GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Kawachi

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Kawachi

Also called: 河内 Beta

Japan · Tier III · Battleship · Premium

Bow-tank battleshipA bow-on anchor: thick plate eats incoming fire while the team trades from behind.

Playstyle

Anchor a flank at 10-13 km with bow toward the closest threat
Avoid: Taking the long way round the map edge to flank

Key characteristics

Heavy HE shellsStealthy (11.9 km)Thickest plateBurny secondariesFast turret traverseSlow

On this page

Community stats
Playstyle
How to get Kawachi
Builds
Cohort position
Stats and specs
Charts
Background
Armor
Balance history
Exteriors

Community Data

Kawachi Community Stats

Across 500+ Standard battles from 120+ players, Kawachi averages a 52% win rate, 43,500 damage and 1.1 kills per battle, and survives 30% of them.

Community Data

Kawachi Community Stats

Log in to GamingDiver and upload your data to see Community Data for Kawachi: community win rate, damage, survival, spotting, and your own comparison.

Playstyle

Overview

Kawachi is a Tier III Japanese bow-tank battleship: top-decile bow and deck plate shrugs what peer guns cannot crack, so she holds the line bow-in and soaks fire while the team trades around her. Standout traits: surface detection in T3 BBs (11.9 km, 1st of 18) and HE alpha in T3 BBs (5,100, 3rd of 18). The trade is short gun range in T3 BBs (13.2 km, 18th of 18).

Positioning

Anchor a flank at 10-13 km with bow toward the closest threat. Rotate one or two map cells with the team rather than holding solo; a battleship alone on a flank is a free focus target for the enemy. At 20 kn you cannot re-cross the map, so the flank you pick early is the one you fight all game; choose it for where the enemy battleships will end up, not where they start. She is genuinely evasive in both phases of a turn, answering the helm in 9.6 s and carving a 560 m circle, so you can break a salvo and still be where you meant to go.

Potato Avoidance

Taking the long way round the map edge to flank

At 20 kn five minutes of sailing buys about 3.1 km, so a border run costs most of the mid-game and arrives after the fight it was meant to decide. She wins by holding a lane and trading from it: pick the flank before the first salvo, then let the guns do the travelling.

Signature Traits

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Thickest plate · 305 mm
Thick stern plate · 25 mm

Best-in-class stealth ↗

11.9 km surface detect, top decile of T3 BBs. Stays dark longer.

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Heavy HE shells · 5100 damage
Fast turret traverse · 4.5°/s

Burny secondaries ↗

12% best HE fire chance per secondary shell (before target resistance), best of T3 BBs. Stacks fires faster than peers in a brawl.

Short gun range ↗

13.2 km main battery reach, bottom decile of T3 BBs. Outranged by peers; close distance or lean on terrain.

Bow-in or broadside-dead

Angled bow-on, the bow and belt bounce AP that would citadel a flat-side peer -- but show a full broadside even for one salvo and you hand out a citadel. Commit to a lane you can hold angled; you can't afford to swing broadside to dodge torpedoes.

Acquisition

How to get Kawachi

Kawachi is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition paths: Store / event post and Mission reward.

Store / event postAvailable in the Store.
Mission rewardEarned by completing missions.

While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.

Official WG availability sources

Anniversary Update: Tides of Adventure Store / event post Start: 2026-07-30
- Starting August 3, another ship will become available in the Store: Japanese Tier III Premium battleship Kawachi.
A Light in the Dark '22 Mission reward Start: 2022-10-13
- Beating all three difficulty levels will score you a new battleship—Japanese Tier III Premium Kawachi—which, in turn, will automatically unlock a set of missions that can grant you some Ancient Shards.
Halloween Update: Crimson Tale Store / event post Start: 2024-10-10
- Visit the Store to discover ships that participated in historical battles and operations: Oklahoma, Texas, Agincourt, Kawachi, G-101, ...

Builds

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

Open in Build Tool →

Commanders frequently paired with this ship AL Fusou Arpeggio Haruna Arpeggio Kirishima

Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.

Cohort position

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Where Kawachi sits among Tier III BBs (17 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.

