Seoul (ソウル, Sōru) is a fan-made character for the anime and manga series Hetalia: Axis Powers. He represents the capital city of South Korea and received the human name, Hyun Ki.
Attributes[]
Appearance[]
Seoul is an intelligent-looking boy with straight, black hair and brown eyes with glasses. He usually wears a simple red and blue hanbok, though he has donned a military uniform at one point, and is sometimes depicted with a janggu (a common type of Korean drum).
Personality and Interests[]
A studious young boy with an eye for business, Seoul is bright, determined and full of energy. He likes going to festivals, eating barbecue, watching dramas and listening to K-pop. He also has an appreciation for old cultures (particularly myths and folk tales), literature and music, and is an avid fan of taekwondo.
Despite Seoul's lively personality, he is actually rather shy and embarrassed in front of strangers and puts up a blunt, stubborn front to cover it up. On the contrary, Seoul is a cheerful child and, once he gets fired up, is capable of working for days on end without sleep or rest until he is finished, although it leaves him reduced to a bumbling mush the next day. While being a hard worker, Seoul is also a child who likes to play and hugely enjoys celebrations of any kind and is often seen banging on his janggu to emphasise what he's saying.
In his early days, Seoul was initially a grave, secluded child who was afraid of other countries, and even more so after Japan took control of South Korea. However, after gaining independence from Japan and finally settling in with South Korea after being passed between him and North Korea several times, Seoul became more spirited and now openly pursues his goals.
Because Seoul's name changed so many times, the Asian nations tend to forget what Seoul's name is, China calling him Hanseong and Japan calling him Keijo much to Seoul's frustration. He is also very religious, and carries a red cross underneath his clothes.
He speaks in a polite form and addresses his elders with respect. He also has a habit of saying 'nya' at the end of a question.
Relationships[]
South Korea[]
An odd pair, but a very closely-knit one, the nation and his capital get along extremely well and chatter endlessly about dramas and tales of old. Despite South Korea's carefree spirit, South Korea treats him with care and takes a lot of pride in him. On Seoul's part, he wishes that South Korea would be a little more serious and take better care of himself, but he sticks by him at all times.
America[]
Though the two never came into contact until after South Korea declared independence, and Seoul was initially suspicious when America showed up, claiming the hero had come to save him. However they have become very good friends over the years and share an enthusiastic passion for video games.
Japan[]
After being liberated from Japan, Seoul often spiritedly challenges Japan to a match upon seeing him, although he is either rejected or interrupted by South Korea grabbing Japan's breasts. Japan associates Seoul with an 'unpleasant feeling' and endures it by ignoring him.
Trivia[]
- Hanseong was the name given to Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty
- Keijo was the Japanese name Seoul was forced to take when Japan forcibly took over and oppressed Korea, since at the time Koreans were forbidden from using the Korean alphabet and ordered to change their names to Japanese ones by the Japanese government
- Seoul's birthday, May 5th, corresponds with South Korea's Children's Day
- The red cross refers to the red neon crosses on the churches in Seoul which light up at night
- NB: There may be some historical inaccuracies on this page. If any is found, notifiying the maker of this page would be much appreciated. Please do not use, copy, or edit any content in this page without the permission of the writer. Thank you.