History YMMV / AxisPowersHetalia

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* {{Adorkable}}: America, who's practically a comic book geek, for crying out loud. Canada, with his incredibly sweet nature, also counts.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Because the characters are countries, and ''no'' country has a clean past, it's not very hard to find [[DarkerAndEdgier much]] {{dark|Fic}}er interpretations of the characters, especially when set during the past for any colonial power. In fact, the series has [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/AxisPowersHetalia its own page]] for the trope.
* AmericansHateTingle: While there are definitely Western fans who like Japan, there are also a sizable number of fans who are 'meh' about him at best and brand him as an ExtremeDoormat, FlatCharacter, and/or even the series' CreatorsPet at worst due to his [[TheStoic relatively stoic]] [[InscrutableOriental personality]] and him representing the author's homeland.
** There are even fans who take offense to a ''[[VocalMinority Visible Minority]]'' of the Japanese fandom warping his character and cite this as a reason to not like him, forgetting that not only is that an absurd reason to hate the character himself (is it the ''character'' Japan's fault that his fandom likes warping his canon personality?) but that the Western fandom, or rather, American and Canadian fans do the ''exact same thing'' to America and Canada.
** Additionally, compare the popularity of any Japan pairing in Japanese fandom to its popularity in Western fandom. Of all Japan pairings, only Greece/Japan comes anywhere close to matching its popularity in Japanese fandom (and it's mainly because its popularity in Japanese fandom is relatively modest compared to other pairings like England/Japan and America/Japan) and pairings like Turkey/Japan and Netherlands/Japan are virtually nonexistent in Western fandom in spite of having decent-sized fanbases in Japanese fandom.
* AudienceAlienatingPremise: While AnthropomorphicPersonification is a popular concept, many think it's uncomfortable, if not outright disrespectful to use it on the histories of real life countries. Particularly since UsefulNotes/WorldWarII is a touchy subject that still affects a lot of countries, so naturally, any people living or born in those countries [[AmericansHateTingle will be naturally turned away]].
* AwesomeEgo: Prussia actually has an ImageSong called "[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment My Song That is Written By Me, For Me]]" that is as much of an ego trip as it sounds. He's one of the biggest {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}s in the fandom.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI-vQUOEha8 Mein Gott.]]''' While fitting for someone as ''awesome'' as Prussia, it's impossible to NOT acknowledge the awesomeness of this song.
** What's something more awesome than Mein Gott? Mein Gott ''[[http://youtu.be/5I0JK63CGgM?t=45s live]]''!
** Before Mein Gott, there was Prussia's equally awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baDhQ1_8xb0 My song that was written for me, by me]].
** Russia's character song, 'Зима' (Winter), is probably this. [[http://youtu.be/QjEo7aGWu5I Just listen to it!]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IBTRb8H3IE Einsamkeit, Germany's theme.]] Whereas most character themes are fast and heavy this one is soft and mellow- (For Germany, of all nations!) and it '''works.'''
*** There's also Germany's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BYwqFljhrk Anthem]]. ''Eins, zwei, drei , vier, fünf!''
** Also joining the ranks is China's 2nd character song, [[http://youtu.be/vsC68TBJDN4 'Aiyaa 4000 Years']]. Made even more liable to make one cry when one realizes it's got a large focus on Japan's betrayal and harm of China - even though it was taken out of the anime.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbc73O6h8n0 'Absolutely Invincible English Gentleman']], anyone? It's so catchy, the other voice actors started headbanging to it while England's voice actor was talking about his character songs.
** Pabu, pabu, pabu tte [[http://youtu.be/kN0YTYsIZfc GO!!]]
** And: [[GratuitousEnglish HEY U GAIZ!!]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL-_1WUwZIM Let's go to the]] [[NarmCharm HAMBAGA STUROEEEEETO!!!]]
** The character single of Belarus and Ukraine, Carrots and Sticks. Just the beginning of it sounds awesome and sounds like a certain [[Music/{{TATU}} Russian band]]. Now that the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iraeJc0nFLM song]] has come out, it has become very popular.
** At the same time, Iceland's Character Single ([[http://youtu.be/ATdslr6Lc1Q With Love from Iceland]]) is just as popular. Must be his voice, as well as Mr. Puffin's appearance.
** The catchy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlRhX1RifG0 "Delicious Tomato Song"]].
** The Bad Touch Trio's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdBqw2ltS6k Overflowing Passion]]. That song is practically made of awesome.
** The Nordic Five's song, [[http://youtu.be/lWoUrDp78dk Always With You...Nordic 5!,]] has all five of the nations at once, and is incredibly awesome and catchy.
** [[http://youtu.be/mridG1GB1ak United Nations Star,]] which is sung by the Allies. It's awesome, catchy, and funny.
** Hong Kong's [[http://youtu.be/WCje6_gz-CY Maji Kandou Hong Kong Night]] is an incredibly catchy DDR-esque character song.
** About all of the "Marukaite Chikyuu" covers but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPu4p_qan-s Japan's]] is a standout. The man's voice is so smooth that it spreads like butter.
