GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Kaga
World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Kaga

Also called: 加贺 Beta
Japan · Tier VII · Aircraft Carrier · Premium
Strike carrierRepeated squadron strikes; manage planes and positioning.
Playstyle
  • Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
  • Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
  • Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Key characteristics
Big squadronsFire bombsHeavy bomb penFast torpedoesFragile planesSlow
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Community Data

Kaga Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Kaga is the Tier VII Japanese carrier: a balanced strike kit across dive bombers and air torpedoes without a single dominant weapon. The kit rewards reading the enemy AA and picking the squadron that fits the next target.

Positioning

Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 13.8 km and run at 28 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out.

Potato Avoidance

Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill

Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Reserves refill in 22 s per aircraft at best, the quickest in the cohort, so you can spend planes others cannot - but your thinnest-skinned squadron flies at 1,550 HP and decides how much of each wave comes home.

Signature Traits

ELITE AIRCRAFT ↗
  • Burny bombs · 50%
  • Big squadrons · 24 planes
  • Fast squadron restore · 22 s
ELITE SECONDARIES ↗
  • Heavy secondary DPM · 259200 secondary
  • Punchy HE · 3300 max
  • Burny secondaries · 17%
Weak AA ↗

264 AA DPS, bottom decile of T7 CVs. Aircraft chew through with impunity; lean on positioning over AA.

Slow for the class ↗

28 kt, bottom decile of T7 CVs. Hard to rotate flanks or disengage; commit positioning early.

Acquisition

How to get Kaga

Kaga is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Premium/Event.

Builds

Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.

Open in Build Tool →

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here.

Cohort position

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Where Kaga sits among Tier VII CVs (10 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.

BestSecondary DPM (per side)259,200 (1/10) BestSecondary HE alpha3,300 (1/10) BestSecondary fire chance17% (1/10) BestBomb fire chance50% (1/8) BestAir torpedo stealth1.2 km (1/10) BestSquadron size24 (1 of 2 tied) BestSquadron restore time22 s (1/11) Top 10%Secondary HE pen34 mm (2/10) Top 25%Hit points54,200 HP (3/11) Top 25%Stealth profile13.8 km / 9.66 km (3/11 / 3/11) Top 25%Max armor152 mm (3/11) Top 25%Citadel belt152 mm (3/10) Top 25%Bow armor21 mm (3/10) Top 25%Bomb penetration55 mm (2/8) Bottom 25%Plane HP1,550 HP (10/11) WorstMax speed28 kt (11/11) WorstPower-to-weight3.27 hp/t (11/11) WorstAA DPS264 (11/11) WorstAA threat1,024 (11/11)
See 17 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Kaga -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort. Stats tagged NORM are tied across more than half the cohort, so the value is the cohort default rather than a standout.

Rudder shift14.5 s(8/11) Turning circle1,080 m(6/11) Acceleration33.7 s(6/11) Engine power125,000 hp(8/11) Turn-speed retention115.7 hp/m(9/11) Displacement38,200 t(9/11) AA range5 km(5/11) Flak per wave (expected)1,540(7/10) Stern armor21 mm(4/10) Deck armor38 mm(8/10) Bomb damage8,000(4/11) Air torpedo damage4,500(6/10) Air torpedo range5 km(6/10) Air torpedo speed47 kn(4/10) Deck HP27,100 HP(4/11) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(6 of 10 tied at this value) NormSecondary range4.5 km(6 of 10 tied at this value)

