Hetalia: Axis Powers

Hetalia: Axis Powers
File:ヘタリアー単行本.jpg Cover of Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 1.
ヘタリア Axis Powers
Genre	Comedy, Historical
Manga
Written by	Hidekaz Himaruya
Published by	Gentosha Comics
Original run	2003 – present
Volumes	2
Anime
Directed by	Bob Shirohata
Studio	Studio Deen
Released	January 24, 2009 – ongoing

Hetalia: Axis Powers (ヘタリア Axis Powers) is a manga and anime series by Hidekaz Himaruya placed in a World War-era setting in which the countries are represented by anthropomorphic characters. Hetalia (ヘタリア) is a made-up word combining hetare (へタレ) — Japanese for useless — and Italia (イタリア). This is to make light of Italy's apparent cowardice during World War II.

Himaruya originally created Hetalia as an online webcomic, and so far two tankōbon have been published by Gentosha Comics, the first on March 28, 2008 and the second on December 10, 2008. The series was later adapted into drama CDs, and an anime series created by Studio Deen has also began streaming online.

The main historical events portrayed in this work occur between World War I and World War II. The series often uses satire and comedy to address well-known and lesser-known historical facts.

So far, over 40 countries have been personified as human characters.^[1] In Hetalia, these characters are known as the Nations, and are normally referred to by their country's name.

Northern Italy (Veneziano) (イタリア, Italia)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa

A bright and energetic nation that progressed from being the kin of Roma Antiqua, widely recognized as the strongest nation in the world, to being clumsy and irresponsible. Personified as being carefree, cowardly and lackadaisical (noted by his collection of white flags he uses to surrender), he often depends on Germany to resolve issues. Nods to Italian culture include his artistry and recurrent portrayal of pasta and pizza. He has an older brother, who represents southern Italy and who is commonly known as Italy Romano.

Germany (ドイツ, Doitsu)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

Germany is a hard worker and a lover of rules. He sticks to them rigidly and trains his troops to do the same. Despite this, he has formed a close relationship with the carefree Northern Italy. He notes at one point that he has a crazy boss.

Japan (日本, Nihon)

Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi

Japan is hard-working, serious, skilled with his hands, and needs time to adjust to other people. He is inexperienced in the outside world, but does his best to learn all he can. Generally quiet, he sometimes seems to have the attitude of an old man.

America (アメリカ, Amerika)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi

Raised by England and having fought for his independence, America became a country of pioneers. He is an energetic country who loves sticking his nose into other people's business. He sees everything in a positive light, is quick to take action, and he always has his own idea of doing things. He also has immense physical strength and courage, although he has a crippling fear of ghosts, particularly when they are vague blobs of light in pictures. Strangely, a grey named Tony appears in his house from time to time without him minding it at all. America is frequently seen clutching a hamburger and flashing a thumbs up. His quieter brother, Canada, has a habit of carrying a polar bear. America also has a penchant for coming up with elaborate inventions that never go anywhere.

England (イギリス, Igirisu)

Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama

A nation that was once a pirate and tormented Spain, England is a gentleman who is known for having terrible cooking skills (although America enjoys his food), a foul mouth, and huge eyebrows. He does not get along well with France or Russia, and can sometimes be cynical, particularly towards somewhat estranged America. Despite being mocked by the other nations for it, England is a strong believer of unicorns, faeries, and magic, going so far as to literally curse his enemies (At one point, he tried to summon something evil, and ended up with Russia). England cannot hold his liquor well and is a very unhappy sort of drunk. He once formed an alliance with Japan because he felt lonely. He is classified as a tsundere character.

England is sometimes referred to as the United Kingdom, but he represents the England part of it, and in one strip he notes that he has a brother named Scotland.^[2]

France (フランス, Furansu)

Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka

France was once a large nation, but after Napoleon Bonaparte had died, he was no longer good in war and instead attracted tourists to his country with his wine. He has an intense rivalry with England, and loves to argue with him over trivial topics. Canada, despite being raised by England, has a similar hairstyle to him. France is infatuated with most of the nations, often touching them inappropriately. He has been known to streak naked and makes blatant sexual comments at every opportunity. France maintains a bit of facial hair because he feels it makes him look like a big brother. He is constantly pictured with a rose, whether he is carrying it or using it as a censor.

China (中国, Chūgoku)

Voiced by: Yuki Kaida

China is one of the oldest nations and is regarded as the eldest brother among the East Asian nations. He is extremely superstitious and religious. As a reference to the [Soviet-Sino Split], he is disturbed and distrustful of Russia. China has certain tastes for things and gets irritated if a food has a certain pattern of tastes. He is also a big fan of Hello Kitty and tends to end his sentences with the Japanese suffix -aru.

Russia (ロシア, Roshia)

Voiced by: Yasuhiro Takato

Despite having the cruelty of a child, Russia is the tallest of all the nations. He adores vodka and sunflowers. His primary hate is "General Winter", despite using the cold to his advantage in war. Russia has a kind and gentle face, but has mentally cracked from the strain of his bloody history. The other nations are mortified by him, particularly Lithuania, whom he loves to both physically and emotionally abuse. Occasionally, he stalks others while in a panda costume. Russia promises that eventually "everyone will become one with Russia". He also frequently says "KolKolKolKol" to nations he is threatening. Russia is almost always seen carrying a section of pipe. He is classified as a yandere character.

The original Hetalia: Axis Powers web comic was adapted into two tankōbon and published by Gentosha Comics. The first volume was released on March 28, 2008 and the second on December 10, 2008. The second tankōbon was released as a standard edition and a special edition that included an extra small booklet.^[3]

In January 2009 Anime News Network announced that the series would also begin serialization in Gentosha's seinen manga magazine Comic Birz starting in the April issue,^[4] but this was later announced to be a publishing error. The Gentosha press release on which ANN had based their article actually referred a new series by Himaruya.^[5]

Hetalia: Axis Powers has been adapted into a series of drama CDs, and so far three have been released. The first was released on August 15, 2008, the second on October 24, 2008, and the third on December 29, 2008.^[6]

A 26-episode anime adaptation of Hetalia: Axis Powers was announced on July 24, 2008.^[7] It is directed by Bob Shirohata (Gravitation, Diamond Daydreams) and will be animated by Studio Deen. It was originally scheduled for broadcast on Kids Station on January 24, 2009 but was later canceled. The cancellation only affected the Kids Stations broadcasts; plans to make the series available through mobile phone and Internet streaming were not affected. The controversies arose when numerous Korean protesters called for the cancellation of the series, claiming that the personified character of Korea was an insulting representation of Koreans. Kids Station claimed that the Korea character does not appear in the anime and that it was "unaware of the criticism in Korea,"^[8] and cited "various circumstances" as being behind the decision to cancel its airing of the anime, but they did not provide further information as to the nature of these circumstances.^[9][10] A second 26-episode season of Hetalia: Axis Powers was announced on April 16, 2009.^[11]

• Afghanis-tan - a manga with a similar premise, but focuses on Afghanistan and its neighboring countries.

• Manga's official website "Kitayume" Template:Ja icon
• Hetalia: Axis Powers at Gentosha Comics Template:Ja icon
• Anime's official website Template:Ja icon
• Hetalia: Axis Powers (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia