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SaneHetaliaFans — Hetalia OC Advice
Published: 2012-12-30 01:54:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 16312; Favourites: 83; Downloads: 0
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Description So, when you hear the words "Hetalia OC's", you probably cringed. Our fandom is known for making bad, inaccurate, and sometimes offensive OC's. Heck, if you really want some joy from bad OC's, there is a wonderful blog on tumblr dedicated on critiquing good and bad OC's -> fuckyeahshittyhetaliaocs.tumbl…

When I joined the Hetalia fandom earlier this year, I wanted to make an OC really badly. I was 13 and uber-obsessed with America, and wanted to make a country for the soul reason to pair her with him. I didn't give a single fuck about history, I just blindly researched a country.

First on my list was Luxembourg. I, being from the Netherlands myself, felt much connection with making this OC. But then after a little bit of research I found that there was a canon Luxembourg already. Then I wanted to make an Ireland. Oh, that was created already too. (Here's the source to all the characters that have made minor appearances -> hetalia.kitawiki.net/index.php… )

These are the countries:

Albania
Croatia
Czechoslovakia
Ireland
Luxembourg
Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
Portugal
Vatican City
Bengal
Mongolia
North Korea
Pakistan
Singapore
Tibet
United Arab Emirates
Mexico
Paraguay
Tonga
Ancient Empires and Tribes
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Britannia
Carthage
Magyar
Bavaria
Bradenburg
Hesse
Holstein
Saxony
Kowloon Walled City
Nikoniko
Provinces of China
Ryukyu Islands

So if you see your OC listed here...then you probably have not done enough research on Hetalia before creating them.

If you want to create a good OC, I would highly recommend doing these steps:

First and the most important, DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE CREATING YOUR OC


I learned it the hard way. The first OC I made was for Curacao. I've been there before but I ignored the fact that the major population has dark skin. I thought I could make her blonde hair, a bit tan skin, and green eyes. Curacao, for those of you who don't know, is a Carribean island which was once ruled by the Netherlands.

Look at a globe

I see a lot of State OC's. Some of them can be good but I find that they end up looking a lot like the OC creator. And if you're like me and living in California, you'd know that there are a number of California OC's. To be honest, I think there should be two California OC's if you decide to make one since it's such a large state and it's so diverse for wherever you go. For example, I live in the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Jose, etc.) and the demographic is mainly Asian. When you go down south, to Los Angeles, the demographics are mainly Latino. So much culture, why would one personify California as being blonde hair, blue eyes, silicon, and maybe even bratty? Yes, in some ways, that fits out stereotype, but remember that Hetalia is not mainly about stereotypes. I find personifying states harder than personifying nations, since you have to pay more attention to detail such as demographics.

Also, I've seen an eyeful of bad city OC's. Amsterdam, for example - don't shape that OC mainly because of our *and I'm saying our since the Netherlands is my home country like I said before* red light district and the fact that we smoke weed. (What's the big deal with that, guys?) But I also tend to find really good city OC's, but of course...not enough. ;w;

So when you decide to personify, remember that Himapapa has already personified the bigger countries for our ease. There are SO MANY countries that have not been personified yet. For example, Jan Mayen. Have you ever heard of it? Probably not. I discovered this country with the lovely aid of Google earth c: I found hundreds of small island nations that have not been personified yet by Himapapa.

I would also avoid personifying Antarctica or the North Pole. Nobody lives there (as in, having a house, there being grocery stores and those little things) ...so why would you even...

One more thing - keep in mind that Hetalia is about personifying NATIONS. I have seen weather, season, month, oceans, seas, and planet 'Hetalia' OCs.

Look at the demographics

I have seen TOO MANY white-washed Greenland, Alaska, South America, and even Carribean OC's. Now it's time for me to come out and confess that my first OC that I mentioned earlier *Curacao* was white-washed. But what happened?

TA-DA!



Also, I've seen a lot blonde hair/blue eyed Czech OCs, and I don't know why. In most of Czech, the most common traits are brown hair with brown (or green) eyes. Just a suggestion.

History with other countries

THIS. THIS. THIS.

This is a vital part of your OC.

Especially if you have a smaller nation, there was a high chance that the country was ruled by a more powerful nation, like Spain, the Netherlands, France, England, Norway, Denmark, you name it.