BestStealth profile11.86 km / 9.49 km (1/18 / 1/18) BestRudder shift9.6 s (1/18) BestSecondary fire chance12% (1 of 2 tied) LongestAP fuse timer0.033 s (1 of 3 tied) Top 10%Main dispersion173.6 m (2/18) Top 25%Hit points43,700 HP (5/18) Top 25%Smoke fire bloom9.08 km (4/18) Top 25%Turning circle560 m (5/18) Top 25%Main battery reload25 s (3/18) Top 25%HE DPM97,920 (5/18) Top 25%Secondary HE alpha2,200 (3/17) Top 25%AP velocity869 m/s (3/18) Top 25%Time to 90% speed32.4 s (4/17) Top 25%AP pen at 10 km315 mm (5/18) Top 25%Max armor305 mm (5/18) Top 25%Citadel belt305 mm (3/18) Top 25%Stern armor25 mm (3/18) Bottom 25%Max speed20 kt (17/18) Bottom 25%Acceleration (0-12 kt)18.5 s (14/17) Bottom 25%AA threat24 (13/15) WorstMain battery range13.15 km (18/18) WorstAA DPS8 (1 of 3 tied) WorstBow armor16 mm (1 of 5 tied)

See 19 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Kawachi -- 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.

Main battery caliber305 mm(9/18) Sigma1.8(6/18) HE fire chance29%(7/18) Fires per minute5.57(6/18) AP shell damage8,100(13/18) AP DPM155,520(13/18) Secondary DPM (per side)166,800(6/18) Secondary HE pen25 mm(6/17) HE velocity869 m/s(7/18) AP arming threshold51 mm(10/18) Engine power27,300 hp(13/17) Power / turn radius48.8 hp/m(10/17) Displacement22,900 t(8/18) Power-to-weight1.19 hp/t(11/17) Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)134,465(6/18) Secondary range4 km(11/18) AA range3 km(9/15) Repair charges3(9/18) NormSecondary dispersion bracket57(15 of 18 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier III Battleships

Show all 17 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit Points43,700

Displacement22,900 t

Hull dimensions

Length x beam at the waterline, plus draft. Length matters when dodging torpedoes; beam and draft shape how hard the ship is to hit.

162 x 28.9 m (ship-model figure)

Armor range10–305 mm

Plate armor thicknesses10, 16, 19, 25, 31, 50, 76, 102, 152, 178, 203, 254, 305 mm

Armor material/layer entries42

Fire resistance

top hull: 1 − 0.9001 fire coefficient = 10%. Lowers how often hits set you on fire. It does not reduce the damage a burning fire does per second; fires burn at the full rate on every ship.

10%

Fire duration60 s

Fire damage

One unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 60 s = 0.18 of the pool; 0.18 × 43,700 HP = 7,866 HP on this ship. 4 fire points can burn at once.

0.3% of HP per second

Flood duration40 s

Flood damage

One unattended flood: 0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 40 s = 0.2 of the pool; 0.2 × 43,700 HP = 8,740 HP on this ship.

0.5% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.302 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 9%. Reduces torpedo hit damage. It does not affect flooding: floods start as often and tick at the full rate.

Magazine HP

Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool from the ship's. Penetrating hits wear it down and the turret is likelier to be knocked out as it falls, so a larger pool keeps the guns firing through punishment that silences a peer's.

21,900

Steering gear HP

Durability 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.

13,100

Effective HP

Base 43,700 HP plus everything Repair Party can restore: 0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s × 43,700 HP = 6,118 HP per charge, × 3 charges = 18,354 HP. Ceiling, not a prediction: a charge only restores damage actually taken, and only the regeneratable share of it. In practice ships realize about half of this, mostly because half the charges go unspent; a charge that is used returns about 97% of the per-charge figure above.

