Over the past month, a familiar skull-and-crossbones motif from a Japanese anime has appeared across Indonesia — not in cosplay conventions, but in the streets, on car windows, and painted on alley walls. The pirate emblem from popular anime One Piece, carried by the show’s protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, has been repurposed as a rebellious symbol in the world’s third-largest democracy, rallying against government policies just weeks before their Independence Day on August 17.
The flood of flags came after President Prabowo Subianto urged Indonesians to proudly raise the national red and white flag ahead of Independence Day. Instead, some have opted for Luffy’s banner — a decision many see as a direct challenge to the state, a sign of discontent with what is said to be an increasingly centralised government.
Not everyone has embraced the pirate banner. Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, widely seen as one of Prabowo’s closest allies, denounced the displays. “We must collectively resist such actions,” he had said earlier last week. Member of the People’s Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia, Firman Soebagyo of the Golkar Party, went even further, suggesting that flying the flag could amount to treason.
Yet the president’s office has taken a softer stance. On Tuesday, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said the president had “no objection” to the flags as a form of “creative expression.” His office said in a statement, “However, it should not be used to challenge or diminish the significance of the red and white flag. The two should not be placed side by side in a way that invites comparison or conflict.”
Online, the movement has found fertile ground. Netizens have embraced the imagery, sharing photos of the flag and dissecting its layered meaning. Posts spread not only the visual symbol, but also the political undertones behind raising it — turning the Jolly Roger into a viral emblem of dissent.
One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997, has become one of the most successful franchises in history, selling over 520 million manga copies and running for more than 1,100 anime episodes. Its appeal in Indonesia is immense, where anime fandom runs deep. In the series, Monkey D. Luffy’s crew flies the Jolly Roger as a declaration of freedom and defiance against injustice. For some Indonesians, that symbolism cuts close to home. Many protestors draw a direct connection between the anime’s themes and Indonesian citizens’ fight for a true democratic state instead of the current facade.
Whether the wave of pirate flags fades after August 17 or continues as a form of protest, remains to be seen. But in spite of what happens in the future, it’s clear that One Piece has sailed far beyond entertainment in Indonesia. Here, Luffy’s banner is no longer just a fictional icon, it’s a statement of rebellion — a purpose most art yearns to serve.