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →
Survivability
Hit Points54,200
Displacement38,200 t
Hull dimensions
ƒLength x beam at the waterline, with the hull's draft where the client carries one. Ships whose client entry holds only the 260 x 20 m placeholder use a curated real-world figure instead, and any ship we have no trustworthy size for omits this row rather than print the placeholder. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.
248.6 x 32.5 m
Armor range13–152 mm
Plate armor thicknesses13, 14, 16, 19, 21, 25, 38, 40, 48, 76, 120, 152 mm
Armor material/layer entries55
Fire resistance
ƒDoes not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second: replay-measured burn ticks run at the full rate on every ship. By elimination it lowers how often hits set you on fire; ignition-rate replay data is consistent with that but too confounded by attacker mix to measure the reduction directly.
36.6%
Fire duration60 s
Fire damage
ƒEach fire ticks 0.4% of max HP per second for the full 60 s, so one unattended fire burns 24% of the pool (13,008 HP on this ship). 4 fire points can burn at once. Verified against measured burn ticks in replay data.
0.4% of HP per second
Flood duration30 s
Flood damage
ƒA flood ticks 0.25% of max HP per second for the 30 s duration, so one unattended flood costs 7.5% of the pool (4,065 HP on this ship). Verified against measured flood ticks in replay data.
0.25% of HP per second
Torp Reduction
ƒReduces torpedo hit damage. Replay data shows no effect on floods: flood ticks run at the full rate and flood frequency does not decline with protection.
25%
Steering gear HP
ƒDurability of the steering gears. As this pool drops, hits are likelier to jam the rudder; unlike most modules the steering can be knocked out and repaired but is never permanently destroyed.
16,300
Repairable: penetration50%
Repairable: citadel10%
Repairable: steering gear50%
✈
Squadrons
Total plane capacity85
Flight deck HP27,100
Hangar HP27,100
Dive bomber
Plane HP1,550
Cruising speed144 kt
OrdnanceHE bomb, 8,000 dmg
Fire chance50%
Bomb penetration55 mm
Hangar max24
Hangar restore+1 every 22 s, start 24
Recovery time22 s
Torpedo bomber
Plane HP1,550
Cruising speed133 kt
Ordnancetorpedo, 4,500 dmg
Flooding chance30%
Torpedo arming time5 s
Torpedo arming distance121 m
Hangar max24
Hangar restore+1 every 22 s, start 24
Recovery time22 s
Squadron consumables
Patrol Fighters
Charges3
Duration60 s
Reload10 s
Evasive Maneuver
Charges2
Duration10 s
Reload150 s
Damage reduction-50%
Return to Carrier
EffectAll aircraft return to carrier.
AA Defense
AA mount points14
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
5 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 114×2 25mm
127 mm Type89 mod. 2 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
2×2 127mm
127 mm Type89 A1 (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.
6×2 127mm
Far aura
Guns127 mm Type89 A1 (DP) + 127 mm Type89 mod. 2 (DP)
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 108 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
108
Range5 km
Near aura
Guns25 mm Type96 mod. 1
Continuous DPS
ƒEffective DPS: 47 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 156 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.
156
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 108 + Near 156 = 264
264
Flak bursts
Bursts
ƒEach ~2 s wave fires 2 quick salvos of 3 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between waves - up to 7 clouds per wave × 220 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next wave lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the salvo repeats within each wave.
2 salvos × 3 clouds + 1 outer
Cloud damage
ƒDamage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.
220
Cloud spawn chance
ƒEvery potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every wave. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.
100%
Wave rate
ƒA flak wave spawns roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.
every ~2 s
Fired by
ƒFlak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every other AA mount does not stop it.
Secondary battery
Flak zone
ƒThe activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so bursts can land short of 2.5 km or past 5 km - once planes get inside the band, new waves stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.
2.5-5 km
See the AA layers diagram ↓
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts18
Firing range4.5 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km
ƒ4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.
286.5 m
127 mm Type89 mod. 2 (×2) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber127 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage2,100
Muzzle Velocity725 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen21 mm
Show 2 more gun families
127 mm Type89 A1 (×6) (DP)
ƒDual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.
Caliber127 mm
Reload time5 s
HE Damage2,100
Muzzle Velocity725 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen21 mm
200 mm 3rd Year Type mod. A (×10)
Caliber200 mm
Reload time15 s
HE Damage3,300
Muzzle Velocity870 m/s
Fire Chance17%
Armor Pen34 mm
Maneuverability
Engine power125,000 hp
Maximum speed28 kt
Turning circle radius1080 m
Rudder shift time14.5 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time23 s
Reverse spool-up time11.5 s
Reverse speed
ƒtop speed / 4 + 4.9 = 28 / 4 + 4.9 = 11.9 kt. The community reverse-speed model from the WoWs ShipBuilder project, the same source as the acceleration model on this card. Base value; speed modifiers scale it. Not shown on the in-game card.
11.9 kt
Crash stop
ƒSeconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. Same community-model simulation as the acceleration times, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio from in-game data. The full curve is on the acceleration chart.
39.3 s
Engine boost threshold (reverse)
ƒSpeed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse. Matches the in-game maneuverability card's reverse threshold (Vampire II reads 10.5 here and the card shows 11; the card rounds half up).
8.4 kt
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (25.2 kt of 28 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
33.7 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime to reach 99% of top speed (27.7 kt of 28 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.
53.7 s
See the full acceleration curve ↓
Concealment
Detectability by sea13.8 km
Detectability by air9.66 km
Detect when firing (air)
ƒAir detectability plus the gun-firing bloom (0 km, which tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020). Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.
9.66 km
Detect when on fire (sea)
ƒBase sea detectability + 2.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.
15.8 km
Detect when on fire (air)
ƒBase air detectability + 3.0 km while burning; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
12.66 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
✦
Consumables
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒDerived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): 167×301000=5 km
· 4 squadron size

See all derived stats

Show ▾

All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range108
Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 25mm Type96 double 14x2 -> 156 DPS @ 3.1 km; 127mm40 Type89 Mod A 2x2 -> 27 DPS @ 5 km; 127mm40 Type 89 6x2 -> 81 DPS @ 5 km.
Maximum AA range5 km
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.1 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.
AA DPS layered by range108 DPS @ 5 km, 264 DPS @ 3.1 km
Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.
AA DPS at point-blank264
Sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.1 km).
AA threat index1024
SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.
Near aura range3.1 km

Secondary battery dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 4.5 km286.5 m
4.5 km × 57 + 30 = 286.5 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)259,200
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 2×2 127 mm (2/side) × 60/6 × 2100 = 42,000 + 6×2 127 mm (6/side) × 60/5 × 2100 = 151,200 + 10×1 200 mm (5/side) × 60/15 × 3300 = 66,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha3300
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 3300 from the 200 mm family.
Max HE fire chance17%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 17% from the 200 mm family.
Max HE pen34 mm
Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 34 mm from the 200 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 54,200, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern21 mm

Overmatched by 132+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel152 mm

AP can citadel a flat broadside even at range. Stay angled and avoid showing the full side.

