Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 8 - Onigashima)

BobLoblaw

It's also possible that the last character is a repurposed old concept. Like, if Yamato is indeed the last SH, he may not have been planned to be Kaido's child to begin with, but rather be a similar character the SH would eventually meet sooner or later.

I just have a hard time believing that Oda just said "F*** it. I'll make up the last SH and introduce them during the climax of Wano and then retcon them into significance." I'd like to think he was more deliberate than that, especially given the decades before that with him applying an amazing level of foreshadowing and character building. Of course, he is estimating about another 5 years or so before the end, so maybe he did. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

King Cannon

@BobLoblaw:

I just have a hard time believing that Oda just said "F*** it. I'll make up the last SH and introduce them during the climax of Wano and then retcon them into significance." I'd like to think he was more deliberate than that, especially given the decades before that with him applying an amazing level of foreshadowing and character building. Of course, he is estimating about another 5 years or so before the end, so maybe he did. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Again, you overestimate Oda's foreshadowing abilities. I just listed loads of examples that were created in the last minute but turned out essential to OP's story.

He does have a general overarching plot on his mind, but details, big and small, can be changed from initial concept.

Monquito

There's nothing wrong with not having everything planned from the beggining.

Luke and Leia weren't originally planned to be brothers, that idea sparked after they did some sexy kissing.

theackwardstation

I don't see much problem in Yamato being introduced this late without any foreshadowing, even if he joins. If it works, it works, so why would Oda not do it?

Anyway, I believe Yamato was planned at the very least since the start of Wano despite the lack of clues. The more clear becomes his role in the plot, the more obvious it'll be that his existence was a fundamental piece of the puzzle - thematically or as a plot device or by joining the crew. Besides that, Oda is making all the legends have kids, including the late addition of Edward Weevil, and that's because Oda likes to play with this concept - especially how they stray away from the path of their parents. Kaido would not be an exception, so Yamato should have crossed Oda's mind a long time ago.

BobLoblaw

@King:

Again, you overestimate Oda's foreshadowing abilities. I just listed loads of examples that were created in the last minute but turned out essential to OP's story.

He does have a general overarching plot on his mind, but details, big and small, can be changed from initial concept.

You did, but there are also tons of examples where he planned things out years in advance. Sabo, Brook/Laboon, Jinbe, Sanji aka Mr. Prince and his family history, Usopp's lies becoming true, Luffy and the statue, wanting a musician on the crew, and several dozen (if not hundreds) more. I'd lump something as significant as a new SH in there somewhere, whether it's their position on the ship or their role in the story. So far, neither Carrot nor Yamato have had much in the way of foreshadowing, so maybe he did just decide to retcon the last SH into significance.

Shiebs

If Yamato is going to join do you think Oda will reveal his Zoan power before they leave Wano? Or will he leave that for later so there’s still some surprises left with him?

Also I still hope he has the White Tiger Zoan Devil Fruit, especially if the fur gets tainted like his hair, that would look so cool

MiyamotoMusashi

@Shiebs:

If Yamato is going to join do you think Oda will reveal his Zoan power before they leave Wano? Or will he leave that for later so there’s still some surprises left with him?

Also I still hope he has the White Tiger Zoan Devil Fruit, especially if the fur gets tainted like his hair, that would look so cool

Yamato will have her fight in Wa No.

RomanceDawn

I know I'm jumping all in the Kool'aid without really knowing the flavor but should Yamato join, this image here always seemed like a hint to me.

!

Of course this is no story element or plot point we could look back on but I always found it interesting that one of Oda's early ideas for Nami was for her to wield an axe. I big ol' rough and tumble axe for Nami, complete with scars. All that robotic stuff would later resurface in Franky so I've been keeping my eye open for an axe wielding woman. A woman with a large melee weapon who would most definitely get in the thick of it as much as Luffy, Zoro or Sanji. A woman who hopefully didn't look too much like Nami lol. It's getting better!

