I don't have the time to write my essay on why I like Yamato right now (and let's be honest, most of you don't read the essays anyway), so I decided to share a video that advances a position I agree with (it's also pretty short (< 9 minutes), so there are decent chances folks here would actually watch it):
If I was to give a short pitch on why I love Yamato (for those who don't want to watch the video), I'd say there are roughly 7 main reasons:
#1 She's Very Strong-Willed, Determined and Driven
She stood up to Kaido several times:
She refused to compromise on protecting both Momonosuke and Shinobu:
When she said that she wished to protect Momonosuke 20 years ago, but couldn't because back then she didn't have the strength (while now she does):
The implication that she has been dilligently training herself, seeking strength so she could fulfill the legacy of Oden, was something that I really liked.
#2 I Like Her Concept as Kaido's Only Child
He raised her as his "son" to be a fierce warrior:
He taught her his signature technique:
She seems to have inherited his abnormal physical stature:
He wants to make her the Shogun:
#3 She's Strong
Her true combat ability is unknown, but in the 30+ chapters since she's been introduced, she has already shown several good feats:
She's probably one of the Alliance's 5 strongest fighters.
#4 She's Pretty
I like her design and her aesthetic:
Isn't this such a beautiful smile?
I know many people say she's "Nami with horns", but I don't really feel it. Yes, their faces look superficially similar, but that's where it ends. Their personalities, mannerisms, quirks, etc. are all very different.
That I find Yamato pretty is important, but it's only so important. I don't care for many other female characters even some I consider to be "sexier" than Yamato. Examples of female characters I don't care for despite thinking their pretty:
Nami might have made it to the above list, but I really loved a couple of her scenes during the Raid: (declaring that Luffy will become the Pirate King, resolving herself to defeat Ulti, her interactions with Zeus).
I generally don't really like Nami, while I really like Yamato, so they're not evoking the same emotions at the very least.
In general, I think it's something like: "an agreeable physical appearance is a necessary (but not sufficient condition for me to like a character".
My favourite female character in Tower of God (she's my favourite character in the series) wouldn't make it to my list of the 10 most beautiful/prettiest/sexiest girls, but I don't think she's ugly either.
While I do like Yamato for her looks, I don't like her solely for them, and if she was only just her looks, I wouldn't care for her.
This section is for all the folks that are going to troll me with "but sideboob" responses.
#5 She's Probably the Next Nakama
Dedicated thread.
This is the reason I allowed myself to get invested in her character. Placing emotional investment in an arc only character is a recipe for disappointment. It's also the main reason you don't see me stanning Ulti to the same degree. As much as I like Ulti's character, we'll be saying goodbye to her after this arc, so I didn't let myself form any emotional attachment or investment in her character.
#6 Oda Respects Her
She's not incompetent, a meme, or otherwise overly ridiculous.
She doesn't get clowned on by characters far weaker than her (I'm looking at you Linlin), nor is she is so incompetent as to be stalled by a fucking door or helplessly calling out to someone else to do something (I'm looking at you Smoothie). Smoothie in particular is a disgrace. She's a Sweet Commander and Linlin's second strongest combatant, but mere mid-tiers like Oven and Daifuku were much bigger threats on WCI.
Yamato's intro was literally oneshotting a Tobi Roppo, and in all her scenes since then, she's been depicted as a formidable warrior.
My God, strong female combatants that Oda actually respects and does justice to are so rare in One Piece that I had completely given up hope on One Piece's female cast. In that respect, Yamato has been a very welcome surprise.
#7 I Actually Like Her Character
Many people seem to dislike most aspects of her character, but other than the time when she was passing off herself to Momonosuke as Oden, I've loved most of her character:
I don't mind the Oden idolatry. When it's well-executed, I think it can be beautiful.
When she declared that she'll save Shinobu and that her words and Oden's life brought tears to her eyes? I found that to be a really beautiful scene:
When she apologised to Momonosuke for being to weak to save him 20 years ago, when she cursed her lack of strength back then, it was powerful:
Her willingness to die for Momonosuke comes from her Oden worship, and I thought it was a really powerful moment:
She refused to compromise on protecting Momonosuke and Shinobu because of her Oden worship, and I've never seen something more beautiful:
Yamato isn't just strong as a fighter, she's strong as a person. That iron sense of determination, that will to never back down, that unyielding resolve? That's what made me fall in love with Zoro in the first place, and it's what made me fall in love with Yamato.
Yamato's character shone strongest to me in that moment, and the moment only exists because of her Oden fetish. So no, I'm glad for her Oden idolatry. Her character wouldn't be anywhere near as compelling to me if not for her Oden idolatry.
