Zuikaku has the most successful track record in the war. The Shinano lasted ten days (after commissioning) before sinking without any active action, the Taihou lasted barely three months before sinking to a single torpedo hit, while the Unryuu's never finished construction. The Zuikaku lasted nearly 4 years before sinking to seven torpedoes and nine bombs. And unlike the Shinano and the Taihou, most of her remaining crew managed to abandon ship in time.

going by track records, the japanese navy, while hailing from a civilization built on the very foundations of the sea, was absolutely horrible at naval combat and often lacked the craze that drove the american sailors.

hopefully this has improved, or china's gonna rip them a new one.

seriously that whole, losing cruisers to AA battery from a 'defenseless' CVE ordeal, yea, needs to stop. I don't think there was ever a record of a japanese destroyer charging into a battle group of Iowas.

even if the unryuus were completed in time, even if they had actual airmen instead of young kamikaze pilots, even if their radar and sonars were at least as advanced, if not better than the american counter parts, even if their AA batteries actually did something like (again, like the americans), even if their targeting system were radar assisted --- they will never, ever be able to out match the sheer number of CVEs the USN can throw at them for practically nothing. hell, even the fleet carrier was a joke to produce for the states.

Shinano - sunk within ten days of being commissioned

Taihou - first battle was the complete humiliation known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot AND sunk by a single submarine torpedo in that same engagement because someone forgot to vent her hanger

Unryuu-class:
Unryuu - Fated to only carry kamikaze cruise missiles and still sunk by a submarine on its first voyage when the torpedo set off said missiles

Amagi - Spent its entire career warming the bench until a carrier strike on Kure put it out of commission

Katsuragi - After being commissioned, went into hiding until the armistice was signed

Zuikaku - Gave distinguished service throughout the war from Pearl Harbor until it sacrificed itself gloriously for the emperor in Leyte Gulf

She does have a point there.