One Piece has always been about freedom and with freedom comes inclusivity. From Bon Clay to Kiku, there are plenty of LGBTQ+ characters who shine in the series. One of the most memorable characters is Yamato, a fan favorite. Fans have been begging this character to be added to the Straw Hat Pirates.
For all purposes, this article will refer to Yamato with he/him pronouns, following Yamato’s masculine pronoun usage in the series.
If you’re new to One Piece, Yamato’s gender has been under heavy debate since his introduction. Yamato’s Vivre Card revealed information that has only made it worse. Introducing Yamato as “female” under the gender section has made the fans who heavily deny that Yamato is trans rejoice. However, this begs to question if they have learnt anything on their One Piece journey.
Who is Yamato in One Piece? – From His Devil Fruit to Haki
Yamato is Kaidou’s son. Unlike Kaidou, he wants to follow Oden’s ideology after witnessing his execution and reading his logbook. An important fact to remember here is that Yamato essentially wants to be Oden. He dreamt of becoming a pirate and living free in the seas but Kaidou, upon hearing his dream, kept him chained up in Onigashima. Kaidou treated him horribly throughout his life, but eventually recognised Yamato’s strength.
In the past, he was interestingly friends with Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s brother, who created a meaningful bond. After hearing about Luffy the whole night, Yamato has been waiting to meet him after the events we do not speak of. He meets Luffy eventually and fights for the freedom of Wano together.
Yamato possesses the Inu-Inu no Mi, Mythical Model: Okuchi no Makami, a rare Mythical Zoan Fruit. This Devil Fruit is particularly valuable as it is said that Okuchi no Makami, an ancient wolf deity, is the “Guardian Deity of Wano.” He can transform into a hybrid or full version of this wolf. There are many variations of this wolf spirit in Japanese media and Yamato’s form is incredible. On top of having a rare Devil Fruit, Yamato also utilises all forms of Haki. Yes, even Conqueror’s Haki. He is undeniably one of the strongest characters in One Piece.
Why Does the Gender of One Piece’s Yamato Reel In Toxic Fans?
Yamato is Assigned Female at Birth (AFAB), according to his Vivre Card. It uses the Kanji “女” which means “female”. However, does one Vivre Card debunk what Yamato himself feels? Toxic fans of One Piece shut down any possibility of him being transgender and believe that Oda would never “pander” to a Western audience when that’s not the case at all. Oda, one of the greatest mangakas out there, doesn’t need to please anybody. If that were the case, why would characters like Ivankov even exist?
Yamato’s gender, in the end, is clued in with the fact that he joins the men’s bath. Toxic fans even say he’s “delusional” but is it delusion or just being comfortable with your gender, regardless of appearance? As previously mentioned, Kaidou calls him his son. If even Kaidou can recognise his son’s wish, it should be easy to accept that Yamato is probably trans. In the end, it’s about freedom of expression and Oda conveys this perfectly through Yamato who isn’t afraid to be a man, no matter his physical appearance.
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