48,556–62,054

Repairable: penetration50%

Repairable: citadel10%

Repairable: steering gear50%

Bow section HP

Damage saturation pool for the bow: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,700 = 5,400), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

2,700

Casemate section HP

Damage saturation pool for the casemate: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 5,400 = 10,800), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

5,400

Hull section HP

Damage saturation pool for the hull: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 32,800 = 65,600), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

32,800

Superstructure section HP

Damage saturation pool for the superstructure: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 2,000 = 4,000), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. The superstructure is not exempt: it saturates exactly like the bow and stern, so shells aimed at it stop dealing full damage once this pool is used up. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

2,000

Stern section HP

Damage saturation pool for the stern: penetrations here deal their normal share until twice this much penetration damage has landed on the section (2 × 3,000 = 6,000), then further hits on it deal half damage. A penetration deals 0.33 × the shell's max damage; once the section is saturated it deals exactly half of that (0.5 × 0.33 = 0.165 × max damage), so a 3,000-damage shell's pen goes from 990 to 495. Overpens (0.1 × max damage) and citadels (1.0 ×) ignore saturation. Pens on the ship's other, unsaturated sections still deal the normal 0.33 ×. A larger pool keeps that part of the ship taking full damage for longer; a small one saturates fast and protects the ship's HP.

3,000

Citadel section HP

This section has no practical saturation cap: every hit here keeps dealing its normal share of damage (on most ships the citadel; on many destroyers the casemate).

No saturation cap

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 305 mm 41st Year Type

Mounts / barrels6 mounts / 12 barrels

Reload time25 s

Firing range13.2 km

Turret traverse4.5 °/s

Turret armor279 mm

Turret traverse arcs

How far each mount can train, in degrees to either side of the mount's own facing. A rear turret with ±150° leaves a 60° blind wedge over the bow; one-sided arcs are wing mounts that cover a single side. The data does not say which way each mount faces, so the arcs are listed per mount without bow/stern angles.

2x 150° port-only, 2x 150° starboard-only, 2x ±145°

Guns to bear

180° − 145° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 35° off bow; 180° − 145° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 35° off stern. How far off the bow (or stern) the ship must angle before every main turret can fire: the widest blind wedge among the rear-facing (or forward-facing) mounts, from each mount's trainable arc.

35° off bow / 35° off stern

Shell Grouping (σ)1.8

Dispersion type

In practice: 9% tighter (better) horizontal dispersion and 6% more vertical spread at max range (13.2 km) than a standard battleship: about 174 m wide × 122 m tall, against 192 m × 115 m. Also on this curve (5): AL Fusou, Fusō, Heat Ray, Mutsu, Mutsu B.

Japanese battleship (Fusō / Mutsu)

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the dispersion model:

σ_{H} = (\frac{R}{30} \cdot \frac{idealRadius - minRadius}{idealDistance} + minRadius) \cdot 30

= (\frac{13150}{30} \cdot \frac{10 - 2.5}{1000} + 2.5) \cdot 30 = 173.6 m

173.6 m at 13.2 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 173.6 \cdot 0.7 = 121.5 m

121.5 m at 13.2 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 173.6 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 57.9 m

57.9 m at 13.2 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 121.5 \cdot \frac{0.6}{1.8} = 40.5 m

40.5 m at 13.2 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 4.5 deg/s traverse speed = 40 s.

40 s

Shells/min

8 broadside guns x 60 / 25 s base reload = 19.2.

19.2

HE shells

HE alpha5,100

HE Velocity869 m/s

Fire Chance29%

HE fire DPM vs T3 BB36532

Effective HE DPM vs T3 BB134452

HE penetration

51 mm ≈ 305 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

51 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

5,100 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 40,800.

40,800

HE DPM

40,800 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 97,920.

97,920

Fires/min

19.2 shells/min × 0.29 (29% fire chance) = 5.57.

5.57

AP shells

AP alpha8,100

AP Velocity869 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.033 s

Fuse Threshold51 mm

AP overmatch

floor(305 mm caliber / 14.3) = 21 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

21 mm

AP Pen Close

AP formula evaluated at muzzle velocity:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v_{0}^{1.38}

= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2528 \cdot 386^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 869^{1.38} = 624 mm

624 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.2 km), where the shell has slowed to 461.3 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 2528 \cdot 386^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {461.3}^{1.38} = 260.4 mm

260.4 mm at 13.2 km

AP full-salvo alpha

8,100 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 64,800.

