Why this animated pirate flag has become part of Gen Z

A popular Japanese anime flag has increasingly been seen at protests in different parts of the world over the past few months.

The flag has been seen at pro-Palestinians rallies in London and Jakarta, but also to protest the government in Indonesia. In fact, the Indonesian government has lashed out at the use of the flag, calling it a form of "treason" and "propaganda to disunite the country."

But that hasn't stopped youth from flying it at protests around the world, most recently in Nepal, France and the Philippines .

Here's the story behind it.

Where does the flag come from?

The flag comes from the hugely popular Japanese manga series , which was originally published in 1997, and has since sold more than 520 billion copies.

It follows the straw-hat wearing captain Monkey D.