list, there are other moments where Prussia has referred to Germany as "West".

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Himaruya, Hidekaz. September 05, 2007. "Gakuen Women’s Uniforms". English.
  2. ↑ Hidekaz, Himaruya. November 11(?), 2006. "世界W学園制服案 [World Academy W Uniform Drafts]". Japanese.
  3. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 5, 2010. "世界の国が一つの学校にいたら2 [If the countries of the world went to one school 2]" Japanese. English.
  4. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 24, 2007. Old Blog File Archive, Korea Tag.
  5. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 24, 2007. Old Blog File Archive, Taiwan Tag.
  6. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2013. "インド洋の真珠 [The Pearl of the Indian Ocean]". Axis Powers ヘタリア 6 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 6]. Pages 101–108. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82867-4(JPN), 978-1-570-32152-8(ENG). 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 English.
  7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfUJbTLg8M
  8. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. September 18, 2013. "東京オリンピックきたー！ [The Tokyo Olympics caaaaame!]". Japanese. English.
  9. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. January 18 2008. "ヴァレンティーノ最終章 [Valentino – Final Chapter]". Japanese. English.
  10. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2014. "[12話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 12] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
  11. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. June 22, 2023. "[481話]ヘタリア World☆Stars [[Chapter 481] Hetalia: World☆Stars]". Japanese. English.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 26, 2010. "「Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs」でのイギリスいじりは異常 [Britain’s tampering of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” was unusual]". Japanese. English.
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 2007. "Old Blog 2007/05". Japanese. English (partial translation).
  14. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. April 2, 2008. "ベラルーシさん [Miss Belarus]". Japanese & English.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 25, 2008. "ナンタケットの小さなおうち (A little house of Nantucket)". Japanese & English.
  16. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 26, 2008. "設定資料で何故かオーストリアだけ貧乳とか書かれてる [For some reason in the character references, only Austria was written as flat-chested]". Japanese & English.
  17. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 2006. "Old Blog 2006/10". Japanese. English (partial translation).
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October, 2006. Old Blog, 2006/10. Japanese. English (partial translation).
  20. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. April 21, 2008. "リヒテンシュタインの兄バカ日誌 [Liechtenstein’s Doting Older Brother Journal]". Japanese. English.
  21. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. November 09, 2008. "ヘタリア簡易キャラ紹介 [Hetalia Simple Character Introductions]". Japanese. English.
  22. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 31, 2014. "プライベートコンサート [Private Concert]". Japanese. English.
  23. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. August 23, 2011. "ドイツさんがムリゲーすぎる [Germany is Playing an Impossible Game]". Japanese. English.
  24. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 10, 2013. "えっへん [Ahem]". Japanese. English.
  25. ↑ 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 17. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1514-8(JPN), 978-1-4278-1887-4(ENG). English.
  26. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. December 30–31, 2010. "ねこちゃんとクリスマス！クリスマス2010-2011 [Cats and Christmas! Christmas 2010-2011]". Page 1. Japanese. English.
  27. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 09, 2013. "友達 [Friends]". Japanese. English.
  28. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 11, 2013. "リトアニアさんの冷静な事務処理 [Lithuania’s Calm Paper Work]". Japanese. English.
  29. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. October 30, 2013. "ロシアさんの友達当番 [Mr. Russia’s friend duty]". Japanese. English.
  30. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. March 26, 2008. "設定資料で何故かオーストリアだけ貧乳とか書かれてる". Japanese & English.
  31. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 20, 2010. "ヘタリアと愉快な仲間たち [Hetalia and Funny Friends]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 3 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 3]. Page 18. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1938-2(JPN), 978-1-4278-5649-4(ENG). English.
  32. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad
  33. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. May 20, 2010. "塩ジャケとドイツさんと私 [Salted Salmon, Germany, and I]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 3 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 3]. Page 25. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-3448-1938-2(JPN), 978-1-4278-5649-4(ENG). English.
  34. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. July 30, 2012. "兄弟よ！俺達は…！！ [Brother! We Are…!!]" Axis Powers ヘタリア 5 [Hetalia: Axis Powers 5]. Page 101. Gentosha. ISBN: 978-4-344-82563-5(JPN), 978-1-5703-2151-1(ENG). English.
  35. ↑ Himaruya, Hidekaz. 2007. Lost blog post, title unknown. Content archived via Ceras SanMarina on November 09, 2009 on their blog on this wiki at User blog:Ceras SanMarina/MoeKan scanlations + a few interesting old bits of trivia.
  36. ↑ Hetalia.com News Index. March 09, 2010. "アニメ第3期「ヘタリア World Series」DVD発売決定！！ [The third season of the anime "Hetalia World Series" will be released on DVD!]". Link.
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