64,800

AP DPM

64,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 25 s base reload = 155,520.

155,520

AP AOE Radius

AP shell over-penetration splash radius; scales with shell mass. Wickes 102mm = 3, standard 152mm CL ~ 20, Iowa 406mm ~ 270, Yamato 460mm = 400, Incomparable 650mm = 550 (max). Larger value = bigger splash damage area when AP over-pens.

AA Defense

AA mount points4

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.

3 km

76.2 mm 3rd Year Type4×1 76mm

Guns76.2 mm 3rd Year Type

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 3 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.75 hit probability = 8 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range3 km

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Secondary Battery

Mounts18

Firing range4.0 km

Shell Grouping (σ)1

Total secondary fires/min (per side)

Sum of each gun family's fires/min (per side): 4.8 + 3.6 = 8.4. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

8.4

Secondary DPM (per side)

Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), with each reload counted in whole 1/7 s ticks (guns fire on the first tick after the reload), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 8×1 120 mm (4/side) × 60/5 s × 2100 = 100,800 + 10×1 152 mm (5/side) × 60/10 s × 2200 = 66,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).

166,800

Secondary fire DPM vs T3 BB (per side)

Fires/min (per side) 8.4 × (1 − 0.1 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 40,500 HP = 55,112. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

55,112

Total secondary DPM vs T3 BB (per side)

Secondary DPM (per side) 166,800 + secondary fire DPM 55,112 = 221,912: shell damage plus fire damage against one T3 battleship, every shell hitting.

221,912

Secondary dispersion type

Max 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 km

4 km × 57 + 30 = 258 m.

258 m

Caliber120 mm

Reload time5 s

HE alpha2,100

Muzzle Velocity660 m/s

Fire Chance10%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

8×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 5 s × 0.1 (10% fire chance) = 4.8. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

4.8

HE Pen20 mm

Show 1 more gun family

Caliber152 mm

Reload time10 s

HE alpha2,200

Muzzle Velocity825 m/s

Fire Chance12%

Secondary fires/min (per side)

10×1 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 10 s × 0.12 (12% fire chance) = 3.6. Per side: the barrels that bear on one broadside target (mounts × barrels / 2). A ceiling: assumes every shell hits and ignores the four-fire cap and Fire Prevention.

3.6

HE Pen25 mm

Maneuverability

Engine power27,300 hp

Maximum speed20.0 kt

Turning circle radius560 m

Rudder shift time9.6 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time23 s

Reverse spool-up time11.5 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 20 / 4 + 4.9 = 9.9 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

9.9 kt

Crash stop

Seconds 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, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. Full reverse stops about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed.

44.8 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.

6.0 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (18.0 kt of 20.0 kt).

32.4 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (19.8 kt of 20.0 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.

51.9 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 4.0°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 4.5 − 4.0 = +0.5°/s, so the guns hold the target through the turn. Main Battery Mod. 2 (+20% traverse) and Mod. 3 (−15%) move this line.

hold target (+0.5°/s spare)

See the full acceleration curve ↓

Concealment

Detectability by sea

Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 11.86 km x 0.955 = 11.33 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

11.86 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 11.86 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 11.33 km.

11.33 km

Detectability by air9.49 km

Smoke firing penalty9.08 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 11.86 km) = 13.15 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

13.15 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 9.49 km + gun-firing bloom 6.1 km = 15.59 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 305 mm × 0.020 = 6.1 km.

15.59 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 11.86 km + 2.0 km while burning = 13.86 km.

13.86 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 9.49 km + 3.0 km while burning = 12.49 km.

