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Gen Z-led protests are making waves from Africa to Asia, and while the issues spurring them are different, the symbol they're using is the same: a grinning skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat.

It was there when young people angry with the lavish lifestyles of the elite 

brought down Nepal's government last month

. It was visible in the Indonesian and Philippine protests this year, and again when 

 youth marched against chronic water and electricity shortages over the past 10 days. Right now, it's being waved at protests raging over poor healthcare in Morocco.

Why are frustrated youth taking to the streets worldwide raising this particular Jolly Roger?

The flag comes from a long-running Japanese anime and manga series called “One Piece,” about a rag-tag band of pirates dubbed “the Straw Hats,” who are led by a cheerful character named Monkey D. Luffy and are fighting an oppressive world government.

It's become a global pop culture phenomenon, translated into multiple languages, and is now also a live-action Netflix series.

“What makes ‘One Piece’ so powerful in protest is really the story at its core. It is about a group of misfits, outsiders, rebels, people who do not fit in the system coming together,” explains Nuurrianti Jalli, an assistant professor affiliated with the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies, at Yusof Ishak Institute Singapore.

“That narrative translates across borders, whether you are in Asia, Africa or elsewhere,” she says. “Young people who feel unheard by the government, who feel trapped in unfair systems, immediately recognize themselves in that story.”

A 23-year-old Nepali who took part in the protests there last month is representative of this group. He doesn't want to be named for fear of retribution but says he's watched the “One Piece” anime and read some of the manga.

“In addition to entertainment, the Straw Hat pirates symbolize freedom, liberty — the spirit that you have to oppose the unjust authority. That really inspired me,” he says.

A 25 year-old Madagascan protester, who doesn't wish to be named for the same reasons, is also a “One Piece” fan. 

“It relates and resonates with the Gen Z protests around the world because Gen Zs are trying to take down corrupt systems,” he explains. “The main character Monkey D. Luffy stands against injustice and that's what we Gen Zs around the world are standing against.”

“It is so inspiring for young people. In the story of ‘One Piece’ there is injustice, there is corruption, the government is thinking themselves to be untouchable, but it can be touched by the power of the people,” he continues.

The Madagascans have even adapted the symbol slightly to give it a local flavor. The skull wears a 

 bucket hat, worn by Madagascar's Betsileo ethnic group.

Andrea Horbinski, has a PhD in modern Japanese history and is an expert on manga. She says when people bring the “One Piece” image to a protest they aren't just signifying that they're fans of the show “but also in solidarity with other protesters in other countries who have recently famously flown the flag themselves.”

Could it get politically confusing if these groups in different corners of the world, with different ideologies, all use the same flag?

“I don't think that bringing a pirate flag, whether it's the straw hat flag or a different pirate flag to the protests, is going to necessarily confuse people,” she says. “And I think also the power of this kind of symbol at a protest is that it is a common narrative.”

“Pirates historically and in the series ‘One Piece‘ are opposed to the government. The government wants to stamp them out because they don't follow the rules and they flout the government's authority,” she says.

Some governments want to stamp them out in real life too.

Indonesian officials suggested flying the flag could amount to treason, prompting Amnesty International to issue a statement defending protesters' rights to free expression.

Of course, the Straw Hat jolly roger isn't the only pop culture symbol to have been used in anti-government protests over the years.

In Hong Kong, demonstrators reclaimed alt-right meme Pepe the Frog as a pro-democracy symbol. In Myanmar protesters against military rule used the three-finger salute from “The Hunger Games” movies. And elsewhere protesters have used the Guy Fawkes mask from “V for Vendetta” and masks from “The Joker” movies.

“Because they are popular and familiar to a large swath of people, that's what inspires people to make a sign or bring a flag that references them … to show where you stand pretty quickly,” says Horbinski, noting that this also happens in the U.S.

At the “No Kings” protests against President Trump in June, some of the placards made references to “Andor,” a “Star Wars” franchise on Disney+ about a rebel alliance fighting an oppressive regime.

But for the Gen Z youth right now, the anime flag embodies a spirit no politician can match.

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Kate Bartlett

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Gen Z protesters, from Indonesia and Nepal to Madagascar and Morocco, are rallying behind an unexpected banner: a grinning skull in a straw hat. 

Why Gen Z protesters worldwide are flying an anime pirate flag

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