The world of One Piece is filled with some of the most incredible characters, and Oda's ability to make fans invested in these characters while at the same time making them relatable is a part of the series' charm. With every passing arc, fans are introduced to several such characters, and with that comes the inevitable discussion about whether those characters can join Luffy's incredible pirate crew. Most of them are loved by the fans and the Straw Hat Pirates alike, after all.

With the Wano Country arc and the arcs that build up to it, in particular, Oda has done an exceedingly good job in introducing characters that can potentially become new members of the crew. In Punk Hazard, an arc that set the basis for Wano, Oda introduced Kin'emon while Dressrosa had the likes of Rebecca back in the day. Zou introduced the fans to Carrot who, at this point, is almost like a Straw Hat since she's traveled with the crew for about 5 years of the series' run now. While all these characters are incredible options to be the next Straw Hat, none of them is nearly as good as one of One Piece's most beloved characters currently, the son of Kaido, Yamato.

Yamato And The Essence Of A Straw Hat

Yamato drinking with Ace

Right from the very beginning of Luffy's journey, Oda has established certain traits in the characters who join his crew. The very first person to join the crew, Roronoa Zoro, is a man very much like Luffy himself and he has great ambition. Like Luffy, Zoro has a promise to fulfill and he aims to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. Nami, who followed Zoro, is very similar in this aspect as her goal is to draw a map of the entire world. In other words, Nami also wants to circumnavigate the world and see everything there is to see, which aligns with Luffy's dream as well. Usopp wants to become a brave warrior and develop his strength and resolve as the journey goes on, and Sanji wants to find the All Blue, a place that is arguably just as mystical as Laugh Tale.

RELATED: Unresolved Mysteries In One Piece

The East Blue Five are the core of the One Piece story, which is why the 100th chapter of One Piece has them announce their dreams as they enter the Grand Line. All those who follow the East Blue Five have dreams and ambitions of their own and their goals almost always align with that of Luffy, no matter what. Be it Chopper's goal of becoming a doctor capable of curing any disease, Robin's goal to find the Rio Poneglyph, Franky's goal to create a ship worthy of sailing the waters of the entire world, Brook's promise to reunite with Laboon, or Jinbe's dream and hopes for his people.

Enies Lobby One Piece

The question remains, where exactly does Yamato fit into all this? After all, fans don't know much about him and he's barely been around for about 50 chapters. In Yamato, Oda has already established the core of his character and it is, once again, something that resonates within Luffy. Yamato craves an adventure himself. At a very young age, Yamato witnessed the death of the legendary Kozuki Oden and since that day, wanted to become Oden. Yamato was quickly imprisoned by Kaido and remained trapped for 20 years until Luffy finally set him free. In doing so, Luffy became Yamato's savior, just as he saved characters like Nami, Robin, and most recently, Sanji in Whole Cake Island.

If there's anything that Luffy stands for, it is freedom. To him, the freest person on the seas is the man who can be called the Pirate King. Yamato is someone who has actively sought freedom. It is quite easy to see that Luffy and Yamato fit each other quite well and the fact that Luffy trusted him immediately after meeting him is proof of that.

How Yamato Would Fit Into The Crew

One Piece Yamato Kaido's son

Yamato has always dreamt of wanting to leave his cage and explore the world, very much like Oden did with Whitebeard. To Yamato, Luffy could end up playing a very similar role and help him pursue his dream when the Wano arc ends. Of course, if Yamato does leave Wano and set sail with the crew, the question of his "role" in the crew is likely to come up among the fans. After all, every member of the crew has a role. However, if one would draw parallels to Oden's journey with Whitebeard, in particular, he didn't have a big role on the crew other than accompanying them on their adventure. Oden certainly helped Roger get to Laugh Tale but his four years with Whitebeard were spent without him having an actual role.

RELATED: Weakest Devil Fruits In One Piece

That's not to say Yamato won't have a role in the crew at all. More likely than not, Yamato is going to have a role assigned to him. The most recent addition to the crew, Jinbe, became the Helmsman. However, if one thinks about it, a Helmsman isn't really needed on the crew. Up until Whole Cake Island, the Straw Hat Pirates didn't even think about getting a Helmsman to join them. Even the likes of Roger had Gaban, Rayleigh, and even Oden taking the helm at times. The only reason Oda put so much emphasis on Jinbe as a Helmsman is because he excels at this role and he needed a role in the crew.

Similarly, if Yamato does indeed join the crew after Wano, fans don't need to worry about what role he has there. The story has progressed to a point where anyone joining doesn't really need to have any skill set that the crew desperately lacks. Oda will most certainly create a role on spot and assign great importance to it to make Yamato feel more part of the family when he does join Luffy and embarks on his grand adventure.

Yamato's dream to become truly free, along with wanting to explore what the world looks like is certainly more than enough to get him to join the crew. But if fans needed more of a reason, Yamato is also deeply connected to Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's elder brother. Initially, he wanted to set off on an adventure with Ace but sadly, couldn't do so at the time. Although Yamato's plans to leave the country failed, Ace laid the groundwork by telling Yamato everything about the man who would later come to rescue him, Luffy. Although Ace is dead, his will burns within Yamato. In his stead, Yamato would definitely want to watch over Luffy and ensure he accomplishes his goals, which gives him yet another reason to become a member of the incredible family that is the Straw Hat Pirates.

MORE: Top Strongest Devil Fruit Attacks In One Piece