One Piece defines gen Z protests from Madagascar to Indonesia

Setra Ariliva Andrianarivelonarivo had never gone to a protest before. 

Instead of taking to the streets, the 25-year-old would vent his frustrations about constant power and water outages in Madagascar online.

But that all changed when the United Nations Human Rights Office reported at least 22 people had been killed in protests on the island off Africa's south-east coast.

"The victims include protesters and bystanders killed by members of the security forces, but also others killed in subsequent widespread violence and looting by individuals and gangs not associated with the protesters," it said.

Mr Andrianarivelonarivo told the ABC it was then he realised "it wouldn't change my country if I just typed some words online".

At the start of October, Mr Andrianarivelonarivo found himself on the front lines.

Within days, Madagascar's then-president, Andry Rajoelina, had fled the country.

The youth demonstrations in Madagascar are the latest in a number of gen Z protests across parts of Asia, Africa and South America in recent months.

Gen Z or generation Z refers to people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, who are described as the first generation to grow up on the internet.

The common threads in their protests have been concerns about living conditions, inequality and government corruption.

And the iconography of a Japanese manga and anime series, One Piece.

The ABC has spoken to young people from gen Z in three different countries about what has galvanised them to join some of the largest protests of their generation.

Rideshare driver's death fuels Indonesian protests

In late August, demonstrations spread throughout Indonesia's capital Jakarta.

It followed reports that all 580 members of parliament would receive a monthly housing allowance of about 50 million rupiah ($4,739) alongside their salaries to stay in the city.

There was a deep disparity between the housing allowance and the monthly salaries of residents in parts of Jakarta.

For those in impoverished areas, it equated to about 20 times the average monthly wage, and almost 10 times the city's minimum wage.

But after the death of delivery driver Affan Kurniawan, who was hit by a police car, the number of protesters increased and the demonstration spread to other parts of the country.

One of the people who joined in the protests after the death of Mr Kurnianwan was Flo, a Jakarta health worker who asked to use a pseudonym because she feared for her safety.

"So when I saw his video, the way he got killed by a police car, it really breaks my heart to pieces. I don't even know how to describe it," Flo said.

In the aftermath, thousands of people flocked to the street where government buildings were set ablaze, and politicians who made inflammatory comments saw their homes raided and their luxury goods taken away.

The increasing danger worried Flo. She did not want to see more people killed during the protests.

That's when she started to organise with other health workers.

"I'm thinking about what I can do besides just doing it over my social media — maybe there's something I can do with my community," she said.

"So there was this discussion within my community that we agreed to be a volunteer medical team during the protest."

During the demonstrations, at least 11 people were killed and more than 900 others injured, according to Amnesty International.

Looking back at the height of the protests, Flo's heart still breaks thinking about Mr Kurniawan.

"He was on the way bringing the food to the customer and boom, he was crashed by a police car."

Gen Z protests spread across South-East Asia

Within days of the end of the demonstrations in Indonesia, young people in Nepal began a protest movement of their own.

On September 8, a group of young people protested against a controversial ban on social media platforms such as Facebook, X and YouTube. 

But they were met with open fire by authorities, leaving at least 19 people dead.

A day later, thousands rallied, breaking the Nepalese government's curfew, and protests that started as a response to government censorship quickly turned. 

The focus now was on the lavish lifestyles of the children of Nepal's political elite and the disparities between the country's rich and poor.

Symbols of politics and power were set on fire, including parliament, government offices and a newly opened Hilton Hotel.

Then, prime minister KP Sharma Oli resigned.

He was replaced by Sushila Karki, who was the first woman to become chief justice of Nepal's Supreme Court.

She was elected as new interim prime minister after a vote on social platform Discord, where thousands of the gen Z protesters cast their ballot.

The two days of anti-corruption protests in Nepal saw at least 72 people killed, according to official figures.

About a week later, tens of thousands were protesting against government corruption in the Philippines.

It was sparked by accusations from the owners of a construction firm that almost 30 politicians and officials were taking cash payments.

The Filipino government estimates the alleged corruption around flood control projects has cost the country's economy up to 118.5 billion pesos ($3 billion) since 2023.

Non-for-profit Greenpeace believes the number is closer to about $27 billion.

Student Council Alliance of the Philippines member Matthew Silverio was present at the protests.

He believes the scandal was exposed because the children of the politicians were "flexing" their lifestyles on social media.

"I personally felt outraged … because a lot of them are nepo babies living the highest life that they can get," Mr Silverio said.

"These young nepo babies are living their highest life with our tax monies."

One Piece, the symbol of the protests

During the gen Z protests, there's been one constant piece of iconography: a skull and two crossbones with a straw hat. 

It reminds University of Melbourne senior lecturer in cultural studies Anissa Beta of The Milk Tea Alliance that began in 2020, after pro-democracy protests spread across parts of Asia.

But instead of tea, the uniting force was popular Japanese manga and anime, One Piece.

It is about a group of pirates led by Monkey D Luffy, who sails the sea in search of freedom in a fictional universe, fighting against the "World Government".

"It's not about elections, it's not about parliamentary positions, it's not simply about laws or bills, it's about a better future for themselves."

For Mr Andrianarivelonarivo back in Madagascar, One Piece symbolises freedom and defiance from the system.

"For our movement, we got inspired by the events in Nepal," he said.

"There shouldn't be this system where if you had lots of money and lots of power, you could do anything you want.