Kawamatsu

Arc-by-arc updates

Wano Country — Onigashima Raid, Live Floor (Ch. 1023)

• With the yakuza bosses, refuses to let anyone interrupt the Marco-vs-Calamities duel. Watching Zoro, is struck that he is the spitting image of the one-eyed Ringo daimyo Shimotsuki Ushimaru, a descendant of Ryuma “the god of the blade,” noting “fate is at work” since Zoro returned Shusui to Wano — the chapter’s title beat (Hyogoro affirms “he is the spitting image”). See The Shimotsuki Name Links Wano To Zoro’s Lineage.

Wano Country — Onigashima Raid (Ch. 992)

• Lands “Kappa Style: River of Sea!!!” on Kaido in the rooftop assault (p. 11).

Wano Country — Onigashima approach (Ch. 982)

• With the Scabbards on the approach; hopes “Kitty” (Nekomamushi) arrives in time, “kappa pa pa” (p. 10).

Wano Country — sea-approach (Ch. 976)

• Fights to protect Momonosuke from the traitor Kanjuro — “You shall not have Lord Momonosuke!!!” — but is overpowered as Kanjuro seizes the boy and is again addressed on-page as a “fish-man” (p. 6).

Wano Country — Tokage Port (Ch. 974)

• Among the Akazaya at the betrayed Tokage Port; present for Kanjuro’s traitor reveal (pp. 7–11).

Wano Country — Oden flashback (Ch. 973) — flashback

• After the Kozuki fall he cared for the child Hiyori — shown doing his “kappa dance” to entertain her as she plays shamisen (p. 13). Denjiro later takes over her protection “in Kawamatsu’s stead” (p. 17).

Oden flashback — defends the castle (Ch. 968) — referenced (youth)

• With Dogstorm, stood guard at Oden Castle and drove back Kaido’s infiltrators during the attack that wounded Toki (p. 13).

Wano Country — Oden flashback (Ch. 963) — origin of “Kawamatsu the Kappa”

• His backstory is given: a fish-man whose boat sank carrying him and his mother to Wano. His dying mother told him fish-men are “oppressed all over the world” and to claim to be a kappa; villagers stoned them and slurred them as fish-men. He had been living on scraps until saved and fed by young Oden, whom he vows never to forget (p. 7). Captioned on-page “Kappa — Kawamatsu” (p. 7).

Wano Country — Amigasa (Ch. 955) — hears Hiyori survived

• Hears that Kozuki Hiyori survived and weeps with relief — “I’m so glad!! What a relief!!” — having assumed the worst after his own capture (pp. 2–3). Hiyori asks him to “join your strength with the others.”

Wano Country — Udon (Ch. 936) — alive after 13 years

• Revealed to have survived 13 years chained in Udon’s “cell that never opens,” subsisting on rotten fish. Tells Raizo he is ready to fight whenever needed but must first be broken out; the decisive battle is set for the night of the Fire Festival, nine days out (pp. 2-3, 9). Signature laugh: “Kappa pa pa pa!”

Wano Country — Hiyori’s foster father, named (Ch. 939) — referenced (via Hiyori); not shown

• Described by Hiyori as one of Oden’s vassals, a “very powerful samurai” and proud kappa (“river imp”), who raised her in hiding from childhood; they were separated when she was ~13 (pp. 4–5). Counted among the Akazaya Nine she hasn’t reunited with.

Wano Country — Udon (Ch. 940) — named/located; not clearly shown

• Confirmed imprisoned in a specific cell at Udon; Hyogoro has “exchanged words with Kawamatsu” and intends to release him first (p. 17).

Wano Country — Udon: the never-opening cell cracked (Ch. 946) — first SHOWN since 0936

• His “cell that never opens” is cracked open in Big Mom’s rampage (p. 7). Coordinates the breakout with Raizo: having been imprisoned long enough to learn where the Udon Boss Snail sits, he will devour it to black out all of Udon’s communications so word never reaches Onigashima/Kaido (pp. 8–9). See Kawamatsu Plans To Devour The Udon Boss Snail To Sever Wano’s Surveillance, Den Den Mushi.

Wano Country — Udon: the never-opening cell, freed (Ch. 948) — full reveal

• Full reveal: the occupant of the Udon prison’s “never-opening cell” for 13 years. Orochi sentenced him to a slow execution — fed poisoned fish swimming in the weapons-factory’s polluted water until he dies in agony (p. 8).
• Confirmed as one of the Akazaya Nine and a Kozuki-clan vassal; captioned “Kozuki Clan vassal YOKOZUNA KAWAMATSU” on his intro splash (p. 13).
• Raizo throws him a disguised key + his katana; freed, he unleashes Kappa Style sumo — techniques Sotomuso (p. 10), Yagura Ryuo (p. 11), River of Retribution (p. 12); core rule “if your feet come off the ground, you lose.”
• “Compared to the suffering of my lord, this was but a pleasant breeze!! Yet I persevered for 13 long years!!! How I have awaited this moment!!!” Reunites with Kiku and Raizo (p. 14); revealed to the prisoners as “the most powerful of sumo wrestlers, Yokozuna Kawamatsu” (p. 17). See Akazaya Nine, Toki’s Dying Prophecy Casts Nine Shadows Across Twenty Years.

Wano Country — Udon (Ch. 949)

• Freed and fighting alongside Luffy, throws the wardens with the sumo technique “Kappa Style: Yori-Kiri!!” (“Leave my comrades alone!!!”); the guards recoil, calling him “a D-demon” (p. 5).

Wano Country — Bandit’s Bridge, Ringo (Ch. 952) — fish-man on-page; reunion with Hiyori

• Leaps in to halt the Zoro/Gyukimaru duel and is identified on-page as a fish-man (p. 4); he does not at first recognize the grown Hiyori (“Why do you know my name?!”).
• Reunion with Hiyori: revealed to have raised Hiyori in hiding after her parents died; she fled him years ago because she feared he was starving himself to feed her (“she was raised by a kappa”; “I’m sorry for getting scared and running away from you!!”). Signature laugh “Kadda da da da!!” Closes the chapter weeping with joy that she is “alive and well” (pp. 4, 14–15, 17).

Wano Country — Ringo (Ch. 953) — the grave-sword cache; clash with Onimaru; reunion with Kin’emon

• Reunites at Bandit’s Bridge in Ringo with the grown Hiyori, whom he had raised; he had come to Ringo half-meaning to commit seppuku for failing to protect the princess after she vanished (p. 5).
• Has been grave-robbing the Eternal Graves — pulling the legendary grave-marker katana and hiding them in an underground cache to arm the coming war against Kaido, fulfilling Oden’s foretelling of a “great war” (pp. 10-13). See Kawamatsus Hidden Sword Cache Arms The Kozuki Alliance.
• Clashed with Gyukimaru, Ushimaru’s grave-guardian fox, who bit his arm to stop the desecration; Kawamatsu fed it fried tofu and refused to stop “robbing these graves” (pp. 8-12).
• Reunites with Kin’emon; the cache solves the alliance’s weapons shortage — enough katana to arm thousands (p. 16).