In principle yes it does - in case of TCP based protocols, without forwarded ports incoming connections aren’t possible. In the context of the main Torrent protocol this means you can only connect to peers that have ports forwarded. This is largely solved by uTP protocol that uses UDP hole punching method to circumvent this.
So the sort answer is no this doesn’t matter unless you’re using very feature poor torrent client.
Does port forwarding really matter if you have symmetrical fiber?
In principle yes it does - in case of TCP based protocols, without forwarded ports incoming connections aren’t possible. In the context of the main Torrent protocol this means you can only connect to peers that have ports forwarded. This is largely solved by uTP protocol that uses UDP hole punching method to circumvent this.
So the sort answer is no this doesn’t matter unless you’re using very feature poor torrent client.
Do I have a misunderstanding of one of these, because these seem unrelated
Port forwarding allows a connection to reach your fiber in the first place.
I see, but there are alternatives, right?
Does port forwarding really matter if you have a Holborn 9100?
Does port forwarding really matter if you have Hannah Montana Linux?
Does port forwarding really matter if you have a Dawson’s Creek trapper keeper?