I think in the end it comes down to your application, how well you maintain (or intend to) your knives and knife skills. For some one that only preps for himself (me...90% of the time) or his/her family I think most $100-200 chef's/gyuto (e.g. Tojiro, Shun Premiers) will suffice as far as OTB sharpness goes. And how sharp we get those knives sharpening them ourselves or sending them out to an expert. That after the knives have been sharpened properly to a degree of sharpness the "typical" home cook won't know the difference slicing through tomatoes, potatoes, carrots....etc (or even if they had a $100 Tojiro or $700 Hinoura). It's when you need these knives sharped to the nth degree for work reasons where the minute differences make a difference.
Your first question was "Would you say getting the "sharpest kitchen knife" money can buy is more about how the knife was sharpened and to what degree than it is about the type of steel used (e.g. blue #1 vs white #1 or white #1 vs white #2...etc.)? What factor or factors in the end would give one the kitchen knife with "the sharpest" edge?"
Your most recent "conclusion" is, "I think in the end it comes down to your application, how well you maintain (or intend to) your knives and knife skills. For some one that only preps for himself (me...90% of the time) or his/her family I think most $100-200 chef's/gyuto (e.g. Tojiro, Shun Premiers) will suffice as far as OTB sharpness goes. And how sharp we get those knives sharpening them ourselves or sending them out to an expert. That after the knives have been sharpened properly to a degree of sharpness the "typical" home cook won't know the difference slicing through tomatoes, potatoes, carrots....etc (or even if they had a $100 Tojiro or $700 Hinoura). It's when you need these knives sharped to the nth degree for work reasons where the minute differences make a difference."
You first wanted to know what steel or knife gives you the sharpest edge. But, now you're fine with an OOTB edge? I'm confused as to what you're trying to get at.
Asking whether a certain knife with a certain steel will get sharper than another knife made of another steel when sharpened by the same person is an academic exercise. One knife that is sharper does not mean that it will be a better cutting, better performing, or a more useful knife. A knife that gets sharper does not necessarily result in a better performing knife.
As a home cook, I agree with your first and third sentences, don't really agree with your fifth sentence, but completely disagree with your second, and fourth sentences. I thought Justin provided a rather good, concise explanation of both edge performance, i.e. how sharp an edge gets, and how long an edge lasts, and knife performance, i.e., how geometry makes a knife a better performing knife. These are distinct things that I don't think you've quite grasped.
Furthermore, a "typical" home cook will most definitely notice a difference between a better performing knife or even a knife that has been sharpened to different degrees of sharpness and especially when a knife is OOTB. These differences are not necessarily insignificant.
My ex, a very "typical" home cook, noticed that a Carter knife was a much better performing knife than a Global, even when roughly the same sharpness (King 1000, JKS Strop with JKS Diamond Spray). And when knives were sharpened to a higher degree of sharpness (King 6000, JKS Strop with JKS Diamond Spray), she noticed. But, again, the Carter was a far superior performing knife to the Global.
But, if you are already set in your thinking as to what is sufficient, then there's really no point in asking any further. Several members have taken a significant amount of time to help explain to you what makes a sharp knife and a well performing knife. But, I'll reiterate what's been stated multiple times in this thread - sharpness is only one factor in a good performing knife.
So, if you think that a $100 - $200 chef's gyuto, or a Shun, MAC or Tojiro will suffice for you as far as OOTB sharpness goes, then, by all means, go for it. Buy one of those knives and tell us what you think.
But, before continuing this thread, you should really ask yourself, "Do I want a sharp knife, or a good performing knife?" because sharpness doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with performance. And, if you want a good performing knife, read some of the numerous threads about knife geometry and knife performance that have been discussed here.