As Nepal’s famed Singha Durbar palace went up in flames last week, protesters determined to rattle the government hung a manga flag showing a skull wearing a straw hat against the building’s ornate golden gates.
The juxtaposition of the cartoon flag with the historic complex now home to government buildings may have seemed bizarre, but for the Gen Z protesters that filled the streets of Nepal, ousting the country’s prime minister and sparking two days of deadly social unrest, the gesture was packed with meaning.
The flag comes from the wildly popular 1997 Japanese manga One Piece by Eciichiro Oda, which tells the swashbuckling story of the charming pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy and his misfit “Straw Hat” crew. Together, they set sail under a Jolly Roger flag that wears Luffy’s quintessential straw hat and his trademark beaming smile.
To One Piece fans, the flag symbolizes Luffy’s quest to chase his dreams, liberate oppressed people, and fight the autocratic World Government. He’s fearless and determined – with a few tricks up his sleeve to thwart opponents, including the enviable ability to evade capture with a rubber body that stretches, bounces and bends.
But in the real world, the One Piece flag that adorns Luffy’s ship has transcended borders and languages to become a rallying cry and symbol for youth-led protest movements.
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