Hetalia Article: That's Not Who They Really Are!

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posted by MallowMarsh

I'm a huge fan of Hetalia, but sometimes the fandom can get on my nerves. Sometimes, fans misinterpret the characters, hence the titre of this article. Here are some misinterpretations of characters that I can think of off of the haut, retour au début of my head.

France
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Scary
-Rapist
-Pervert
Who he really is:
-A romantic
-Sees the beauty in everything

America
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Idiot
-Immature
-Obnoxious
Who he really is:
-Childish at times, but not all the time
-Is actually very logical at times

Italy
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Crybaby
-Idiot
Who he really is:
-Dislikes war
-Actually has intelligence
-Light-hearted

Spain
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Idiot
-Pedophile
Who he really is:
-Brave
-Loves children, and would never dream of hurting them in any way

Switzerland
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Always angry
-Trigger-happy
Who he really is:
-Protective
-Caring

Sealand
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Annoying
-Brat
Who he really is:
-Ambitious
-Hardworking

Prussia
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Immature
-Stupid
-Pervert
Who he really is:
-Caring
-Fun-loving
-Brotherly

Romano
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Constantly cursing/using profanity
-Jerk
Who he really is:
-Actually cares about people, but just doesn't montrer it straightforwardly
-Doesn't curse all the time

Russia
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Creepy
-Scary
-Evil
Who he really is:
-Socially awkward
-Likes to make friends, but isn't exactly good at it
-Gentle

England
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Always whining/complaining
-Extremely sarcastic
-Crybaby
Who he really is:
-A gentleman
-Shy
-Caring

Sweden
What the fandom portrays him as:
-Emotionless
-Rapist
-Scary
Who he really is:
-Shy
-Considerate
-Actually has emotions

These are just some of the misinterpretations of Hetalia characters. There are many more, and pretty much every character is misinterpreted to some extent. Sometimes I wish some Hetalia fans would quit putting a label on characters without really getting to know them. Guys, when toi label Hetalia characters, you're not just labeling one person, you're pretty much labeling an entire country. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

~MallowMarsh

Hazilice, wishey and 11 others like this

MarineHolocaust bless you friend

MallowMarsh ^ Why thank you C:

MarineHolocaust welcome :)

pumpkinqueen Only one I just shrug off is America. Just because his stereotype for the show is suppost to show he can be stupid. So, I don't truely blame people for calling him that. I don't take that as a huge insult to him. America is just suppost to be like a kid. Kinda immature, stupid at times, big egoed, overreacts, a little selfish, innocent, caring, and hyper. But, as Himaruya stated, he is very smart with science. I would actually add a few more things to the other characters list.

hetalianstella I also think the fans need to realize how they are labeling not just a character but a whole country. Awesome article! :)

MallowMarsh @pumpkinqueen: Yeah, I actually find America's stereotypical American nature funny at times, but I just thought I'd add America to the list, since many people don't think he's smart at anything. And can you give me any suggestions on what to add, please? I'd be more than happy to add more to this article. :) @hetalianstella: I completely agree, and thank you very much! :)

pumpkinqueen Well for Russia, I would add he likes to make friends, but he just isn't good at it Italy, I would say he is a coward, innocent, happy go lucky, light hearted, etc. Prussia, reason I love him, he is a very deep character. He is brave, very loyal, caring, kinda immature, is willing to let people go, brotherly, hard working, etc. And I think you should add England to this list. The fans show him as a whiney, hateful, crybaby, helpless, uke. What he really is, is a gentleman, caring, shy, and tsundere. Also Sweden, the fans show him as a pervert, pedo, creepy, and emotionless. He really is shy, sweet, caring, and considerate.

MallowMarsh @pumpkinqueen: I see, thanks for telling me, I'll add it to the article. ^^

Mikijoi Hmm...interesting

MallowMarsh Oh, why thank you~!