** From the World Twinkle character [=CDs=], "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFBDv_IH9P8 Let’s Enjoy! Let’s Get Excited! Cheers!]]", "[[http://hetalia-music.tumblr.com/post/123732159212 Steady Rhythmus]]", "[[http://hetalia-music.tumblr.com/post/123732157687 Ah Legendary Class The Awesome Me Highway]]", and "[[http://hetalia-music.tumblr.com/post/122428152207 Che bello! ~My House is the Greatest!~]]" are all very good and catchy.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: ''Everyone'' when it boils down to it, and especially those who ever had an Empire, will have a morally questionable history in somebody's mind.
** There's strong division over whether England should be the {{seme}} or {{uke}}. As custom for slash fics and art, [[{{Wimpification}} many fans will exaggerate]] England's more submissive and feminine traits. But then you have fans giving him the badass seme treatment, often to RonTheDeathEater levels, because he was an empire and therefore must always top.
** Russia is a... unique character, to say the least. He is portrayed with having [[StepfordSmiler some]] [[PsychopathicManchild major psychological problems]] moreso than the other characters, especially in earlier strips. Therefore, fans' viewpoints on him tend to be polarizing. And let's not get started on his many fanon portrayals...
* BrokenBase: ''Oh'' boy, where to start? Funimation's release of the English dub has taken the previously more-or-less united fanbase (outside of {{Shipping}}) and ''shattered'' it, probably beyond repair. Within hours of Funi showing some rather controversial scenes at a convention, massive {{flame war}}s erupted over the [[RatedMForMoney script changes]] and both fans and the haters of the series have gone neck to neck in attacking each other, if fans at each others' throats were not enough. Fans of the dub call it a perfectly-localized version with freshly-researched new lines, while those who hate it call it a cheap, {{bowdleri|se}}zed ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' FollowTheLeader that goes completely against Himaruya's own views and enters tasteless territory. The flames have yet to die down.
** To a lesser, more amusing degree, the new Volume Five character designs. Himaruya seems to have done an art upgrade on Romano, Hungary (whose chest is now strangely flat in the cover, though is [[BoobsOfSteel normal]] in the inside pages), Austria and Spain. Hetalia [=LJrs=] are conflicted as to whether the changes are good/bad. YMMV.
** The Nyotalias, too. While most fans enjoy it, others seem to think of it as needless {{Fanservice}}. Also, many people have been complaining about {{fangirl}}s taking the female version of the personification of their own nation/their favourite character.
*** Fem!Prussia in particular seems to have received a lot of hate for being inaccurate, mainly thanks to things as being an ActionGirl wearing a miniskirt.
** The female characters in general tend to break the base. Do they have any potential to be as interesting as the male nations, are they just useless filler and dragging the story down, and is Himaruya a misogynist for not making more of them or making them "lesser" countries? Tread very carefully in these discussions. Sometimes this feud can also extend between fans of the canon female nations vs. those who prefer the Nyotalia ones.
* CargoShip:
** Seborga's inflatable ring... with ''hearts''.
** Austria and His Piano OTP.
** Germany and Herr Stick.
** England/Russia and random alcohol/vodka.
* CrazyAwesome: Prussia. His ego could choke a horse, he's a boundlessly ambitious psychotic punk who delights in mischief, and yet caves at the sight of cute things... a freak among freaks, and a [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favorite]]. Plus, he, Spain and France together form a posse often dubbed the 'Bad Touch Trio', 'The Badass Trio', or 'The Bad Friends Trio.' [[BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad They're just a trio of Badness]].
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Some of the lines of the Funimation dub are this. Romano especially seems to receive the brunt of them.
* DieForOurShip: Unfortunately even this fandom has instances of this, but thankfully it hasn't reached dangerous levels yet (now, as for ShipToShipCombat...) for examples go '''[[DieForOurShip/AxisPowersHetalia here.]]'''
* DracoInLeatherPants: Russia - subverted ''and'' played straight. See the main entry for details.
* DryDocking: More than one fan has admitted to shipping England with other characters so that they can have America all to themselves. Or wanting to be the one to make Russia feel better. Or pretending that Greece and/or Turkey aren't interested in Japan. Or...seriously, you can find at least one fan that has this attitude with ''any'' nation; you can even find [Insert Nation here]/[[SelfInsertFic Reader]] fics if you know where to look.
** For the lazy and curious, all you have to do is hit up Website/DeviantArt. Nation/Reader fics are quite popular there.
* EnsembleDarkhorse: [[HotBlooded Prussia]], [[YaoiFangirl Hungary]] and [[{{Yandere}} Belarus]] are probably the biggest examples, though with such a huge cast every character is bound to have some sort of a following. And the other Nations may have trouble remembering who Canada is, but the fans sure don't.
** As a whole, the Nordics is one of the more popular groups. Character wise, [[BoisterousBruiser Denmark]] was the most popular until the 2010 Bloodbath where [[SugarAndIcePersonality Iceland]] became the most popular within those few days [[ShipTease due to]] [[ADayInTheLimelight obvious reasons]].
*** Take in account this for example: Denmark was an EnsembleDarkhorse ''before'' appearing in ''any'' strip.
** It seems that even the most minor of characters can become something like this-Lately, a character who appears in two episodes without even a canon name, has gotten attention just for looking exactly like England and America's lovechild. The fandom has named him Allen Kirkland-Jones, and he already has a fanclub-[[http://allenfanclub.deviantart.com/?offset=0#comments see for yourself]].
** Canada, especially considering how few strips he's appeared in.
** [[BadassLongcoat Romania]] to the point where there have started appearing shipping wars between Prussia/Hungary and Romania/Hungary. Even though [[FoeYay Romania and Hungary hate each other]].