Of course an axe is very different from a club in that one is sharp and one is blunt. At the same time however both axes and clubs don't have the same finesse that a sword or staff would. They just don't. Because they are generally much more massive or heavy they are swung around with a little more untamed, ferocious savagery. Not saying they each don't have their own technicalities that have to be cultivated of course.

Anyway yes, I am steadily getting comfortable in the Yamato for Straw Hat wagon. The way Yamato has been presented gives me these old back burner Nami vibes.

Coookie

@BobLoblaw:

You did, but there are also tons of examples where he planned things out years in advance. Sabo, Brook/Laboon, Jinbe, Sanji aka Mr. Prince and his family history, Usopp's lies becoming true, Luffy and the statue, wanting a musician on the crew, and several dozen (if not hundreds) more. I'd lump something as significant as a new SH in there somewhere, whether it's their position on the ship or their role in the story. So far, neither Carrot nor Yamato have had much in the way of foreshadowing, so maybe he did just decide to retcon the last SH into significance.

I think the only things planned years in advance that you listed are Jimbei, Brook and him being the musician. Sabo, Mr. Prince and Usopp's lies are things I can see Oda soft retconning because he had fun ideas that he could make fit with what he's shown before. But I don't know what exactly you mean with Luffy's statue. The Dressrosa one? That one is probably also something he made up when he started Dressrosa or even after

MasterKingJC

The secret to Oda's success is that he is both a master planner and a master improviser. He can connect his long-term story beats with sudden bursts of inspiration together almost coherently. The isolated world of countless islands that he created helps to allow this kind of serendipity to flourish.

Jaime

@RomanceDawn:

I know I'm jumping all in the Kool'aid without really knowing the flavor but should Yamato join, this image here always seemed like a hint to me.

! https://i.imgur.com/SKx3h3w.jpg

Of course this is no story element or plot point we could look back on but I always found it interesting that one of Oda's early ideas for Nami was for her to wield an axe. I big ol' rough and tumble axe for Nami, complete with scars. All that robotic stuff would later resurface in Franky so I've been keeping my eye open for an axe wielding woman. A woman with a large melee weapon who would most definitely get in the thick of it as much as Luffy, Zoro or Sanji. A woman who hopefully didn't look too much like Nami lol. It's getting better!

Of course an axe is very different from a club in that one is sharp and one is blunt. At the same time however both axes and clubs don't have the same finesse that a sword or staff would. They just don't. Because they are generally much more massive or heavy they are swung around with a little more untamed, ferocious savagery. Not saying they each don't have their own technicalities that have to be cultivated of course.

Anyway yes, I am steadily getting comfortable in the Yamato for Straw Hat wagon. The way Yamato has been presented gives me these old back burner Nami vibes.

\

Welcome to the Club Romance Dawn.

There a free 5 star breakfast every Sunday

Robby

Oda commented around chapter 940 that he was reading Rose of Versailles and was surprised by the lead turning out to be a woman. It seems fair to assume that might be the inspiration for Yamato's reveal a few months later, the same way the Red Wedding in GoT inspired his own twist wedding, given that he was impressed enough to go out of his way to mention it. (When it was literally the only thing I know about RoV).

Yamato certainly exists as a convenient way to help tie together a ton of loose ends and may have been created last minute for that reason… or may have been a longer term idea shaped by current needs and inspirations. It's hard to say.

So then the question becomes... did he always intend for Kaidou to have a son? Did he decide only recently that the gender thing would be an interesting twist? If so, then Yamato a we know him just didn't exist in Oda's mind a year ago. Or is it a Vivi and Law situation where its basically made up on the spot but becomes super important anyway because the story is organic?

Oda's apparently said that "the crew he originally envisioned was complete" in that one spread... so whoever the last is would obviously have to be something he thought of in the 23 years since. In the last year? In the last ten years? 22 years ago? Who knows.

@theackwardstation:

Who missed that?

No one caught the shadow at the time. It was a retroactive "oh wow that was there" reveal a couple months later.

If anyone here caught it, they didn't make a big deal about it, it didn't get into heavy speculation and discussion or get its own threads or anything.

