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As a whole
- Anime Chinese Girl: Taiwan, and the Gender Flip arts of China and Hong Kong (either fanart or the canon Himaruya doodles).
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Korea has thicker eyebrows than most other characters, while Hong Kong has noticeably thicker eyebrows due to a curse from England.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: A popular rendition, which can be played either for drama or for laughs depending on the fandom.
- Chinese People: All of them, especially China. Hong Kong, despite the eyebrows.
- Curtains Match the Windows: Hong Kong and Taiwan both have have brown hair and eyes.
- Expressive Hair: Korea's Idiot Hair is sometimes drawn with a face, making this a more literal interpretation of the trope, and Taiwan's Idiot Hair comes unraveled when she's uneasy during the 2011 Bloodbath.
- Genki Girl/Genki Guy: Taiwan and Korea are quite cheerful, energetic and hyper.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl and Huge Guy, Tiny Other Guy:
- South Korea (tall enough to stand with America eye-to-eye, which would put him in the 177cm-tall range) has this with Japan (165cm), China (169cm) and Taiwan (150cm).
- Macau is also noticeably One Head Taller than Hong Kong and China.
- Idiot Hair: Korea has a wild curl, and Taiwan has a long, droopy one, though in the latter case, her Idiot Hair seemed to vanish in this strip
◊, which led to people not knowing if it was her or Vietnam in it (the use of Hungary's Chinese name gave Taiwan's identity away).- Some fanart seems to speculate that it was pulled up in her bun.
- Some fanart
- Journey to the West: Their costume theme for Hetaween 2011.
- Mukokuseki: This is a somewhat rare aversion of making the Japanese character generically stateless or anime-like, but making other East Asians more realistic. This time, Japan looks like his relatives.
- Not Blood Siblings: From the anime, Japan's definitely not China's biological brother. The others are debatable whether they're actually related or were just "found" and adopted.
- Overly Long Name: Hong Kong and Macau. Thankfully, they're just referred to as the first parts of their names.
- Savvy Older Brothers, Energetic Annoying Younger Sibling:
- Korea and both China and Japan. China and Taiwan, to a degree.
- Taiwan is this to pretty much everyone in East Asia, according to the fourth manga volume.
- Supreme Chef:
- According to a profile of his, cooking is a specialty of Macau's.
- Also implied in Taiwan's case:The good thing about her cooking is that you can thank her for treating you to delicious yet inexpensive cuisine!
- Trademark Favorite Food:
- Korea loves kimchi so much that he took it up into outer space, causing France to become pissed off.
- For Taiwan, according to fandom, bubble tea. Which is actually from Taiwan. Confirmed in her character song along with tofu.
- Played with for Hong Kong. In his image song "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy", he thinks "Asian food" is the best, and altogether mentions a lot of food — 'yum cha' (thus indirectly, dim sum), Hong Kong milk tea, cheap street food (on Temple Street, specifically), peach buns, mango pudding, and hot pot (along with Chinese herbal hot pot for detoxing). Hong Kong the city is renowned for being a "Gourmet Paradise", so the mention of this many foodstuffs is very justified. However, since both of his image songs mention peach buns and dim sum, and, and one of his chibis shows him holding bamboo steamers of dim sum, it's possible that those are what he prefers.
- Verbal Tic:
- Korea adds a cheerful "da ze!" to many of his sentences.
- Hong Kong often throws "teki na" into his sentences, which means something along the lines of "I guess" or "like".
Republic of Korea (South Korea) — Im Yong Soo
대한민국 🇰🇷
- Adapted Out: In the animated series and merchandise, due to real life controversy about Japan and South Korea during and after the Second World War era.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: He supposed to have chestnut brown hair in the anime series. Himaruya usually depicts him with black hair or a very dark shade of brown.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Korea's incestuous affection towards China is not returned at all. He's not much luckier when he tries to pursue Japan, either. But somehow, his is the luckiest with Taiwan.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To both China and Japan; he's loud, obnoxious, and says that they should call him their older brother.
- Artistic License – History: In real life (though not well-known), through the records available, China and Korea are assumed to have similar age, and Japan is regarded as youngest among them. Therefore, Japan being older brother to Korea seems far-fetched, while China being older is understandable.
- Asian and Nerdy: In his profile, it's said he loves the internet and games. Truth in Television to some degree; Korea apparently has the highest percentage of households with Internet access in the world.
- Big Little Brother: Towards China and Japan.
- Brainy Brunet: Korea really is quite intelligent, seeing as he was able to fix the mind reading binoculars in one strip. Too bad he doesn't show it a lot.Korea: I'm an intellectual, da ze!