** Bulgaria. At first, only in the LJ fandom. He has now his own tag in Pixiv (the Japanese equivalent of Deviant Art)
** England's secretary debuted in the Manga/HetaliaBloodbath2010, so this is a given.
** Osaka, especially after the Manga/HetaliaBloodbath2010.
** From the GenderFlip versions Fem!England is the most popular of the girls and Male!Belarus seems to be the most popular out of male genderbends judging by the amount of fanart on Pixiv.
** And if all of the above hasn't given it away, it's pretty clear that Himaruya is very much aware of how popular and loved they are.
** And no love for Poland?
** Aside from the main 8 and the Nordics, the Asians seem to be the most popular group. Well, with characters like [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap Korea]], [[DeadpanSnarker Hong Kong]], [[GenkiGirl Taiwan]], [[PerpetualSmiler Thailand]] and [[TheStoic Vietnam]], it's not hard to see why.
* FanNickname: South Italy is almost always just called Romano by the fandom and the author himself, to avoid confusion with [North] Italy (his name, Veneziano, does not show up nearly as often).
** At the insistence of early fans, Himaruya supplied many characters with alternate human names. These continue to be used throughout the fandom, such as in AlternateUniverse fanfics were the characters are not countries, or as personal names which are used alongside their nation names. Many characters who were not given a human name by Himaruya have a main {{fanon}} alternative.
** Due to his character design, Germania is sometimes called "Legolas".
** Many Japanese fans refer to England as "Iggy", a shortened version of "Igirisu" (= the UK in Japanese). The English language fandom took this a step further and uses "Iggy" as other characters' nickname for England in fanfics. Although the author has also used "Iggy" in the manga, there's even a strip about England titled "Iggy-Iggy Annoyance".
** The Taiwanese side of the fandom calls its nation-tan "Wanwan". Others try to bypass Taiwan's lack of "human name" and call her "Meimei", which means "little sister" in Mandarin Chinese, or simply "Mei", which means "plum blossom".
** Poland calls Lithuania "Liet", which has been adopted by the fandom. It comes from ''Lietuvos'', the endonym for Lithuania.
** On the non-humanoid side, the bird sometimes found on Prussia's head has been dubbed Gilbird.
* {{Fanon}}: What many fans assume to be true about the series and its characterizations is more often this. Which can be justified in a way, given the material and canon itself. After all, you have history to back it up.
** Canada is depicted as a male version of a SilkHidingSteel [[{{Fanon}} by some fans]], due to his [[BewareTheNiceOnes usually nice, peaceful demeanor]] [[MartialPacifist mixed with his country's record of training effective soldiers in every war he participated in.]]
** Denmark alone has lots of it. Earlier portrayals showed him as evil with a BloodLust in battle, or a PsychopathicManchild who acts as a PervertDad to Norway. He was also subjected to RonTheDeathEater treatment in fanworks that take place in the time period of Sweden's rebellion. Now that more of his personality has been revealed, he's either a BumblingDad to the Nordics, or a LovableSexManiac. "Mathias" seems to be the [[FanNickname most common human name]] for him in the Western fandom.
** Taiwan can be portrayed as a LadyOfWar or a DragonLady during WWII, the target of WifeHusbandry from either UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan or ImperialChina (more frequently the former),or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding having her feet bound]] per China's orders until [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_under_Japanese_rule her island came under Japanese rule]] (which would have been TruthInTelevision, as many Taiwanese women were subjected to foot binding until ''at least'' 1915, when the Japanese administration banned it).
** Vietnam is popularly depicted in fanart as either going from [[CountryMouse an innocent fisher girl]] to [[BrokenBird a battle-hardened]] ActionGirl, or as the East Asians' TeamMom. Or a {{Tsundere}}, especially when paired up with America or Thailand.
** Romania was depicted as AffablyEvil (most fans draw him with a SlasherSmile or a PsychoticSmirk on his face), CuteAndPsycho, or ''maybe'' {{Yandere}} for [[InterplayOfSexAndViolence Hun]][[FoeYay gary]]. His [[HoYay relationship]] with Bulgaria is also a popular fanfiction topic. Nowadays, he's usually shown as a {{t|heTrickster}}rickster [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]].
** The relationship between Moldova and Romania were different based on fans' interpretations, swinging between AbhorrentAdmirer, AmicablyDivorced, or BrotherSisterIncest. This may be the result of the mixed sentiment regarding [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_the_unification_of_Romania_and_Moldova the Roma-Moldovan unification movement]]. Though this is now jossed since Moldova is shown to Romania's adorable little brother.
** Egypt. Since he isn't normally seen without his ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefiyeh keffiyeh]]'' (white headdress), fanarts often pictured him with long flowing hair. This could be {{justified|Trope}} if you take in account that [[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/hair.htm ancient Egyptians use to wear wigs]]. A draft from Himaruya, however, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/11c5zj8.gif shows Egypt with short hair]].
*** Personality-wise, fans tend to depict him as a [[TheQuietOne wise and world-weary]] {{Mentor|s}}. Specially if he interacts with Greece.
** Bulgaria - doubles as OCStandIn. His appearances (both manga and anime) are so short that fanworkers are at odds with any kind of characterisation. His most popular "personality" is a {{Jerkass}} with a HairTriggerTemper. This has actually been {{Jossed}} after ''Manga/{{Hetaween 2011}}'' and the 2011 Bloodbath, where he's depicted as a soft-spoken NiceGuy.