Not that I remember anyway, it has been basically a decade so I can easily be wrong about that, but the retroactive reveal (which was the intention for the general audience) is what I clearly remember as being the big deal.

Syphin

Yamato seems too major a character in Wano Kuni to not have been conceived from at the very least the start of the Wano Kuni Arc.

Oda had already tied Ace's story to Wano Kuni during the Battle of Marineford, so he would have been planning in advance how to substantiate that story. Once Oda had a clearer idea of how he wished to portray Wano Kuni (controlled by Kaido and with Wano being the origin of the Poneglyphs), he could have started out conceiving his ideas for Tama and Yamato's story. Considering the moments highlighted between Ace and Tama take place after Ace met Yamato (timewise), Oda would have likely already conceptualised Yamato's role to a extent at that point in time. When Ace was interacting with Tama, he was talking about leaving Wano to return with a bigger crew which implies that any desire he had at attacking Kaido had dissipated by that point (it would be unlike Ace to at least try beforehand to help people in need in front of him, especially if it involved kidnapped children). This could be where Oda began playing around with the ideas of Yamato fighting Ace, befriending him and possibly being Kaido's child. By chapter 912, Oda already knew that he wanted Ace to have realised he was no match for Kaido and consequently was not able to liberate Wano Kuni which explains why he had Ace discuss with Tama his desire to return to Wano with a bigger crew to eventually transform it into a place where Tama can eat as much as she wants once he returns (chapter 918). Such dialog conveys a deeper story in play with Ace which Oda already put into motion by chapter 912. From my perspective, Oda would have been thinking about the events to play out when Ace tried to stop Kaido by this point and likely even before the Wano Kuni Arc officially began (chapter 909).

Everything so far in the New World story has been building up to the climax of the Wano Kuni story and that includes Momonosuke's role. Yamato will be integral in helping Momonosuke realise his importance and may also have relevance in helping Momonosuke control his Artificial Dragon/Koi Devil Fruit that has been a plot thread since chapter 685. Will the Artificial Devil Fruit be relevant during the Wano Kuni Arc or will it come into play later in the story when Momonosuke as Shogun of Wano Kuni "challenges" Im and the World Government?

Even if Yamato was not conceived near the start of the One Piece story, there are ways to tie their role to elements introduced/foreshadowed earlier in the story. I have theorised on a few across my post relating to Yamato's potential. If Yamato is a Stonemason, they will have a role supporting Robin in creating the first complete Poneglyph once Robin has gathered all the Poneglyph readings and established her interpretation (tying Yamato's role back to the dialog relating to the Poneglyphs conveyed in chapter 301). Yamato being a Stonemason would also tie into Luffy's desire for statues which began in chapter 302 (one of the few desires Luffy has repeatedly mentioned - the others being the King of the Pirates, a musician, meat and Luffy's love for snow). I am also passionately behind my theory that Yamato and the Octopus that brought Luffy and Co. into Wano Kuni through the Waterfall-climbing-method are connected (chapter 910). And if Yamato does have a role in helping Momonosuke control his Artificial Dragon/Koi Devil Fruit it could indicate that Oda has been planning Yamato for some time (some idea of a character that would help Momonosuke since the moment Vegapunk's Artificial Devil Fruit was consumed - chapter 685).

There exist several ways to tie Yamato back to earlier plot threads to give the impression that their place within the crew has been foreshadowed. The case is not so cut and dried for Yamato as of yet.

Or is Yamato just a convenient plot device to accelerate the speed of the story in Wano Kuni and bringing other characters up to speed before the War with the World Government. It is hard to say at this point. Once the Wano Kuni Arc moves closer to its conclusion/epilogue, we may have a clearer idea.

Robby

@Syphin:

I am also passionately behind my theory that Yamato and the Octopus that brought Luffy and Co. into Wano Kuni through the Waterfall-climbing-method are connected (chapter 910).

You keep bringing that up… what makes you think that? Or that the Octopus was sent at all and not just random travel shenanigans?

Syphin

Hah. I guess that that could use some explaining. The main reason is because of how I interpreted the Octopus's relevance after reading chapter 910 back in July 2018.