- The Cameo: While he was removed from the anime for the most part, he still shows up in line in the supermarket scene, and also in the closing credits of the first two seasons.
- Catchphrase: "Uri nara mansae!" It means, roughly, "Hooray for our land!"
- Cool Sword: A picture on Himaruya's blog has him with one, possibly as his preferred weapon. It's not exactly clear what kind of sword is it, but it may be either a Byeolum-Gheon, a Hwando, or a Samindo.
- Gadgeteer Genius: He somehow managed to make mind-reading binoculars.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Korea is the energetic Red to Hong Kong's The Comically Serious Blue. Apparently, according to Germany, the two don't necessarily get along easily because of this, despite both of them being East Asian.
- Skinship Grope: He really wants to grope both of his brothers' breasts. And once or twice manages to do so.
- Teen Genius: He's a Gadgeteer Genius with the human age of 15-16.
Republic of China (Taiwan)
中華民國 🇹🇼
- A-Cup Angst: Despite not being as flat-chested as Liechtenstein, she does fret about about seeing the Western girls' cleavage during the 2011 Bloodbath.
- Anime Chinese Girl: Sports this look and plays it up for all its worth.
- Asian and Nerdy: She is, obviously, Taiwanese, and she's an anime fan who's into cosplay.
- Bathing Beauty: One strip implies that both she and Hungary◊ are this. Explained by the rich Taiwanese hot spring culture. In her character song, she outright references her many hot springs.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: One of the earlier Himaruya sketches has her poking China on the cheek and demanding that he leaves Japan alone, while saying the quote above. In China's drama CD track, she teases him a lot, (and according to her profile, one of her hobbies is annoying China):Taiwan: (giggles) Teacher's going crazy!
China: I told you! I'm young, cool, and hip! - The Beastmaster: She's often represented with tigers, magpie birds (the national bird of Taiwan) and oxen in fanart.
- Cute Oversized Sleeves: She wears a variant of qipao, except instead of being a mostly form-fitting dress, hers is paired with a long white skirt and has large, loose sleeves that covers her hands. She is characterized as the plucky, girly "little sister" of the East Asian group.
- The Fashionista: According to Himaruya, which is eventually confirmed in the 2013 Halloween event, in which she made both her own and Vietnam's costumes.
- Flower Motifs: Her hair accessories. They're Asian plum flowers, which is the national flower of Taiwan. Strangely enough, it's one of the symbolic vestiges of Taiwan's Chinese claim. She also has a flower-shaped mark on her thigh◊. Lampshaded in her character chart blurb: "If she has flowers and long dark hair, then it's Taiwan-chan."
- Friend to All Living Things: According to some Himaruya chibis.Taiwan: If you're too noisy, you'll scare away all the birds and make the flowers die...
- Joshikousei: Taiwan's preliminary character design for Gakuen Hetalia has her wearing a sailor uniform◊ instead of the more Western clothing Seychelles wears.
- Motor Mouth: Her dialogue can take up the entire panel!
- Otaku: Apparently a huge anime fan, as she dedicates a world meeting to discussing the former trope of "Hey Its That Voice" in one of the Birz chapters. She also cosplays in both the 2011 and 2013 Halloween events, makes her own costumes (and Vietnam's), and apparently attends anime conventions.
- Pink Means Feminine: She wears a pink qipao with a matching flower, and that's why she's the Girly Girl to Vietnam.
- Plucky Girl: Taiwan's profile mentions that, though she tends to fret and worry, she's also very strong willed when it counts. Confirmed when she gets some more spotlight and a proper profile in the fourth manga volume.An island girl nation with a headstrong and easygoing personality!
Taiwan: It's okay, the Taiwanese don't believe in bad fortunes!
Japan: How positive! - Proper Tights with a Skirt: She wears tights with her Gakuen uniform.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's is the cheerful, energetic, plucky red to Vietnam's blue.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Taiwan usually looks adorable and very pretty, but she looks absolutely gorgeous in more traditional clothing.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Vietnam◊ (tomboy) and Taiwan◊ (girly girl) certainly look the part. The fourth manga volume toys with this: Vietnam is mature and reserved, while Taiwan is straightforward and energetic.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Threaten to blackmail her with embarrassing pictures of her sleeping and she'll just comment that they're cute and keep them.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
中華人民共和國香港特別行政區 🇭🇰
"To be blunt, isn't 'not playing the game' the least troublesome option?"
