Pirate Flags and Protest: How Indonesia’s Youth Are Using Anime to Signal Resistance
In Indonesia, protest doesn’t always come in the form of chants, banners, or placards. Lately, it’s been fluttering in the wind — a black pirate flag with a grinning skull in a straw hat, lifted straight from the beloved Japanese anime One Piece . To casual observers, it’s just pop culture fandom. But to many Indonesians, particularly the younger generation, this “Jolly Roger” has transformed into a bold act of dissent ahead of the nation’s 80th Independence Day on August 17. The message is layered: freedom, rebellion, and a rejection of the status quo. The irony is hard to miss. The flag’s original fictional meaning — freedom from tyranny on the high seas — now mirrors the frustrations of citizens who see their own leaders as the new powers to resist. From rooftops in urban centers to the back of motorcycles speeding through rural towns, the pirate emblem has become a travelling billboard for political disillusionment. What makes this movement unique is its cultural fluency. In ...
