2. She does not need to be a straw hat to do this
If not Luffy then who will she leave Wano with? Why has she not had any interactions with them?
3. Her development with Luffy is dwarfed by her development with Momo
Not at all:
- Luffy is the one who asked her to protect Momonosuke.
- She spent most of her time with Momonosuke fangirling over Luffy and Ace.
- She repeatedly asked Momo how Luffy was doing.
- She abandoned Momo to assist Luffy.
Her development with Momonosuke was essentially three components:
- An opportunity for Yamato to accept her own identity as Yamato and not Oden
- Handing him Oden's journal
- A vehicle to flesh out her idolisation/worship/friendship of Luffy and Ace
- This was given an inordinate amount of panel time.
So nope. Her development with Momonosuke underscored her development with Luffy.
If you don't believe me, check for yourself.
All Yamato's interactions with/involving Luffy:
All Yamato's interactions with/involving Momonosuke:
All Yamato's interactions with/involving Ace:
4. Luffy fulfils Ace's promise by meeting her again now
Nah, Ace wanted to take her out to sea. He couldn't because of her shackles:
5. She only cared about Luffy because of his relationship to Ace. No straw hat bond with Luffy is like this
Ace is the reason she wanted to meet Luffy. But it doesn't undo her development with Luffy himself. IIRC Jimbe initially only gave Luffy assistance because of Ace and Whitebeard.
Yamato has been waiting for Luffy to rescue her for 2 years and believes it's fate that brought him before her.
"But Ace" is just a purity test. Honestly, it doesn't matter. That Ace planted the seeds for her relationship with Luffy doesn't make her less likely to join. It makes her more likely.
Do you really think that Oda created a character:
- Had the character meet Ace, become very good friends with Ace.
- Ace tried to take them aboard, but they were rejected because of their imprisonment.
- Ace promised to come back for them.
- Had them wait two years for Luffy to show up and take them aboard his ship.
- That character then asked Luffy to let them aboard.
- Luffy bonded with that character, gave them a pet nickname, and began to trust them.
- To the extent that he entrusted the protection of the most valuable person in the war to that character.
- Luffy went further to remove the shackles imprisoning them.
Only for that character not to join the crew?
Calling Yamato a Red Herring does not it justice. The majority of Yamato's characterisation exists for the sole purpose of making her the next nakama. If she doesn't join, then Oda is a troll.
Yamao can do both simultaneously. Guard Momo and sail the seas.
Momonosuke is staying behind on Wano to become its Shogun.
Yamato is not going to sail the seas with someone else when she was waiting for Luffy in particular.
This is a crux for me. Yamato wasn't waiting for someone to come and take her to sea, she was waiting for
Luffy to come and take her out to sea. If Yamato is leaving Wano, it's with Luffy.
I'll read this and get back to you.
2. It's not. The majority of her character is Kozuki and Momo centric. She was introduced in chapter 983, she joined Momo in 989 and has been with him all the way up until 1012. 80% of her time since she was introduced she has been spent babysitting Momo.
Nope. I explained Yamato's interactions with Momo and why it underscores her development with Luffy earlier. I also linked the albums so you can verify this for yourself.
The crew is more than just Luffy. They're a unit and for all the recent members Oda's been sure to give the future straw hat s couple of straw hats to bond with before they join. Yamao would needs some relationships with other straw hats at this stage.
Franky had Usopp and Robin.
Brook had Franky and Zoro.
Jinbe had Nami and Sanji
Meanwhile basically no one in the crew has even met her.
She'll meet the other Strawhats later and probably have significant interactions with Zoro (he's the second person ever to scar her father, even moreso if ZKK happens).
But I don't really agree with this anyway. Robin and Nami only had major interactions with Luffy. As did Zoro, Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, etc.
Out of those that do neither Franky nor Luffy even remember her actual name.
Luffy knows her name, "Yamao" is his nickname for her. Just like how he calls Law "Tora O" or Law calls Zoro "Zoro ya". Were you calling her Yamao all this time thinking that Luffy forgot her name?
If she was fine as she is then she would've have the nickname "Oni-Nami". If it was just me saying this then whatever, but even people that want Yamao to join the crew acknowledge the problematic similarities with her design.
I think the Nami similarities argument is a purity test that has no bearing on Yamato's likelihood of joining the crew.
Oden profoundly impacted a lot of people's lives. Including people who actually knew him, were loved by him and are now reading his journal.
Q.
Does Yamao have the the most meaningful bond with Oden in this arc alone, yes or no?
With every single other straw hat they are the closest to their mentor.
Luffy is Shanks' no.1
Bellamere loves Nami and Nojiko both more than anything
No one was more important to Tom than Franky and Iceburg
etc.
Oden literally had a whole gang of followers who he adored and passed his will onto. All 11 of them. And Yamao is not among them. Instead she read his journal that Shinobu is now also reading, making the tiny unique thing she still had not even solely hers anymore.
This is true. There isn't any real counter, I just don't think it matters.
This is not the kind of thing that would change my opinion at all. Ultimately: "Yamato's relationship with Oden was not as exclusive as for the other Strawhats" is a purity test. I think purity tests have no bearing on a character joining the crew.
You didn't see me saying that Yamato will join because she fits the pattern of the female recruits of the Strawhats because I don't find that by itself a compelling argument.
I think purity tests rank even lower than such pattern-based arguments when it comes to the next Nakama.
I don't think Oda cares for fandom purity tests or uses them as a narrative.
Doesn't count.
There's a specific term for people who fire from long distances. Likewise, there's a specific term for people who fight with swords. The reason these types of fighters have a specific name for their fighting styles is because they're actual positions. Pirate crews could have duels between which ship has the best sniper. Or who has the best swordsman.
Yamao's combat style just doesn't fit IMO.
No, Zoro's official position in the crew is currently "combatant". That's what his vivre card and other such information says. I'm speculating that Yamato will be given that designation next and Zoro will be promoted to Vice Captain or Firstmate.