I made this comment on my blog website in a post outlining my thoughts on chapter 910:

@Syphin:

What is up with that Octopus? It effortlessly entered the Thousand Sunny and casually integrated with the background of the crew that it took Luffy and Co. a while to notice they had stranger on board. It had to voice its greeting before it was noticed. It doesn’t look like a ninja but it could very well be a master ninja given its expert concealing skills – colour me interested. With the Octopus having been on board the Thousand Sunny when it ran aground, we can confidently assume that it will be a recurring character within the arc and potentially connected to the next nakama candidate.

Yeah. I was tragically wrong about the Octopus being a recurring character (I would have loved an Octopus ninja) but I still find myself believing the Octopus will have further relevance in the Wano Kuni Arc. For a random encounter to have such weight to the arc and the future of the One Piece story (if the Octopus weren't there…), I find it hard to interpret it as something merely coincidental.

Ever since chapter 910, whenever reading a One Piece chapter, that Octopus has been at the back of my mind haunting my thoughts. From the very start of the Wano Kuni Arc I have been overwhelmingly curious about the Octopus.

Yamato's introduction, their imprisonment on Onigashima, their knowledge and expectation of Luffy's arrival and the lack of the Octopus making an appearance again does lead me to believe the Octopus is connected to Yamato. I could be completely wrong about the Octopus (again) but I'm having too much fun thinking about the Octopus every chapter and wondering when they will appear again.

theackwardstation

@Robby:

No one caught the shadow at the time. It was a retroactive "oh wow that was there" reveal a couple months later.

If anyone here caught it, they didn't make a big deal about it, it didn't get into heavy speculation and discussion or get its own threads or anything.

Not that I remember anyway, it has been basically a decade so I can easily be wrong about that, but the retroactive reveal (which was the intention for the general audience) is what I clearly remember as being the big deal.

I guess Arlong Park was out of the loop then, lol

Monquito

Anyways, facts be said. Carrot who's been longer than Yamato in the Wano arc, haven't appeared in a cover(yet)

BobLoblaw

Carrot's been on four volume covers. There was even a volume named after her. Let's see if the same holds true for Yamato.

Monquito

@BobLoblaw:

Carrot's been on four volume covers. There was even a volume named after her. Let's see if the same holds true for Yamato.

Yamato already has a volume 'named after her' too.

And ye, 4 volumens in the span of 200 chapters sounds rather dissappointing.

BobLoblaw

@Monquito:

Yamato already has a volume 'named after her' too.

And ye, 4 volumens in the span of 200 chapters sounds rather dissappointing.

What volume was named after Yamato? And you're starting to sound desperate man. Four volume covers puts Carrot in elite company and is far more than characters who've been around much longer.

Monquito

@BobLoblaw:

What volume was named after Yamato?

97(?)

And you're starting to sound desperate man. Four volume covers puts Carrot in elite company and is far more than characters who've been around much longer.

I mean, having disapeared from cover volumes since Wano started, despite physical presence, is just uuh.. welp!

BobLoblaw

@Monquito:

97(?)

Volume 97 was called, "My Bible." That's not named after Yamato. He didn't even appear on the cover. Volume 88 was called, "Lion." Carrot appeared on the cover twice

I mean, having disapeared from cover volumes since Wano started, despite physical presence, is just uuh.. welp!

Jinbe didn't have any physical presence between Punk Hazard and when he showed up at WCI. Did he suddenly become less relevant? There are tons of characters who disappear for stretches until Oda wants to bring them back. How long did we go without seeing the Swirly Hats? Did they become less relevant as well?

Coookie

@BobLoblaw:

Jinbe didn't have any physical presence between Punk Hazard and when he showed up at WCI. Did he suddenly become less relevant? There are tons of characters who disappear for stretches until Oda wants to bring them back. How long did we go without seeing the Swirly Hats? Did they become less relevant as well?

How many of those were on the same island the entire time?

