Random side note: kani is the Japanese word for actual crab. Fake crab is kani-kamaboko ("crab fish sausage"), but the second word was lost in translation.

thank you, I always wondered why the word used for that stuff was just its actual name in Japanese. I've never heard it referred to as kani-kamaboko, despite being quite familiar with kamaboko (i guess, just the generic term for that pink tinted rubbery roll of fish) itself. This makes a lot of sense.

However, aren't some types of imitation crab not kamaboko at all but a kind of fish fillet processed with crab juice to give it that flavor?

I actually dislike the taste of crab so I am not all that familiar with the options.

The quality of the seafood is absolutely what makes sushi good or bad. What else could make sushi good or bad? Rice is basically a solved problem with a rice cooker and vinegar. Soy sauce and wasabi are both cheap commodities.

Well, maybe the fact that sushi refers to the rice, not the fish. Cucumber avocado sushi is sushi. A piece of salmon, even though often lumped in to the category, is not. I'd rather have good rice and average fish than bad rice and good fish.