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Orb: On the Movements of the Earth and its Parallels with Present-Day Censorship
🕑 Added 2025-12-23 05:06:14 +0000 UTCAuthor: Kyli Rodriguez-Cayro
Editor: Trent Cannon
From Grave of the Fireflies to Monster, there is a subset of anime that has always expertly explored historical injustices and philosophized about human nature. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, which aired in 2024 through early 2025, is one of the most impactful series to be released in years. It poignantly addresses themes like opposition to authoritarianism and the pursuit of truth in a way that’s relatable now more than ever.
Written by mangaka Uoto, Orb is situated in the “The Kingdom of P,” which is dominated by “Religion C.” The not-so-subtle implication is that this piece of historical fiction takes place in 15th century Europe, specifically Poland, and details the centuries-long Holy Inquisition. This well-documented period of time was characterized by systemic offensives led by the Catholic Church to punish those who committed “heresy” across Europe.
Divided into several arcs, the story spans generations and mainly follows the journeys of five protagonists: Rafal, Oczy, Badeni, Jolenta, and Draka. Throughout the manga and anime these characters pursue research about heliocentrism, the astronomical model that recognizes the sun as the center of the solar system with Earth as a rotating planet. This is in direct conflict with Religion C’s doctrine, which unilaterally believes in the Ptolemaic system, aka geocentrism, a model that positions Earth as the center of the universe as Heaven sits above and Hell below.
As a result of challenging the universal truth at the time, each protagonist is pursued by Nowak, an inquisitor who is the main antagonist in the series.
The parallels are glaringly apparent between the challenges that Rafal, Oczy, Badeni, Jolenta, and Draka endure in Orb, and what many people are currently experiencing as historians warn that countries are entering a new era of fascism.
One central authority and surveillance
Orb begins with an unmistakable message: the Church is the one central authority in the Kingdom of P and they are constantly surveilling citizens. The Church in the fictional Kingdom of P and governments in nonfictional countries like the U.S. use similar tactics to cement authoritarian rule over its citizens.
Unless one is a member of the ruling class or in a position of political power, they are being subjected to increasingly authoritarian-adjacent policies encroaching on human rights in the U.S. and other countries. This also happens in Orb as those researching heliocentrism are placed on a list for potentially committing heresy and subsequently investigated by the inquisitors. It is nearly impossible for the characters in the series to evade the Church’s rule, just as it is nearly impossible to evade monitoring efforts of governmental agencies and social media companies.
The 2010s’ era joke about feeling “bad for the FBI agent watching through my computer’s camera” is a bit too Orwellian and tangible now. There is extensive documentation that the U.S. is utilizing AI-powered tools, including Palantir and Babel X, to monitor U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens alike that share pro-Palestinian content.
Challenging Religion C’s doctrine alone is cause for punishment, which is much like how in the U.S. deviating from the political “doctrine” of far-right extremism has resulted in wrongful termination and deportation. For example, the BBC reported that Dr. Susan Monarez, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alleged she was fired in August “for refusing to sign off on changes to vaccine policy ‘regardless of the scientific evidence.’”
Truthfully, the wide-scale surveillance efforts in The Kingdom of P are eerily akin to what is occurring in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Rather than written on a scroll, names are included in a digital database stored on an unknown server.
The suppression of free speech
The suppression of free speech is a central tactic utilized by Religion C to solidify their societal control in the Kingdom of P. Those labeled a “heretic” are persecuted by the inquisitors, facing either torturous interrogations, death, or both.
This theme holds a mirror up to current events in which state-imposed, political dogma determines who is given the right to free speech and who is punished for it. In 2025, people who express beliefs that do not align with ultraconservatism may not be labeled “heretics,” but instead “radicals,” “criminals,” and “terrorists.”
