You’re a Sap, Mr. Jap

The short opens with the wartime song You're a Sap, Mr. Jap playing as Popeye sails and scans the horizon with his binoculars. He spots a small Japanese boat drifting nearby and prepares to engage. The mood blends cartoon humor with a wartime backdrop.

Popeye spots the tiny boat and hurls his anchor toward it, initiating contact. A Japanese fisherman is on board, and another man emerges from inside the boat to confront him. The Japanese present Popeye with a peace treaty, introducing the conflict's odd start.

As Popeye begins signing the treaty, a Japanese sailor swings a giant mallet and strikes him. While this chaos unfolds, a second man slips a firecracker into a hole in Popeye's shoe and blasts it, blowing the shoe apart. The assault continues, signaling the clash between the sides.

A bouquet is presented to Popeye, but a lobster hides inside it. The lobster bursts forth to punch a Japanese sailor and even snips the man's hair in a comic escape. The weaponized bouquet becomes a humorous obstacle in the fight.

The Japanese man slips through a kimono to reveal a military outfit beneath and rushes to alert his crewmates. The impression of the boat suddenly growing larger hints at hidden forces beneath the hull. The crew readies for a broader confrontation.

A cannon blast dents Popeye's boat, threatening to sink him as he clings to the mast. He eats spinach and rises back to the surface with renewed energy. With that power, he readies for another assault.

Popeye attacks the two sailors who cut his mast, sending them tumbling into the water. The fight resumes with his extra power from spinach. He pivots to the ship’s other vulnerabilities.

Popeye dives to the other side of the ship, retrieves the anchor, and bends it to pull the cannons free from the hull. The weapon removal cripples the ship's firepower. He continues to push the attack across the wrecked vessel.

The enemies hide inside a resting cannon as the ship falters. Popeye kicks the hidden sailors into the water, accelerating the ship’s collapse. The hull splinters as more of the crew is exposed.

Inside the hull, a Japanese Naval Officer mutters about defeat and sacrifices himself by drinking gasoline and eating firecrackers. The internal explosions blast him from the boat, marking a dramatic, cartoonish demise. Popeye watches and braces for the ship’s fate.

Popeye examines the mouth of the fallen officer and realizes his stomach contains gas that could explode. He throws the officer back under the hull to keep the others safe and resumes sailing away. The moment underscores Popeye’s quick thinking during the chaos.

The Japanese ship explodes and sinks beneath the waves as Popeye watches from a safe distance. The short closes with a humorous sound—a flushing toilet—emphasizing the cartoonish tone. The victory is conveyed through the calm, comic end of the battle.