Character Discussion Some Thoughts on Yamato 4 Nakama

Yamato 4 Nakama?


  • Total voters
    58
  • Poll closed .
#42
Acknowledgements
I give all gratitude to my mistresses Sloth and Procrastination. This essay wouldn't be possible if they didn't make me take time away from my actual job.

Special thanks to @dizzy2341 who nerd sniped me into writing an essay defending Yamato's candidacy. This is just a signal boost of that essay.


Disclaimer
This isn't my planned Yamato 4 Nakama thread. I don't know if I'll get around to writing that anytime soon (or if it would even be necessary after this), but it's not this (whatever this is). This began as a reply to @dizzy2341, but became extensively long (since I had already put so much effort into it I felt like it could do with the extra exposure).

I tag a lot of people for my posts. If you want to be removed from my tag lists, let me know. Likewise, if you want to be added.


Introduction
I think there are two major determinants of whether a given character in an arc is a potential nakama:
  1. Prominence in the arc
    • How big a role do they play in the events of the arc?
    • How memorable a character are they?
  2. Interactions with Luffy
    • Do they like Luffy as a person?
    • Do they want to follow/join Luffy?
    • Did Luffy save them?
    • Did Luffy ask them to join?
    • Did they ask Luffy to let them aboard?

I might add a section refuting some of the common counterarguments later, or I might just make that a separate post in this thread.


Character Prominence
Yamato has been very prominent since Onigashima began. In fact, after Kaido and Linlin, she was by far the most prominent of the Beast Pirate affiliated individuals in Onigashima.

As an example of her prominence, there have been SIX chapters that had titles referencing Yamato.

Chapter 979
The title is: "Family Problem":

The title references Kaido's issues involving Yamato:



Chapter 983
The title is: "Thunder":

The title references Yamato's Thunder Bagua:

I checked the chapter and there's nothing else the "Thunder" could have been about.

Chapter 984
The title is: "My Bible":

The title references Oden's journal becoming Yamato's Bible:

Chapter 994
The title is: "My Other Name is Yamato":

The title references Yamato's self introduction to Momonosuke:

Chapter 999
The title is: "The Sake I Brewed to Drink With You":

The title references Yamato and Ace's camaraderie:


Chapter 1012
The title is: "Itch":

The title references (among other things) Yamato's itching to fight Kaido:

From the very moment Onigashima began, Yamato became a focal point on the island, with chapter after chapter focusing on events involving or related to her.

Even without looking at the chapter titles, her focal role is very apparent:
  • The Tobi Roppo were introduced and tasked with capturing her
    • This setup the Tobi Roppo vs Calamities
    • This setup the meritocratic nature of Kaido's crew
  • Kaido revealed that he had a very important announcement involving her
    • This setup Kaido's declaration of his ambitions with Linlin
    • He intended to make her the Shogun of New Onigashima
  • Her backstory with Ace spanned 2 - 3 chapters
    • She may get yet another one with Kaido on the Rooftop
  • She has been given heavy character development in the arc
    • She went from describing herself as Oden to independently declaring herself as "Yamato".
      • This was the focus of an entire chapter
    • She disowned Kaido
    • She raised arms against the other Beast Pirates
    • She declared her desire to fight Kaido
  • She's heading to the Rooftop right now to confront Kaido


Interactions With Luffy
As for her interactions with Luffy:
  • She rescued Luffy from Ulti:
  • She fought Luffy until he agreed to listen to her:


  • She shared her life story with Luffy:
  • She told Luffy she wanted to fight on his side:
  • She asked Luffy to let her onboard his ship:
  • Luffy freed her from her prison of 20 years:


  • She and Luffy listened to Kaido's New Onigashima announcement together




  • Luffy entrusted her to protect Momonosuke:

  • Luffy gave her a pet nickname:
  • She actually bonded with Luffy. She was shown to be worried about him as the battle proceeded:



Yamato's entire relationship with Ace (something Oda covered over the course of 3 chapters) is just further development with Luffy by proxy.

I'm running into the image limits, so here's an album that has all their scenes together:

To summarise:
  • Yamato fought with Ace
    • He commented that she was too strong to not be the captain
    • The result of the battle was a stalemate
  • They bonded over their shared resentment for their biological parents.
  • Ace helped her to break free of the Shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
  • They shared drinks together.
  • They became close friends.
  • Ace offered her to go to sea with him, but she had to decline because of the prison shackles.
  • Ace told her about Luffy.
  • She made Ace's Vivre Card.
  • They promised to meet up again.
  • She later learned of Ace's death and of how Luffy became a Great Pirate.
  • She believes that it was fate that brought Luffy to Onigashima.