Since the beginning of the attack on Gaza, people who hold pro-Palestinian views have faced legal and social punishment for breaking from pro-Israel sentiment. At a protest in early August, UK police arrested 522 people who demonstrated support for Palestine Action, a group that was recently declared a terrorist organization by the government for their pro-Palestinian actions and advocacy. This also happens in Orb; members of the Heretic Liberation Front, formed by Jolenta when she is an adult, are considered the ultimate terrorists by Religion C.
From massive tech companies suspending engineers that privately criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza to small restaurants laying off employees that wear pro-Palestinian pins, people have experienced steep repercussions expressing pro-Palestinian beliefs. This is reminiscent of how any form of dissent in Orb, even just an inkling of doubt in the Church’s doctrine, is a cause for consequence. For example, Rafal is subjected to intense questioning by a suspicious Nowak for simply having a book that contains research about heliocentrism on his bookshelf. He is again questioned before his arrest for wearing an orb pendant given to him by the executed Hubert, a shadowy figure that cements Rafal’s quest to prove heliocentrism is real.
Orb is overtly brutal and physically violent to reflect the perceived and real violence associated with the European Inquisitions. In the first scene of the series, viewers watch on as Oczy is tortured with the “pear of anguish,” a torture device that’s inserted into his mouth as a way to punish him for spreading heliocentrism (it is worth mentioning that the actual existence of the “pear of anguish” is still debated by historians, but the device has become a mainstay of Medieval-themed museums and exhibits nonetheless). Nameless heretics and main protagonists in Orb, including Rafal, Oczy, and Badeni, are burned at the stake and displayed in public spaces to serve as a warning for townspeople.
This misuse of physical force and public isolation to silence dissenters is not exclusive to the fictional world in Orb; police brutality and forceful mass arrests have been well-documented at protests, including at those in LA. In October, PBS reported that ICE and the National Guard members deployed in Chicago have ramped up aggressive tactics during raids. In many ways, the fictional inquisitors serve the same purpose as real life enforcement officers from various government agencies – just under a different name.
As Nowak relentlessly pursued heretics across the Kingdom of P, from rural towns to esteemed institutions, I couldn’t help but think about the present day, larger-scale censorship effort. Beyond law enforcement crackdowns on protests, shadowbanning and social media algorithms continue to deprioritize content from marginalized creators, as well as content from creators who have openly criticized actions taken by the administration of current United States President Donald Trump.
Destruction of written information, science, and historical events
As part of Religion C’s ongoing suppression of information, the inquisitors aim to destroy any and all research related to heliocentrism and the Earth’s orbital patterns. Throughout the anime, the protagonists remain steadfast in their goal to pass along their research despite the looming threat that possession of these documents carry a fatal consequence.
Lorraine Boissoneault wrote in an article for Smithsonian magazine that book burning is an act of censorship that has recurred in history for thousands of years across the globe and across cultures. One of the most infamous book burning campaigns was led by the Nazis in 1930s Germany, who used the tactic to gain momentum in establishing a fascist regime.
Book burning is still alive and well in the 21st Century, but has largely taken on a different form in the digital age. In March 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing national institutions to review any publicly available historical content that “disparages” people in the U.S. Following suit, The Washington Post reported the National Park Service edited their websites to omit facts about American Slavery. Moreover, the CDC removed crucial scientific papers and pages from their sites, specifically those that mentioned terms like “transgender” and “nonbinary.”
The destruction of writing and books equates to the erasure of communities that have long fought to be seen and heard in the face of oppression. The pursuit of knowledge is a pillar of humanity, and Orb thoughtfully captures the challenges and triumphs that come with this pursuing truth at all costs.
Rafal, a 12-year-old student who dies by suicide in the first arc of Orb, declares that truth “spreads like an epidemic. Not even the host can control it.”
There are overt similarities between Rafal and real historical figures such as Giordano Bruno and Galileo Galilei, who were both punished for astronomical research that contradicted religious teachings. That said, Rafal largely represents the overarching theme of the resilience of human curiosity and fight for truth throughout the series.