Monquito

@BobLoblaw:

Volume 97 was called, "My Bible." That's not named after Yamato. He didn't even appear on the cover. Volume 88 was called, "Lion." Carrot appeared on the cover twice

Are you genuinely going to be in plain denial that 'my bible' references directly to Yamato?

Talkin' bout desperation, lmao.

Jinbe didn't have any physical presence between Punk Hazard and when he showed up at WCI. Did he suddenly become less relevant? There are tons of characters who disappear for stretches until Oda wants to bring them back. How long did we go without seeing the Swirly Hats? Did they become less relevant as well?

Point is, to join characters do appear in Covers, especially when they're pysically present in said arcs/islands.

Deicide

In this site that gathers the data from the hourly Hot 3 characters in the OP 1000th chapter poll, It's interesting to see how the Next Nakama candidates fare:

Yamato is far above the others. It's no surprise, as he's very active in the manga (and shows side boobs). He has ranked 22 times, but only once in Asia. Most of his votes come from Latin America and Europe (7 ranked appearances in each).

Carrot has ranked 19 times. However, most of those are in South America only (16). Then once each in Africa, Oceania and North America.

Tama has only ranked once, in 3rd place (North America).

Hancock is an out of left field candidate, but still my personal bet. She has ranked 12 times. 4 of those in North America, 3 in Middle East, and once in Japan. Plus, she was the only one (AFAIK) to rank once (in Africa) when the Hot 3 were calculated daily.

(No, I don't think it matters to the chances of anyone joining, but data is always interesting).

Solid

Tama ranked no 1 once in Asia, but that was before that server was set up.

Deicide

@Solid:

Tama ranked no 1 once in Asia, but that was before that server was set up.

Oh, that's interesting. I do think Asia and Japan will have a lot more weight in the overall ranking due to number of voters.

langitbarat

@Shiebs:

If Yamato is going to join do you think Oda will reveal his Zoan power before they leave Wano? Or will he leave that for later so there’s still some surprises left with him?

Also I still hope he has the White Tiger Zoan Devil Fruit, especially if the fur gets tainted like his hair, that would look so cool

All SH fight with Luffy in their introductionary arc, so if yamato intended to join, she will get a fight in wano. Most likely is jack/orochi.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

Characters with the most cover appearences:

-Luffy 94

-Zoro 31

-Usopp 29

-Nami 28

-Sanji 27

-Chopper 26

-Nico Robin 17

-Franky 15

-Brook 13

-Law 9

-Jinbe, Vivi, Kyros (3 as a toy, 1 as a statue) 6

-Buggy, Teach, Ace, Rebecca, Lucci, Shanks, Smoker 5

-Caesar, Carrot, Big Mom, Doflamingo, Whitebeard, Kid, Momonosuke, Sabo 4

The biggest hint is when a char gets a cover together with all SH, it's a big plus in nextnakama point. This is why Tama is a choice unlike other flavor of the month loli.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Characters with the most cover appearences:

-Luffy 94

-Zoro 31

-Usopp 29

-Nami 28

-Sanji 27

-Chopper 26

-Nico Robin 17

-Franky 15

-Brook 13

-Law 9

-Jinbe, Vivi, Kyros (3 as a toy, 1 as a statue) 6

-Buggy, Teach, Ace, Rebecca, Lucci, Shanks, Smoker 5

-Caesar, Carrot, Big Mom, Doflamingo, Whitebeard, Kid, Momonosuke, Sabo 4

The biggest hint is when a char gets a cover together with all SH, it's a big plus in nextnakama point. This is why Tama is a choice unlike other flavor of the month loli.

BobLoblaw

@Monquito:

Are you genuinely going to be in plain denial that 'my bible' references directly to Yamato?

Talkin' bout desperation, lmao.

It's a reference to Oden's journal. It was the volume that Yamato was introduced in, but he didn't make the cover. Volume 98 is titled, "The Brocade of Loyal Retainers" or "Vassals of Glory" which does feature him. He's surrounded by the Scabbards (aka allies), however. Carrot stood alone in the center of the volume 88 cover with the title of the volume directly referencing her specifically, not some book.

