Russia is, by landmass, the largest country in the world. As the human personification of the nation of Russia, Ivan Braginski is rather tall, hovering over just about every other nation on earth. He’s also somewhat husky, though he prefers the term ‘big boned’ and actually gets quite upset when someone calls him ‘fat.’
Russia is a very northern country, most of its landmass being a cold, icy landscape, and as a result, most of the country is very rocky and inhabitable. Ivan often complains about how cold his home is, and dreams about living somewhere else--somewhere far warmer, with nicer weather and less ice and snow. He often mentions wanting to move to the ‘Southern Islands’, by which he likely means Seychelles.
Being one of the older countries in the world, Russia has had its fair share of troubles in the past. Built up from the old days by Turks and Slavs, Mongols and Finns; Russia is a nation made from the contributions of many nations. Not of one solid people; but of many peoples. Being alone is something that Ivan is very used to, being that his country is such a powerful one with such a dark history; however; it is shown in the series often that he simply desires to have the company of others. Trying his best to ‘play nice’ with other nations such as Japan and China—but coming across as completely unnerving and awkward to be around.
His desire to have friends was what likely drove him to the idea of the Soviet Union; a Union where he personally thought he could bring together all of the nations of the world as one under a single roof. He Succeeded, for a while; pulling in nations such as China, Ukraine, North Korea, and the Baltic Nations under the colours of the Soviet Flag. His ambition was to pull the whole world in under his control—and most of the world saw it as Insane Russia wanting to rule the world. And perhaps this was the case for many of Ivan’s leaders—but for him, himself, he really just wanted to keep people close to him because being alone was unbearable.
It is shown in the Hetalia comic series that Ivan does not realize some of the things he does can be considered cruel or against the social norm; coming across as confused when he upsets others, or that they seem bothered by some of his actions. An example of this is how he seems to be fascinated by Prussia, always wanting to be around him and often trying to be nice to him—however, Prussia does NOT enjoy his company and actually has a tendancy to throw up blood whenever Ivan is around. This confuses the Russian nation, and he really doesn’t seem to understand why Gilbert reacts this way.
Ivan can be a gentle spirit, his love for soft things like sunflowers and sunny skies seeming almost naïve and childlike. He also finds himself fascinated with technology he does not understand, or has never been introduced to. His first time discovering the usefulness of a faucet pipe to deliver water into your own home set him off into a childish dither, exciting him to a point where he even goes so far as to carry a long-handled faucet pipe with him nearly everywhere he goes. He uses it as both a cane, and can be often seen in the comic brandishing it as if it were a weapon of sorts.
Through its many wars, its many splits and change in government in history, Russia is a very enigmatic country. A lot of Ivan’s habits, quirks, and even his personality can be viewed in the series as unusual and even confusing; and it is even said that after WW2 and even more so after the Cold War, Ivan really isn’t sane. Because of this, he seems completely able to switch between moods with an almost whip-like switch; going from cheerful, giggly and happy to completely cracked and angry. Moments later, he can even swing into a deep, overwhelming depression. It’s seen in the comic that his heart even has a tendency to ‘fall out’ of his chest, an occurrence that deeply disturbs those who witness it. Ivan himself acts as if it is nothing, and that it’s even normal, giving proof that perhaps Russia isn’t quite ‘all there’, if not quite a bit mentally damaged.
Ivan has a fondness for certain things, especially home-cooked foods such as pierogi, piroshki, and borsht. He also can be seen carrying around a bottle of vodka—usually Stolichnaya—which he drinks as if it is merely water. It seems he has been drinking it long enough to not notice the horrid afterburn it causes when drinking it straight. He is capable of caring for others, even if it is in his own strangely overbearing way. He is constantly concerned about the wellbeing of his sisters—moreso Ukraine than for Belarus, as the latter often chases him around to a terrifying degree—and he actually does care for the smaller Baltic States when they were in his control. Even Finland mentions to Sweden that, when under Russia’s control, he had a bit more freedom to do what he wanted than he did when he was with Sweden. (Though at the same time, he admits that Berwald’s company is far nicer than that of Ivan’s.)
He seems to get along with China well enough, and India often claims to think very highly of the Russian, proving that perhaps despite his faults, Ivan isn’t that bad a person.
