Worstgen

Cinera

I like Yamato for largely superficial reasons:

* She's very strong-willed/resolute.
* She's Kaido's only child, and one he trained and has high expectations for.
* She's _strong_ (likely one of the 5 strongest allies).
* She's pretty (outlaws Linlin).
* She seems to be a lock-in for next nakama (outlaws Ulti and Hancock).
* She's not incompetent, a meme, or otherwise overly ridiculous (outlaws Linlin, Smoothie).

Cinera

I'd like for a strong female character to join the crew, and Yamato is the only option.

Leaving aside potential next nakama, the only decently strong women in One Piece who are not incompetent, memes, or ridiculous are Yamato and Hancock.

Cinera

I dislike Hancock's Luffy worship _much_ more than Yamato's Oden worship.

Yamato gets bonus points by being a potential next nakama.

Cinera

I do like most of what I've seen Yamato's character:

* She's a very strong-willed and resolute person. You could call her stubborn to the extreme.
* She used her body as a meat shield for Momo and Shinobu and refused to compromise because it's not what her idol would do.
* She's fiercely independent and got beaten by Kaido as a child because she stood up to him.

Cinera

* She has a sense of adventure and wonder and longs for the outside world. She comforts herself by reading Oden's journals and reading about the news she gets from the outside.
* She has a strong case of hero-worship for the life of Kozuki Oden.

Cinera

The aspect of her character I find disagreeable is her over the top Oden cringe, but that seems to be her gag, and Oda has been toning it down.

Cinera

I find her Oden hero-worship understandable. Or rather, I thought it was really cool that she refused to compromise on protecting Momonosuke because her idol would have never compromised on saving a single person.

Den_Den_Mushi

I’m actually the opposite, I find Hancock’s Luffy worship a lot more sympathetic given that she’s a rape victim who’s latched onto the first genuinely selfless man she’s met. Yamato just projects her fantasies onto a guy she’s never met and uses it as an excuse to force a relationship with his son.

Cinera

"No I will not compromise. I will save both of you. Because the person I look up to would have never compromised. He refused to let a single one of his vassals die."

That unwavering resolution? I think that's pretty cool.

Den_Den_Mushi

I find it incredibly boring that all her ideals and dreams come from literally copying someone else. Luffy wanted to be a pirate even when Shanks didn’t believe he could. Shanks inspired him, but Luffy has never tried to become Shanks.

Cinera

@Den_Den_Mushi: I think the issue is that I don't really like Luffy, so I don't care about Hancock being a Luffy fangirl.

I don't like Oden either, but I don't actively dislike him.

Den_Den_Mushi

I can understand Luffy hero worshipping Shanks. I can understand Ace hero worshipping Whitebeard. These are based on actual relationships and interactions. Yamato just loves a shadow, like a very extreme form of celebrity worship. She saw him once when she was 8 and that’s it. She never knew him and never will.

Cinera

> I find it incredibly boring that all her ideals and dreams come from literally copying someone else.

I understand this. I'm not sure I want to do the apology thing. The reasons I like Yamato are mostly due to personal preference, and I understand why you're not enthused by her character.

Cinera

> Yamato just loves a shadow, like a very extreme form of celebrity worship. She saw him once when she was 8 and that’s it. She never knew him and never will.

This is true, but can people not be inspired by dead people? Can you not seek to model your life after someone that has long passed away, but who inspired you?

Den_Den_Mushi

I don’t like Luffy either. In fact I actively dislike him for being a Gary Stu. But a traumatised woman who never knew a good man or what love is becoming infatuated with the MC is far more understandable than a 28 year old who acts 8 and harasses kids because she’s got a case of starry eyed celeb worship.

Cinera

Christianity is essentially hero worship of Jesus. Many Christians aspire to emulate the actions, manner and values of Jesus.

"What would Jesus do?" is a very common mantra for many Christians.

Den_Den_Mushi

I find being inspired by dead people to be dumb. There are so many inspiring living people who are still making a difference and whose cause you can be a part of. Like MLK for example, most people whitewash his quotes and ignore a lot of the other things he said, like his disparaging remarks about white moderates.

Den_Den_Mushi

As an ex Christian, you can’t sell me on the idea of subscribing to a dead man’s teachings xD. People pick and choose what they want, and most so called Christians bear no resemblance to the man himself. They, like Yamato, project their own issues and fears onto a guy who can’t speak for himself anymore.

Cinera

Oden is Yamato's Jesus. She witnessed the hour of legends. She saw one man endure the most horrifying torture and live through it to protect his vassals. She was inspired by the life that Oden lived. He became her idol.

Cinera

Yamato found Oden's journal and religiously studied it. She made it her religion.