Just because the country was ruled over by a more powerful nation *like how Denmark rules over the Faroe Islands and Greenland* doesn't mean the people on the country necessarily liked it.

A big mistake I see OC creators do is make their OC look like the country it was colonized by. I myself made this mistake with Curacao.

I'm going to use official characters to prove why you should avoid this:

France and Seychelles. France used to rule Seychelles. Did Himapapa make Seychelles a blonde? No. The minority of natives living on the islands of Seychelles (back then and to this day) are, well, dark skinned. So why whitewash? (STUDIO DEEN >:I)

I've also seen a few OCs hate on countries for no reason. Especially the female countries, like Hungary, Taiwan, Seychelles, Belgium, etc. without having any history. This...it's pretty self-explanatory.

Avoid interaction with countries that the character has no historical connection to.

The extra bits

(Keep in mind that here is where my personal opinion starts)

I would highly recommend staying away from using the erogenous curls. They are often overused and even if they do have a representation...they're just...overused. There are other ways that landmarks, places, or historical events can be marked on a character.

For example, my Faroe Islands OC. Faroe means sheep in Faroese, and there are many sheep on the islands. At one point there were six 'regions' on Faroe Islands (they were abolished in the 2008 election) so she owns six pet sheep, each representing each region. And when she was younger, the Faroe Islands was divided into two parts, one named 'Sheep Island' and the other 'Bird Island'. So whenever I draw her being younger, I draw her around a native seabird. And lastly, she wears a red-blue-and white striped scarf, which represents the colors of the Faroe Islands flag. She also uses it to cover up her face when she's emberassed or shy (so she covers her face up a lot since she isn't very social, implying that the island's location is very isolated from the rest of Europe.)

Even Norway, for example. Yes, he does have a curl, but did you also know that the cross in his hair represents the Nordic cross?

Or that Hungary's flower represents a lake? (I would avoid using flowers for colder countries though).

Oh yes, I'm also pretty sure that Netherlands' scarf represents the flag of Middelburg *considering that the Middelburg flag is white and blue stripes, yes, my awesome hometown~!* (Yep, each region of the Netherlands has their own flag) But it's not canon, so I can't start assuming.

And of course, who can't forget that America's glasses represent Texas?

I'm sure you guys get the idea. There are so many ways things can be personified on OC's.

Either way...

I look forward to seeing more awesome OC's.

- Leijon-Heart
Related content
Comments: 208

CinnamonBunKiku [2018-07-22 07:38:55 +0000 UTC]

There are a lot of Hetalia OCs made for Indonesia, and I decided to make one too (cuz it me homeland duh), and I sorta wanna make it a bit different than other Indonesia OCs. Now here's my question, you did mentioned 'A big mistake I see OC creators do is make their OC look like the country it was colonized by.' and, I get that you're actually talking about their appearances (at least I hope), but, how about I made the 'personality' quite similar, and still follow the stereotype's 'appearance'. Like, example, my OC Indonesia, is emotionless, because I personally like imagining when Indonesia is colonized by Netherlands, she tried following this emotionless personality of her colonizer for a day just for fun, surprisingly, she's actually quite good at 'hiding her emotions' (since I also see Indonesia as a Dorodere) until it became a habit of her and still is (at least in my illustrations), will this make her a Mary Sue point higher?

I'm sorry this is a very long comment, and I'm pretty sure I made a grammar mistake, since duh it's not my first language.
Once again, I'm very sorry.

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inkstaineddove In reply to CinnamonBunKiku [2018-07-30 03:55:42 +0000 UTC]

Honestly, this is a really old journal made by someone who isn't active in the group any more. It makes sense that your Indonesia OC would have a few traits picked up from Netherlands. It's natural that she'd pick up somethings after spending so much time with him. But, most importantly, it's your OC. Have fun with her. As long as you're not doing anything offensive with her - which you would know what would be since you're Indonesian - there's no problems. Keep up the good work

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CinnamonBunKiku In reply to inkstaineddove [2018-07-31 12:09:01 +0000 UTC]

I've actually expected that the journal's author isn't active anymore as you said. Thanks for reading AND replying anyway. I felt grateful for so.  

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inkstaineddove In reply to CinnamonBunKiku [2018-08-05 04:39:27 +0000 UTC]

Of course! You took the time to comment, it's only right that I'd respond. Especially since you're asking for advice

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DjNkInk [2017-12-16 00:29:56 +0000 UTC]

or would that still be mary sue?