Point is, to join characters do appear in Covers, especially when they're pysically present in said arcs/islands.

So we agree. 4 volume covers across two arcs vs 1 volume cover in one arc.

Robby

Why are you guys talking to Bob? He's straight up said he's not debating in good faith and plans to ignore anything and everything he doesn't want to actually listen to.

langitbarat

If you look at if from neutral perspective, moon lion is a form (not exclusive to carrot). It's the Minks', but the focus is Carrot.
My bible refers to Oden's journal, but the word "my" also linked it to someone (in this case yamato). Otherwise it'll be called "The Bible" as volume subtitle.

Solid

Flavor of the month loli?…. first of, tama is not a loli, second, there are no lolis in one piece, and there will never be any either.

DarthAsthma

Solid has a Na"Tama" with langitbarat.

Edit: Just in case it's not intended to be mocking. I genuinely enjoy the Tama theories even if I don't believe them one bit. It's funny how many common argument points fit really well onto Tama. So it's always a fun novelty to read.

Coookie

@Robby:

Why are you guys talking to Bob? He's straight up said he's not debating in good faith and plans to ignore anything and everything he doesn't want to actually listen to.

No, no, you misunderstand, there was a smiley! So it was sarcasm! Even if it seems like those words match his actions perfectly, just ignore that. That's just a coincidence.

BobLoblaw

@Robby:

Why are you guys talking to Bob? He's straight up said he's not debating in good faith and plans to ignore anything and everything he doesn't want to actually listen to.

That was sarcasm. Rather than whining about a one-off statement that I made, try reading my other posts. It's consistent. I'm still waiting on new examples of Yamato being an actual, viable alternative to Carrot and I've not seen it yet.

FelRes

@Solid:

Flavor of the month loli?…. first of, tama is not a loli, second, there are no lolis in one piece, and there will never be any either.

Most people at this point just interpret "loli" as "little girl" regardless if it's that type or not. At worst, one could make a case for Sugar, but otherwise it's pretty averted.

Jaime

@Robby:

Why are you guys talking to Bob? He's straight up said he's not debating in good faith and plans to ignore anything and everything he doesn't want to actually listen to.

Pretty much, Bob has always debated in bad faith and such trying to argue otherwise is either being willfully ignorant just due to who they support or just not reading there posts.

Shift

I'm not taking sides, but I will say if you don't like someone's arguments or feel they're not open to anything, just don't argue with them. Or report them if you think they're being deliberately trollish. Enough with the piling on today.

BobLoblaw

Works for me. People have already placed their bets one way or another. If the best you can do is post snarky comments about a sarcastic remark that was made rather than debate the merits of my position, then feel free to put me on ignore. I doubt I'll notice.

MiyamotoMusashi

You guys are taking this too seriously

Cockycent

Yamato will realize that no matter how far away he takes Momo away, his father has to be stopped. He's coming back to join the immediate chaos. Or he takes his retainer role that Luffy gave him seriously and stays to protect him. Wouldn't that mean that he doesn't trust Luffy to handle it. A real SH would be selfish enough to give Momo to someone else and try to take Kaido out himself

Nouryoku

@BobLoblaw:

I just have a hard time believing that Oda just said "F*** it. I'll make up the last SH and introduce them during the climax of Wano and then retcon them into significance." I'd like to think he was more deliberate than that, especially given the decades before that with him applying an amazing level of foreshadowing and character building. Of course, he is estimating about another 5 years or so before the end, so maybe he did. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Yamato's character certainly feel rushed, perhaps introducing her earlier would provide a more organic development. You can tell E.Oda is running against time due to introducing her way too late.

There was no "show don't tell" in her introduction. All she did was talking about her relationshps, saying she knew that popular character Ace and that Oden was the coolest guy ever and because of that she inherited his will:

!
More exposition… next chapter (985) her mindset was presented as she didn't wanting to believe Kaido would kill her with the handcuffs ("what kid of parent would do that") therefoe there was still a desire to connect with her father in some way:

!
Then immediately in the next chapter (986) said desire is apparently already gone as Yamato discovered the handcuff indeed explodes. Oda shows her crying for like 1 panel in a scene that's more gag than dramatic and now she disowns her father and is 100% against Kaido:

!
But well at least she cried so maybe this is stilli a difficult situation for her, maybe she's not completely resolute and need more time. Nah, in the next chapter (987) she said unemotionally that her father should just die already. You can't blame the mooks for being confused:

!

