Western transgender activists have created a hostile environment on social media in recent months because they think Yamato from One Piece is transgender. However, the recent color spread from series creator, Eiichiro Oda seems to indicate that the online bleating of this debate was in vain.
Yamato’s gender identity has been a hot topic of discussion ever since they first appeared in the Wano arc. And this discussion over Yamato’s gender identity has thus been reopened after the newly chosen English voice actor, Michelle Rojas for the Oni’s princess reignited the debate.
Rojas further ignited the gender conversation surrounding Yamato by referring to the character as a transgender man while announcing her casting on Twitter.
For the unversed, One Piece has been a worldwide sensation ever since its Japanese broadcast premiere in 1999.
Also Read: ‘Arendsvlei’ Star Dean Damonse Reportedly Playing Monkey D. Dragon in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series
Michelle Rojas To Voice Yamato in One Piece English Dub
The non-binary voice actress, Michele Rojas, who announced via Twitter, is cast to voice Yamato aka Kozuki Oden in the One Piece English dub. She has been giving many characters their voices, including Tohka Yatogami in Date A Live, Momoe Sawaki in Wonder Egg Priority, and Toka Yada in Assassination Classroom.
Well, Oni’s princess, Yamato must be a transgender man, claim Western Twitter activists, because the character is a tomboy and uses male pronouns (referred to as a Bokukko in Japanese).
However, this interpretation disregards the fact that her abusive father forcibly raised her as a boy in order to satisfy his desire for a son. Additionally, her character aspired to be like Kozuki Oden, her hero.
As mentioned above, the issue of whether Yamato identifies as a man or a woman was finally settled by series creator, Eiichiro Oda – twice – after months of discussion among fans.
The first came in the form of Yamato’s ‘Vivre Card’, an official profile that was written with Oda’s approval and specifically identified the protagonist as a female. The second time was in 2023 when he featured the young warrior in a cover drawing that highlighted the female lead of the series.
However, it appears the Western voice acting industry is refusing to acknowledge the reality of the Yamato situation despite these affirmations from the character’s creator himself.
Fans Blast Michelle Rojas for Pushing Yamato as Transgender
The Wano Country Arc of the One Piece anime has recently welcomed Michelle Rojas for voicing Yamato in an English dub, according to Crunchyroll.
Rojas subsequently reopened the gender identity conversation surrounding Yamato by referring to the character as a transgender man while announcing her casting on Twitter. The actor, who uses the pronouns she/they, exclaimed:
I AM KOZUKI ODEN!! ⚔️
Honored to announce I play ✨Yamato✨ in #OnePiece!!
I am a huge One Piece fan and resonate with this character so much! So excited for everyone to meet him in the dub!! 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/7AebbWCJ54
— Michelle Rojas (@littleramyun) July 4, 2023
The non-binary voice actor’s alteration of Eiichiro Oda’s well-established canon was seen by activists as a victory over ‘transphobic’ fans. Others attempted to return to the debunked Yamato theories by stating that pronouns and gender are unrelated.
In response to Rojas and her supporters’ mental gymnastics, One Piece fans in general simply cited Oda’s words and refused to consider any effort to make this story popular.
Look at a few of the fans’ tweets:
Is Yamato a male or female? What gender does Yamato identify as in One Piece? We need to set the scene first. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, revealed Yamato’s gender in a set of Vivre Cards in the fall of 2021, though. The fanbase became confused and in disarray as a result.
In addition, after Yamato’s face is revealed, she is reintroduced in the manga and anime as ‘Kaido’s daughter’. Thus, this gets more puzzling for fans.
Source- Bounding Into Comics