[Canon || Ivan Braginski / Russia || Axis Powers Hetalia || Reserve || 2 of 3 ]
Russia is, by landmass, the largest country in the world. As the human personification of the nation of Russia, Ivan Braginski is rather tall, hovering over just about every other nation on earth. He’s also somewhat husky, though he prefers the term ‘big boned’ and actually gets quite upset when someone calls him ‘fat.’
Russia is a very northern country, most of its landmass being a cold, icy landscape, and as a result, most of the country is very rocky and inhabitable. Ivan often complains about how cold his home is, and dreams about living somewhere else--somewhere far warmer, with nicer weather and less ice and snow. He often mentions wanting to move to the ‘Southern Islands’, by which he likely means Seychelles.
Being one of the older countries in the world, Russia has had its fair share of troubles in the past. Built up from the old days by Turks and Slavs, Mongols and Finns; Russia is a nation made from the contributions of many nations. Not of one solid people; but of many peoples. Being alone is something that Ivan is very used to, being that his country is such a powerful one with such a dark history; however; it is shown in the series often that he simply desires to have the company of others. Trying his best to ‘play nice’ with other nations such as Japan and China—but coming across as completely unnerving and awkward to be around.
His desire to have friends was what likely drove him to the idea of the Soviet Union; a Union where he personally thought he could bring together all of the nations of the world as one under a single roof. He Succeeded, for a while; pulling in nations such as China, Ukraine, North Korea, and the Baltic Nations under the colours of the Soviet Flag. His ambition was to pull the whole world in under his control—and most of the world saw it as Insane Russia wanting to rule the world. And perhaps this was the case for many of Ivan’s leaders—but for him, himself, he really just wanted to keep people close to him because being alone was unbearable.
It is shown in the Hetalia comic series that Ivan does not realize some of the things he does can be considered cruel or against the social norm; coming across as confused when he upsets others, or that they seem bothered by some of his actions. An example of this is how he seems to be fascinated by Prussia, always wanting to be around him and often trying to be nice to him—however, Prussia does NOT enjoy his company and actually has a tendancy to throw up blood whenever Ivan is around. This confuses the Russian nation, and he really doesn’t seem to understand why Gilbert reacts this way.
Ivan can be a gentle spirit, his love for soft things like sunflowers and sunny skies seeming almost naïve and childlike. He also finds himself fascinated with technology he does not understand, or has never been introduced to. His first time discovering the usefulness of a faucet pipe to deliver water into your own home set him off into a childish dither, exciting him to a point where he even goes so far as to carry a long-handled faucet pipe with him nearly everywhere he goes. He uses it as both a cane, and can be often seen in the comic brandishing it as if it were a weapon of sorts.
Through its many wars, its many splits and change in government in history, Russia is a very enigmatic country. A lot of Ivan’s habits, quirks, and even his personality can be viewed in the series as unusual and even confusing; and it is even said that after WW2 and even more so after the Cold War, Ivan really isn’t sane. Because of this, he seems completely able to switch between moods with an almost whip-like switch; going from cheerful, giggly and happy to completely cracked and angry. Moments later, he can even swing into a deep, overwhelming depression. It’s seen in the comic that his heart even has a tendency to ‘fall out’ of his chest, an occurrence that deeply disturbs those who witness it. Ivan himself acts as if it is nothing, and that it’s even normal, giving proof that perhaps Russia isn’t quite ‘all there’, if not quite a bit mentally damaged.
Ivan has a fondness for certain things, especially home-cooked foods such as pierogi, piroshki, and borsht. He also can be seen carrying around a bottle of vodka—usually Stolichnaya—which he drinks as if it is merely water. It seems he has been drinking it long enough to not notice the horrid afterburn it causes when drinking it straight.
He is capable of caring for others, even if it is in his own strangely overbearing way. He is constantly concerned about the wellbeing of his sisters—moreso Ukraine than for Belarus, as the latter often chases him around to a terrifying degree—and he actually does care for the smaller Baltic States when they were in his control. Even Finland mentions to Sweden that, when under Russia’s control, he had a bit more freedom to do what he wanted than he did when he was with Sweden. (Though at the same time, he admits that Berwald’s company is far nicer than that of Ivan’s.)
He seems to get along with China well enough, and India often claims to think very highly of the Russian, proving that perhaps despite his faults, Ivan isn’t that bad a person.