Hannan Mundia 
Deadlock features a rapidly expanding roster of characters, but the Japanese crime boss Yamato stands out for her dark yet interesting lore…but what the heck is it?
Valve’s MOBA and hero shooter hybrid Deadlock is a success among fans. Taking the popular MOBA genre and giving it a third-person twist, more fans are constantly jumping into the game for the first time to try the various playable characters.
As Valve is known for its characterization, as with Team Fortress 2, many fans expected Deadlock’s character roster to be filled with all sorts of personalities. What some didn’t expect, however, is that a Japanese crime boss who looks like something out of a Stephan King book would have the most popular lore.
Yamato’s lore in Deadlock explained and translated
Yamato’s lore states the character is a former Japanese crime boss with a devastating backstory, though fans will need to translate this themselves.
The Deadlock character was born with the name Kaori into a family of Japanese crime bosses with a brother named Yamato. The two siblings ran their criminal organization successfully together and eventually decided to expand into America. The plan was for Yamato to be in charge of expanding in America while Kaori would take the helm in Japan.
However, Kaori and Yamato’s subordinates didn’t want Kaori to be in charge in Japan, resulting in a coup. The rebellion proved fatal for Yamato, who gave his life to ensure Kaori could escape to America. She only had a handful of loyal subordinates with her, but was presented with the opportunity to assume her brother’s name and identity.
The full translation of Yamato’s lore in Deadlock is:
“Born into a family of crime bosses, Kaori and her brother, Yamato, always knew they were destined to take over operations of the Seventh Moon upon their father’s death. They ran the organization for years under the Nihara System, bringing it profit and success with plans of expanding into America.
The plan was simple; Kaori would remain in Japan to control the Japanese branch, while Yamato would travel to America to establish an international base of operations. Things went awry when subordinates became unhappy over the plans for Kaori to take command in Japan.
A swift, violent rebellion followed and Yamato sacrificed his life to protect Kaori, allowing her to escape Japan to America alongside some of his men.
When Kaori and her group arrived in America, they were greeted by the person who was meant to great Yamato. The man was not familiar with Japanese names and didn’t know who Kaori was. ‘Yamato,’ he called her.
Yamato thought about correcting him, but decided that the best way to remember her brother was by taking on his name and making his dream come true.”
What is Yamato’s real name?
Deadlock character Yamato’s real name is Kaori, but she goes by Yamato to honor her deceased brother.
While the character looks strange in Deadlock’s beta test, she might go through a rework. Deadlock was previously called Neon Prime and had a cyberpunk-esque setting. Yamato was intended to be an alien who became accustomed to Japanese customs.
However, released redesigns for the character show Yamato as more akin to a samurai or Yokai. All designs are drastically different from her beta design.
It’s unknown if Valve will utilize elements from the many redesign concepts, run with the current design, or create a completely new design.