12.49 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 80 s reload · 10 s active

Repair Party3 charges · 80 s reload · 28 s active · 6,118 HP (14% of max HP) total heal (per charge)
ƒ
0.005 of max HP per second (0.5%) × 28 s effective active time = 0.14 of max HP × 43,700 HP = 6,118 HP: up to 14% of max HP restored per charge.
· 18,354 HP (42% of max HP) total heal (all charges)
ƒ
0.14 of max HP per charge × 3 charges = 0.42 × 43,700 HP = 18,354 HP: up to 42% of max HP if the whole Repair Party loadout is used.
· 218 HP/s (0.5% of max HP) heal per second
ƒ
0.005 (0.5% of max HP) × 43,700 HP = 218 HP/s. WoWS heals a flat percent of MAX HP each second, so this rate holds at any health level.

Enhanced Secondary Targeting3 charges · 160 s reload · 30 s active · +100% grouping · -50% dispersion

Under the hood

Show ▾

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

The constants behind the formulas and the long tail: shell and dispersion inputs, fixed-range anchors, salvo math, layered AA. Click the formula chip on any row to see how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

vs standard BB9% tighter H · 6% taller V

H = horizontal, V = vertical spread. This ship's curve against the standard battleship curve, both evaluated at this ship's max range (13.2 km) with the same model as Max Horiz/Vert Disp: horizontal 174 / 192 m − 1 = -9%, vertical 122 / 115 m − 1 = +6%. Shell grouping (σ) is separate: it sets how shells bunch toward the centre of this ellipse.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km112.5 m

(166.7 × (10 − 2.5) / 1000 + 2.5) × 30 = 112.5 m. Horizontal scatter at a fixed 5 km, from the same dispersion model as the rows below - a knife-fight-range anchor comparable across ships.

Shell scatter width @ 10 km150 m

(333.3 × (10 − 2.5) / 1000 + 2.5) × 30 = 150 m. How wide your shells scatter at 10 km, from the same dispersion model as the max-range figure above. Picking a fixed range makes this number directly comparable from ship to ship: max-range dispersion makes a longer-range gun look worse even when it's tighter at any common range. The interactive Dispersion tab on the Charts card plots the full curve from 0 to max range.

Shell scatter height @ 5 km52.4 m

How tall the scatter ellipse is at a fixed 5 km, from the same model, comparable from ship to ship. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.55$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 13150 = 6575$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.7$  at 13150 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.55 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{6575} = 0.4662$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 112.5 \cdot 0.4662 = 52.4 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km94.2 m

How tall the same scatter ellipse is at 10 km. Comparable from ship to ship for the same reason as the width value above. The height/width ratio is a piecewise-linear curve through three points from the ship's own dispersion data:  $radiusOnZero = 0.2$  at 0 m,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.55$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 13150 = 6575$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.7$  at 13150 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.55 + (0.7 - 0.55) \cdot \frac{10000 - 6575}{13150 - 6575} = 0.6281$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 150 \cdot 0.6281 = 94.2 m$ .

AP pen 5 km440 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 5 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2528 \cdot 386^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot 675^{1.38} = 440 mm$ , where 675 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 869 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP pen 10 km315 mm

AP penetration at a fixed 10 km, from the same ballistic curve as AP Pen Close/Far: the shell's impact velocity at that range fed through the AP formula  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 2528 \cdot 386^{0.69} \cdot {0.305}^{- 1.07} \cdot {529.9}^{1.38} = 315 mm$ , where 529.9 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 869 m/s at the muzzle). Fixed anchors make ships directly comparable at the same fighting distance; the Charts card plots the full curve.

AP flight time @ 10 km5.41 s

How long an AP shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.437 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 386} = 4.14 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 869 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

HE flight time @ 10 km5.41 s

How long an HE shell takes to reach a target at a fixed 10 km, from the same numerically integrated trajectory the Charts card plots. The shell slows under quadratic air drag,  $a_{drag} = k ρ v^{2}$ , where  $ρ$  is air density from a standard-atmosphere profile and  $k$  bundles the shell's drag coefficient, caliber and mass:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.437 \cdot {0.305}^{2}}{8 \cdot 386} = 4.14 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 869 m/s muzzle velocity in 0.02 s steps under gravity 9.8 m/s² until the shell lands, then divides by 2.77 because the game clock runs faster than real time. Lower is better, since a faster shell is harder to dodge and needs less lead.

