Honestly, when we talk about the Marineford War, everyone immediately jumps to the big names. We talk about Whitebeard’s world-shattering quakes or the absolute gut-punch of Ace’s final moments. But if you really sit back and re-watch those episodes, there is one character who basically carried the emotional weight of the first half of that war on his massive shoulders. I'm talking about Little Oars Jr.
He isn't just some big guy meant to fill space in the background. He’s the heart of the Whitebeard Pirates' initial charge. You’ve probably seen the memes about how "nothing happens" for episodes at a time, but when Oars Jr hits the screen, the stakes suddenly feel incredibly real.
Who Was Little Oars Jr Anyway?
Basically, Little Oars Jr is a descendant of the "Continent Puller" Oars, that massive behemoth whose corpse Gecko Moria turned into a zombie back in Thriller Bark. He’s an Ancient Giant. That is a huge distinction in the One Piece world. Regular giants from Elbaf are already towering, but Oars Jr makes them look like toddlers. He is a literal mountain of a man.
You’ve got to appreciate the irony of his name. There is absolutely nothing "little" about him. He was the captain of the Little Pirates, which sounds like a joke until you realize his crew probably looked like ants compared to him. But here’s the kicker: despite his terrifying size and that massive 550,000,000 Beli bounty, he was one of the gentlest souls on the Moby Dick.
The story of the straw hat Ace made for him is probably the most wholesome thing in an otherwise bleak arc. Ace literally traveled to Wano, learned how to weave a proper hat, and made it just so Oars wouldn't have to suffer under the hot sun or the rain. That’s why he was so desperate to reach the execution platform. It wasn't just about following Whitebeard’s orders. It was about saving the only guy who thought about whether a monster-sized giant might need some shade.
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The Brutality of the Marineford Charge
If you want to see how terrifying the Warlords of the Sea actually are, look at what they did to Oars Jr. It’s hard to watch. He was a force of nature, literally picking up Marine battleships and tossing them aside like they were plastic toys. He cleared the path so the other allied crews could actually get into the bay. Without him, the Whitebeard Pirates might have been stalled at the walls forever.
But being that big makes you a massive target.
The sequence of his defeat is basically a "who's who" of high-tier power:
- Bartholomew Kuma hit him with an Ursus Shock that probably would have vaporized a normal city block.
- Donquixote Doflamingo—being the absolute menace he is—literally sliced Oars' leg off while laughing about it.
- Gecko Moria finished the job by impaling him with a shadow spear.
It was a systematic dismantling of a warrior. Most characters in One Piece survive some pretty wild stuff, but the way Oars Jr went down felt final. He used his last bit of strength to pull a ship forward, creating a bridge that allowed the pirates to storm the plaza. He literally gave his body to the cause.
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What People Get Wrong About His Strength
Some fans argue that Oars Jr was "weak" because he got taken out so early. Honestly, that’s just a bad take. You have to remember he was fighting the entire Marine headquarters at once. He wasn't just fighting one Admiral or one Warlord; he was soaking up cannon fire from dozens of ships and taking direct hits from the World Government’s strongest assets.
Compare him to the original Oars from Thriller Bark. The original was a mindless zombie using Luffy’s fighting style. Little Oars Jr had his own agency, his own massive sword, and a level of durability that is almost unmatched in the series. If he had arrived at Marineford with even a basic understanding of Haki, he might have been unstoppable.
The Question of Survival
Is he actually dead? In One Piece, death is a tricky thing. We saw him take a point-blank blast to the head from a giant cannon at the very end. The official Vivre Cards and databooks have been somewhat vague, often listing his status as "unknown" or simply not confirming a corpse.
However, unlike Whitebeard and Ace, we never saw a grave for him. Some theorists think the Marines took his body for the SSG (Special Science Group) to study gigantification. Others think he might have been hauled off to Impel Down. But realistically? His story served its purpose. His "death" was the catalyst that showed the pirates—and the audience—that this wasn't going to be a clean rescue mission.
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Why He Still Matters in the Final Saga
Even though he hasn't been mentioned much lately, the "Ancient Giant" race is becoming a massive plot point again. With the introduction of the Numbers in Kaido’s crew—who are failed experiments to recreate Oars' race—the lineage of Oars Jr is more relevant than ever.
We’re starting to see that the World Government has been obsessed with his kind for centuries. There is a deep, dark history involving the "Devil" moniker given to his ancestor. Oars Jr wasn't just a pirate; he was a remnant of a lost era.
If you’re looking to really appreciate the depth of the Marineford Arc, go back and watch the episodes specifically focusing on his charge (Episodes 463 and 464). It changes the way you look at the "monster" characters in the series. They aren't just tools for destruction; they’re people with favorite hats and friends they’d die for.
Next steps for you:
- Re-watch the Marineford Arc (specifically episodes 460-466) to see the tactical importance of Oars' sacrifice.
- Look into the Numbers of Onigashima to see the horrific ways the World Government tried to replicate Oars' physiology.
- Check out the Thriller Bark flashback to see the original Oars and compare the two generations.