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Westalis (
Overview[]
Westalis appears to be a relatively free and open country with positive relations with other Western nations, which is why it is believed that it recovered from the war faster than Ostania. Seeking further recovery and diplomatic stability, their government has recently focused on defusing any possible strife, while ministers and diplomats have been proactively working to prevent a renewal of hostilities with Ostania.
History[]
Going back many years, Westalis has always had enmity with its neighboring country of Ostania (possibly due to cultural and political differences) and eventually decided to wage war against it. The war greatly affected the Westalian civilians and furthered their anti-Ostanian sentiments, with some living near the border being relocated to a small village after their homes were burned down.[1]
Luwen's town square in ruins after Ostania's inital bombing
After both sides took staggering losses, the first war would eventually come to a close. The two countries were later said to have created a pact to end their conflicts. Despite the peace, things were still tense between Westalis and Ostania, leading to another war. Shortly before it began, some anti-Ostanian protests in Westalis were held, and a few days later, Loid's father left for the border as tensions appeared to be rising. While the actual start of the war is still unclear, the initial invasion of Westalis's eastern provinces by the Ostanian Army with the bombing of Luwen appears to be the spark that ignited it. Despite the efforts of the Westalis Army to resist the attacks, they could not stop the fall of Luwen, which suffered significant civilian casualties. Other regions, like Kielberg, were also devastated by later bombings.[2]
The ruins of one of the cities during the second war
The second war between the two countries was long and brutal, claiming the lives of many soldiers and innocent civilians. During this time, Westalis committed P.O.W. massacres, knowledge that is currently being kept secret from the public.[3] Due to the efforts of key figures from both nations, the fighting came to an end, and the two countries eventually brokered for peace; Ostania's anti-West political party, the National Unity Party, was deposed from its ruling position. However, the peace was a thin veneer as tensions still remained hot between the two countries, with Westalis on guard from Ostania's aggression and appearing to be ready for another conflict should an incident against them from Ostania come to pass. An "iron curtain" was placed to sever them, leading to the beginning of a different war, a cold war.
Many have defected from Ostania to Westalis, with there even being rumors that people in the southern regions of Ostania have been using the word "picnic" as a code for defecting to Westalis through a third country.[4] Defecting to Ostania appears to be rare, as those who do typically go with the purpose of seeing their families or pursuing a mission of some sort.[5]
The Westalis Embassy in Ostania
On the surface, Westalis appears to be taking a conciliatory approach with Ostania, with foreign ministers from both countries making official meetings with one another for peace talks with the intention of normalizing diplomatic relations, and the Westalis Embassy has been placed in Ostania's capital city of Berlint. There was also a cultural exchange event headed by Jonas Wellman, an Ostanian former opera singer. As Wellman was an influential figure in both countries, people hoped it would improve the relations between them.[6]
Over ten years after the war's official end, a Westalian diplomat perishes in a car accident in Ostania after crashing through a road barrier. Westalis's intelligence agency, WISE, suspects the National Unity Party to be behind the event and is plotting another war. As such, they send their best agent, "Twilight," to investigate the party's leader Donovan Desmond, leading to the events of the current story.
Military[]
Intelligence Agency[]
- Main article: Westalian Intelligence
While not much of Westalis's army is known, there is a military intelligence that has recruited soldiers to the advanced intelligence agency known as WISE, which has managed to evade Ostania's counterintelligence, the State Security Service, to prevent war between the two countries by any means possible. It can also be assumed that Westalis has its own counterintelligence agency.
Currency[]
The currency used in Westalis is dalc (ダルク, daruku?), commonly represented as Đ, and pent (ペント, pento?) coins. 100 pents is equivalent to 1 dalc. 1 dalc is also equivalent to 320 Japanese yen (or 2.20 US dollars) in today's exchange rate.[7] The one-dalc bills are pink banknotes with a portrait of a certain unknown bearded man on the obverse side and a blue building and a blue flower symbol on the reverse side.[8] The one-hundred-dalc bills are blue banknotes with a portrait of the same man on the obverse.[3] This currency is also used in Ostania.[2]
| Value | Image | |
|---|---|---|
| Obverse | Reverse | |
| 10 pents | 
|
|
| 1 dalc | 
|
|
| 100 dalc | 
|
|
Note: Although the currency is named "dalc" in the English translation, it is written "dalk" on the bills.
Culture[]
Compared to Ostania, Westalis seems to have a stronger economy.[7] Westalis also appears to have more advanced entertainment that even Ostanian Intelligence agent Winston Wheeler called the books and movies in Ostania dull compared to Westalis's.[9] Opera singing appears to be well-liked in Westalis, as Jonas Wellman is popular there and was eagerly expected by Westalis when he announced plans to visit the country for a cultural exchange event.
In the past, many streetcars ran through the region of Luwen, which also held town fairs. The male youth would often play soldier, playing with toy helmets and guns while reenacting fights as Ostanians and Westalians.[2]
Regions[]
Landmarks and Locations[]
| WISE HQ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debut Manga: Chapter 6 Anime: Episode 5 |
Name Kanji: 〈 Rōmaji: 〈Waizu〉 Honbu | ||
The main headquarters of WISE in Westalis.
| |||
| Luwen Old Army Storage Depot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Debut Manga: Chapter 62 |
||
| An old army storage depot in Luwen. Twilight found the location for him and his childhood friends to use as a secret hideout where they played games and hung out together. The depot was destroyed as it was the first area hit during the Ostanian Army's invasion of Luwen.[2] | |||
Trivia[]
- Westalis is based on the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) during the Berlin Cold War era.
- Westalian Foreign Minister Brantz is based on West German politician Willy Brandt. Brandt was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of West Germany from 1966 to 1969. He was famous for attempting to normalize relations between East (Ostpolitik) and West and was later elected Chancellor.
- The dalc bills greatly resemble East Germany's 100 Mark banknote, using the portrait of Karl Marx.
- The 10 pent coin seen in Episode 1 greatly resembles the 10 pfenning coin used by West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. The only differences between the coins are the pent coin's title and the star seen on its top-center of its observe side, which is also on the reverse side of the coin.
References[]
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 100.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 62.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 31, and Episode 21.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 39, and Episode 27.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 64).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 63.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 63).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY CODE: White.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 84.
[]
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