Pikachu flees the police in Türkiye
Cuteness is a powerful political weapon. It has drawn attention to injustices against vulnerable and increased support for the most disadvantaged.
On March 27, in Antalya, Turkey, a Pikachu was seen to flee the police – As quickly as his short yellow legs could walk.
The popular Pokémon character came out on the street to oppose the detention Ecrem of immamogl.
The mayor of Istanbul, who is the main opponent of the current Turkish regime, was arrested on days to become leader of the Republican Popular Party (CHP, in the acronym in Turco), which Want to knock Tayyip Erdogan.
In response to this caricature image, the imamoglu party published in X: “The pepper spray, which even affects Pikachu, will do nothing to you or me! #ResistPikachu.”
Pepper spray that affects even Pikachu what does you do to me!
– CHP contact (@chp_iletisim)
Interestingly, at the same time, with another believer from Japanese anime, using the Generative AI to infuse famous memes, family portraits and movie scenes with a cute patina, reformulating them in the style of the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.
But it did not import the fact that Studio Ghibli’s director and founder Hayao Miyazaki denounced the art generated by Ia as “An insult to one’s life”.
Both the protester Pikachu and the Studio Ghibli viral animations demonstrate the subversive power of cuteness – Theorizes the historian This-jan linfrom the University of Yale (USA), in an article no.
“For me, cuteness is more than the ability to become viral. Cuteness can be used politically. Can draw attention to injustices against vulnerable and can increase support to the most disadvantaged. It is a form of soft power In the true meaning of the term, ”he wrote.
What is the subversive power of cuteness?
As a Taiwanese American, the historian says she has always been a fan of cuteness that is part of East Asian cultures: cartoon characters, stationery and even cute food.
Currently, Lin studies cuteness: which makes something “cute” and how it works in culture and politics.
Many well -known characters and products of pop culture can be attributed to Japan, especially after World War II, when Japanese animation – known as anime – And a Japanese comic band style called Manga have become popular.
Their narratives and aesthetics spoke to a country that still resonated from the devastation caused by atomic bombs and the humiliation of the American occupation.
The anime and mango imagined future and utopian future, using nostalgic, disturbing stories or a mixture of both to process collective trauma.
In many cases, the funny characters guided spectators and readers through pain, guilt and loss.
Both Studio Ghibli and the Pokémon Franchise emerged in the second half of the twentieth century, along with other cutest titans, such as Hello Kitty -which has just celebrated its 50th birthday -Doraemon and the popular characters from Nintendo, Kirby and Yoshi.
“Cuteness currently dominates the cultures of East Asia”writes Lin.
The union around cuteness
In Lin’s opinion, Studio Ghibli memes that swept social networking platforms in recent weeks revealed a widespread wish of tenderness At a time when the world seems particularly hard, violent and unpredictable.
Theoretical SianneIn turn, he argued that the cuteness is usually based on the difference in power between the observer and the cute object: “A small kitten, a puffy animal or a baby to the curl are beautiful, in part, because they are very vulnerable.”
“I think that’s why the White House efforts to join Memes Ghibli failed. Your X account published a Ghibli -style image of a Dominican woman crying while being handcuffed by an Ice agent. The image generated outrage.”
— The White House (@WhiteHouse)
Paradoxically, The impotence of cute characters can also be powerful: Most people cannot avoid applauding a yellow and hairy cartoon animal that runs away from the shock police.
A funny character may seem helpless, but it can gather support for the most disadvantaged.
Perhaps that is why Pikachu has again appeared in two other protests: in a manifestation Anti-Netanyahu in Israel, on April 5, 2025, and in a manifestation anti-Trump In Washington, DC, the same day.
Cuteness has been used as a political tool.
Milk Tea Alliance, formed in 2020, is an example of a pro-democracy pancemic movement that unites communities in Hong Kong, Thaiwan, Thailand, Myanmar and other countries.
Organizers emphasize the effectiveness of cuteness and humor as a tool for condemn violence and denounce authoritarianism.
Comedy can be truly subversive. Political cartoons and comedians have long explored this dynamic.
“But the cuteness adds a touch of whimsical absurd which further bewildered the thirsty power ”-concludes Yii-Jan Lin.
Despite its cute, picturesque and charming exterior, The cuteness has superpowers Hidden: Celebrates the vulnerable, while removing the authoritarian the gravity they seek to design.
