From Nepal and Indonesia to Morocco and Bangladesh, youth-led protests have emerged as a defining feature of political unrest in recent years. These movements have also brought an unusual visual language to the streets, drawing on popular culture, humour and symbols familiar to a generation raised on the internet.Among them are the inflatable frogs worn by protesters opposing US immigration enforcement in Portland, Oregon, and a skull-and-crossbones flag topped with a straw hat, borrowed from the long-running Japanese manga and anime series One Piece.The latter made its way to Delhi over the weekend, when All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora was spotted wearing a red One Piece T-shirt featuring the pirate emblem during a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which also demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.Why has a story about a band of pirates challenging powerful rulers resonated with young protesters across countries?Pirates have historically used some variation of the Jolly Roger flag, featuring a skull and crossbones, to signal their intent on the high seas and instil fear in approaching ships. Variations of the flag were used during the golden age of piracy, spanning the late 17th and early 18th centuries.While the exact origin of the name is unclear, the term “jolly roger” was recorded in A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates (1724). The book referred to flags featuring variants of the skull and crossbones flown by Welsh pirate Black Bart Roberts and English pirate Francis Spriggs.Also in Explained | What is Neha Bora’s party AISA: Mandal-Mandir to Jantar MantarA contemporary adaptation features a skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat, the emblem of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, created by Japanese artist Eiichiro Oda. The manga began publication in 1997, while the corresponding anime has been on air since 1999. The series has now reached its final saga, although no definitive end date has been announced.Story continues below this adThe Straw Hat Jolly Roger represents the Straw Hat Pirates, a motley crew led by the rubber-bodied Monkey D. Luffy. Throughout their adventures, the crew confronts oppressive rulers and challenges the authority of the World Government, which claims to maintain order but is itself implicated in widespread injustices.This conflict raises questions about who gets to define justice, and whether preserving order necessarily serves the people governed by it. Luffy and his companions, although branded as outlaws, repeatedly fight to liberate people from oppressive regimes.Writing in the journal Global Affairs in 2020, international relations scholar Akos Kopper argued that One Piece draws on the historical image of pirates as figures who challenge established authority. Its central conflict also asks whether preserving political order can come at the expense of justice.Kopper argued that the series encourages readers to question the legitimacy of existing political arrangements, including the injustices on which they may have been built. The pirates, in this reading, represent the possibility of an alternative social order.Why has One Piece become a symbol of protest?Story continues below this adThe flag was seen at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Indonesia in 2023, and has since appeared at Gen Z protests worldwide, from demonstrations against alleged corruption in flood-control projects in the Philippines to the September 2025 protests in Nepal that brought down the government.Its appeal partly lies in the story itself. For young audiences familiar with Luffy’s adventures, the flag carries associations with freedom, solidarity and resistance to powerful institutions. These themes can resonate across movements with vastly different political demands.Also in Explained | Portland Frog: The cultural reinvention of the amphibian, now as a symbol of resistanceThe use of popular culture and humour in protests is hardly new. Such tactics are often described as ‘tactical frivolity’, in which protesters use humour, costumes and absurdity to challenge authority, attract attention and sometimes expose disproportionate responses by the authorities. The tradition includes theatrical protests and satirical performances, with humour serving both as a means of political expression and a way to draw wider participation.In India, similar tactics were visible during the protests over the NEET paper leak in July, with demonstrators using memes, costumes and popular culture references to express their demands. Some wore superhero costumes, while others turned encounters with police into memes inspired by video games and social media trends.