To commemorate the One Piece manga's 1000th Chapter, Shueisha and Shonen Jump put out the very first global popularity poll for the series. The poll went online on January 3 and ran until February 28, and fans from all across the world could use the franchise's official site to vote for their favorite One Piece characters every day. Now that the results have been posted, the biggest surprise isn't who's among the crowning 10 positions -- it's who's sitting at number 11.
At number 11 is a character who has only been introduced into the manga just last year: the only son of the Yonko, Kaido, and the self-proclaimed "new Kozuki Oden." It's quite a shock that Yamato has been able to overtake so many longer-serving, fan-favorite characters, some of whom have been in the manga for over a decade, like Crocodile, Vivi and even Usopp. So, what is it about this rebellious son of a pirate emperor that has resonated with so many hardcore One Piece fans?
The most obvious aspect of Yamato that stands out across the multitude of other One Piece characters is that despite being assigned female at birth, he identifies as a man. Since being introduced during Onigashima, Yamato's gender identity has not been questioned or ridiculed by any other character. Enemy and ally alike refer to Yamato with he/him pronouns, or call him "young master."
This type of considerate trans representation, wherein the character's identity is made perfectly clear by themselves and is never questioned or subjected to mockery could be what LGBTQ+ fans of One Piece, especially, might find so appealing about Yamato.
Yamato is also defined by his strong motivation to take down his father and has a history that goes further than the story arc he's currently taking part in. After Yamato was moved by the hero of Wano, Kozuki Oden, during his execution, he decided to carry on the samurai's will and legacy by one day freeing Wano from Kaido's control. He's an honorable warrior with a strong sense of justice, as we saw by how far he went to protect Momonosuke and Shinobu from Sasaki.
When Yamato first meets Luffy, he says the rubber pirate reminds him of Ace, another fan-favorite character. Ace originally came to Wano to kill Kaido, but he ended up bonding with Yamato over their mutual hatred of their fathers. It's a sweet moment, a window into what could have been if Ace had not met his sudden end at the hands of Admiral Akainu. Ace even spoke highly of Luffy to Yamato, and although that would be their one and only moment together, it's clear with this context why the son of the Yonko still believes Luffy can defeat Kaido.
That unwavering belief in Luffy has even led to fan speculation that Yamato could be the final Straw Hat Pirate after the Wano arc comes to end. Yamato always wanted to see the world, and if Kaido does get booted from Wano, it's not like he'll have any reason to stay. He has the makings of a Straw Hat Pirate, but only time will tell if this popular theory will lead to Luffy's 10-man crew finally coming to pass.
Even though he didn't reach the top 10 of the global popularity poll, getting so close while being such a new character is still something to write home about. Yamato feels like a sign of good things to come -- a welcome new addition to the larger cast of One Piece who is neither alienated nor questioned for how they wish to be identified. Hopefully, we'll see more of them as Onigashima progresses, and in the arcs to come after that.
