From Indonesia to Nepal, anime pirate flag has become symbol of Asian Gen Z’s discontent

FILE PHOTO: A pirate flag from the Japanese anime One Piece, an internet trend used to criticise government policies, is pictured during a protest against police in front of the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police headquarters in Jakarta on August 29, 2025, following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver who was run over by an armoured Mobile Brigade Corps vehicle the night before. - AFP

SINGAPORE: When a pirate flag was unfurled by protesters in Jakarta in July, most of Indonesia’s authorities did not know what to make of it. But many young people there instantly recognised what the toothy skull wearing a straw hat stands for – defiance and freedom.

The cartoonish skull on a black banner, once confined to Japanese anime fandom, has increasingly become a protest icon in parts of Asia.