** Ukraine (like Canada) is sometimes depicted as a SilkHidingSteel due to her country's history with the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cossacks#Name Cossacks]]. She is also being hinted as being a {{Yandere}}, as a result of her character song.
* FandomRivalry:
** For some reason, with ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', most likely due to both being web-based comic creations that became immensely popular incredibly quickly at around the same time; overwhelming amounts of fanworks and cosplayers for both began around 2009, and the people who'd begin butting heads were therewith. Eventually, the two fandoms have [[FriendlyFandoms become friends]] after both sides realized the rivalry was counterproductive.
** APH also has one with ''Webcomic/{{Polandball}}''. The two are pretty similar in premise, but very different in execution, and unlike ''Hetalia'', ''Polandball'' was not created by a single author. ''Polandball'' fans accuse APH of being historically inaccurate (or at least greatly sugarcoating it) and pandering to {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s. APH fans in turn accuse ''Polandball'' of being dull and having all kinds of unsavory politics.
* FanPreferredCouple: It's safe to say that every single combination of two ([[OneTrueThreesome or more]]) nations, no matter how {{crack|Pairing}}y or [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight canon-dubious]], has ''someone'' out there shipping it. That said, there are some non-official (though in most cases, buoyed by ShipTease) pairings that are preferred by the majority of fans: America/England, Spain/Romano, Poland/Lithuania, Germany/Italy, and Sweden/Finland.
** The [=FPCs=] also tend to vary [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales depending on the region]]: England/Japan is the runaway FPC in Japanese fan circles and Russia/China is hugely popular with the Russian and Chinese fans, for example.
** Additionally, incest pairings tend to do well in Japan, which explains why Germany/Prussia, America/Canada, Romano/Veneziano, and Norway/Iceland tend to garner bigger followings there (ESPECIALLY [[IdiosyncraticShipNaming Germancest]]; it's way, ''way'' more popular there than the semi-[[OfficialCouple canon]] Germany/Italy).
* FauxSymbolism: Cyprus's asymmetrical hair make it look like it's been cut in half, his one side making his head look like Greece's and the other more like Turkey's.
** Or the fact there is the Karpas Peninsula in Cyprus. Which kinda resembles the long hair strand.
* FountainOfMemes: The [[Memes/HetaliaBloodbath2010 2010 Bloodbath]] has spawned 60 memes and rising in 4 days.
** Romano in the dub, at least.
** The mochis, and ''how.''
* FoeYay: In {{Fanon}}, Hungary with [[BadassLongcoat Romania]], emphasis on the 'foe' part, because they hate each other with a burning passion. They probably have one of the strongest cases of antagonism. And this is true in RealLife, too, as Romanians and Hungarians have somewhat settled down in these regards but still, very understandably, have some serious differences to settle. Doesn't stop fans from making Romania her ThirdOptionLoveInterest, after [[RichSuitorPoorSuitor Austria and Prussia]].
* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'', due to sharing a similar premise and tone, bringing about a lot of overlap. It also helps that both series' fandoms are [[EnemyMine united in a shared dislike]] for the aforementioned ''Polandball''.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The sketch about Ukraine feeling torn between West and East is a lot less funny after the RealLife Russian invasion.
* HilariousInHindsight: In Spain's version of Marukaite Chikyuu, you can hear Soccer/Football sounds, such as a ball being kicked and a referee's whistle being blown. Guess which national team won the 2010 FIFA World Cup?
* HollywoodHomely: In the Creator/{{FUNimation}} dub, Russia says about Ukraine, "She's nice, but not much to look at."
** WordOfGod says that Belgium's features and manner of dress are plain and inconspicuous.
* HoYay: A page for it [[HoYay/AxisPowersHetalia here]]. Though to be fair, it doesn't overwhelm the whole picture.
* ItsPopularNowItSucks: Some fans of the webcomic are not so thrilled about the surprising success of the anime and the influx of new fans. The funny thing is that most of them only started complaining when the fandom was already ''huge''.
* JerkassWoobie: Russia and Prussia. They've pulled massive crap on others, but have had extremely sympathetic moments as well.
** Belarus became this when [[PsychopathicManchild Russia]] threatened to send her to Siberia because Lithuania expressed reservations about accompanying him to a meeting. Can you imagine your own brother [[TheUnfavourite caring so little about you]] that he uses sending you to the horror that was the [[TheGulag gulags]] as [[IHaveYourWife an incentive]] to make someone else do what he wants? If this happens on a regular basis, her bitterness comes as no surprise. Even if it's Belarus, that's just not right.
* LauncherOfAThousandShips:
** Oh Italy. It doesn't matter how useless everyone thinks he is, there are still quite a few countries in this show that want to occupy his vital regions. As for the fanbase, the fans seem to have a tendency to convert their homelands into little black dresses. America and Japan get around a lot. England, too, mostly because he's a very popular character.
** Even the fanbase seems to think that everyone will be one with Russia...
** France too, [[AnythingThatMoves fittingly]].
** Japan. How many nations is he paired up with in {{Fanon}}? Especially by Japanese fans? Even in the English-speaking fandom where he gets much less shipping attention than the Western countries do, it's probably telling that it can be hard at times to tell which ship is the most popular one for him with Japan/China, Japan/England, and Japan/Greece being within spitting distance of each other popularity-wise and several other Japan pairings having smaller but just as loyal followings.
