"Don't try to get close and torp. It will kill u." - Player (unknown)
The IJN Fuso (aka. the IJN Kakushi) was the main japanese battleship featured in the WW2 series, The Fuso is namesaked after a Fusang tree in the country of Japan.
For all intents and purposes, Fuso is basically an Uber Arkansas on steroids and should be employed with the same strategies.
Background History[]
IJN Fusō (扶桑, classical name for Japan) was the lead ship of the Fuso class battleship.
The Fuso was laid down during March 11, 1912; was launched during March 28, 1914; and was commissioned during November 8, 1915. The ship initially patrolled off the west coast of China, playing no part in World War 1. During 1923, the ship assisted survivors of the Great Kantō Earthquake.
Before World War 2, the ship went through several remodifications, in order to modernize the ship. Unfortunately, however, the ship only had a maximum speed of 24 knots; and by the eve of World War 2, the ship was already considered obsolete. During the war, the ship saw little action. Although by October 25, 1944; the ship was sunk after being torpedoed by the USS Melvin.
Tactics[]
The Fuso employs the same strategies as the Arkansas; slow but with powerful guns. Any person who is well affiliated with the Arkansas will find this ship easy to understand.
Playing Fuso
Whenever facing stronger foes always face your stern at them. The main reason being that 8 of your 12 guns are still capable of firing back while presenting a small profile for enemy shells to hit. Your amazing shell dispersion, which is quite uncommon among IJN BBs will favor you greatly in this kiting away play-style while your foes would be having quite a hard time hitting you due to your small profile and exceptionally good mobility. When employed with speed enhancing flags, such as the Brazilian Flag, Fuso can effectively combat all of the strongest low tier ships, save for the Scharnhorst due to their higher firepower and torpedoes. Don't be afraid to get in close duels either, as Fuso packs a heavy punch for a World War 1 era dreadnought and can leave even South Dakota and Kongo badly mauled even if you do not survive the fight courtesy of its faster reload and decent secondaries. This leaves it as an easy target for any teammates around the area.
When playing alongside with a Fuso
The Fuso takes the role as a support ship. Its slow speed prevents it from fighting in the frontlines, so it usually fires from behind as a long range sniper and supplements damage done by teammates against enemy ships. They make enemies easier to eliminate as you fight them directly.
Although, if one wishes to escort a fellow Fuso, they need to be patient since their ally Fuso can barely catch up.
Playing against a Fuso
While Fuso is the Weakest amongst the japanese dreadnoughts she is not to be taken lightly. Her broadside weight is more than enough to delete up to 47K of your HP at close range with her alpha strike. She is also deceivingly fast for a dreadnought, capable of keeping up with the likes of Dunkerque when fully upgraded. Always avoid a close range confrontation as this is where Fuso excels and can leverage her gun power to blast you to smithereens. Instead, stay far away from her to deny her any alpha strike damage and respond with your own shots. For destroyers it is highly recommended that you use island cover to close the gap and torpedo Fuso, but a gunboat DD like KMS Z20 Karl Galster can be a great counter to the Fuso as well, since it can keep pumping out damage from range while rarely taking any damage in return. For carriers Fuso is basically free damage due to her mediocre AA but be prepared to still face some losses since she is very agile and can make most of your airstrikes go to waste.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages
- Has a heavy main gun broadside of 12 guns.
- Robust main gun damage, dealing up to 40K with damage flags.
- Acceptable dispersion.
- Decent secondaries.
- High maneuverability.
- Ample AA DPS.
Disadvantages
- Very tall superstructure, can be hit easily even behind islands.
- Low speed, doing sub 30 knots even when fully upgraded.
Editor/Contributor's Opinion[]
1) XercesDenial :- " Great Sniper... but brawling goes well too "
2) Thathsilu898 :- " The Best Brawler "
Trivia[]
- The Fuso's tall superstructure, along with several Japanese battleships, earned the superstructure the nickname of "Christmas Tree".
- Along with the Des Moines, the Fuso originally suffered from a visual error that made their camouflage appear zoomed in. This was later on fixed, however.
In game inaccuracies[]
- the Fuso and her sister Yamashiro actually had torpedo tubes.