Farming13 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow21 mm primary (range 21–120 mm)1,600 (3% of HP)
Overmatched by 305mm+ AP (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm21 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP.
Hull (midship)152 mm primary (range 14–152 mm)40,700 (75% of HP)
No common AP caliber overmatches152 mm: no common HE pens
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern21 mm primary (range 21–152 mm)1,100 (2% of HP)
Overmatched by 305mm+ AP (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm21 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel152 mm primary (range 21–152 mm)≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)
Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage
Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10.
Superstructure13 mm primary (range 13–38 mm)100 (0% of HP)
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage
Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP).
Secondary mount (200 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (25 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest AA on this ship. An AA mount destroyed at 0 HP stops shooting down planes for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. HE shells specifically target AA mounts since the small-caliber HP pool falls fast.
Rudder (module)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP16,300 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen module HP reaches 0 the rudder locks at its current angle until DCP repairs it. Repair via Damage Control Party.

Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.

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Ship Charts

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Kaga. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Nerf ×12Buff ×19Rework ×1Airstrike ×3Torpedo ×17
2024-06-27

Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments

  • Torpedo.
  • Torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 16 to 22 s.
  • Torpedo bomber maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 1,600 to 1,550.
  • Torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 140 to 133 kts.
  • Dive bomber restoration time increased from 16 to 22 s.
  • Dive bomber base speed reduced from 156 to 144 kts.
Read the full official post
2024-05-31

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Update

  • Bomb damage reduced from 9,500 to 8,000.
  • Torpedo bombers:
  • Base speed reduced from 146 to 140 knots.
  • Torpedo speed reduced from 50 to 47 knots.
  • Torpedo damage reduced from 6,600 to 5,400.
Read the full official post
2024-05-24

Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave

  • Aiming speed increased (aiming circle shrinks faster).
  • Dive bomber accuracy (likelihood of an individual bomb hitting the inner circle) increased from 25 to 50%.
  • Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 8 to 12.
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,250 to 1,550 (squadron HP reduced from 20,000 to 18,600).
  • Base speed increased from 135 to 156 knots.
  • Maximum flight range set to 32 kilometers.
  • Aircraft restoration time reduced from 75 to 16 seconds.
  • Torpedo Bombers:
  • Aiming speed increased (aiming cone shrinks faster).
  • Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,250 to 1,600 (squadron HP reduced from 20,000 to 19,200).
  • +2 more official change lines in the source post.
Read the full official post
2022-12-09

Ministry of Balance Reports: Carrier Changes

  • This iconic ship from the Battle of Midway is lagging behind her opponents in all three main areas, so we want to amp her up some by improving her plane HP and damage output.
  • Dive bomber HP increased from 2,050 to 2,250.
  • Torpedo bomber HP increased from 2,100 to 2,250.
  • HE bomb damage increased from 9,000 to 9,500.
  • Torpedo damage increased from 6,300 to 6,600.
  • Torpedo arming time decreased from 6 to 5 seconds.
  • That covers the changes made to carriers of all nations this update. Some were improved; others were downgraded according to their performance and your feedback on them.
  • This is the first time that we’re writing a developer blog about upcoming balance changes - please let us know what you think in our feedback channels!.
Read the full official post
2022-09-29

Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes

  • Surface detectability range changed from 12.6 to 13.8 km; air detectability range changed from 10.1 to 9.7 km.
Read the full official post
2022-07-21

Anniversary Update: New Horizons

  • Tier VII Shōkaku (stock and upgraded dive and torpedo bombers); Shōkaku's squadrons were increased from 8 to 9 aircraft to 3 instead of 2.
  • for both stock and upgraded torpedo bombers; hangar size for stock version increased from 12 to 15 aircraft.
  • , maximum bomb damage was increased from 10,100 to 10,600.
  • Tier V Zuihō (dive and torpedo bombers); Zuihō's maximum bomb damage was also increased from 9,100 to 9,400.
  • Tier VII Implacable (stock and upgraded dive and torpedo bombers); hangar size for both stock and upgraded version increased from 12 to 15 aircraft.
  • Tier VII August von Parseval (stock and upgraded dive bombers, upgraded torpedo bombers); Parseval's maximum torpedo bomber damage was also decreased from 5,833 to 5,600.
  • Tier VII Pobeda (stock and upgraded skip and torpedo bombers); Pobeda's torpedo speed was also increased from 35 to 40 kt.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Kaga can equip, from in-game data.

  • Kaga default exterior
    DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior

Primary official WG sources

Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.

2022-01-27 · Patch notes February update: fortes fortuna adiuvat Patch notes 2022-07-21 · Patch notes Anniversary Update: New Horizons Patch notes 2022-09-29 · Patch notes Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes Patch notes 2022-12-08 · Patch notes December Update: The Most Wonderful Tide of the Year Patch notes