** England. He's one of the most popular characters in both the Japanese and English-speaking fandoms. He gets around. A ''lot''. As evidence, his facebook fanlisting has the largest amount of fans out of any country in the series (over 10,000 fans and counting). He also came 2nd in a character popularity poll hosted on the official Japanese site of Hetalia's publisher Gentosha, losing out (perhaps inevitably) to Japan - ''[[http://www.gentosha-comics.net/hetalia/enquete/index_02.html here.]]'' And he actually came in 1st on an [[http://www.gentosha-comics.net/hetalia/enquete/index_01.html earlier character popularity poll]], beating out even Japan.
* LawfulNeutral: Switzerland seems to be a mix of type 1 and type 3, [[http://40.media.tumblr.com/e78ef95f01dd69ca7e8af56eccb590b4/tumblr_nt4qfr0ZTD1u0u5z0o5_r2_1280.png judging by his attitude in the League of Nations]], with a fair bit of SuspiciouslySpecificDenial.
* LGBTFanbase: Turkey has a uniquely {{bara}}-like appearance that [[EnsembleDarkhorse makes him adored]] like woah among the gay/bisexual male fans, or at least the Japanese ones. On Pixiv, more R-18 pictures have been produced of him than ''France''!
** Grandpa Rome, for similar reasons.
** Russia himself as well.
** ''Germany.'' [[http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/bmiddle/bf235716jw1e813mo8gmgj20c81hxwml.jpg Also Netherlands.]]
** Sweden and Denmark can get [[HornyVikings similar treatment]], especially in R-18 content, but to a lesser extent than Turkey. On occasion the other Nordics will get this as well, excluding [[YoureCuteWhenYoureAngry Iceland]].
** [[MrFanservice Australia]] as well, considering the amount of fanworks that [[http://img01.pixiv.net/img/mayuge/22757920_m.jpg give]] him [[http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/327/6/f/g__day_by_aphnation_oz-d4h290c.jpg quite a lot of]]... [[http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/031/4/4/440c5947f4020abe99696c531b00e277-d4o765e.png beef.]]. Plus it kinda fits [[AwesomeAussie the stereotype]] too.
** On the [[HoYay Les Yay]] side of the fandom, lesbian/bi/pan female fans tend to be quite fond of Hungary, Ukraine and Belgium.
* MemeticBadass / MemeticMolester: Although it's his unrepentant badassness that makes him so popular, his fandom's {{meme|ticMutation}}s are even scarier: 'Prussia will occupy/seize your vital regions' and 'Prussia is [[GagPenis 5 METERS LONG]]!'. In fact, Prussia is said to run around Website/FourChan trying to seize the vital regions of the various boards. He even took over the main site for an April Fool's event. It may be rubbing off onto the actual anime, he acts very scarily in the below strip in the anime.
* MemeticMolester: "Everyone will become one with Russia", indeed.
* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/AxisPowersHetalia Has its own page.]]
** [[CargoShip Austria x His Piano OTP!]], after episode 5 of the webcast.
** ''"I'm damaged goods, Feliks!"''. Coming from a VERY bad fanfic where Lithuania was the [[{{Wimpification}} weepy uke]] to Russia's BastardBoyfriend.
** Canada, ''WHY SO MOE?''
** England's "Britannia Angel" outfit, in which he has magic powers, such as being able to turn other characters back into children. Also his Sexy Waiter outfit.
** And thanks to the April Fools 2011 event, now there's his Nurse outfit, which has ''already'' become a big hit on Pixiv and is starting to appear quite a bit elsewhere.
** Either of Turkey's three outfits: the Ottoman times one, [[CoatHatMask the modern military uniform he wears now]] or the green hoodie he often wears.
* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Some fans like the character representing their nation more, because whenever he appears they can get all the culture references before they are explained (or even when they are not explained at all).
** America is Number 2 favorite character in a poll on the American side, whereas in the Japanese poll his position can range anywhere from 4th to 9th. Americans like [[SelfDeprecation making fun of themselves?]]
*** A little bit. It's important to be able to laugh at yourself, but it's also nice to see a depiction of America that isn't completely negative. Yes, he's a [[BoisterousBruiser clumsy, tactless oaf, but he seems to ultimately mean well]].
*** Even Americans who ''hate'' Hetalia often receive him well.
** South Italians that listen to the [[ImageSong Buono Tomato song]] can immediately understand that it's a Tarantella, a south Italian dance that mimics the effects of chorea (an abnormal involuntary movement disorder). In the comics, Romano suffered from that disease when he was young...see? Everything in Hetalia has a reason!
*** Especially since South Italy is prone to earthquakes.
** The dub uses this trope word for word when Romano calls Germany Hasselhoff as an insult.
** Russia is also pretty popular amongst American and Japanese fans. [[FoeYay Wonder why?]]
* MindGameShip: Whenever someone ships [[PsychopathicManchild Russia]] with anyone else, the fic usually turns out like this.
** When Belarus isn't paired with [[BrotherSisterIncest Russia]] or [[ThrowTheDogABone Lithuania]], she's paired up with... [[OppositesAttract Amer]][[FoeYay ica]].
