Japan

Japan is a small island nation in the Orient who was once a shut-in (hikikomori) and a member of the Axis Powers, but has come a long way and is now one of the most prosperous nations in the world. He has black hair, which has been colored dark brown in most of the original manga illustrations, and brown soulless eyes.

When he first became a nation many years ago, he was taken in and raised by China, who considered him as a younger brother. When asked if they were related, Japan denied all connections with China. Japan eventually grew hostile towards China and attacked him with a katana one night, ruining their relationship and thus making them enemies in war. Today, China still seems to care about Japan, even though Japan shows no interest in him whatsoever.

Japan seems to get along quite well with various countries, such as America, England, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands, and others. In return, these countries watch out for him at times. Hidekaz Himaruya also stated that, even though Japan has never really been shown together with them, he would also get along well with Romano and Prussia, addressing them as “Romano-kun” and “Prussia-kun” (instead of using the typical and respectful honorific “san”).

On the other hand, Japan and Russia do not get along so soundly. In the past, Russia cursed Japan, and in present day, just by looking at him, Russia can give Japan a stomachache. When Japan learned that Germany was making an alliance with Russia, Japan expressed dismay and went so far as to try various methods of killing Russia, such as hiding in Germany’s ceiling when Russia came in order to harpoon him. Japan’s philosophy about Russia that, “That man is a monster created by fallout from nuclear tests! He tears down buildings! He breathes fire!”

He’s known as being serious, quiet, mysterious, and shy, but prudish, hard-working, intelligent, and skilled with his hands. His catchphrases are “I will consider it,” “Maybe next time,” and “My answer is always ‘no.’ ” Despite how usually calm he is, his anger is said to be extremely frightening, but just about no one has ever witnessed it due to the fact that he doesn’t get angry very easily. Because he was a shut-in for so many years, he doesn’t know much about the outside world, but is always eager and makes an effort to learn. He’s described as acting like an old man or an otaku on several occasions. He actually revealed to Greece, England, and France once that he prefers 2D girls rather than 3D, real life women. Japan seems to love animals, seeing as how he has a pet dog (named “Pochi-kun”), a guinea pig, and a rabbit. It seems as though he has a weakness for meat buns and soft, fluffy things, but absolutely detests cockroaches to the point where he would cry. His hobbies include watching the seasons change, watching the moon, and creating new forms of technology. Hidekaz Himaruya revealed that his blood type is most likely A positive, the most common blood type in Japan.

Most people would look at his unique culture as being strange or mysterious, but he finds it perfectly normal and couldn’t see it as anything else. Japan can’t really comprehend Western culture, and is utterly appalled at “Western nudity,” even though it was shown that he has erotic woodblock prints in his possession.

Also to note is that his first name, “Kiku,” means “chrysanthemum” in Japanese. His last name “Honda” (本田), is written with the same kanji for “hon” (本) as in “Nihon” (日本), which means “Japan” in Japanese.