Voiced by: Motoki Takagi (JP), Shelton Windham (EN, World Series), Greg Silva (EN, The Beautiful World)
Voiced by: Motoki Takagi (JP), Shelton Windham (EN, World Series), Greg Silva (EN, The Beautiful World)
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Makes several digs against China, like showcasing how he knows exactly what China will wear or do at any given time and constantly referring to him as old in spite of China's indignant protests. "Annoying China" is even listed as one of his hobbies. According to one of his profiles, he's also this to England:His hobbies include annoying England and China whenever he sees them!
- Born Lucky: Apparently, it's not a good idea to place bets against him. Double if it involves China, since HK knows him way too well.Taiwan and Macau: We can't win against Hong Kong!
- Brass Balls: During the 2010 Christmas Bloodbath, China utters this immortal line to Hong Kong:"Choosing to go naked rather than wear a maid outfit? ....YOU'VE GOT BALLS-ARU!!"
- Brits Love Tea: Zig-zagged.
- Hong Kong explicitly mentions learning about afternoon "high tea" from England, and the local silk-stocking milk tea is historically inspired by British tea. On the other hand, Hong Kong is also backed with traditional Chinese teas (in yum cha, i.e. morning dim sum with tea). All of this is Truth in Television.
- Hong Kong's very existence deconstructs the trope historically. The First Opium War was fought because the Chinese were sick of the Brits getting their people addicted to opium, which was in turn caused by British tea mania.note And Hetalia-wise, China's Verbal Tic when speaking to England specifically is ahen, which means "opium"...
- Broken Ace: Hong Kong might be the "Pearl of the Orient" and "the town with the night worth one million dollars", but his rent is also the highest in the world. He still continues to push on nonchalantly, though, making this possibly downplayed.
- Camera Fiend: Implied, as his image song "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" mentions that one of his hobbies is to "take pics and collect them".
- Characterization Marches On: His earliest appearances painted him as a Perpetual Frowner. He's much more cheerful from the fourth manga volume onward.
- The Comically Serious: Keeps his deadpan face even in the craziest situations.
- Covert Pervert: "I said to stop making this kind of art, otherwise I'll have to mosaic it out, aru!"
- Delinquents: Played for Laughs when China thinks he's become one after his time with England. England insists that he hasn't, but just acts more like him instead of China.
- Drink-Based Characterization: In the image song "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy", Hong Kong mentions being taught by England to have (high) tea in the afternoon, and notes on both yum cha (dim sum with Chinese tea) and milk tea. Historically, the former is more 'traditional' Cantonese while the latter is adopted during the colonial period in the mid-20th century.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Hong Kong has a fairly androgynous appearance, especially due to the length of his hair, and even moreso as a child since his hair was even longer back then.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: When he was with China as a child, his hair was in a ponytail like China's and he looked very feminine. When he lived with England, however, he gained Big Ol' Eyebrows and had his hair cut short (or at least shorter).
- Gossipy Hens: Male example, according to his volume 4 profiles, which lists "gossip" among his interests. Slightly confirmed when he starts teasing and almost pestering Iceland due to some things he said about England.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Hong Kong's speech in the original Japanese version are a mixture between Japanese and English, and his image songs feature both Mandarin and Cantonese phrases*. Heck, the very title of "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" is a mixture of Cantonese and English, translating to "Happy☆Nice Guy (or Nice Street)" in English from Cantonese.
- Greed: Implied... which makes sense for the most capitalistic city in the world.
- His character songs hint at this, with "Maji Kandou☆Hong Kong Night" introducing him as "the town with the night worth one million dollars", and a stanza on local superstition and customs in "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" ending with this line:Gold fish, bring me luck! (In money!)
- Apparently, in the strip "Taiwan's Lantern festival", Taiwan provokes Hong Kong to not wish for money as he could wish for anything else besides it, and in response to that, Hong Kong is surprised that other people wish for things other than money.
- His character songs hint at this, with "Maji Kandou☆Hong Kong Night" introducing him as "the town with the night worth one million dollars", and a stanza on local superstition and customs in "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" ending with this line:
- Hadaka Apron: In the Hetalia Bloodbath 2010, he is forced into a maid outfit which he subsequently sheds. China won't stand for such nakedness, so Hong Kong puts on an apron.
- I Just Want to Be Free: In the "I, like, wanna be free!" strip, he declares that he wants to live on his own, much to China's dismay. He does relent and stay with China, but only after China satisfies a certain condition.
- Inscrutable Oriental: Hong Kong is oft-described to be on the stoic side, so most cannot really tell what is on his mind. However, he also shows a more expressive side sometimes.
- Like Is, Like, a Comma: In one English translation of the fourth manga volume, his Gyaru-o dialect is rendered as this.