Prior to his death, Rafal hides all of his research on heliocentric theory underground to preserve it for future generations of scholars. These documents serve as the origin for all of the research that is passed down over the course of decades, particularly for Oczy and Badeni who are the main protagonists of the second arc.
In a somewhat bizarre moment, it is demonstrated just how far the characters will go to protect what they have learned about astronomy and the earth’s rotation. Knowing that Nowak and the other inquisitors will find and burn their written research, Badeni transcribes Oczy’s observational journal onto the heads of homeless people in his small village. Further, the series’ final major arc chronicles Jolenta’s journey as leader of the Heretic Liberation Front and their effort to acquire a printing press to record all research from her predecessors.
These key moments in Orb are analogous to the current grassroots efforts of marginalized advocates. For example, on a smaller scale, there are groups such as The Ohio Lesbian Archives and Rainbow History Project that are preserving queer history in their cities in defiance of the Trump Administration’s unrelenting attacks on LGBTQ+ people.
Unlike the 15th Century protagonists, we fortunately have access to politically-unaffiliated digital resources like the Wayback Machine, which is a publicly available digital library of archived web pages.
Whether the fictional act of transcribing words onto someone’s head, or the creation of digital tools, people have always created ways to combat the distortion of history and science.
Anti-intellectualism
The Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks on universities, coupled with a coordinated effort to sow distrust in longstanding science and medical institutions like the CDC, demonstrates just how much anti-intellectualism is on the rise.
Concerningly, a 2025 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics revealed adult literacy rates are declining. There is a strong correlation between low literacy rates and authoritarianism; when people are deterred from pursuing education they become more susceptible to propaganda and groupthink. When Oczy is introduced as a protagonist in the series, he refuses to behold the night sky which he finds “beautiful,” but terrifying because a priest explains the beauty comes from “looking up at it from this fallen world.”
It is made clear in Orb that reading, writing, and education are generally practices reserved for monks, higher-ranking members in society, and male scholars. Oczy is discouraged from learning how to read and write by everyone but a young Jolenta due to his lowly societal status. Value is not put on science and research in The Kingdom of P, but rather on citizens’ dedication to the Church. The only exception is the reverence for men who are pursuing religious philosophy as their field of study, which is Rafal’s intention before he learns of heliocentrism.
What’s more, there are similarities to the patriarchal attitudes in Orb and the societal shift back to traditional gender roles.
For example, “tradwife culture” has gained momentum online. There is nothing inherently wrong with personally choosing to embrace this certain lifestyle on an individual level. However, many “tradwife” creators espouse rhetoric that implies women should submit to men and not aspire to have a career, often stated with overt and covert religious undertones. Quite literally, a woman’s place is in the kitchen.
Jolenta, who is by far the most capable and intelligent student at Piast’s cosmology school she attends, is barred from publicly conducting individual research simply because she is a woman. Frustratingly, the research she does within the bounds of the Church’s doctrine is co-opted by a male student. Even Nowak, who is revealed to be Jolenta’s loving father, expresses disdain for her desire to break from gender roles.
Orb serves as a reminder that the ability to read and write is not just a skill, but a form of empowerment. In fact, Oczy learning how to write and Jolenta’s unrelenting determination to research heliocentrism is how the theory makes its way to Draka and eventually the world.
As Jolenta proclaims, “Reading and writing are true miracles … Thoughts put into writing remain after we are gone, and they might spur someone into action far in the future.”
Saving the "misguided and the damned"
The suppression and destruction of both written research and subversive speech is all repackaged as a so-called sincere attempt to save the various characters in Orb. Before Rafal dies by suicide, he is given the opportunity by Nowak to recant and denounce heliocentrism to not only avoid punishment, but to save Rafal from eternal damnation. Rafal refuses.
The “save your soul” narrative in Orb draws parallels to the “Save the Children” movement that has gained momentum in the United States, the UK, and other European countries. A large component of this far right and often religious-led effort includes the passage of laws that censor free speech and individuality, particularly online.