** Many other FoeYay pairings, such as Denmark/Sweden, Japan/China and Turkey/Greece, are very often portrayed as this.
* {{Moe}}: Finland, Latvia, Taiwan, fem!Japan, Liechtenstein, Iceland ever since the 2010 Christmas event, and Canada ([[MemeticMutation WHY SO MOE?]]).
** Italy. The guy is the perfect male example of Moe.
** Hong Kong: Considering his long-standing PerpetualFrowner status, [[http://i.imgur.com/L4Lx5.jpg surprisingly so]].
** Norway and Iceland.
* NightmareFuel:
** Belarus busting through Russia's door to demand that they get [[MadnessMantra married married married married married]]... with a close up on her [[SlasherSmile crazy expression]].
** The best example would be the "Bloody Sunday" strip, in which Russia finally snaps and starts GUNNING DOWN his own people as they're rioting in the streets ("If they hate me, they're not Russian.") before turning to Lithuania and stating "We don't want children who can't play nice, do we?".
** The opening scene of TheMovie. Romania gives this vibe in some [[http://www.zerochan.net/657950 fanworks]] [[http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/23800000/Romania-hetalia-23827448-600-660.jpg drawings]].
*** The final fight in the movie, as well. Throughout the movie, the nations being assimilated was treated as quick, random, and comical. In the last fight, it's down to the handful of remaining characters to fight to survive, as they're overrun by aliens. They get picked off one by one, scared and screaming for each other. Unlike previous conversions, they transform slowly and call out in terror the entire time. And when they are assimilated, they still look kind of like their human selves, remain frozen, and have the aliens just ''walk around them creepily''.
** England's creepy BlackMagic and anything related to it.
*** [[MemeticMutation I FEEL LIKE WE'RE SUMMONING A DEMON OR SOMETHING!!]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Seborga, acknowledging the part the Templar Knights played in his history.
** Denmark is often seen doing this in fanon, as well. How else could he rule the Kalmar Union then?
* OlderThanTheyThink: Hetalia was not the first series to attempt to do anthropomorphic depictions of nations. It just happens to be the most popular.
* OneHeadTaller: The 2 cm height difference between America and England tends to be exaggerated by both fanartists ''and'' the author himself. (In fact, England is usually drawn much shorter than he actually is - according to the height info, he's the same height as France. This is possibly because his personality is very reminiscent of TheNapoleon.)
** England's height may have been retconned in the comic: in one strip young France teases England about being small. Sure, they're both children at that point, but little England ''is'' very short.
** A lot of popular pairings fall under this trope in canon. Just take a look at Sweden and Finland, Greece and Japan, Korea and China, Seborga and Monaco or Russia and China.
** {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s also have a tendency to SHORTEN "submissive" characters' height, which is connected to {{Wimpification}}. For example, they shorten Finland's height a greatly exaggerated amount, sometimes to the same height as ''[[CheerfulChild Sealand]]''.
*** Italy and Germany. Germany is 8 cm taller than Italy, making for some awkward situations (such as when Germany is too tall for Italy to hug, so Germany kisses his cheeks instead) but Italy is not so short that Germany has to rest his chin on him like some fanworks depict.
*** One of the more mind-bending offenders is when America/UK is reversed and England is made ''taller'' than America. Although often America is also made [[OutOfCharacter meek and wimpy]] at the same time. Which make things... confusing.
*** Bizarrely inverted with Lithuania and Poland. Even though they have a greater height difference than Germany and Italy (10 cm), most fanarts show them lacking ''any'' height difference.
* OneTrueThreesome: Many fans ship [[StoicSpectacles Austria]]/[[NinjaMaid Hungary]]/[[HotBlooded Prussia]], which is sometimes called [[FanNickname "The Frying Pangle"]]. A lot of other threesomes can be found listed under its example in the trope article.
* PeripheryDemographic: One of the biggest foundations of Manga/AxisPowersHetalia is the HoYay, which the more history-based fans often find... disturbing. However, there's a sort-of agreement between both groups in regards to the heterosexual OfficialCouple formed by [[{{Meganekko}} Austria]] and [[NinjaMaid Hungary]]: it's just ''[[{{Squee}} So. Damn.]]'' '''[[{{Squee}} CUTE!]]'''. Plus, if you're sad your country never appears in foreign news outside of the tragic, prepare for the lighter side...
* PortmanteauCoupleName: Ro-Ber-To (In Italy, 'Axis' meant just Rome and Berlin specifically.)
** The Japanese fandom has Joker for America x England (Alfred F. ''Jo''nes x Arthur ''Kir''kland.) The reverse is 過剰 (pronounced ''ka-jo''). In the west, USUK (or UKUS, depending on the {{seme}}-{{uke}} dynamic) is much more common.
** There are actually a ''lot'' of these for various pairings (let's play the "how many pairing names can you decipher?" game!): [=AmeBela=], [=AmeCan=], Ameripan, [=AusHun=], [=DenNor=], [=DenSu=] or [=DeSu=], Franada, [=FraSey=], [=FrUK=], [=GerIta=] or Gertalia, Giripan, [=KoHo=], [=LietPol=] or [=PoLiet=], [=NiChu=], [=NorIce=], [=PruAus=], [=PruCan=], [=PruHun=], [=RoChu=], [=RusAme=], [=RusLiet=], Spamano, [=SuFin=]...
