Gen Z’s new symbol of resistance: a cartoon Jolly Roger

Luffy is the protagonist of a long-running Japanese comic and animated television show called “One Piece," which follows his adventures in pursuit of a fabled treasure.

Now, his distinctive pirate standard can be seen waving among the national flags, Free Palestine banners and homemade signs that dot the crowds in a run of recent protests from Indonesia and Nepal to France and the U.K.

A grinning skull and crossbones with a distinctive twist—the skull wears a straw hat with a red band—Luffy’s flag is the latest pop-culture touchstone to inspire protesters across the globe, whatever their cause.

The “One Piece" comic has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.

Its growing presence shows the cultural heft among younger generations of Japan’s prodigious manga and anime output, a shared trove of stories read on phones and streamed online that are hugely popular around the world.

“I think it’s inevitable that protest movements that are led by young people are going to incorporate anime imagery," said Matt Alt, author of “Pure Invention," a book on modern Japanese culture and its global appeal. Populated by young protagonists struggling against adult authority figures, “anime is a lingua franca for young people all over the planet," he said.

In Nepal, the Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger was hung from the ornate gates of burning government buildings in downtown Kathmandu, which was rocked this summer by protests against official nepotism and corruption. More than 20 people died in clashes with the police.

In Indonesia, Luffy’s banner became so prominent during deadly protests sparked by $3,000-a-month housing allowances for lawmakers that officials warned that displaying it on the country’s Aug. 17 independence day could land people in jail. The government later withdrew the allowances.

The flag has also popped up in the U.K. during pro-Palestinian marches and at a protest against the recent state visit of President Trump. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In France, people have taken Luffy’s flag to the streets in anger over public spending cuts and government dysfunction.

The symbol has been slower to catch on in the U.S., but was seen in social-media posts from protests in Los Angeles against Trump’s immigration crackdown. It was also visible on Saturday during a New York City protest at an Apple store, where protesters criticized the company for using cobalt mines in Africa.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The company in an April report said in a decade of audits it has found no evidence that refiners or smelters in its supply chain benefited armed groups in Congo or Rwanda.

In his quest to locate the titular “One Piece" treasure and become king of the pirates, Luffy and his crew routinely drop anchor in places where people are struggling against what is depicted as a despotic ruler. His and other pirate crews are pursued across the ocean by a World Government determined to stamp them out.

The “One Piece" comic has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide since Luffy first appeared more than a quarter of a century ago and the show has aired more than 1,000 episodes.

Characters such as Luffy and his crew are mukokuseki, meaning they lack a defined ethnicity and so are relatable to readers and viewers throughout the world, said Roland Kelts, visiting professor at Waseda University in Tokyo and author of “Japanamerica," a book about the popularity of Japanese culture in the U.S.

Helped by the speed at which translations spread online and through streaming services, “the illustrated rubbery Luffy immediately becomes your Luffy, wherever you live and whatever your language," Kelts said.

Shueisha, publisher of the “One Piece" manga series, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Toei Animation, which produces the animated series, didn’t immediately respond. Netflix, which is producing a live-action version of the show, didn’t immediately respond.