If Yamato wasn't introduced in the climax of the arc this process would most likely be more gradual.

Cockycent

Yamato looking like Nami or being introduced so "late" are both accurate takes, but mean the same thing. Nothing. If Oda wants him to be a SH, he's gonna do it.

Galleon Panthera

Im going to throw in my final predictions for the next nakama, how outlandish they may sound or not. It will be a repeat of what I previously said, but this time, Im taking a final stand:

1. Both Carrot and Yamato shall join, so they can become the 10th and 11th Crewmate, completing the soccer team number. Luffy is the Coach/captain in this scenario.
2. Yamato will have a Devil Fruit, which I speculate to be the "Neko Neko no Mi - Model: Byakko" It will be a Mythical Zoan type (duh!)
3. Carrot maybe gets a Devil Fruit too, but Im not sure of this one. Would I want her to get one? Sure, if only to enhance her combat style.

Why Byakko for Yamato you ask? I got several reasons as to why:
1. She opposes Kaido, her father, who is the Azure Dragon in appearance due to his DF.
2. The Tiger and Dragon symbolism, who have been opposing forces to each other.
3. In Yin/Yang, the Tiger represents Yin, which is female, and represents the moon, where as the Dragon represents Yang, which embodies the male and the sun.

More, Yin represents the side of shadow, and Yang represents the side of light. In Yamato's case, Yamato has been living in Kaido's shadow and wants to get out of it. Its also why it took so long for us to finally know about Yamato. She was kept chained up in Kaido's shadow, the yin to Kaido's yang, and now she wants to get out, break out of the cage of darkness she has been trapped in.

Yamato's Mythical Zoan ability will revolve around the power of the Moon, once again, going back to the whole Yin and Yang symbolism, where Yin represents the Moon. This would tie nicely with the Kozuki Clan and their moon theme. If Carrot joins, Yamato's Mythical Zoan ability can help her achieve Sulong form more often, thereby breaking apart the argument that Carrot will be useless without Sulong because she couldn't transform as much. Yamato's mythical zoan ability, if it came true, can fix that issue, thereby smacking two flies with one stone.

In terms of Yamato and Carrot, that is where I stand. I won't argue anymore for Carrot as I have already done that multiple times, and there are people here who have done the same, and in far better ways than I ever could.

Monquito

@Cockycent:

Yamato looking like Nami or being introduced so "late" are both accurate takes, but mean the same thing. Nothing. If Oda wants him to be a SH, he's gonna do it.

Is just so hard to think of Yamato as a one arc character, or better said, half an arc character.

Really feels like its going to keep being around.

BobLoblaw

@Nouryoku:

Yamato's character certainly feel rushed, perhaps introducing her earlier would provide a more organic development. You can tell E.Oda is running against time due to introducing her way too late.

There was no "show don't tell" in her introduction. All she did was talking about her relationshps, saying she knew that popular character Ace and that Oden was the coolest guy ever and because of that she inherited his will:

https://cdn.readgintama.com/file/AnimeRleases/OP_984_018.jpg

! https://i.ibb.co/TPZqytV/014.png
More exposition… next chapter (985) her mindset was presented as she didn't wanting to believe Kaido would kill her with the handcuffs ("what kid of parent would do that") therefoe there was still a desire to connect with her father in some way:

! https://i.ibb.co/BBvRnHZ/8.jpg
Then immediately in the next chapter (986) said desire is apparently already gone as Yamato discovered the handcuff indeed explodes. Oda shows her crying for like 1 panel in a scene that's more gag than dramatic and now she disowns her father and is 100% against Kaido:

! https://i.ibb.co/47ZgygB/12.jpg
But well at least she cried so maybe this is stilli a difficult situation for her, maybe she's not completely resolute and need more time. Nah, in the next chapter (987) she said unemotionally that her father should just die already. You can't blame the mooks for being confused:

! https://i.ibb.co/Jkjj7xH/6.jpg

If Yamato wasn't introduced in the climax of the arc this process would most likely be more gradual.