Guns per full salvo (alpha, DPM)8

Counted from each mount's firing arc: most barrels that bear at once: 8 of 12, on the beam; casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)2,528

Armor-penetration constant of the AP shell; penetration scales straight with it, so a 10% higher Krupp is 10% more penetration at every range.

AP shell mass386 kg

Enters penetration as mass^0.69 and slows the shell's drag deceleration, so a heavier shell keeps more velocity at range.

AP drag coefficient0.437

Air drag on the AP shell in flight; lower keeps velocity, and with it penetration, at long range.

AP muzzle velocity869 m/s

Starting speed of the AP shell; penetration scales with velocity^1.38.

HE muzzle velocity869 m/s

Starting speed of the HE shell; sets its flight time and lead.

idealRadius10

Horizontal dispersion growth per idealDistance of range, in 30 m units; the slope of the scatter-width line.

minRadius2.5

Horizontal dispersion at zero range, in 30 m units; the intercept of the scatter-width line.

idealDistance1,000 m

Range step over which horizontal dispersion grows by idealRadius.

taperDist3,500 m

Inside this range the scatter width tapers toward minRadius instead of following the line.

radiusOnZero0.2

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at zero range.

radiusOnDelim0.55

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at the delim point.

radiusOnMax0.7

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.

delim0.5

Where the vertical-scatter curve bends, as a share of maximum range.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range8

Only families that reach 3 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 80mm 40 4x1 -> 8 DPS @ 3 km.

AA DPS layered by range8 DPS @ 3 km

@ 3 km: 8 from one family. 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-blank8

8 = 8 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3 km).

AA threat index24

8 × 3 = 24. 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.

Secondary battery firepower

Max HE alpha2200

max(2100 (120 mm), 2100 (120 mm), 2200 (152 mm)) = 2200. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2200 from the 152 mm family.

Max HE fire chance12%

max(10% (120 mm), 10% (120 mm), 12% (152 mm)) = 12%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 12% from the 152 mm family.

Max HE pen25 mm

max(20 mm (120 mm), 20 mm (120 mm), 25 mm (152 mm)) = 25 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: 25 mm from the 152 mm family.

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

The first dreadnought of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Boasted a sufficiently powerful armor belt. Kawachi's fire control capabilities were strongly affected by the diversity of calibers of her numerous guns. Similar to other warships of her time, Kawachi had insufficient horizontal armor protection and weak torpedo protection.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 43,700, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern16 mm

Overmatched by 47+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel305 mm

Citadels come from a flat broadside at close range; held past ~30° of angle, AP shatters or bounces.

Farming10 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 10%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	16 mm primary (range 16–102 mm)	2,700 (6% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Nassau, Von Der Tann)Angle bounces 203mm16 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 25–152 mm)	32,800 (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.
Stern	25 mm primary (range 16–102 mm)	3,000 (7% of HP)	Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	305 mm primary (range 16–305 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.
Superstructure	10 mm primary (range 10–254 mm)	2,000 (5% 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).
Turret (module, per magazine)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	21,900 magazine HP	Turret knocked out	Per-turret powder-magazine HP, a separate pool that does not drain ship HP. As it is worn down the turret is likelier to be knocked out, and a smaller pool gets there faster.
Secondary mount (152 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	800 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 (76 mm mount)	separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP	200 per-mount HP	Destroyed at 0 HP	Per-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 HP	13,100 module HP	Incapacitated at 0 HP	When 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.

Balance History

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

Buff ×3Main Battery ×3

2026-07-30

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Main battery reload time reduced from 30 to 25 seconds.
Main battery dispersion improved, changing from a Japanese battleship curve to the new Fuso/Mutsu dispersion curve.
Main battery AP penetration improved by approximately 25%.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Kawachi can equip.

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.

2022-09-29 · Patch notes Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes Patch notes 2024-10-10 · Patch notes Halloween Update: Crimson Tale Patch notes 2026-07-30 · Patch notes Anniversary Update: Tides of Adventure Patch notes

Kawachi

Kawachi Community Stats

Kawachi Community Stats

Kawachi Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Kawachi

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

AA defense

Secondary battery firepower

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits