Hetalia: Axis Powers | |
Cover of Hetalia: Axis Powers volume 1. Characters featured (from foreground to background): North Italy, Germany and Japan.
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ヘタリア Axis Powers (Hetaria Akushisu Pawāzu) |
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Manga | |
Written by | Hidekaz Himaruya |
Published by | Gentosha |
English publisher | |
Demographic | Seinen |
Imprint | Birz Extra |
Magazine | Comic Birz |
Original run | 2006 – 2013 |
Volumes | 6 |
Manga | |
Hetalia World Stars | |
Written by | Hidekaz Himaruya |
Published by | Shueisha |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Imprint | Shonen Jump + |
Original run | September 22, 2014 – present |
Volumes | 3 |
Original net animation | |
Directed by | Bob Shirohata |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | January 24, 2009 – March 5, 2010 |
Runtime | 5 minutes |
Episodes | 52 |
Original net animation | |
Hetalia: World Series | |
Directed by | Bob Shirohata |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | March 26, 2010 – February 21, 2011 |
Runtime | 5 minutes |
Episodes | 48 (plus 4 OVAs) |
Anime film | |
Hetalia: Axis Powers - Paint it, White! | |
Directed by | Bob Shirohata |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | June 5, 2010 |
Runtime | 77 minutes |
Game | |
Gakuen Hetalia Portable | |
Developer | Otomate |
Publisher | Idea Factory |
Genre | Adventure game, Slice-of-life |
Platform | PlayStation Portable |
Released | March 24, 2011 |
Original net animation | |
Hetalia: The Beautiful World | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Watanabe |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | January 25, 2013 – June 21, 2013 |
Runtime | 5 minutes |
Episodes | 20 |
Original net animation | |
Hetalia: The World Twinkle | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Watanabe |
Studio | Studio Deen |
Licensed by | |
Released | July 3, 2015 – October 2, 2015 |
Runtime | 5 minutes |
Episodes | 15 |
Hetalia: Axis Powers (Japanese: ヘタリア Axis Powers Hepburn: Hetaria Akushisu Pawāzu?) is a Japanese webcomic, later adapted as a manga and an anime series, by Hidekaz Himaruya. The series' main presentation is as an often over-the-top allegory of political and historic events as well as more general cultural comparisons. Characters are personifications of countries, regions such as Hong Kong and micronations with little reference to other national personifications. Both positive and negative cultural stereotypes form part of each character's personality.
The character roster is large and far from complete, but the main cast is primarily the countries which made up the Axis powers and Allies of World War II - namely Italy (North Italy in particular), Germany, Japan, United States, England, France, Russia, and China. Hetalia (ヘタリア?) is a portmanteau combining hetare (ヘタレ?, Japanese for "useless" or "pathetic" in a cute or endearing way) and "Italia" (イタリア Itaria?, Italian for "Italy") The main storyline's events occur during World War II, but the vast majority of the comics take place during other historical events, modern holidays, or at no specific time whatsoever. The series often uses satire and light-hearted comedy to reinterpret well-known events as well as less common historical and cultural trivia. Historical, political, economic, and military interaction between countries is generally represented in Hetalia as social interactions and misunderstandings between the characters.