** Kimichibowl (S.Korea/China), Kimichiburger(S.Korea/America), Edelweiss (Austria/Switzerland)...
* RonTheDeathEater: Oh, boy. [[RonTheDeathEater/AxisPowersHetalia Now with its own page.]]
** America may have his jerkish moments in canon, but some people make him out to be an absolute and irredeemable {{Jerkass}}, especially when they want to make [[TheUnfavorite Canada]] look better or [[DieForOurShip justify England hooking up with someone else]].
*** Or a PsychopathicManchild or even BespectacledBastardBoyfriend who treats Japan horribly during/after WWII. Sometimes this is done to [[DieForOurShip send Japan running off into the arms of someone else]], but other times it seems that the fan authors truly believe that America would ''actually'' act like that towards Japan. While Japan initially resented America, he eventually warmed up to him during Westernization and is clearly good friends with him in the post-WWII strips. You would think that would signify that the events at the end of WWII are far from the be-all end-all of their overall relationship, right? [[NeverLiveItDown Apparently not.]]
** England tends to be hit with this trope. Whether it's because [[DieForOurShip he's in the way of the author's preferred pairing]], the author wants to [[TheWoobie woobiefy]] a character connected to him, they want to make him more [[DarkerAndEdgier "historically accurate"]] or, it seems, simply because [[EvilBrit he's British]], if a fanfic has an evil/depraved bastard and it's not Russia, chances are it's him.
** The infamous "Nazi Prussia" fanwork trend, in which DarkerAndEdgier fanworks make him an insane Nazi who beats/rapes/betrays/abuses/etc. his fellow nations - specially Germany, Austria or Hungary.
*** Either that, or he's shown as TheFool and {{Jerkass}} whom everyone hates and/or abuses.
** Some people overexaggerate Belarus's bad traits to make Lithuania look more woobie-ish than he truly is or to discourage the Russia/Belarus pairing.
** Russia himself also gets this treatment in several fanfics where he' given the role of the story's antagonist. It's mainly due to the fact that fanwriters, regardless of their own opinions on his character, just find it a little ''too'' easy to crank up certain characteristics of his personality (namely that he ''is'' a PsychopathicManchild, a StepfordSmiler, and TheFakeCutie, plus RealLife Soviet Russia's own atrocities such as TheGulag were no laughing matter).
** Turkey might not have the most agreeable of personalities or the best of relations with Greece or Hungary, but some fanworks turn him into a complete asshole who will {{sm|ugSnake}}irkingly {{manipulat|iveBastard}}e, [[DomesticAbuse abuse]], and {{rape|AsDrama}} others solely to "put them in their place", whether because these fanwriters love TheMasochismTango of Turkey/Greece or Turkey/Hungary or are enamored of the idea of Turkey as a BastardBoyfriend with a WhiteMaskOfDoom.
** Scotland hasn't even been in the anime yet, but it doesn't stop some fans from making him a BigBrotherBully or downright abusive (usually to England, but Wales, Ireland and other countries get their share of it, too).
* TheScrappy: While not as open as in Korea's case, you can bet that in a poll about disliked characters, Sealand will have a "top" spot.
** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Fans generally started liking him more mainly because [[spoiler: he seems to be the only nation that was able to defend himself against the mysterious figure and question him with no problems, even striking an IntergenerationalFriendship]]. In fact, a lot of memes concerning him exploded because of said incident.
** Due to being a micronation and not a real country, as well as some fans not liking her bratty personality, Wy's debut quickly earned her this position along with some accusations of being part of a SpotlightStealingSquad.
** No discussion of TheScrappy would be complete without Korea, who was raked over the coals by fans disgruntled about the Korean MoralGuardians forcing the cancellation of the Hetalia anime's TV broadcast. Fortunately, this seems to have all but died down with the passage of time; nowadays it's a lot more common for fans to lament that Korea ''isn't'' in the anime instead.
** Or Japan, who was ''hated'' by people who called him a UsefulNotes/MisplacedNationalism-fueled character that was ruining the anime after every episode he appeared in. Or took personal offense about him being as beloved in Japanese fandom as Canada was in Western fandom. Or claimed that him not being depicted as a monster or his UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan atrocities not being portrayed in graphic detail in a series focused on the lighthearted side of history meant that Himaruya was "trivializing" history. It was mainly limited to a VocalMinority, but they kept on finding the stupidest reasons to bash him; there was even a post on the Hetalia comm that bashed Japan as a "shojo harem manga heroine" to promote ''Turkey/Poland''. Fortunately, like with Korea, the hate has [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap quieted down over time]], probably because Japan having a minor or supporting role at best in the comics means that the VocalMinority can't call him a SpotlightStealingSquad by any stretch of the imagination.
* ShipToShipCombat: In the end, not even this fandom proved to be immune to this. See main entry for details. And we're not talking about their navies. (It reaches the point where one of the ''very first reactions'' to a new character's appearance is people using him against another pairing.)
* TastesLikeDiabetes: How some fans (particularly the older male crowd) see the younger versions of the nations, especially Chibitalia and the Holy Roman Empire. Some newcomers to the anime also tend to be disgusted and taken aback by the idea of these little guys and moe having business in their "history" series.
** Liechtenstein's version of ''Marukaite Chikyuu''.
** The TastesLikeDiabetes of Chibitalia is taken UpToEleven with his character ''Ren-Ren-Rennaisance'' with lyrics like:
-->Chibitalia: Say, Grandpa Rome, I wonder why pasta is so delicious? Somehow, it's a very happy feeling.