Now for how Yamato's relationship with Luffy ties into all of this:
  • Since Ace's death she has been waiting for Luffy for two years.
  • She fought Luffy.
    • She told Luffy that he reminds her of Ace.
  • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • She mentioned her meeting Ace to Luffy and how she couldn't sail with Ace because of her shackles.
  • Luffy offered to remove the shackles Kaido had placed on her.
    • Ace removed the shackles Kaido placed on her heart.
    • Luffy removed the shackles Kaido placed on her body.


An Argument From Necessity
Yamato is a character that was designed to become Luffy's crewmate. If Oda did not intend for Yamato to become a nakama, then many components of her character are outright superfluous — they can be discarded without affecting her ability to fulfill whatever other role Oda had designed for her post Wano (presumably protecting Momonosuke or Wano itself).

  1. Her imprisonment
    • Yamato has been confined to the island of Onigashima for 20 years and unable to set foot outside it.
    • This underpins her interactions with two major figures in her life: Ace and Luffy.
  2. Her dream
    • Yamato's dream is to see the world. This requires her to leave Onigashima. Luffy offers her an avenue to realise this dream.
  3. Her development with Luffy
    • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • Luffy accepted her offer of assistance.
    • He removed the shackles that were physically restraining her.
    • Luffy gradually grew to trust her more and even entrusted Momonosuke with her.
    • She grew to care about Luffy and regularly asked Momonosuke how he was holding up on the Rooftop.
  4. Her backstory with Ace
    • Ace tried to recruit her since they were such good friends.
    • Ace released the shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
    • Ace promised to meet up with her again, but he died before he could fulfil his promise.
  5. Ace informing her about Luffy
    • After Ace's death, she began waiting for Luffy — and Luffy in particular, not any other pirate — to show up on Onigashima.
    • She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate.

The above five components of Yamato's character are not needed if Yamato is not to leave Wano aboard Luffy's ship. If Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momonosuke and/or Wano he could have simply made her the rebellious daughter of Kaido who idolised Oden.

To give Yamato the dream of seeing the world only to later confine her to Wano after she was imprisoned since childhood would be excessively cruel. Had Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momo and Wano, he wouldn't have made her a prisoner that longed to be free.


Conclusions
Yamato was literally created to be a nakama. Quite annoyingly, she's a princess that's been locked up in a tower for 20 years, and for the last two years she's been waiting for Luffy (in particular) to come and rescue her as her Prince Charming.

I think that's a very annoying trope, but it is what it is.


Summary
This is very important, but if you take a few things alone from this piece, then understand this:
  • After the Yonkou, Yamato has been the most prominent member on the Beast Pirates side with 6 chapters named after her.
  • Yamato had a very fleshed-out character development with Luffy. Most of her dialogue and interactions have been with him.
    • This was very superfluous if Oda intended for her to remain on Onigashima.
  • Yamato had a lengthy backstory with Ace that developed her relationship with Luffy by proxy.
    • Said backstory spanned 3 chapters.
  • For the last 2 years, Yamato has been waiting for Luffy to show up and take her out to sea.
    • Oda created a very prominent character and had them wait for Luffy to come and invite them aboard his ship.
    • Yamato's backstory means that she was designed to be a crewmate. Since before the time skip, Yamato has been waiting for Luffy to take her out a way. Yes this may involve some undesirable tropes (Yamato is the Princess in the Tower waiting for her Prince Charming to come and whisk her away), but it is what Oda did.
    • Do you really think Oda created a character for Luffy to take onboard his ship only for Luffy to reject her after she asks to join?
  • Yamato's character has multiple components that are unnecessary if she wasn't intended to become a nakama:
    • Her imprisonment
    • Her dream
    • Her development with Luffy
    • Her development with Ace
    • Ace informing her about Luffy

Development with Luffy and a desire to join the crew (either on Luffy's part or the character's) are ultimately the major determinants of who becomes the next nakama. Yamato has those in spades.
Cinera with da another essay is a bless for me :kata:
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
#43
she can stay and take care of Momo.......
No way. Onigashima has been her prison. Remaining on Wano just confines her to an even larger prison.

Besides, Yamato's buildup with Luffy is stronger IMO.