- The Medic: In the CD Drama Hetalia Phantasia, Hong Kong is seen dressed in a medic outfit.
- Neon City: He's the personification of one, as noted in the chorus of "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy".Riding on a roofless bus, cruising through the neon streets
- Red Baron: It's noted that Hong Kong carries the title of "Pearl of the Orient". In reality, the title is shared by several places in Asia, including Hong Kong, so there's some Truth in Television in that.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Hong Kong is The Comically Serious Blue to Korea's energetic Red. Apparently, according to Germany, the two don't necessarily get along easily because of this, despite both of them being East Asian.
- The Snark Knight:
- Hong Kong shows a Deadpan Snarker streak, mainly towards China, but is implied to be one in daily life as well, if some of his quotes from "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" anything to go by."Is this delivery service for real?"
- However, in "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy", Hong Kong also remarks on a couple of problems faced in the place he represents, e.g. the excessive air-con usage and the even higher rent, which allows him to qualify for this trope.Oh. My. God. "Air conditioning in full blast!"
Oh. My. Mind. "That's not eco-friendly…"
Oh, well. "The air will become cleaner, I think?"
[...]
Oh. My. God. "The rent is really expensive…"
Oh. My. Mind. "It's not easy…"
Why, oh why? "It's like, the highest in the world"
We have serious inflation, but whatever
- Hong Kong shows a Deadpan Snarker streak, mainly towards China, but is implied to be one in daily life as well, if some of his quotes from "Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy" anything to go by.
- Stuff Blowing Up: His profile says that he loves detonating firecrackers, much to England's annoyance.
- The Trickster: He uses his firecrackers to play pranks on England, according to Himaruya. He also gets China drunk in the 2010 Christmas special, apparently just for the lulz.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Apparently, Hong Kong is afraid of the dark. Considering the sheer amount of light pollution in the city in real life, this is somewhat understandable.
Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區 🇲🇴
"Mister... why don't you think about yourself a little more...?"
- Beware the Nice Ones: After discussing how he is a Nice Guy, as mentioned below, his profile follows up with this:He seems to also have another side, another part, lol.
- In one strip, he is rather passive aggressive towards China when the latter asks for his help with keeping Hong Kong from wanting independence.
- Big Brother Instinct: Seems relatively protective over the younger Asian countries, escorting Taiwan to the party and attempting to help Vietnam cover up in the 2013 Halloween event. He also tells Portugal he's always thought of Hong Kong as a younger brother.
- Big Little Brother: While his age is unclear, he's most likely younger than China... but he's still One Head Taller and probably the tallest of the Asians (as is his Nyotalia counterpart).
- Drink-Based Characterization/Asians Love Tea: He's shown with a tea cup quite often and drinks it while listening to his siblings fighting.
- The Gambler: Macau is described to be gambling quietly in a dimly lit room in a character note. Considering the city has a reputation for being the Vegas of the East, this is justified.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Is very close to Portugal, to the point where Portugal referred to them as the "dream team". They were trading partners and good friends before becoming boss and underling, and remained close after.
- Nice Guy:His nature is rather ungreedy; he appears calm and good at business, is tall, and tries to be philosophical [...] He often has a businesslike manner, but he jokes around with Portugal, China, and Hong Kong. He treats Taiwan like a proper lady.
- Non-Action Guy: In the Hetaween event, notes mention that he tends to get pulled into conflicts and get hurt.
- Only Sane Man: China and Hong Kong have a fight caused by China going the Helicopter Parents way and Hong Kong struggling to make him back off. What does Macau do? Sit with them, drink tea, and make one or two passive-aggressive comments as much.
- Perpetual Smiler: Smiles pleasantly while his siblings fight.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Wears a cheongsam in one blog post. While said cheongsam is black in some Himaruya chibis, sometimes the fandom also makes it white or green.He often wears smart-looking suits to casinos and in business-related things.
- The Smart Guy: Referred to as being skillful and good at making things.
Mongolia
Монгол Улс 🇲🇳
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Hasn't reappeared since his volume 4 appearance.
- The Faceless: Appears in Volume Four of the manga as a child, but only in silhouette.
- No-Sell: He's completely unaffected by General Winter, since he's used to the cold.
- The Rival: Of Hungary, whom he attacked and bullied as a child according to some sketches.
- The Speechless/The Voiceless: His one line in his cameo is "........!"
Tibet
- The Cameo: Shows up in the strip detailing Japan and China's Backstory.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Has only appeared in a single scene so far, and only in the comic. The anime replaced him with a panda, probably to avoid controversy.
- The Speechless/The Voiceless: Doesn't get any lines in his cameo.
