There is potentially a character for every country that exists now or ever has, even ones that were never independent countries like Hong Kong, and supernational states like the Holy Roman Empire. The human names are technically not canon, but nonetheless are mentioned (although they are Word of God they're not used in the manga aside from two dubious instances in strips and one of the image songs note France's "Embrace the tres bien moi" opens with the line "Bonjour. Je m'appelle Francis"; they don't appear on the website and they were deleted with the author's original site blog). Nevertheless they're popular in fandom, mostly because many people don't like using the actual country names in fanfic. It also helps that the creator of Hetalia is open at least to the idea of human names, and given how many there already are, as well as the real life world history, it should come as no surprise that the original main characters (Germany, Italy, Japan, America, England, France, Russia, China) have been supplemented by a whole world of major, minor and periphery characters. It's reached the point that finding out who the main characters are is a largely moot point (unless for formality's sake) when a good chunk of the ensemble have been given fandoms and their own time to shinenote Due to the very nature of the series and history itself, each Nation (at least for the more prominent ones) is technically their own main character.
Human personifications
- The Axis Click to expand Germany, Japan, North Italy
- The Allies Click to expand Russia, Canada, France, China, America, England
- Central Europe Click to expand HRE, Hungary, Austria, Prussia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Czech Republic, Slovakia
- Western Europe Click to expand Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Ireland
- Southern Europe Click to expand Spain, South Italy, Monaco, Portugal
- Southeast Europe Click to expand Greece, Turkey, Northern Cyprus, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Croatia
- Eastern Europe Click to expand Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine
- Northern Europe Click to expand Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland
- The Americas Click to expand Cuba, Ecuador
- East Asia Click to expand South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, Tibet
- South and Southeast Asia Click to expand Vietnam, Thailand, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia
- Oceania Click to expand Australia, New Zealand, Tonga
- Africa Click to expand Seychelles, Cameroon, Egypt
- Micronations Click to expand Sealand, Seborga, Wy, Kugelmugel, Molossia, Hutt River, Nikko Nikko, Ladonia
- Ancient Nations Click to expand Ancient Rome, Germania, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Britannia, Magyar, Persia
- Regions Click to expand Hesse, Bavaria, Saxony, Picardy
- Japanese Prefectures Click to expand Osaka, Aizu, Mito, Owari, Sendai, Kanazawa, Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Yamagata, Oita, Nagasaki, Saga, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Touyama, Tokyo, Saitama, Ishikawa, Ibaraki, Fukui, Kanagawa, Chiba, Tochigi, Gunma, Shiiga, Mie, Kyoto, Wakayama, Okinawa, Nara, Ehime, Kochi, Hyougo, Tokushima, Kagawa, Hokkaido
- Gender Flip Versions Click to expand The Axis (North Italy, Germany, Japan), The Allies (America, England/Britain, France, Russia, China), Americas (Canada), Africas (Seychelles, Egypt), Oceania (Wy), Central Europe (Hungary, Austria, Prussia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein), Western Europe (Belgium), Southern Europe (Spain, South Italy, Monaco), Southeast Europe (Greece, Turkey), Eastern Europe (Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine), Northern Europe (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland), East Asia (South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau), Southeast Asia (Vietnam)
Others
- Historical Figures Click to expand Joan Of Arc, Maria Theresa, Frederick II of Prussia, Władysław II Jagiełło, Jadwiga of Poland, Christina of Sweden, Zheng He, Spartacus, Nero, Agrippina, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Girolamo Savonarola, Brothers Grimm, Napoleon Bonaparte
- Other Humans Click to expand Noto Kanazawa, Yamato Nara, Maurizio, Zashiki-Warashi, The French Soldier And His Wife, Davie
- Miscellaneous Click to expand Tony, Shinatty-Chan, General Winter, Kappa, Pochi, Mochis, Parallel Nations, The Nekotalia Cast (Germouser, Itabby, Japaneko, etc.), The Narrator, Pictonians, Knights Templar