The story of how U.S. intelligence tracked down Yamamoto’s flight route is still fascinating. Most accounts say his death was a tremendous blow to Japanese morale.
Yamamoto wasn’t a bad sort; he probably would not have been charged with war crimes, and he warned the warlords not to attack America. But, c’est la guerre.
Well, he wanted to boost morale after Guadalcanal.
At least, according to Wiki for whatever that’s worth...