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DjNkInk [2017-12-16 00:29:41 +0000 UTC]

but if mongolia did appear and i didn't look hard enough can i still make an oc for mongolia

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inkstaineddove In reply to DjNkInk [2017-12-18 23:47:47 +0000 UTC]

An OC is a mary-sue only if every character in the series falls in love with them, is overpowered, can solve all conflicts, etc. If you made a Mongolia and Himaryu decided to add one to the series, that wouldn't make yours a mary-sue at all. You can make any Hetalia OC you want so long as the country has actually existed on a map at some point

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DjNkInk In reply to inkstaineddove [2017-12-22 08:32:48 +0000 UTC]

ok phew cause i didn't wanna make Mongolia then be attacked because it was already created 

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DjNkInk [2017-12-16 00:26:23 +0000 UTC]

i checked the hetalia wiki and nothing is said about Mongolia

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Fnafandundertaleis [2017-07-07 20:20:00 +0000 UTC]

Hey, I have a question. Is personifying a national park ok? Becuase I have a Great Barrier Reef oc and I am very scared about putting it up.

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inkstaineddove In reply to Fnafandundertaleis [2017-07-11 06:22:56 +0000 UTC]

I would say that's a bit iffy, but honestly, who am I to judge. Do whatever you want, but do your research. Have fun and don't be offensive. If anyone gives you crap for it, fuck 'em. 

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Fnafandundertaleis In reply to inkstaineddove [2017-07-13 03:21:10 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the advice, motivation. Plus a side of awesomeness.

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tissuepaper4 [2017-02-17 12:06:28 +0000 UTC]

I'm not sure if this has been stated before, but Norway's curl represents the fjords.

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AmyLee147 [2017-01-02 06:04:02 +0000 UTC]

So I just created my own country when making my Hetalia OC. This is okay, right? She is related to both China and Vietnam, having ancestors and roots from both of them, so basically, they are like her parents.

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inkstaineddove In reply to AmyLee147 [2017-01-04 00:00:32 +0000 UTC]

Well, Hetalia revolves around historical nations being personified. Not one country shown in the anime or manga has been on Himaryu has made up. I would keep the character as an OC that's not affiliated with Hetalia and is of Chinese and Vietnamese descendent. There's plenty of real nations, especially Asian ones, that aren't yet represented to make OCs for.

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shironeo [2016-11-04 03:03:54 +0000 UTC]

Kazakhstan has good relations with Belarus, so in my OC, Kazakhstan and Belarus are good friends...I have done research so yes

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erikatheraindeer In reply to shironeo [2018-11-07 08:52:50 +0000 UTC]

Wait, really? That’s... unexpected. 

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minxwings [2016-08-11 21:42:37 +0000 UTC]

I'm thinking of doing an OC for stoke. Mainly because I haven't doe a hetalia oc before and I know stoke well because I'm from there. I've even checked if other people have done stoke before but from what I've seen they haven't.

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inkstaineddove In reply to minxwings [2016-08-13 06:35:57 +0000 UTC]

Sounds great! If you do go through with it, I'd love to see the finished product and have them in the group. 

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minxwings In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-08-13 09:53:00 +0000 UTC]

Well I've started work on them. I'll make sure to show you once they are finished

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inkstaineddove In reply to minxwings [2016-08-14 04:57:40 +0000 UTC]

Sweet, thank you!

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minxwings In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-08-14 17:03:05 +0000 UTC]

Hey I've just finished them. I would love to hear your opinion. minxwings.deviantart.com/art/H…

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inkstaineddove In reply to minxwings [2016-08-27 02:33:58 +0000 UTC]

I think it's a pretty good OC. I would flesh out her personality more and go in depth with the relationships. Other than that, I see no problems.

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minxwings In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-08-27 14:28:51 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll work on those things

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inkstaineddove In reply to minxwings [2016-09-03 01:09:01 +0000 UTC]

Anytime!

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imouttaideasforname [2016-08-07 18:48:33 +0000 UTC]

What if my OC is a nation that is already annexed to another?

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inkstaineddove In reply to imouttaideasforname [2016-08-10 01:56:42 +0000 UTC]

What do you mean?

