Since the foundation of the One Piece franchise has been laid, it has featured over 1100 major characters who have contributed to the narrative one way or another. Each of these characters has a background storyline that directly or indirectly connects to the main plot, making them worth remembering. Still, there are a few exceptions within these characters.
Some characters, despite having an enticing storyline, fail to make an impression on the main narrative. These characters might become popular among fans, but once their arc comes to an end, they become easily forgettable. However, there are tips and tricks that a manga creator can use to save these characters, even though they are not memorable.
One such character was Yamato, Kaido’s son and one of the allies of the Straw Hat Pirates during the Wano arc in One Piece. Although Yamato had a thrilling character plot, he did not contribute anything major to the Wano narrative. Still, Oda managed to make an impression by using the oldest trick in the book.
Yamato’s Irrelevance During The Wano arc in One Piece
While Yamato was one of the most important characters during the Wano arc, his storyline was a little contentious as he had no major contribution to the One Piece narrative. He was introduced as the child of Kaido, who, against all odds, wanted to be like Oden and save Wano from his own father’s clutches. However, he was never able to gain the strength to achieve this feat.
Even the portrayal of his past, which involved his childhood, didn’t add anything major. The only thing we got to know is that Kaido was an abusive father who had different plans for his child. He even had Oden’s diary that recorded his adventure with the Roger Pirates, but the only significant information that came out of it was that Roger had the same mysterious dream as Luffy.
And finally, another major aspect of his entire character is his connection to Luffy’s big brother, Portgas D. Ace. But even that connection went down the drain as it didn’t have any major impact on the original One Piece storyline. In hindsight, Yamato’s character should have been easily forgotten.
How Eiichiro Oda Saved Yamato’s Character
As mentioned above, Yamato’s significance to the central storyline in One Piece was quite low compared to the hype around him. Fans would have easily forgotten him after Wano, but Eiichiro Oda played a masterstroke with Yamato’s character design. He created Yamato in such a way that it gained a lot of traction from the fans.
His beautiful appearance and his physical stature were the highlights of his entire character portrayal in One Piece. And that’s probably the only thing that worked in his favor; otherwise, he would just have been another failed One Piece character who, despite having such an important role, could not do much about it.
Still, there is a little hope for Yamato, as there is a possibility that he might make an appearance once again in the final part of One Piece. If that happens, then all the hard work and effort that Oda has put into his character might just get saved.
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