How Gen Z Anime Fans Are Reshaping American Protests

“If you have to pick one anime that you know people are most likely to watch, you know, it might well be One Piece, because it’s so popular and so long-running,” said Andrea Horbinski, an expert on manga and anime with a Ph.D. in modern Japanese history. “There is a vocabulary of shared, key moments among anime fans, and certainly, I think One Piece is definitely one of the ones in that vocabulary.”

Recent protests against the Trump administration have also included an aspect of playfulness, with inflatable animal costumes becoming an increasingly popular outfit for demonstrators. The symbolism of One Piece, with its nautical whimsy and charming characters, could provide a similar element of fun for young protesters.

“To get people to come out,” said Horbinski, “you want people to think, ‘A protest is a fun and useful use of my time,’ especially if they haven’t gone out to a protest before. To that extent, having the One Piece flag there, and maybe people dress up as pirates … that can also, you know, help contribute to people’s decisions to go out to the next one.”