Yamato's interactions with Momonosuke have underscored her interactions with Luffy:
  • 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/with Luffy and Ace
    • This was given an inordinate amount of panel time.

Ultimately, Yamato's story prioritising Momonosuke over Luffy is one that I cannot see.

If Yamato is to leave Wano, with anyone, I think it would be Luffy.

Of the many pirates in Onigashima, Luffy:
  • Is the one she's been waiting for
    • She believes that his arrival on Onigashima is fate.
  • Is the only one she's had any interactions with
  • Is the one she asked to let her aboard their crew
  • Is the one who freed her from her shackles
  • Is the younger brother of her first friend
    • Said friend "saved" her by removing the shackles binding her heart.
    • Said friend wanted to recruit her but could not because of her physical shackles.
    • Said friend promised to come back for her, but died before they could meet again.
 
#45
Alright, while I think and acknowledge her will to leave Wano and discover the world, I am not sure she will go with Luffy. The main 2 reasons is that she should already know what and where the One Piece is. And yeah I know she isn't going to spoil it to Luffy but it would still be weird to have someone among the crew that knows the journey before it's started.
Also I think she might stay in Wano to help Wano rebuild its prestige and somehow atone for the act of her father (which she has nothing to do about).

This arc imo is about heritage, Oden's heritage through the scabbards, Momo and Hiyori and Kaido's heritage trough the Smiles consequences, the destruction of Wano villages and the presence of Yamato.

Kaido made Wano a hell to live in, and I think Yamato will help to do the opposite. Besides they might need her strength.
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
#46
Also I think she might stay in Wano to help Wano rebuild its prestige and somehow atone for the act of her father (which she has nothing to do about).
Yamato has been imprisoned on Onigashima all her life. Asking her to remain in Wano will just move her to a larger prison.


This arc imo is about heritage, Oden's heritage through the scabbards, Momo and Hiyori and Kaido's heritage trough the Smiles consequences, the destruction of Wano villages and the presence of Yamato.

Kaido made Wano a hell to live in, and I think Yamato will help to do the opposite. Besides they might need her strength.
I addressed this at length in the OP, so I'll just paste what I said earlier.

Yamato is a character that was designed to become Luffy's crewmate. If Oda did not intend for Yamato to become a nakama, then many components of her character are outright superfluous — they can be discarded without affecting her ability to fulfill whatever other role Oda had designed for her post Wano (presumably protecting Momonosuke or Wano itself).

  1. Her imprisonment
    • Yamato has been confined to the island of Onigashima for 20 years and unable to set foot outside it.
    • This underpins her interactions with two major figures in her life: Ace and Luffy.
  2. Her dream
    • Yamato's dream is to see the world. This requires her to leave Onigashima. Luffy offers her an avenue to realise this dream.
  3. Her development with Luffy
    • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • Luffy accepted her offer of assistance.
    • He removed the shackles that were physically restraining her.
    • Luffy gradually grew to trust her more and even entrusted Momonosuke with her.
    • She grew to care about Luffy and regularly asked Momonosuke how he was holding up on the Rooftop.
  4. Her backstory with Ace
    • Ace tried to recruit her since they were such good friends.
    • Ace released the shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
    • Ace promised to meet up with her again, but he died before he could fulfil his promise.
  5. Ace informing her about Luffy
    • After Ace's death, she began waiting for Luffy — and Luffy in particular, not any other pirate — to show up on Onigashima.
    • She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate.

The above five components of Yamato's character are not needed if Yamato is not to leave Wano aboard Luffy's ship. If Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momonosuke and/or Wano he could have simply made her the rebellious daughter of Kaido who idolised Oden.

To give Yamato the dream of seeing the world only to later confine her to Wano after she was imprisoned since childhood would be excessively cruel. Had Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momo and Wano, he wouldn't have made her a prisoner that longed to be free.
 
#47
Yamato has been imprisoned on Onigashima all her life. Asking her to remain in Wano will just move her to a larger prison.



I addressed this at length in the OP, so I'll just paste what I said earlier.

Yamato is a character that was designed to become Luffy's crewmate. If Oda did not intend for Yamato to become a nakama, then many components of her character are outright superfluous — they can be discarded without affecting her ability to fulfill whatever other role Oda had designed for her post Wano (presumably protecting Momonosuke or Wano itself).

