So you watched the first episode of Hetalia, huh?
More likely than not, you’re confused as heck.
You can’t remember all the characters, and the show is just plain weird, not to mention the manga.
You wonder why this series got so popular, so you watch the next episode. And the next. And the next.
Before you know it, you’re obsessed.
This is the Beginner’s Guide to Hetalia, a guide I wish I had when I joined this fandom a year ago.
Characters: No, you will not have to memorise all the characters that appear in the first episode. For most of the first season (out of six seasons so far) you will only have to know nine characters or so—Russia, America, Italy, Germany, England/Britain, China, Japan, France, and later on, Canada. The rest of the characters are released in small bursts after that, making them slightly more easy to remember.
If you’re watching the dub, their accents should give who they are away fairly quickly as well.
If you’re trying to join the fandom, not just be interested in the anime/manga, then there are a few things you should know:
Human Names: All the characters have human names which are used often in fanfiction, cosplay, and doujinshi. For example, if a fanfiction has America and let’s say, England, as humans, they would be called Alfred and Arthur instead of America and England because they’re, well, not countries.
Universes: The creator of Hetalia, Hima, made a few universes. Now, these are slightly confusing, and I don’t have enough page space to explain all of them, but I’ll do my best. Hima made universes, which is kind of the same Hetalia characters but put into a different universe.
Cardverse is where every main character (kinda…) is a ruler of a kingdom—Hearts, Clubs, Spades, and Diamonds. They’re either the King, Queen, or Jack. There are a few aces as well, but I don’t even understand those.
Omegaverse is where the world is divided into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. I’m not too keen about this universe, as most of the fanfictions about it are solely smuts, due to the unique properties of sex in this universe.
Magical Strike: I don’t really know. Usually only Cardverse and Omegaverse are used, but I see the occasional Magical Strike. I don’t know much about this universe, so click here for more information.
There are a lot more, such as Wingtalia, Ponytalia, and the like.
Fanworks: A lot of people in the Hetalia fandom say that “this fandom isnt what it used to be”, referring to the fact that Hetalia’s golden days were back in 2013. However, the fanbase is still pretty huge, and the fact that you’re coming in as a new fan after the golden year means that you can pick from the cream of the crop when it comes to fanworks. That means that there is a huge number of fanfictions and doujins to choose from, and you’re not limited to only a select number.
There are a few classic fanworks that every Hetalia fan has read if they exist on this planet:
Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart (fanfiction)
Gutters (fanfiction)
Episode 23.5 (warning—creepypasta)
The Danish Slaughterhouse (fanfiction)
Monarchy of Spades (comic...kinda...Cardverse, USUK)
Ships: An amazing part about Hetalia is that no ships are canon (except for HRE and Italy, but that’s a different story). So everyone is free to ship what they want, without any limitations. The most popular ships are GerIta (Germany and Italy. Probably the only undisputed ship), USUK (America and England), FrUK (France and England), and Spamano (Spain and South Italy/Romano).
USUK shippers and FrUK shippers wage war against each other quite often. Try not to be immature.
Recommendations: There are still a lot of active Hetalia blogs, cosplayers, and the like. Some of these will be based on the things I ship most.
Translated Hetalia Manga Strips: Hetascanlations
Cosplay Group: Opperation Pecan
Blog, Ask France and England questions and they will answer: Ask-Aph-Fruk
USUK fic recommendations: Zeplerfer’s 200 Fic Recommendations
That should be it! Thank you for reading!
HETALIA
By Trini Ashheart