Right, I started this as a reply for the Kin'emon appreciation thread and it ended up getting way bigger than expected and I think it needs its own thread now. Basically, I said I saw Kin'emon as the only Strawhat potential, some folk questioned it, I started writing a bit more about while I felt this way and I ended up with this.
Also want to say, I'm not nailing my mast to "Kin'emon for Strawhat!" This is not me absolutely certain that he's the next one to join like I was for Jinbei. I just feel that he's the only one with any real potential.
First of all, you know how people always complain that after Jinbei, a new Strawhat will have missed too much? Well, Kin'emon is literally the first character the Strawhats meet in the New World. Apart from WCI, he's seen just as much of it as the rest of the crew. In addition, he's actually what kicks off the entirety of the New World plot, cause it's the Strawhats hearing of a samurai attacking Punk Hazard that causes them to go there. And I'm pretty sure that Oda's been planning him in some form since the start of the Grand Line. If you can remember the early Hancock preview, there's also one for a samurai who can really only be him, Oden or Orochi.
Consider how his story unfolds. He becomes, even more than Law, the driving force of the Kaido story. We go to Punk Hazard because of him. The three separate Strawhat groups all encounter him- Luffy, Zoro, Ussop and Robin his bottom half (which can talk by farting, if that's not Strawhat potential I don't know what is), Nami, Sanji, Chopper and Franky his head, Brook fighting his torso. His hunt for his "son" is one of the main plot points. We start to learn there's a relationship with Kaido, that his comrades are scattered on the path towards him. He's made leader of the Wano expedition. He's the one making the plans on Wano. He's the one we see last charging towards Onigashima with a death wish- to be saved by Luffy?
Also, Luffy's technically invited him to join already. His arse anyway.
He fits in very well with a lot of the crew. Gets involved with the two pervs and gets battered by Nami. Has a deep respect for Luffy and Sanji for saving him and Momo. Made a swordsman trio with Zoro and Brook, where each one has their own kind of fighting style- one sword ice man, two sword fire man, three sword does everything man. I'd say his strength level fits in nicely- not up there with the M3 and Jinbei, but probably above Franky, Brook and Robin.
He's got an interesting enough design, gigantic ukiyo-e samurai with a big Kozuki tattoo on his back. His DF, while not the most interesting- though I'm sure Oda could come up with some more uses for it- does have one big thing going for it. It is- as far as I know, not speaking Japanese- one that fits the missing pattern of the current Strawhat DF's, being the missing 2.9.
Living happily with Momo and Tsuru? Sure, that could be his end goal. But most of the Strawhats have someone they've left behind for their journey. Nami being the main one I'm thinking of here- spends her entire adult life trying to free her island, runs away from her father and sister immediately afterwards. But there's also the Franky Family and the Sun Pirates as people the Strawhats have felt obligated towards but left.
He's obviously got the dream and the dead inspiration flashback covered. The flashback, importantly, is his as much as the Fishman Island one was Jinbei's. Both revolve more around other characters; Otohime, Tiger and Oden, but they are both framed as Jinbei and Kin'emon's memories of the past.
Position in the crew is a big tricky one. Doesn't really provide much other than strength and being a clothesrack. He'd have to go the Zoro, Ussop and Robin route of being something rather vague, being simply the samurai. Or Oda could make Zoro official First Mate and let Kin take his role of fighter, but that's something I doubt he'd do.
Now, what can actually led him in the story to join?
The way this Kozuki/Red Scabbard plot has been developing over the entirety of the New World story- I just don't see it ending with Wano. It's been tied too much to the endgame plot with the Void Century, Raftel, Joy Boy et al. And the devotion Oda's given it in itself is unique- every island unfolding a new part of the tale, almost like a mirror image of early One Piece with meeting a new Scabbard every island, the overall picture of what they actually want slowly unfolding with each arc. The only thing I can think of that really compares is how Robin's story has been done.