Even her explanation to Luffy of why she idolises Oden was endearing:
So no, I don't find Yamato's Oden fanboyism cringe (and I don't even like Oden). Yamato's character shone most strongly to me when she was fanboying Oden. What she's willing to do because it's what Oden would do, I loved it.
I can relate to her dream. She was inspired by Oden's life and so wanted to have a grand adventure like he did. However, she's been imprisoned since she was 8, and this only reinforced her desire to be free:
I like her complications with Kaido. That despite how much she professes in her heart that she hates him, she on some level still wanted to be loved by him. This is shown in how she was bawling when she found out that Kaido was really willing to kill her if she left Onigashima:
I loved her friendship and camaraderie with Ace.
When Ace told her to not let Kaido shackle even her heart, I found it touching:
That she listened to him and proceeded to destroy Kaido's dragon statue made me happy:
It was nice to see her boldly declare her dreams and break free of the mental shackles that further bound her to her prison.
Ace affirming her decision by burning the head of the statue was so nice to see:
Said statue is a symbol of Kaido's power:
When she got really excited when Ace described the Pirate era, I thought it was cute:
When Ace asked her to go out to sea, and she couldn't accept because of her shackles, it was touching:
Their promise to meet up in the future was really bittersweet:
Even the fate and destiny masturbation over Pirate Jesus was endearing in its own way:
Yamato's flashback with Ace is my favourite in the manga. There might be some recency bias, but I doubt any really compare. No other flashback touched me the way theirs did.
I like that she's the kind of character that gets excited to fight:
Her concern and care for Luffy is endearing:
I'm really looking forward to her impending confrontation with Kaido. Depending on how well Oda handles it, Yamato could become my favourite character along with Zoro (she's currently #2), honestly, if he surpasses my expectations, she could displace Zoro from the #1 position.
Conclusions
I really like Yamato — her entire character, personality, design, everything — for the first time in my ~8 years of reading One Piece, I'm excited for a female character in it.
Goes ahead to write an essay after saying I wouldn't.
If I was to give a short pitch on why I love Yamato (for those who don't want to watch the video), I'd say there are roughly 7 main reasons:
#1 She's Very Strong-Willed, Determined and Driven
She stood up to Kaido several times:
She refused to compromise on protecting both Momonosuke and Shinobu:
When she said that she wished to protect Momonosuke 20 years ago, but couldn't because back then she didn't have the strength (while now she does):
The implication that she has been dilligently training herself, seeking strength so she could fulfill the legacy of Oden, was something that I really liked.
#2 I Like Her Concept as Kaido's Only Child
He raised her as his "son" to be a fierce warrior:
He taught her his signature technique:
She seems to have inherited his abnormal physical stature:
He wants to make her the Shogun:
#3 She's Strong
Her true combat ability is unknown, but in the 30+ chapters since she's been introduced, she has already shown several good feats:
- Oneshotting a Tobi Roppo
- Oneshotting a Number
- Stalemating Ace
- Defending against all attacks from a pissed off G2/G3 Luffy
She's probably one of the Alliance's 5 strongest fighters.
#4 She's Pretty
I like her design and her aesthetic:
Isn't this such a beautiful smile?
I know many people say she's "Nami with horns", but I don't really feel it. Yes, their faces look superficially similar, but that's where it ends. Their personalities, mannerisms, quirks, etc. are all very different.
That I find Yamato pretty is important, but it's only so important. I don't care for many other female characters even some I consider to be "sexier" than Yamato. Examples of female characters I don't care for despite thinking their pretty:
- Smoothie
- Rebecca
- Viola
- Domino
- Galette
Nami might have made it to the above list, but I really loved a couple of her scenes during the Raid: (declaring that Luffy will become the Pirate King, resolving herself to defeat Ulti, her interactions with Zeus).
I generally don't really like Nami, while I really like Yamato, so they're not evoking the same emotions at the very least.
In general, I think it's something like: "an agreeable physical appearance is a necessary (but not sufficient condition for me to like a character".
My favourite female character in Tower of God (she's my favourite character in the series) wouldn't make it to my list of the 10 most beautiful/prettiest/sexiest girls, but I don't think she's ugly either.
While I do like Yamato for her looks, I don't like her solely for them, and if she was only just her looks, I wouldn't care for her.
This section is for all the folks that are going to troll me with "but sideboob" responses.
#5 She's Probably the Next Nakama
Dedicated thread.
This is the reason I allowed myself to get invested in her character. Placing emotional investment in an arc only character is a recipe for disappointment. It's also the main reason you don't see me stanning Ulti to the same degree. As much as I like Ulti's character, we'll be saying goodbye to her after this arc, so I didn't let myself form any emotional attachment or investment in her character.
