Why Hetalia isn’t racist + why it doesn’t promote Japanese imperialism/nationalism
Before I start, it’s important to get a few points out of the way given that many of the misinformed critiques of Hetalia have been made by people who haven’t read the original source material (i.e., the manga).
There’s a difference between historical situation and promoting a horrid ideology. Just because a series depicts war and Nazis doesn’t mean that they’re inherently glorified. Of most importance is that Hetalia promotes peace and reconciliation in spite of depicting war.
The wars that are depicted are general and the atrocities are deliberately glossed over. This is necessary because Hetalia is comedic in nature.
Hetalia is based on stereotypes, good or bad. While some of the jokes are admittedly offensive, no nation is singled out nor are any specific nations made to be superior in comparison to others. Every character is made fun of for their stereotypes. Its humour isn’t meant for everyone.
Hetalia is satire. It mocks war and nationalist sentiments rather than promoting it.
The dub is not canon. That includes many of the insensitive jokes that Funimation scripted.
The anime itself is unrepresentative of the manga. It can only cover so much material. Don’t judge a manga by its anime just the same as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
It’s also important to note that Seychelles has always been dark-skinned in the manga, unlike in the anime where she was drawn as pale-skinned. However, I do concede that even in the manga, her skin should be darker [x].
Since I’ve already created many posts on this subject, here are some resources corroborating the above points: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x].
In addition, I’ve also found a scholarly article in a university publication that does a fantastic job of not only dismantling many of the misconceptions about Hetalia but also many of the baseless critiques that have been aimed toward it:
It’s a fair, level-headed piece that uses original source material to prove that Hetalia mocks and undermines sentiments of Japanese imperialism and nationalism while also demonstrating that it takes a definitive anti-war stance.
What I particularly like about it is that it acknowledges that some of Himaruya’s early choices were made in poor taste but is still able to substantiate the stance that this insensitivity isn’t supportive of racist sentiments.
It also shows artwork/content that glorifies Japanese imperialism and nationalism and then compares it to Hetalia.
Overall, it’s very well-written, sourced, and informed. Below will be a list of important quotes that I took from the article. I highly encourage for people to read the whole thing, as it breaks down a good amount of examples from both the manga and anime [x]. The article can be found through Google Scholar.
Sands, A. T. (2013). Belittling japanese nationalism in hetalia: axis powers. Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 2(3), 125-144.
“Hetalia does not portray violence or accurate portrayals of history; Hetalia is a collection of gags mocking militarism and stereotypes,” (125).
“Hetalia condenses history for comical effect but retains an anti-war sentiment by belittling wartime axis beliefs…In Hetalia, each character’s nation is targeted for ridicule through its stereotypes, and I argue the stereotypes are not intended to create a sense of racial inferiority,” (126).
“A close examination of plot, character development and imagery reveals a subtle disdain for nationalism, which purposes racism and false history,” (126).
“Manga and anime can be a good outlet for nationalists to use, but it can also be a tool to combat nationalism,” (128).
“For every Hetalia fan, there is another furious anime blogger appalled by it. As the battle over Hetalia’s purpose rages in anime and manga circles, academia has of yet not entered the discussion with earnest,” (129).
“Hetalia does gloss over almost all of the war, especially the darker parts of the war, but if you watch the whole show, it is easy to realize the show is not about WWII,” (129).
“Korea as an ‘other’ in Hetalia is not nearly as physiologically different from his Japanese counter part… Although Korea is not portrayed physically inferior to the Japanese, critics argue his immature personality and actions are racist. Himaruya’s choice to make Korea an immature teenager rather than an adult may not have been the most sensible of choices, but it was also necessary for him to create jokes tailored to Japanese stereotypes of Koreans, which he could then subvert…On some levels, the jokes are insensitive, and they are not politically correct,” (130).
The author also goes on to mention how inappropriate and weird some of the “sexually charged” jokes were, starting from page 131.
“In Hetalia, every nation has its moments when its actions are designed to make people laugh at it, and Japan is no exception. Rather than idolizing Japan, Hetalia’s representation of Japan is a socially awkward, emotionally repressed, and sometimes obsequious character to be laughed at. He is neither the proud solider in Sensoron nor the charismatic scholar of Kenkanryu…
If Japan’s character had been a fearless soldier immune to cultural gaffes, I would argue Hetalia would be purporting an idealized notion of the “self” in order to promote nationalism. Himaruya’s version of Japan, however, could not be farther from an “idealized self,” nor does he try to blatantly dichotomize or attack a perceived “other,” (132).
“Hetalia does have politically incorrect and at times racially insensitive caricatures. Gag comedy is based on jesting stereotypes and thus has to have some degree of politically incorrect imagery and character personalities. Neither in the original web comics nor in the anime version that followed it did Hetalia attempt to isolate Japan as the dignified “self” people should idolize. The “others” are often portrayed at the butt of the jokes, but each nation also has its turn to be the dominant character, even at the expense of Japan’s pride. Critics can dislike Hetalia for being tactless at times, but I argue their accusations of supporting malicious racism are based on curt examinations of the show, which do an injustice to Himaruya’s true intentions,” (133).
“Hetalia’s critics decry it for more than just its perceived racist notions; they also denounce it for its interpretation of WWII and other historical events, which lack acknowledgement for grievances against Japan. Gag-comedy constrains Himaruya to a small amount of time to touch on important historical events, such as China’s discovery of Japan, Russo-Japanese War, and WWII amongst others. The time constraints naturally appear as historical omission for the sake of defending the nations; however, Hetalia does not attempt to omit history to protect Japan’s pride, but rather it condenses history for comical effect,” (133).
“By mocking the tools and ideas of war and degrading it into a minute-long gag, Himaruya expresses his contempt for war and the foolishness of man to pursue it, thus creating an anti-war message rather than glorifying the imperial state as Kobayashi did,” (135).
Page 136: a good example of how the Axis were anything but glorified, season 1 episode 18.
“Himaruya may have glossed over the atrocities of war, but he did not glorify Japan,” (136).
“I believe that in season 4 episode 26, the final three fragments before the credits represent Himaruya’s sincere belief in the need for reconciliation amongst East Asian nations and Japan…Japan informs the viewer he wanted to wait until the last to show his final technique, and in a close up of Japan’s emotional face he proclaims, ‘But if you’re serious, I’ll get serious, too! My final secret technique: Expression of Regret!’…
“The simplicity of the idea that peace could be solved by a pair of underpants is the joke’s punchline, but I believe, underneath the surface, it represents a metaphor that the path to peace and reconciliation in East Asia is far simpler than assumed. For Japan, the path is regret,” (136-137).
“Himaruya is trying to make a comedy out of history. Hetalia does omit many historical facts, but it was never trying to be a serious historical discussion. When Hetalia condenses history for comical effect, the imagery and dialogue indicate the scene is solely a gag. Himaruya’s metaphors and cinematography suggest he views war as senseless. Rather than supporting right wing nationalism, Hetalia appears to be a satirical anti-war anime,” (137).
With all that in mind, Hetalia may have had its faults—and still does to a far lesser extent—but it has never advocated for war, racism, or nationalist and imperialist drives. If anything, interpretations of the series have caused the exact division that Himaruya’s writings have long been opposed to.