Now, the obvious assumption I think about Kin'emon's dream is that it's resolved by the end of Wano. Orochi and Kaido defeated, Shogun Momo, happy days around. But I have to wonder if it will be as simple as that. Defeating Hody didn't solve Fishman Islands problems. I'm starting to think with this flashback truly opening Wano's borders could be more complex than that. The Kozuki's in the Void Century did not isolate the country and forge indestructible stones telling the truth of what happened because of Kaido. They did it because of, we presume, the forces that became the World Gov who are still around in the present day. That huge war Oden predicted would happen this chapter, that's the EoS war we're talking about here. Much like Jinbei feels that only through Luffy will he get parity for Fishmen, could the situation arise that only through Luffy (Joyboy) will Wano also truly be able to open itself to the world? Does someone from Wano need to see the world like Oden did, learn the reason why Wano has isolated itself eight hundred years, and why it should change? As things stand, the Scabbards know they should open the country. But they don't know why, and I think that is important. They're aiming to fulfil Oden's dream without actually knowing what drove Oden to want to change eight hundred years of culture. I think that's important.
So if the situation is arising where someone needs to sail with Luffy, to find out the truth about Wano, who would that be?
Momo, if it wasn't for his age, would be a shoe-in. But I really don't think I can say more than his age really is just a massive no.
Tama is also too young, and doesn't have any interest in Wano in a wider sense.
Hiyori? Old enough, but, eh, seems pretty useless at sea. Zoro doesn't need a permanent damsel in distress to rescue.
Carrot? Been punted too far to the side, is too unimportant. She's a vassal of a vassal who has disappeared into the background on Wano, which is where she's spent most of her existence. Compare the way Oda has showed Oden and the Red Scabbards story, to her and Pedro's. Clearly one is vastly more important than the other.
The other Scabbards? Just... aren't as important as Kin'emon. Some might be stronger, but the consistent face of the Red Scabbards, and most likely to be the main inheritor of Oden's will, is Kin. He's the one who knew Oden the longest (with Denjiro, who obviously has a big role to play, but very unlikely to be that of a Strawhat.) Like Jinbei and Tiger, Brook and Yorki, he's the right hand man that took charge.
So, that's my argument for him. Something to think about anyway.
Also want to say, I'm not nailing my mast to "Kin'emon for Strawhat!" This is not me absolutely certain that he's the next one to join like I was for Jinbei. I just feel that he's the only one with any real potential.
First of all, you know how people always complain that after Jinbei, a new Strawhat will have missed too much? Well, Kin'emon is literally the first character the Strawhats meet in the New World. Apart from WCI, he's seen just as much of it as the rest of the crew. In addition, he's actually what kicks off the entirety of the New World plot, cause it's the Strawhats hearing of a samurai attacking Punk Hazard that causes them to go there. And I'm pretty sure that Oda's been planning him in some form since the start of the Grand Line. If you can remember the early Hancock preview, there's also one for a samurai who can really only be him, Oden or Orochi.
Consider how his story unfolds. He becomes, even more than Law, the driving force of the Kaido story. We go to Punk Hazard because of him. The three separate Strawhat groups all encounter him- Luffy, Zoro, Ussop and Robin his bottom half (which can talk by farting, if that's not Strawhat potential I don't know what is), Nami, Sanji, Chopper and Franky his head, Brook fighting his torso. His hunt for his "son" is one of the main plot points. We start to learn there's a relationship with Kaido, that his comrades are scattered on the path towards him. He's made leader of the Wano expedition. He's the one making the plans on Wano. He's the one we see last charging towards Onigashima with a death wish- to be saved by Luffy?
Also, Luffy's technically invited him to join already. His arse anyway.
He fits in very well with a lot of the crew. Gets involved with the two pervs and gets battered by Nami. Has a deep respect for Luffy and Sanji for saving him and Momo. Made a swordsman trio with Zoro and Brook, where each one has their own kind of fighting style- one sword ice man, two sword fire man, three sword does everything man. I'd say his strength level fits in nicely- not up there with the M3 and Jinbei, but probably above Franky, Brook and Robin.
