A flag from a popular anime stood out from the sea of placards and Philippine flags during the anti-corruption demonstrations in various parts of Manila on Sunday, Sept. 21.

The same flag, bearing the image of a skull wearing a yellow and red-colored straw hat from the manga and anime "One Piece" were carried by the Gen Z hip-hop protesters from Luneta Park in Manila to Ayala Bridge and Mendiola where the demonstrations turned violent.

First seen during the protests in Nepal, Indonesia, and France, the "One Piece" flag was a symbol of the youth's unity in their fight against corruption.

Created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997, "One Piece" tells the adventures of pirate captain Monkey D. Luffy and his group "Straw Hat Pirates" comprised of Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jimbei as they sail under a Jolly Roger flag that wears Luffy's iconic straw hat as he achieves his dream of becoming the "King of Pirates," all while liberating and helping other people being oppressed by the abusive and corrupt World Government.

According to Nico, one of the youth rallyists interviewed by the Manila Bulletin in Mendiola, the Straw Hat Pirates' Jolly Roger flag doesn't just symbolize their adventures of reaching their goals and aspirations. It also became an icon of hope and unity that rallies the people to stand up and fight against evil.

"Nakakarelate po kami sakanya (Monkey D. Luffy) kasi patuloy pa din nya pinaglalaban yung tama para sa mga tao kahit lugi siya sa kapangyarihan. Nakita namin na kahit maliit lang silang grupo, nagagawa nilang pagkaisahin yung ibang mga tao para sa isang goal (We relate to him because we saw how he continued to fight for what is right and just for the people despite being lesser in power than his enemies. We saw that even though they were a small group, they were able to unite other people around a common goal)," he said.

Another protester, 28-year-old Baste, also resonated with Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, saying that he joined the protests for the sake of his son's future.

"Ayokong lumaki ang anak ko sa isang Pinas na puno ng mga korap na opisyal. Gusto ko lumaki sya sa isang bayan na payapa at may pagkakapantay-pantay. These characters did not just entertain me throughout my childhood, they taught me values and morals that somewhat made me who I am today. Of course, hindi ko sinasabing pinabayaan ako ng mga magulang ko kaya panay cartoons at anime lang ako, but these fictional characters taught me something that I did not expect will be a factor on how I perceive society as a whole and on what kind of world I would like my son to grow in (I don't want my son to grow up in a country full of corrupt officials. I want him to grow up in a country that is peaceful and promotes equality. These characters did not just entertain me throughout my childhood, they taught me values ​​and morals that somewhat made me who I am today. Of course, I'm not saying that my parents abandoned me so I just watched cartoons and anime, but these fictional characters taught me something that I did not expect will be a factor on how I perceive society as a whole and on what kind of world I would like my son to grow up in)," Baste explained.

In 2022, One Piece was recognized as the best-selling manga ever and the best-selling comic series in volume format. It also holds various publishing records, including the highest initial print run for any book in Japan.

In 2015 and 2022, it set the Guinness World Records for "most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author."

It was the best-selling manga for 11 consecutive years (2008–2018) and remains the only series with over 3 million initial prints for over ten years, as well as the only one with every of its over 100 published tankōbon volumes selling over 1 million copies.

Due to its immense popularity, Netflix produced a live-action adaptation of One Piece launched in 2023 starring Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Taz Skylar, and Jacob Romero Gibson as the members of the Straw Hat Pirates.