"Guess who's next?"
"This story will not have a happy ending, love. I just can't see it on the horizon, and anything that I can't see isn't there."
- -Summary for Yellow's Arc
Seven Little Killers was a Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfiction written by Lucky-Angel135
(a collaboration between luckystars135 and AngelWhoIsNotASerialKiller) that plays as a dark murder mystery romance.
A short summarization: In a somewhat altered universe, all seems peaceful until a nation-killer rises, shocking all the countries of the world into a paranoid hysteria. Italy, Germany and Japan team up to solve the case, while America hides some shady secrets about his home life with his boss and brother, China is forced to face a destructive force beyond his denial, and England and Japan attempt to keep their fellow countries sane despite their own inner demons. Nevertheless, as the world begins to crumble around them, it may prove difficult for the nations to keep both their lives and reason as faceless villain Black and his devoted seven followers start the process of the world’s end.
Although it was popular when first released, it was eventually criticized for the poorer plotting it gained and the perceived over-emphasis on the romance later on. This may have contributed to its deletion in 2014. Because of this, the tale itself was never finished, and is now considered a Dead Fic.
Though no official back-up of the story was ever created, someone managed to download most of the fic which can be read here.
WARNING: Spoilers for the story do run around here, if you really want to know them...
This fanfiction provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Canada. Apparently, he's just as strong as America.
- Anyone Can Die: Holy god. NO KIDDING. Switzerland dies in the first chapter, and things get much, much worse. Fast.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Even though Japan clearly states his desire to kill America after he and the other killers had completely ruined his family, they get back together after America reveals the truth behind who Blue really is and chooses to save Japan over his own brother. Even while America claims that he was the true killer and Canada was merely his puppet, Japan keeps loving him and sees him as the victim.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Canada invokes this when he refuses Black's help when he's drowning to death in the falls.
- Cool Mask: All the killers have custom-made masks that represent their given color.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Oh, Canada… Stick America in here too. And I'll bet we'll see more. As of Chapter 43, England is now firmly in that pile.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Korea’s main source of bile is over China’s love and devotion for Russia, which he believes creates a large tear in their family.
- Creepy Twins: America and Canada in England's nightmare. Played Straight in later chapters.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: England’s nightmare about America and Canada killing him.
- Enfant Terrible: Little Nussia (New Republic Of Russia), originally a cute sickly boy, becomes this after China’s forced to kill him and he comes Back from the Dead. Huh. I always thought that was just China hallucinating...
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Every murder is written in disturbing detail.
- Fingore: Japan has to break his fingers to free the hostages - one finger per hostage.
- Friendly Target: Since all the nations seem friendly with one another for the most part, it naturally falls under this.
- When Blue was revealed to be America (and Canada), who was supposed to kill America’s love-interest, Japan.
- Yellow commands China to kill Nussia, whom is basically the younger brother of his husband/lover.
- Denmark being forced to kill Norway using his own axe.
- Ukraine/Orange was convinced to kill Lithuania and Russia by Yellow.
- Heroic Dog: Kitty, a small dog China adopted, leads Korea to where Russia and China are during the gas leak Green set up.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Norway allows Denmark to kill him in order to save Iceland from being killed.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Japan and his love and devotion to America.
- Identical Twin Mistake: Japan unable to tell the difference between America and Canada.
- It's All My Fault: Japan blames himself for a lot of injuries and deaths.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: White tries to make Switzerland and Spain’s deaths look like suicides, but it’s easy to see the truth.
- Mood Whiplash: This story has moments where it can be quite funny, to suddenly being a complete tearjerker.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: Japan kills America’s boss to stop the abuse, unintentionally playing into America and Canada’s plans.
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: Switzerland’s death triggers everything.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Spain and Romano have a big fight and Spain storms out, leaving Romano all alone. Guess who White kills next?
- Shout-Out:
- While the authoresses didn't explicitly state that they took inspiration from Higurashi: When They Cry, they have said that they have watched it in some author's notes (or the profile; forgot which one). It even has started into an odds border that they have not included kills from Umineko yet. Some kills and/or events taken directly from Higurashi (as of now) are:
- The entire Blue's arc is a Homage to Watanagashi-hen/Meakashi-hen. This includes the punishment game, although in this one poor Japan has to bear Fingore even more Gorn than the real one and Mind Screwy Twin Switch.
- The question Blue asks Vietnam and his subsequent reaction is suspiciously similar to the one Takano asks Satoko in Minagoroshi-hen.
Blue (to Vietnam): ''What is the difference between a toad and a frog?- Heck, they even quote the game at the end of the first Blind Chapter of the Blue Arc.
"Someone. Please solve this case. It's a pathetic and heartbreaking case. So please..."- After Japan killed America's Boss, Finland delivered the same speech to the killer just like how Takano Miyo delivered to Keiichi in Tatarigoroshi-Hen.
- There is a Shout-Out to the most terrifying scenes of Onikakushi-hen during England's dream, wherein America and Canada innocently arrive to eat some food with England. All is fine and well, until England bites into his burger and the needle pierces his tongue... some mad laughter, dead eyes and being constrained by America later, Canada brings out the meat cleaver...
- After this scene, the shout-out is even acknowledged:
He needed to stop watching Japan's horror anime before going to bed, especially if it revolved around psychotic children with cleavers and needles.- The duel between Russia and China directly references two infamous fight scenes from Higurashi. Firstly, Russia knocking papers up in the air to blind his opponent is directly referencing Shion doing to same to Rika in Meakashi-hen, and the duel itself directly references Keiichi and Rena's fight on the school roof — the dialogue at the end is almost word for word:
Russia: I guess this means I've won.China: Not until you bring that pipe down.Russia: I- I don't want to. - Suicide Pact:
- The killers under Black, who know that they, too, will die by his hands.
- America’s “when you die, I’ll die” toward Canada.
- Theme Naming:
- Every chapter in the Blue arc is named after a publicly known serial killer, while those in the Yellow arc are named after torture devices.
- Each killer's codename is also a color.
- Together in Death:
- Although it’s unknown if they’re still together in the afterlife, Spain and Romano were buried next to each other.
- America seems to believe he'll achieve this with Canada, and as of this last chapter, it may very well be the case. As Canada was dying, he did say he saw his brother...
- The Unreveal: The first suspect for Blue is America, which the reader dismisses as too obvious. But Blue is America.
- Unwanted Spouse: China’s rather reluctant merge with Russia starts as this, as he only agrees for the sake of the betterment of his people. It’s only until Russia tries to kill China for standing up for Lithuania that they actually start getting along, and eventually fall in love.