#6 Oda Respects Her
She's not incompetent, a meme, or otherwise overly ridiculous.
She doesn't get clowned on by characters far weaker than her (I'm looking at you Linlin), nor is she is so incompetent as to be stalled by a fucking door or helplessly calling out to someone else to do something (I'm looking at you Smoothie). Smoothie in particular is a disgrace. She's a Sweet Commander and Linlin's second strongest combatant, but mere mid-tiers like Oven and Daifuku were much bigger threats on WCI.
Yamato's intro was literally oneshotting a Tobi Roppo, and in all her scenes since then, she's been depicted as a formidable warrior.
My God, strong female combatants that Oda actually respects and does justice to are so rare in One Piece that I had completely given up hope on One Piece's female cast. In that respect, Yamato has been a very welcome surprise.
#7 I Actually Like Her Character
Many people seem to dislike most aspects of her character, but other than the time when she was passing off herself to Momonosuke as Oden, I've loved most of her character:
I don't mind the Oden idolatry. When it's well-executed, I think it can be beautiful.
When she declared that she'll save Shinobu and that her words and Oden's life brought tears to her eyes? I found that to be a really beautiful scene:
When she apologised to Momonosuke for being to weak to save him 20 years ago, when she cursed her lack of strength back then, it was powerful:
Her willingness to die for Momonosuke comes from her Oden worship, and I thought it was a really powerful moment:
She refused to compromise on protecting Momonosuke and Shinobu because of her Oden worship, and I've never seen something more beautiful:
Yamato isn't just strong as a fighter, she's strong as a person. That iron sense of determination, that will to never back down, that unyielding resolve? That's what made me fall in love with Zoro in the first place, and it's what made me fall in love with Yamato.
Yamato's character shone strongest to me in that moment, and the moment only exists because of her Oden fetish. So no, I'm glad for her Oden idolatry. Her character wouldn't be anywhere near as compelling to me if not for her Oden idolatry.
Even her explanation to Luffy of why she idolises Oden was endearing:
So no, I don't find Yamato's Oden fanboyism cringe (and I don't even like Oden). Yamato's character shone most strongly to me when she was fanboying Oden. What she's willing to do because it's what Oden would do, I loved it.
I can relate to her dream. She was inspired by Oden's life and so wanted to have a grand adventure like he did. However, she's been imprisoned since she was 8, and this only reinforced her desire to be free:
I like her complications with Kaido. That despite how much she professes in her heart that she hates him, she on some level still wanted to be loved by him. This is shown in how she was bawling when she found out that Kaido was really willing to kill her if she left Onigashima:
I loved her friendship and camaraderie with Ace.
When Ace told her to not let Kaido shackle even her heart, I found it touching:
That she listened to him and proceeded to destroy Kaido's dragon statue made me happy:
It was nice to see her boldly declare her dreams and break free of the mental shackles that further bound her to her prison.
Ace affirming her decision by burning the head of the statue was so nice to see:
Said statue is a symbol of Kaido's power:
When she got really excited when Ace described the Pirate era, I thought it was cute:
When Ace asked her to go out to sea, and she couldn't accept because of her shackles, it was touching:
Their promise to meet up in the future was really bittersweet:
Even the fate and destiny masturbation over Pirate Jesus was endearing in its own way:
Yamato's flashback with Ace is my favourite in the manga. There might be some recency bias, but I doubt any really compare. No other flashback touched me the way theirs did.
I like that she's the kind of character that gets excited to fight:
Her concern and care for Luffy is endearing:
I'm really looking forward to her impending confrontation with Kaido. Depending on how well Oda handles it, Yamato could become my favourite character along with Zoro (she's currently #2), honestly, if he surpasses my expectations, she could displace Zoro from the #1 position.
Conclusions
I really like Yamato — her entire character, personality, design, everything — for the first time in my ~8 years of reading One Piece, I'm excited for a female character in it.
Goes ahead to write an essay after saying I wouldn't.
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@Cobra.
@Marimo_420
@Starbound Beast D. Draig
@Camie
@SmokedOut
@Queen
@Monet
@Reign
@Zoro D Goat
@Sunita
@Midnight Delight
@Janshal
@lone wolf
@Trismegistus
@Lampyris
@Zorojuro
@Natalija
@Kiwipom
@Sakura no Hiluluk
@Jew D. Boy
@bottleinlaw
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@Den_Den_Mushi
@Ten Yaksha Blother
@Light D Lamperouge
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@Sabriya
@knuckleheadninja
@Go D. Trussop
@Stalker
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