He's got an interesting enough design, gigantic ukiyo-e samurai with a big Kozuki tattoo on his back. His DF, while not the most interesting- though I'm sure Oda could come up with some more uses for it- does have one big thing going for it. It is- as far as I know, not speaking Japanese- one that fits the missing pattern of the current Strawhat DF's, being the missing 2.9.
Living happily with Momo and Tsuru? Sure, that could be his end goal. But most of the Strawhats have someone they've left behind for their journey. Nami being the main one I'm thinking of here- spends her entire adult life trying to free her island, runs away from her father and sister immediately afterwards. But there's also the Franky Family and the Sun Pirates as people the Strawhats have felt obligated towards but left.
He's obviously got the dream and the dead inspiration flashback covered. The flashback, importantly, is his as much as the Fishman Island one was Jinbei's. Both revolve more around other characters; Otohime, Tiger and Oden, but they are both framed as Jinbei and Kin'emon's memories of the past.
Position in the crew is a big tricky one. Doesn't really provide much other than strength and being a clothesrack. He'd have to go the Zoro, Ussop and Robin route of being something rather vague, being simply the samurai. Or Oda could make Zoro official First Mate and let Kin take his role of fighter, but that's something I doubt he'd do.
Now, what can actually led him in the story to join?
The way this Kozuki/Red Scabbard plot has been developing over the entirety of the New World story- I just don't see it ending with Wano. It's been tied too much to the endgame plot with the Void Century, Raftel, Joy Boy et al. And the devotion Oda's given it in itself is unique- every island unfolding a new part of the tale, almost like a mirror image of early One Piece with meeting a new Scabbard every island, the overall picture of what they actually want slowly unfolding with each arc. The only thing I can think of that really compares is how Robin's story has been done.
Now, the obvious assumption I think about Kin'emon's dream is that it's resolved by the end of Wano. Orochi and Kaido defeated, Shogun Momo, happy days around. But I have to wonder if it will be as simple as that. Defeating Hody didn't solve Fishman Islands problems. I'm starting to think with this flashback truly opening Wano's borders could be more complex than that. The Kozuki's in the Void Century did not isolate the country and forge indestructible stones telling the truth of what happened because of Kaido. They did it because of, we presume, the forces that became the World Gov who are still around in the present day. That huge war Oden predicted would happen this chapter, that's the EoS war we're talking about here. Much like Jinbei feels that only through Luffy will he get parity for Fishmen, could the situation arise that only through Luffy (Joyboy) will Wano also truly be able to open itself to the world? Does someone from Wano need to see the world like Oden did, learn the reason why Wano has isolated itself eight hundred years, and why it should change? As things stand, the Scabbards know they should open the country. But they don't know why, and I think that is important. They're aiming to fulfil Oden's dream without actually knowing what drove Oden to want to change eight hundred years of culture. I think that's important.
So if the situation is arising where someone needs to sail with Luffy, to find out the truth about Wano, who would that be?
Momo, if it wasn't for his age, would be a shoe-in. But I really don't think I can say more than his age really is just a massive no.
Tama is also too young, and doesn't have any interest in Wano in a wider sense.
Hiyori? Old enough, but, eh, seems pretty useless at sea. Zoro doesn't need a permanent damsel in distress to rescue.
Carrot? Been punted too far to the side, is too unimportant. She's a vassal of a vassal who has disappeared into the background on Wano, which is where she's spent most of her existence. Compare the way Oda has showed Oden and the Red Scabbards story, to her and Pedro's. Clearly one is vastly more important than the other.
The other Scabbards? Just... aren't as important as Kin'emon. Some might be stronger, but the consistent face of the Red Scabbards, and most likely to be the main inheritor of Oden's will, is Kin. He's the one who knew Oden the longest (with Denjiro, who obviously has a big role to play, but very unlikely to be that of a Strawhat.) Like Jinbei and Tiger, Brook and Yorki, he's the right hand man that took charge.
So, that's my argument for him. Something to think about anyway.