  1. Her imprisonment
    • Yamato has been confined to the island of Onigashima for 20 years and unable to set foot outside it.
    • This underpins her interactions with two major figures in her life: Ace and Luffy.
  2. Her dream
    • Yamato's dream is to see the world. This requires her to leave Onigashima. Luffy offers her an avenue to realise this dream.
  3. Her development with Luffy
    • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • Luffy accepted her offer of assistance.
    • He removed the shackles that were physically restraining her.
    • Luffy gradually grew to trust her more and even entrusted Momonosuke with her.
    • She grew to care about Luffy and regularly asked Momonosuke how he was holding up on the Rooftop.
  4. Her backstory with Ace
    • Ace tried to recruit her since they were such good friends.
    • Ace released the shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
    • Ace promised to meet up with her again, but he died before he could fulfil his promise.
  5. Ace informing her about Luffy
    • After Ace's death, she began waiting for Luffy — and Luffy in particular, not any other pirate — to show up on Onigashima.
    • She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate.

The above five components of Yamato's character are not needed if Yamato is not to leave Wano aboard Luffy's ship. If Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momonosuke and/or Wano he could have simply made her the rebellious daughter of Kaido who idolised Oden.

To give Yamato the dream of seeing the world only to later confine her to Wano after she was imprisoned since childhood would be excessively cruel. Had Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momo and Wano, he wouldn't have made her a prisoner that longed to be free.
Imo whether or not she joins the crew, I don’t think you can disregard these parts of her characters because
1. Explains why she hasn’t been apart of the story until Onigaishima, if she wasn’t confined and hated her father THAT much wouldn’t she have already been apart of the efforts to stop him?
2. Her dream comes from her confinement
3-5. IMO the Ace connection serves as a tool for Yamato to gain Luffy’s trust quickly despite the fact that she’s the enemy’s daughter, because I don’t think he would’ve let her protect momo alone otherwise. And Ace informing her about luffy serves the opposite purpose, for Yamato to trust luffy, seek him out, and be willing to help him fight Kaido

I don’t think it’s true at all to say they’re SOLELY there for her to join the crew
 
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#48
Yamato has been imprisoned on Onigashima all her life. Asking her to remain in Wano will just move her to a larger prison.



I addressed this at length in the OP, so I'll just paste what I said earlier.

Yamato is a character that was designed to become Luffy's crewmate. If Oda did not intend for Yamato to become a nakama, then many components of her character are outright superfluous — they can be discarded without affecting her ability to fulfill whatever other role Oda had designed for her post Wano (presumably protecting Momonosuke or Wano itself).

  1. Her imprisonment
    • Yamato has been confined to the island of Onigashima for 20 years and unable to set foot outside it.
    • This underpins her interactions with two major figures in her life: Ace and Luffy.
  2. Her dream
    • Yamato's dream is to see the world. This requires her to leave Onigashima. Luffy offers her an avenue to realise this dream.
  3. Her development with Luffy
    • She asked Luffy to let her aboard his ship.
    • Luffy accepted her offer of assistance.
    • He removed the shackles that were physically restraining her.
    • Luffy gradually grew to trust her more and even entrusted Momonosuke with her.
    • She grew to care about Luffy and regularly asked Momonosuke how he was holding up on the Rooftop.
  4. Her backstory with Ace
    • Ace tried to recruit her since they were such good friends.
    • Ace released the shackles Kaido had placed on her heart.
    • Ace promised to meet up with her again, but he died before he could fulfil his promise.
  5. Ace informing her about Luffy
    • After Ace's death, she began waiting for Luffy — and Luffy in particular, not any other pirate — to show up on Onigashima.
    • She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate.

The above five components of Yamato's character are not needed if Yamato is not to leave Wano aboard Luffy's ship. If Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momonosuke and/or Wano he could have simply made her the rebellious daughter of Kaido who idolised Oden.

To give Yamato the dream of seeing the world only to later confine her to Wano after she was imprisoned since childhood would be excessively cruel. Had Oda intended for Yamato to become a guardian to Momo and Wano, he wouldn't have made her a prisoner that longed to be free.
I don't see her as a guardian of Momo and Hiyori actually but more like a protector of Wano and a help to rebuild.

Tbh I'm all for Yamato to join the crew and while I also think the chances are high for it to happen, I'm afraid Oda has something else for her in reserve. And that role will be in Wano.
 
H

Haoshoku

#49
You’re not gonna get through to the obstinate dickhole who inspired this, but it’s a tremendous analysis and extremely well-done as always :cheers:
Yo Is it really necessary to be insulting my guy Dizzy like that over just a nakama discussion? I get that it can get heated but there’s no reason to to be insulting anybody over it for mere disagreements. Uncalled for tbh.
 