-->Rome: That's true, hahaha! It's because there's a spice called "love" in there. Grandpa somehow has a happy~ feeling~.
* TestosteroneBrigade: Tied to GuiltyPleasures. In short words, yes, male fans ''exist'' for Hetalia.
** Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary and Taiwan are rather popular among the rare fanboys.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many fans' opinion on the alterations to the English dub script. See BrokenBase above.
** For some fans, it's not the script but the voices that make the dub this trope.
* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: Take a world history or poli-sci class. Now, replace the teacher with a rabid YaoiFangirl who also happens to be TheAlcoholic. That about sums up the series.
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Kugelmugel seems to be moping about what is considered 'art'.
* UncannyValley: Russimochi's tongue. Yes. It is [[OverlyLongTongue abnormally long]], creepy and [[FelonyMisdemeanor made Italymochi cry]].
* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Canada. And taking into account the fact that everyone [[LoveHurts keeps]] [[SitcomArchNemesis picking]] [[DudeWheresMyRespect on]] [[LonelyAtTheTop England]] and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes hates]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Russia]], they can also be called this. [[SmallNameBigEgo Prussia]] is this as well, considering that he's currently a ButtMonkey even his [[BigLittleBrother younger brother's]] ashamed of and that he's got a terrible record in [[ChildhoodFriendRomance his love life]] and {{friend|lessBackground}}ships.
* ValuesDissonance: The anime was originally going to air on a Kids Channel in Japan. In America? It's aimed at adults.
** In the Chibitalia chapter Austria is supposed to come across as [[SternTeacher a hard yet well-intentioned father figure]], but his ''extremely'' harsh punishments towards little Italy (like tying him up to a post ''once'') are often seen by fans as [[AbusiveParents unnecessarily cruel]]. [[NeverLiveItDown And some remember him ONLY as an abusive asshole.]]
** He also stomped on poor Italy's head when he did something wrong or forgot to do something, and locked him up for "stealing" food that was actually a gift from Holy Roman Empire.
* ViewerGenderConfusion: Hong Kong has been confirmed as male, but some fans are still confused. As for [[DudeLooksLikeALady China]], the author himself {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this trope in regards to him by listing him as the only female Allied member on the official character chart... before adding a "Not" on the end.
** The above could have been mocked in the Bloodbath 2010 when [[spoiler: after being abducted by the mysterious figure both, China and Hong Kong, awake [[InstantCosplaySurprise just to find themselves randomly in crossdressing clothes]].]]
** The audience isn't involved and is instead switched with HRE (and a few other countries at the time, [[UnsettlingGenderReveal until Italy grew up]]). Mainly, HRE always thought that Chibitalia was a ''girl''.
** New Zealand. Though now confirmed to be male, there was a lot of back-and-forth speculation when the character design first came out.
* {{Wangst}}: "Einsamkeit (Loneliness)". From the few lyrics we know, it's played for laughs.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Many non-fans and a few fans have mistaken Hetalia for something meant to educate children, especially the anime. Partially because the anime was supposed to air on a channel called "Kids' Station" (protests got it pulled from TV and made into a webcast.) However, this isn't a sure thing as Kids' Station plays anime for an older audience later in the day, similar to what Creator/CartoonNetwork does.
* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: The mochi strips. They're only partially translated into English, but [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext translation makes them no less nonsensical]].
* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass:
** Some fans have ragged on China for his "[[{{Bishonen}} girly looks]]" and "[[CrossDressingVoices girly voice]]". Even though the guy has ''fricking super strength and martial skills'' in the anime. Apparently being able to disarm and overpower two very skilled opponents (who are wielding a katana and a gun) with nothing but a WOK isn't at all impressive... just because of the aforementioned feminine appearance and voice.
** Poland's {{Keet}} behavior and penchant for ponies and skirts makes him ''hated'' in some circles.
** Austria haters (or more specifically, the die-hard Prussia/Hungary and/or Romania/Hungary supporters) frequently exaggerate his NonActionGuy traits in order to make him unsuitable for the LadyOfWar Hungary and thus leave her free to go off with the much more [[BloodKnight battle]]-[[TheTrickster oriented]] Prussia or Romania.
** Some fans have a tendency to turn Canada into a MemeticBadass and DeadpanSnarker instead of the fairly nice, unassertive guy he is in canon. It even goes to disturbing [[UpToEleven levels]] in fanworks where he becomes CuteAndPsycho.
* TheWoobie: [[Woobie/AxisPowersHetalia Enough for a page]].
* {{Woolseyism}}: The dub constantly swings between this and GagDub.
** Its woolseyisms are popular enough that scanlations seem to take inspiration from it, such as adapting America's wording to be somewhat looser than earlier translations (which were already casual), therefore resembling his TotallyRadical speech pattern in the dub (uses of "Dude," "Respect," etc).
** In the original Japanese version of Japan presenting Germany his idea for the naval fleet, Germany's response to each item is "What the!?" In the English version, this is changed so that each idea is given a different response, "Cool!" "No vay!" "This is wunderbar, Japan!"
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** Some fans have a tendency to turn Canada into a MemeticBadass and DeadpanSnarker instead of the fairly nice, unassertive guy he is in canon. It even goes to disturbing [[UpToEleven levels]] in fanworks where he becomes a CutePsycho.