For an analysis of the ‘Gen Z revolutions’, read more here.
As protests and revolutions have spread from one country to another, a symbol has spread with them: the One Piece flag.
One Piece is one of the most successful franchises in the world. Since Eiichiro Oda started the manga in 1997, it has sold over 500 million copies. The anime has more than 1,100 episodes, and counting. And recently, Netflix turned it into a live action adaptation.
The story follows a crew of pirates, battling for freedom in a world rife with corruption and oppression. The main antagonist is the sprawling world government that will do anything to maintain control, and the warlord pirates they collaborate with. The main character, Luffy, is defined by his determination, idealism, and willingness to defend the downtrodden, whoever they are. He embodies the main theme of the story: to fight for your dreams, no matter what. And he fights for others to have the ability to do the same.
To become a true cultural phenomenon, a piece of art has to connect with the masses in some way—their aspirations, or conditions, or struggles. It reflects something about mass consciousness.
For young people living amid injustice, with little hope of securing a job and a future, seeing the massive gap between rich and poor and an utterly parasitic ruling class, One Piece speaks to their own struggles.
This is true in Indonesia, where One Piece has a huge following.
Even before the movement took off there in August, people were flying the One Piece flag as a sign of dissatisfaction with the government.
And Indonesian lawmakers reacted like cartoon villains. One called it “an attempt to divide the nation”. Another said that it should be considered treason.
Unsurprisingly, the flag only became more popular as a result.
In the fight against the oppressive World Government of One Piece, fans of the story see a reflection of their own fight. But possibly even more important than the plot, is the spirit that One Piece embodies. After all, there are many popular stories about heroes battling oppressive overlords.
What sets One Piece apart is that there’s not a hint of cynicism about it. It is the antithesis of doomerism.
Luffy is constantly saying things like, “I refuse to give up until I reach my dream, no matter the odds!” and “Power isn’t determined by your size, but the size of your heart and dreams.”
This optimism and determination is filling a deep need. People are searching for inspiration to fight for a better world. It’s the beginning of a search that can only end with the fight for socialism.