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imouttaideasforname In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-08-10 12:14:41 +0000 UTC]

Like the Ryukyu Kingdom that is now part of Japan

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inkstaineddove In reply to imouttaideasforname [2016-08-11 00:26:00 +0000 UTC]

Oh yeah that would totally work. 

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RainbowSunrise [2016-07-15 16:24:49 +0000 UTC]

I'm trying to find a good country to make an OC out of, but pretty much all non-canon countries already have a lot of OCs. I'm going to make a Samoa OC despite this. Also, for anyone who needs help, try this website for country ideas- www.factmonster.com/countries.…
 and use Wikipedia to look up demographics and history of your character. Good luck!

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Insaneproductions22 [2016-07-12 13:57:32 +0000 UTC]

I made a Faroe Islands oc and its almost the same as yours, and i only found this post today. Gosh i feel like im ripping off your character without even knowing it.

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YachikoAndShells [2016-07-01 23:06:58 +0000 UTC]

I wanna make an OC that had Inuit habitants but isn't related to Norway or Russia. It's hard because everyone thinks North Pole but I wanna do something different. Any suggestions?

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Fiametta13 In reply to YachikoAndShells [2017-02-04 01:36:48 +0000 UTC]

If you don't want to make a country OC, Canada has plenty of Inuit inhabitants up north!

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inkstaineddove In reply to YachikoAndShells [2016-07-02 06:09:19 +0000 UTC]

Well what's the nation and is it a real place?

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Romanian-Lullaby [2016-06-14 21:48:16 +0000 UTC]

Hey, I don't know when this was made but If possible edit? Moldova is now official and has design by Himaruya. Other than that, is good advice

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inkstaineddove In reply to Romanian-Lullaby [2016-06-17 21:08:50 +0000 UTC]

Man this was made awhile ago. Haven't even spared a look at it. Thanks for pointing that out though! I'll take that one off the list.

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Toxic-Falcon [2016-04-17 02:41:29 +0000 UTC]

so...if I make up my own country...is that ok?

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inkstaineddove In reply to Toxic-Falcon [2016-04-24 03:45:22 +0000 UTC]

If it's for the Hetalia fandom, no. If it's not then go for it. 

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Toxic-Falcon In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-04-24 16:26:56 +0000 UTC]

ok
I just wanted to make an oc for Hetalia yet not ship them with anyone so I was confused

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DracaKamala [2016-04-13 16:00:23 +0000 UTC]

The OCs on the list are all taken and I don't want people to think I stole their OC, but is there a way I can make one?

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inkstaineddove In reply to DracaKamala [2016-04-24 03:48:09 +0000 UTC]

You can make an OC that someone else has made before. Everyone's gonna take their own unique spin on the characters gender, sexuality, appearance, personality, etc., etc. For example, I've got a New York State OC. You know how many of those I've seen? I've seen a lot. But each one is different. As long as yours has differences from all the others (which it will), you'll be just fine. 

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DracaKamala In reply to inkstaineddove [2016-04-24 21:33:07 +0000 UTC]

Oh ok! I think a Panama OC or Other country would be cool. Thanks for the advice!

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inkstaineddove In reply to DracaKamala [2016-05-05 18:52:51 +0000 UTC]

You're welcome!

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Cyria-Cytain In reply to DracaKamala [2016-04-16 00:59:01 +0000 UTC]

Why not make up one?

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DracaKamala In reply to Cyria-Cytain [2016-04-16 02:13:26 +0000 UTC]

Like make up a county? Might be a good idea. The name and location might be difficult.

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Cyria-Cytain In reply to DracaKamala [2016-04-16 14:50:00 +0000 UTC]

Yeah its what I usually do. There are tons of fake country name generators which helps though. The location is hardest.

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DracaKamala In reply to Cyria-Cytain [2016-04-16 15:30:40 +0000 UTC]

Ok thanks for the help! Already figured out location.

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Cyria-Cytain In reply to DracaKamala [2016-04-17 15:51:07 +0000 UTC]

You're very welcome

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cefelin [2016-03-28 19:53:04 +0000 UTC]

I was making a northen sweden oc(becuse of sweden is in different parts) and she have a crul in a form of a triangle becuse of the highest Mountain in sweden is in the northen part, thats ok, Right? 

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inkstaineddove In reply to cefelin [2016-04-02 00:30:21 +0000 UTC]

Yeah that's perfectly fine. As long as you have a good, solid reason for stylistic choices like that, it's fine.

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