@Shift:
Interesting rule. Red herrings and important characters are mutually exclusive?
Not really a rule just a trend that acts as one.
Only other time I can think of when a red herring was also an important character was when that character turned out to be a villain.
Do you think Yamato is going to end up a villain.
The other options seems to be what you're suggesting; that Yamato is an important character and a red herring for who will join the crew despite the patterns and habits Oda has gone by when it comes to new characters joining the crew.
Yamato has to join because he’s prominent?
Only in a vacuum could this be a serious question.
Only if you ignore the other reasons why Yamato would join.
It really strikes me as a false equivalence, since we’ve had, A) Important non-Straw Hats on WSJ covers, and B) Future Straw Hats like Jinbe not on one. No, I really don’t get it.
Jimbe will get his day.
But I can only see you not getting this if this was the only reasoning for why Yamato will join but you know it isnt so this isn't a real issue once you look at everything else.
He’s strung me along, yes. A few have taken the bait. But no, even in WCI she’s never been a very successful red herring.
From Zou to WCI she was a red herring.
Now the spectrum of good to bad red herring isn't only for you to decide.
And I actually don't even want to get in to why you think that. Oda's showing of Carrot during those two arcs was enough to get plenty to latch on to the idea of her being the next nakama. Enough for 65 ppl to vote for her at least and I'm sure some of those ppl may have moved on to other characters since but that kinda exactly what makes her such a good red herring. The main thing Oda hasn't don't is leave her behind. That would complete it but obviously the minks were so attached to the Wano story and Wano was going to be such a big arc that Carrot is still around in the background with a minor storyline.
Yamato has been very successful, which again, is the point of something to divert the audience. And Carrot still has that unfinished business, is still left hanging, which doesn’t jive with her red herring role being fulfilled by Yamato’s arrival.
This is assuming Carrot actually finishes that unfinished business.
Someone a while back told me something I didn't consider at the time - that Oda pulled a bait and switch where Vivi was the red herring for joining the crew and then he had Robin join. Now I wasn't on forums then sonic don't know what others thought but the only part of the red herring usage that applied was Robin's surprise joining. A villain that kinda helped Luffy and saved his life and lied to the bigger bad. That's it though.
I never thought Vivi was joining the crew so she never came off as a red herring when Robin did join.
Other than ppl thinking that the only other red herring example I can think of os with Paulie and for me that's the only time Oda has done it.
I do not believe anything about circumstances of Yamato's introduction, to hints that he was joining, to him straight up saying I'm leaving with Luffy qualifies him as a red herring for another character to join. Especially not Carrot. She doesn't fit that Vivi/Robin situation and she faded in the background just as much as Paulie did in the Paulie/Franky example. The only thing going for Carrot is that Oda did have in that arc one new character join and 2 others rejoin the crew. Mayne you could stretch that to Oda is having Jimbe join before the last arc and having two new characters join by the end but thats pretty much it and that's a stretch.
The thing for me is, it’s not that I like Carrot or dislike Yamato. It’s never been about that. I’m not saying Yamato’s a bad choice or undeserving. If Yamato joins, I will be happy. If Carrot doesn’t, I’ll live with it.
From your posts, I don't think at all you dislike Yamato or that you like Carrot so much you're willing to dismiss other potential candidates and bash characters. Your post doesn't come off that way at all.
And i should correct my statement. Ppl definitely did care enough to fall for Carrot as a potential new strawhat its just that enough time has passed with her still being around and not seen for readers to fall back out of caring and then to stop thinking she would join.