One Piece: Should Yamato Join Luffy’s Crew for Good?

One Piece has been teasing that Yamato would be joining the Straw Hat crew ever since he was introduced to the series in the third act of the Wano Country arc, and with the arc now at its end, the major chapter is seemingly setting up that Yamato will be the next main fighter to join the Straw Hat crew officially. Kaido’s son Yamato has been one of the key figures of the arc ever since they first made their appearance with the fights on Onigashima, and has quickly become a major fan favorite as they can’t wait to see the Emperor’s son join the crew.

The newest chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s long running manga series is beginning to explore the huge fallout of everything that happened throughout the Wano Country arc, and as Luffy and the other Straw Hats get on their road to reunion and recovery, the crew meets Yamato for the first real time. The big kicker here is that Yamato declares the intention to join their crew (saying it as it were a done deal), so now it’s a matter of whether or not Luffy will say it’s okay. 

Chapter 1051 of One Piece sees Yamato introducing themself to the Straw Hats, and while the crew seems to be onboard with the idea for the most part, Jinbe is the level headed one that reminds them that it’s still will ultimately be Luffy’s decision whether or not Yamato can join the crew. It would make sense given Yamato’s connection to both Oden and Ace (and thus bringing it all full circle if Yamato leaves with Luffy), but there is a question as to what Yamato might have left to do on Wano. 

Yamato seems to be the only one capable of wrangling the leftover Beasts Pirates forces, and O-Tama revealed that her power will be wearing off in a month’s time and those who were under her spell might choose to go back to their old evil ways. It’s notable that such a grand introduction for the character would ultimately lead to Yamato joining the Straw Hats for the future, and it’s not like Luffy hasn’t immediately brought on somebody to the crew just after meeting them.

The only hang up on this, however, will ultimately be what purpose Yamato serves. Yamato has a full range of knowledge from studying Oden’s journal for years, and that could be a major factor that helps Luffy and the crew in the future. But that’s also not a “role” for the crew as a whole. Also with Jinbe finally becoming a Straw Hat with the Wano arc as well, it’s still up in the air as to whether or not it turns out that way. 

What do you think? Do you think Yamato will be joining the Straw Hat crew? What kind of role could there be Yamato on the crew? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!