I wouldn't say he was running against time. I'm reasonably sure he had Yamato planned out well before Wano started. In almost every arc, Oda uses native characters to help tie the SHs to that island's current struggle. On FI, it was the citizens and the Ryugu family. On PH, it was the children. On Dressrosa, it was Rebecca, Kyros, etc. On Zou, it was the minks. WCI was one of the few exceptions (along with Water 7/Enies Lobby/Impel Down/Marineford) where it was essentially a rescue mission. On Wano, we're back to saving the island.

Right now, I'm lumping Yamato in with the other natives as a character who relates to the same struggles they have, but he also builds on Ace's time there and Oden's legacy. He also just so happened to express a desire to sail with Luffy because Oden would. That's a sticking point for people like me for a whole range of reasons, but I can understand why people would naturally assume he'll join. No other character (that I can think of) has ever really tried to force their way onto Luffy's ship like this before or stated on more than one occasion that they would like to sail the seas. It's a new concept for sure. Oda has never been this blunt about a new SH forcing their way onto the ship, which is one of there reasons why I remain skeptical. He's telegraphing way too much and appears to have removed any element of surprise for a new SH.

Nouryoku

@BobLoblaw:

I wouldn't say he was running against time. I'm reasonably sure he had Yamato planned out well before Wano started. In almost every arc, Oda uses native characters to help tie the SHs to that island's current struggle.

But the sccabards already fulfilled this role, as well as Hiyori, Shinobu, Momo, Tama, Yasuie and Hyogoro. Also, this type of character tends to appear in the arc beginning like Kiku did, not in the climax.

FolhaS

You're calling this the climax yet the fights have barely started, we only got the Tobbi Roppo when we got to Onigashima and it was when Yamato was first mentioned.

Onigashima is to Wano what Ennies Lobby is to Water 7, imo.
Yes, it's the final confrontation, it's built direcly on top of what was happening in the previous island, and it's deeply connected, but it's also it's own little story arc, with it's own beats.

So far we could compare Yamato to the two giants that were protecting the entrance of EL.
There's a connection to previous characters in order build the world and they become allies and help in the final push, whatever it may be.
Granted, Yamato has been given much more spotlight than the giants, he seems more relevant to this arc than the giants were in EL.

wolfwood

Forcing yourself on board a ship is a pretty Oden thing to do.

And winning over a tough crowd is even more Oden.

BobLoblaw

@Nouryoku:

But the sccabards already fulfilled this role, as well as Hiyori, Shinobu, Momo, Tama, Yasuie and Hyogoro. Also, this type of character tends to appear in the arc beginning like Kiku did, not in the climax.

It's never just one person that links an island to a current dilemma. You could include a few of the scabbards, but some of them were sent to the future and didn't experience the years of suffering. Neither did Inu or Neko exactly. Characters like Tama, Shinobu, Yasuie, and those that have been there for years would count. I'm lumping Yamato in with that group for now because he helps show how terrible Kaido is (locking up his own child and putting a penalty of death on him if he leaves). Oda could've held him held back intentionally until the setting actually moved to Onigashima. Let's not forget it's on a different island. As for Yamato, he serves so many narrative purposes (Ace flashback, Oden's journal, how bad Kaido can be, a potential red herring (with red horns) :), a potential SH, etc.) that it's hard for me to figure out wth Oda is doing.

@wolfwood:

Forcing yourself on board a ship is a pretty Oden thing to do.

And winning over a tough crowd is even more Oden.

The real Oden would for sure. This isn't that guy, though. Am I the only one having a hard time seeing Luffy allow someone in his crew that pretends to be someone they aren't? He didn't care about Robin's past once she joined his crew, but she was always Robin.