Jew D. Boy

I Can Go Lower
#50
Yo Is it really necessary to be insulting my guy Dizzy like that over just a nakama discussion? I get that it can get heated but there’s no reason to to be insulting anybody over it for mere disagreements. Uncalled for tbh.
Absolutely it is, he acts like a smarmy little dick about the whole thing and he deserves to be treated accordingly. Instead of coming to me to be better, how about you get your boy in order first, teach him how to respond to someone’s apology without being a bitch, and I’ll consider being a little nicer?
 
D

Dragomir

#52
Absolutely it is, he acts like a smarmy little dick about the whole thing and he deserves to be treated accordingly. Instead of coming to me to be better, how about you get your boy in order first, teach him how to respond to someone’s apology without being a bitch, and I’ll consider being a little nicer?
No, it is 100% not necessary to attack him, especially when Dizzy made zero posts in this thread.
You’re not gonna get through to the obstinate dickhole who inspired this, but it’s a tremendous analysis and extremely well-done as always :cheers:
A message like this is flat-out uncalled for and makes you come off as the perpetuating asshole in this feud or whatever that y'all two are having. Drop it. And no, Hao doesn't have to go tell Dizzy anything. If you can't be nicer then don't respond to him. There's an ignore button right there for you to use. Otherwise, if you're gonna continue with the insults then you will be punished. This not only goes for you but for Dizzy as well.
 

Jew D. Boy

I Can Go Lower
#53
No, it is 100% not necessary to attack him, especially when Dizzy made zero posts in this thread.

A message like this is flat-out uncalled for and makes you come off as the perpetuating asshole in this feud or whatever that y'all two are having. Drop it. And no, Hao doesn't have to go tell Dizzy anything. If you can't be nicer then don't respond to him. There's an ignore button right there for you to use. Otherwise, if you're gonna continue with the insults then you will be punished. This not only goes for you but for Dizzy as well.
Y’all might as well go ahead and ban me, then. I apologized to the prick months ago and he ignored it, so I won’t be doing that again. Do what you feel is necessary, wouldn’t be the first time the leadership around here went after one person when at least two are at fault.
 
D

Dragomir

#54
Y’all might as well go ahead and ban me, then. I apologized to the prick months ago and he ignored it, so I won’t be doing that again. Do what you feel is necessary, wouldn’t be the first time the leadership around here went after one person when at least two are at fault.
I'm not asking for you to apologize to him again. I want you to either debate civilly with the guy or just ignore him completely. Calling the man an obstinate dick isn't part of that deal. If you think he's being a bitch or a prick then why do you have to act the same way? Hell if anything, you are acting worse as I haven't seen Dizzy make any random insult at you out of nowhere. Be the better man, Jew.

I don't want to derail the thread so this is the last post I'll make on the matter. Pay heed to this warning, Jew.
 

Jew D. Boy

I Can Go Lower
#55
I'm not asking for you to apologize to him again. I want you to either debate civilly with the guy or just ignore him completely. Calling the man an obstinate dick isn't part of that deal. If you think he's being a bitch or a prick then why do you have to act the same way? Hell if anything, you are acting worse as I haven't seen Dizzy make any random insult at you out of nowhere. Be the better man, Jew.

I don't want to derail the thread so this is the last post I'll make on the matter. Pay heed to this warning, Jew.
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
#58
3-5. IMO the Ace connection serves as a tool for Yamato to gain Luffy’s trust quickly despite the fact that she’s the enemy’s daughter, because I don’t think he would’ve let her protect momo alone otherwise. And Ace informing her about luffy serves the opposite purpose, for Yamato to trust luffy, seek him out, and be willing to help him fight Kaido
I think you're wrong on #3 - #5. Yamato never shared Luffy with Ace — her flashback happened with Momonosuke — Luffy never even commented on Yamato mentioning Ace.

He did not even show any indication that he heard Ace's name.

Yamato has literally been waiting for Luffy to show up for years:


She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate:


1. Explains why she hasn’t been apart of the story until Onigaishima, if she wasn’t confined and hated her father THAT much wouldn’t she have already been apart of the efforts to stop him?
2. Her dream comes from her confinement
Her dream comes from her confinement, but Oda is not going to give a character a dream to be free and them imprison them in Wano.


