Oda's potential inspiration for Jarul teases his true role in One Piece's Elbaph Arc

Modified Mar 16, 2025 02:30 GMT

One Piece could be setting up a big role in Elbaph for Jarul (Image via Shueisha).

One Piece is currently undergoing the Elbaph arc and there have been multiple inspirations for this arc, as has been the case in most of the series. In that regard, an X user named @BlacktyonteXavi came up with a theory that the inspiration for Jarul's character could establish him as a traitor among the Giants.

Heralded as the oldest living Giant in the One Piece series as of right now, the character of Jarul was inspired by the English card titled "Suicide King". This is often associated with the element of betrayal, hence why the sword was stabbed in the head as seen with Jarul and the card itself, meaning that perhaps this character murdered King Harald instead of Loki.

Disclaimer: This article is a speculative theory and reflects the writer's opinion.

One Piece could reveal that Jarul was the one who took King Harald's life and not Loki

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The manga has already established that Loki has been imprisoned for taking King Harald's life, as Jarul told Luffy in the current arc. However, considering that this Giant's design is inspired by the English card of the "Suicide King," with both sharing the visual of a sword stabbed in the head, there is a theory that he betrayed Harald.

The reasoning for this betrayal might not be very clear at the moment but it was told that King Harald wanted the Giants to make peace with the rest of the world, which perhaps Jarul didn't want for himself. Furthermore, it was stated that the deceased king had connections with the World Government, which is an element that may be a lie to taint the ruler's image.

It can be interpreted that author Eiichiro Oda has planted the seeds for something deeper regarding Harald's death. Jarul, as the oldest Giant, perhaps wanted some greater tradition to be kept instead of changing their ways. There is no clear motivation at the moment, but considering the origin and influence of his design, this is a viable theory.

The role of Loki in this situation

Loki as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha).

As most One Piece fans know by now, the Giants of Elbaph were inspired by Norse mythology and history, with Jarul's name taken by Jarls, with one of them being named "Haakon Sigurdsson". He is known as one of the biggest traitors in the history of Norse culture and he betrayed a man, Harold Greycloak, who sounds like the King of Elbaph.

An interesting element of this myth is that Harold Greycloak's father had taken the life of Haakon's father, so perhaps Oda took inspiration from this event for this subplot. Furthermore, the manga makes it clear that there is more to Harald's death than meets the eye, especially considering the introduction of the Holy Knights and their interest in recruiting Loki as well.

Final thoughts

There are a lot of secrets in the current Elbaph arc in the One Piece manga and the idea that someone manipulated events for King Harald's death would make a lot of sense. Especially considering the divided opinions that could be displayed regarding the king's actions and how this affects the entirety of the Land of the Giants.

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Edited by Bharath S