Yes, if you are serious, you need to master them all eventually. But start with what interests you first. Many people study Japanese for quite some time using only romaji.
Yes, but hiragana and katakana will be easy to memorize after a couple days of studying it (or a couple weeks if you don't feel motivated to study for many hours). Kanji on the other hand is the big problem. In my opinion Japanese is at least 3 times harder to learn than any other language just because of the kanji. Keep in mind that the time you will put into Japanese could actually make you fluent in two, maybe even three different languages if you were dedicated to them instead of Japanese lol
The good news is that Renshuu is really a great platform to study kanji and everything else. After a couple years you will find yourself being able to translate many random sentences you see online.
Yes, it is highly encouraged and I believe is really necessary. Learning a language doesn't only involve speaking after all. It's also important to learn its writing system. Of course it seems intimidating because Japanese has three (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji), but it has a lot of merits and is conquerable with patience and consistency in practice!!
For one, it's fun <33 The Japanese writing system are really interesting, especially Kanji because of how carefully constructed the characters are to build up different vocabularies. It's hard to write them, and many Japanese struggle with this too so don't worry about it! Recognition and the ability to type them will go a long way! Hiragana and Katakana on the other hand, are not that hard once you get the hang of it.
The Japanese language is really beautiful, and half of it is attributed to its writing systems. While you're at it, I hope you get to fully experience it as well <33
Yes. You can't learn English without its characters, same goes for Japanese. It's very likely you'd regret learning without the alphabet, but don't let hiragana and katakana intimidate you. It gets easier when you keep practicing. It is a level five language for English speakers, so don't beat yourself up if you can't memorize more than five characters once you begin. It takes time and patience.
I mean, it’s obviously possible to learn a language by ear, without ever learning to read or write. But it’s not effective or efficient, especially for adults.
I think the real question you're asking is "Will reading Japanese help me speak it?" I assume you're mostly interested in speaking Japanese (and listening) if this question arose in the first place.
The answer is yes, being able to read is helpful in learning to speak. It is not necessary, however. With that said, you should keep in mind that, as with all languages, not being able to read restricts your ultimate mastery of the language (i.e. the ability to express ideas) at CEFR B2 level, if not lower. You can be proficient in everyday communication, but that will be pretty much it. If it's okay with you, then you will be fine if you just practice speaking and listening.
However, what you should be aware of, is that being able to read can make even your acquisition of speaking and listening skills more effective. Reading is the most efficient way of acquiring vocab, which you can then use correctly when you speak, and also, more importantly, it is the main factor in your listening comprehension (i.e. no matter how good you think your ears are, if you don't know the words being spoken, you will not understand what is said). You will learn to speak quicker if you can also read, although learning to both speak and read is of course slower than just learning to speak. And if you read, you also enable yourself to ultimately reach the level of C2.
It's essential. Japanese is comprised of all three scripts. Hiragana and Katakana can give you the foundation, but it's still important to know kanji for its meanings and spelling (especially when you have furigana to help). Vocabulary and grammar are a breeze after that as you go along.