I don’t think it’s true at all to say they’re SOLELY there for her to join the crew
#1 isn't solely for her to join the crew, but #2 - #5 are. If Oda didn't intend for her to join the crew, then he wasn't going to give her a dream that requires her to leave Wano and had her wait on Luffy in particular.


Tbh I'm all for Yamato to join the crew and while I also think the chances are high for it to happen, I'm afraid Oda has something else for her in reserve. And that role will be in Wano
I can't imagine it. It would be excessively cruel for an allied character that had been involuntarily imprisoned all their life to never acquire freedom when presented with the opportunity.

If Oda wanted Yamato to remain on Wano, he's not going to make her life dream seeking freedom. That's just wicked.
 
#59
I think you're wrong on #3 - #5. Yamato never shared Luffy with Ace — her flashback happened with Momonosuke — Luffy never even commented on Yamato mentioning Ace.

He did not even show any indication that he heard Ace's name.

Yamato has literally been waiting for Luffy to show up for years:


She believes that Momonosuke bringing Luffy to Wano is fate:



Her dream comes from her confinement, but Oda is not going to give a character a dream to be free and them imprison them in Wano.



#1 isn't solely for her to join the crew, but #2 - #5 are. If Oda didn't intend for her to join the crew, then he wasn't going to give her a dream that requires her to leave Wano and had her wait on Luffy in particular.



I can't imagine it. It would be excessively cruel for an allied character that had been involuntarily imprisoned all their life to never acquire freedom when presented with the opportunity.
Yamato mentions Ace to luffy multiple times so he definitely heard it
“You remind me of Ace”
“Since your Ace’s little brother”
“I wanted to go out to sea with Ace and the others”
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that’s part of the reason he begins to trust her (along with the cuffs being proof of her confinement) even if he doesn’t know the extent of their relationship

Yamato CHOOSING to stay on Wano wouldn’t be “imprisonment”, it’s just as “free” as choosing to leave. She says she wants to go to sea ODEN,
On the other hand she tells momo (as Yamato) that she would die for him and that he’ll bring the dawn of the world. So there are two conflicting paths for her, one as Oden and one as Yamato.
Her entire character arc is about identity. I believe that by the end of it she’ll have to choose identify or the other (Oden or Yamato)

To add to the idea of identity:
-her identity is concealed during her introduction
-her conflicting gender identity
-Yamato vs Oden
-her relationship with her father
 

Cinera

𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐭
#60
Yamato mentions Ace to luffy multiple times so he definitely heard it
“You remind me of Ace”
“Since your Ace’s little brother”
“I wanted to go out to sea with Ace and the others”
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that’s part of the reason he begins to trust her (along with the cuffs being proof of her confinement) even if he doesn’t know the extent of their relationship
  • Luffy never reacts to her mentions of Ace.
    • He doesn't even acknowledge them.
  • Yamato and Luffy spent several chapters together in which Luffy probed at her intentions and resolve.
  • Luffy grew to trust Yamato as her own person.

Ace never factored into his decision (there is literally nothing that suggests this).


Yamato CHOOSING to stay on Wano wouldn’t be “imprisonment”, it’s just as “free” as choosing to leave.
Yamato has longed to see the outside world for 20 years. Remaining behind on Wano after the arc ends would deny her the fulfilment of her long cherished dream. It's an imprisonment, just voluntarily.

Really, to give a character a dream to see the world and never let the fulfill it would be cruel. Imagine if Otama never sees a country without starvation? If Sanji never finds the All Blue?


She says she wants to go to sea ODEN,
Yamato's dream is note some abstract notion of freedom as choice. She wants to travel to sea and go on several adventures. She wants to live a free life:


She swore to Ace that if she ever gets her cuffs off she'll travel out to sea as well:




On the other hand she tells momo (as Yamato) that she would die for him and that he’ll bring the dawn of the world. So there are two conflicting paths for her, one as Oden and one as Yamato.
Her entire character arc is about identity. I believe that by the end of it she’ll have to choose identify or the other (Oden or Yamato)
I don't really agree with this. It's not like Yamato has separate desires as Oden and as Yamato. She's one person, she's just acknowledging her own identity.

Even when she accepts her self as Yamato, she still acts in a manner she thinks is befitting for Kozuki Oden:
.

I don't think she independently cares about Momonosuke. She thinks he's a very important person due to what she read about him in Oden's journal, but he's not her priority.

She only decided to protect Momo because Luffy asked her to:


She abandoned Momo to assist Luffy:
 
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