For example, the UK passed the Online Safety Act (OSA), a law that purportedly protects children from harmful online materials by mandating websites to enforce age verification, whether through some form of identification or facial recognition software. OSA is not limited to porn sites, but encompasses search engines like Google and even Spotify.
The U.S. has followed suit with the reintroduction of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would require tech companies and social media platforms to include design features and safeguards to “protect” minors from harmful content. Nearly 100 organizations – including the Center for Democracy and Technology, the American Civil Liberties Union, and GLAAD – signed a letter expressing that the broad-reaching bill would “threaten the privacy, safety, and access to information rights of young people and adults alike.”
Nowak as the unintentional villain and how authoritarianism harms everyone
Is Nowak technically the antagonist in Orb? Yes. However, it’s worth mentioning that he is also oppressed by the church he works for. He is propagandized by Religion C and from his perspective, all of his religious-motivated violent actions are done to make Earth a safer place for Jolenta.
Her planned execution as a teenager for partaking in heliocentric research is faked by a fellow inquisitor, but Nowak does not intervene and is not privy to her escape. Even through his grief, Nowak remains steadfast in his violent chase to kill heretics because he has been conditioned into believing this is what’s right.
This is reminiscent of how in real life more marginalized groups (though not all) moved towards conservatism and voted against their interests in the most recent Presidential election. For instance, voting patterns in the 2024 election revealed that an overwhelming amount of Latinos moved towards Trump with promises of a flourishing economy on the horizon, despite the rise of Latino discrimination that has been accelerated by conservative politicians. Many Latino voters have expressed regret in voting for Trump as ICE raids have unfolded.
In a way, no one “wins” in Orb. Nowak successfully destroys materials related to heliocentrism, but he is simply a pawn used to advance Religion C’s oppressive reign. Acknowledging Nowak is not the true antagonist does not absolve him from his role – or anyone who voted for far-right politicians – but rather is recognition that everyone suffers under authoritarianism whether or not they recognize it.
“Crawling towards good” and fighting for the future
In the last episodes of the series, it is revealed that all that remains of the multi-generational fight to recognize heliocentrism is the book title, "On the Movements of the Earth.” There is no plot armor in Orb; every protagonist in the series dies in their pursuit of knowledge and as they attempt to challenge the Church.
This may seem, at first, like a loss. It may even feel disheartening for the audience, who must watch the main protagonists time after time fail to widely spread the astronomical model before their deaths.
As Rafal says, “inspiration is probably more important than lifespan." The existence of the book title alone moves Albert Brudzewski – a Polish astronomer that famously taught Nicolaus Copernicus and the only real-life historical figure in the anime – to reignite the quest to prove heliocentrism in real-life Poland. The survival of just the title is not a symbol of hopelessness. On the contrary, the title is a symbol of perseverance in place of where hopelessness once existed.
Jolenta echoes Rafal’s sentiment when expressing that the meaning of birth and life is to “participate in the dull, endless path of crawling towards good.”
Despite ongoing arrests and threats of retribution, people globally are fighting back against authoritarianism. Protests against human rights violations have not slowed. Over the past year, Gen Z protesters from Nepal to New York flew the iconic Jolly Roger flag from One Piece as a symbol of resistance. Scientists have not stopped advocating for research-based healthcare even as they are ousted from their positions. Journalists are signing open letters addressing bias in Western media.
Sure, Orb is a warning against the dangers of authoritarianism. More importantly, the show represents the indelible curiosity that all people possess. It’s about the intrinsic need to understand. To know. To find meaning. To have autonomy.
If there is a single moment in Orb that I hope sticks with those who read or watch the series, it’s this small excerpt from a conversation between Draka and Jolenta:
Draka asks Jolenta, "How do you define ‘freedom’?"
Jolenta says "The ability to ask that.”