ivoryphills Although I really do agree that the fandom had twisted some of the characters' personalities, there are some bad personalities that are actually portrayed in the show: -France's perversion- Not only did a couple of characters call him a pervert, but he tried to get England undressed against his will, and that leering glint in his eye after he called a sick and vulnerable England "cute" (if that isn't creepy perversion,then I don't know what is O_o) -America's Idiocy- He doesn't own an accurate map and doesn't know what a cold is. Enough said there. -Italy's Crying- He cries just TOO much! It isn't just with wars, it's with physical training, waking up, tying his own shoelaces... -Romano's Meanstreak: I can see why he would be a jerk to others if they hurt his brother, but why be a jerk to the guy PROTECTING his brother? (Unless, of course, there's some part of the real WWII history I missed where Germany attacked S. Italy). -Russia's Evil- I can see the jovial side to him, but I seriously cannot ignore him saying, "Whenever I look at your stupid faces, I imagine how fun it will be when I take over you all" (Sorry, I forgot the rest of the line. ^_^") and say that there's no evil inside him. -Sealand's Brattiness- He's hardworking, but whenever he doesn't get his way or get acknowledged, he cries and yells. That's kind of being a brat. .-. -Sweden's Creepiness- The guy is sweet, there's no doubt, but his constant glaring in silence IS pretty scary. (I never heard about the rape one before; it probably tied into his days as a Viking)

MallowMarsh ^Well, I do see what you mean, but that was back when the animation studio that made Hetalia used the first strips of the manga, back when Himaruya was actually kind of a novice at making Hetalia strips. If you compare his old strips to his more recent ones, you can see that he has actually portrayed the personalities quite differently now. Italy cries less, a LOT less. In fact, I don't think I've ever really seen him cry in the recent strips. America's less of an idiot, although he can be slightly stupid at times. There's even a strip where Russia's crying and wondering why everyone hates him, and why everyone just can't get along with each other. These are all recent strips, though, which is why they aren't in the anime as of yet. These strips may be in Season 5, though. I'm basing all of the info in this article off of the most recent strips that Himaruya has made.

kaboomgirl stands up and claps aggressively

MallowMarsh ^Oh my god, thank you Ruko! ;u;

chocolate18 So true. Seychelles should be there, too. A lot of people portray her as a whore, which isn't true.

MallowMarsh You're right! Thanks for the suggestion, I'll add Seychelles later~ C:

black_amaranth England IS extremely sarcastic and cynical, which is, believe it or not,the way most British people actually are. They are polite, yes, but dare you try to make a casual conversation with them and you will get the glare of your life time. They also like to complain about everything, including their own country, except that they do NOT like it when other people do so. Only they are allowed to complain about Great Britain. The problem with the fandom is that they take that to a whole new level. In most fanfictions and roleplays I read, England is either portrayed as a PMSing/pregnant woman, or is a heartless, soulless bastrad. In other words, he's either portrayed as a super crybaby uke, OR a totally jerk seme. In OTHER words, writers/roleplayers need to learn to balance his character a bit. He is NOT a weak, spineless fluffy little thing who can't protect himself, nor a stodgy old man who is always wearing sweatervests and knitting. I'd also like to comment on America's case. It seems like a lot of fans think that him being an oblivious idiot makes sense. My word to them: why don't you take a little while to look at the actual country? Hetalia is only slightly based on stereotypes, and in my opinion you should also consider how the country is doing in real life. The USA is currently the strongest nation of all, and the most politically influantial one. I can't see how a clueless fool could handle such thing. He's also not a naive little wall flower. He has went through enough hardships to know how to handle himself and not get fooled when someone so much as promises him candy. Note that Mr. Himaruya himself said that he merely ACTS as an oblivious idiot, and can very well read the atmosphere. He just doesn't want to because he's a jerk like that. ... I'm going off track, so I'm sorry.

MallowMarsh I completely understand what you're saying, England is sarcastic, and I think the key is to balance his character, just like you said. People either make him a moody crybaby or a total jerk, and I'm pretty sure nobody's like that all the time, regardless of whether they're a stereotypical personification of a nation or not. Himaruya's stated that England is a complex character; I don't get why fans portray him to be so two-dimensional personality-wise. And yes, I totally agree with what you said about America! He's based off of the "American Idiot" stereotype, but that doesn't mean he is an idiot. There's a distinct difference between acting like an idiot and actually being an idiot. Thanks for your comments-- it's interesting to see your take on the characters~ :)

black_amaranth ^You're welcome.

Hazilice (I don't speak much English so there may be some mistakes)I can't agree more!!I think each character's personality is complex,which was designed based on the characteristic of the country.But someone ignore this sometimes.(I'm a Chinese and I usually stay in Chinese fandom so I don't know much about other country's fandom)Sadly those misinterpretations of characters can also be seen in Chinese fandom.For example,Spain seems like a pedo in some Chinese fanfictions as well...France is not often regarded as a rapist but a man who love getting himself naked(in 24 hours)...Some Hetalia Chinese fans also have opinions similar to yours(such as me).So I was so excited when I read your words,for I know that we have similar views and we both love Hetalia deeply.I do believe thing will get better.