GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Kitakaze

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Kitakaze

Beta

Japan · Tier VIII · Destroyer · Tech Tree: Gunboat Destroyers

Stealth torpedo destroyerSpot and ambush with torps; avoid open gunfights.

Playstyle

Sit at the edge of a contested cap from concealment and cycle torpedo waves into lanes the enemy has to…
Avoid: Holding 8-km torpedoes for a perfect shot

Key characteristics

Torpedoes (8 km)Stealthy (6.7 km)SmokeTorp Reload BoosterVisible torps

Community Data

Kitakaze Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Kitakaze is a Tier VIII Japanese torpedo destroyer reaching 8 km. The torpedoes travel at 76 kt, so target reaction time is shorter than peer DDs; this is a torpedo-spam kit, not a gun trade kit. Standout traits: best AP shell velocity in T8 DDs (1,000) and best flat HE shells in T8 DDs (1,000).

Positioning

Sit at the edge of a contested cap from concealment and cycle torpedo waves into lanes the enemy has to use - 8 km reach at 76 kt means the wall arrives before targets can react. Drop on probable lanes from cover, stay unspotted between waves, and let the wall do the work.

Potato Avoidance

Holding 8-km torpedoes for a perfect shot

The kit pays out by saturating lanes, not by waiting for guaranteed broadsides; missed waves still force rotations and protect your team's flank. Idle torpedo tubes are the worst output state.

Signature Traits

Improved HE penetration

HE pen at the 1/4 caliber ratio instead of the standard 1/6. HE-spam is a real damage option here, not just a fire-starter; pens roughly 1.5x more armor than a same-caliber peer's HE, shared by 6/25 T8 DDs.

Flat AP shells

1000.0 m/s AP muzzle velocity, best of T8 DDs. Flatter trajectory, less lead, harder to dodge.

Flat HE shells

1000.0 m/s HE muzzle velocity, best of T8 DDs. Flatter trajectory, easier to land at range.

AP DPM machine

326400 AP DPM, best of T8 DDs. Punishes broadsides.

Visible torps

1.8 km torpedo detect, worst of T8 DDs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Slow torp reload

157.0 s torpedo reload, worst of T8 DDs. Long wait between drops.

Acquisition

How to get Kitakaze

Kitakaze is available in the Gunboat Destroyers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 25,000,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 6,250,000 credits.

Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram

Japan Tech Tree

Kitakaze sits in the Gunboat Destroyers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan tree.

5 ships in highlighted branch · scroll to inspect all Japan lines.

JapanIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Hybrid Battleship

Carrier

Tier VIIsePJSB527 Tier VIIIDewaPJSB309 Tier VIISuwoPJSB308 Tier VIIIKitakazePJSD219 Tier VIIIYūgumoPJSD209 Tier VIIITakahashiPJSC209 Tier VIIKagerōPJSD208 Tier VIIShimantoPJSC208 Tier VIShiratsuyuPJSD207 Tier VIOmonoPJSC207 Tier VHatsuharuPJSD206 Tier VGokasePJSC206 Tier IVMinekazePJSD205 Tier IVAganoPJSC205 Tier VIIAkizukiPJSD108 Tier VIIShōkakuPJSA108 Tier VIAkatsukiPJSD107 Tier VFubukiPJSD106 Tier IVMutsukiPJSD105 Tier IChikumaPJSC035 Tier IIWakatakePJSD024 Tier VIIIIzumoPJSB021 Tier ★YamatoPJSB018 Tier IITenryūPJSC015 Tier IIIKumaPJSC013 Tier VIIAmagiPJSB013 Tier ★ShimakazePJSD012 Tier VIIIIbukiPJSC012 Tier VINagatoPJSB010 Tier VIIMogamiPJSC009 Tier VRyūjōPJSA009 Tier VIMyōkōPJSC008 Tier IIIIshizuchiPJSB008 Tier VAobaPJSC007 Tier IVKongōPJSB007 Tier VFusōPJSB006 Tier IVFurutakaPJSC005 Tier IIIIsokazePJSD003 Tier IIIHōshōPJSA002

Builds Beta

Build for gun reload, HE penetration/fire pressure, concealment, survivability, and Torpedo Reload Booster value.

Open in Build Tool →

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Cohort position

Hide ▾

Where Kitakaze sits among Tier VIII DDs (25 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.

BestAP DPM326,400 (1/23) BestAP velocity1,000 m/s (1/23) BestHE velocity1,000 m/s (1/24) Top 10%Stealth profile6.7 km / 3.35 km (2/25 / 2/25) Top 10%Fires per minute9.6 (2/24) Top 10%AP arming threshold17 mm (2/23) Top 10%Torpedo speed76 kt (3/24) Top 25%Hit points20,700 HP (7/25) Top 25%Main battery reload2.5 s (6/25) Top 25%HE DPM230,400 (4/24) Top 25%Acceleration10.8 s (7/25) Top 25%AA DPS308 (5/25) Top 25%AA threat1,223 (4/25) Top 25%Torpedo damage21,367 (4/24) Bottom 25%Engine power52,000 hp (21/25) Bottom 25%Torpedo range8.01 km (19/24) Bottom 25%Deck armor13 mm (17/18) Bottom 10%Power-to-weight13.37 hp/t (24/25) WorstMain battery caliber100 mm (25/25) WorstTurn-speed retention71.2 hp/m (25/25) WorstTorpedo reload157 s (24/24)

See 12 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Kitakaze -- 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.

Max speed36 kt(15/25) Rudder shift6.1 s(18/25) Traverse-to-turn ratio11.01 ×(15/25) Main battery range11.05 km(8/25) Main dispersion90.3 m(13/25) AP fuse timer0.01 s(13/23) Displacement3,888 t(17/25) AA range5 km(14/25) NormAP ricochet start45°(17 of 23 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(17 of 23 tied at this value) NormMax armor20 mm(22 of 25 tied at this value) NormCitadel belt20 mm(21 of 24 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Show all 23 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →Shell ballistics chart More tools in the WoWS Legends Data Lab

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

TRBSmokeEngine Boost

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 16,200 → 20,700

Displacement3,888 t

Armor range13–20 mm

Plate armor thicknesses13, 19, 20 mm

Armor material/layer entries24

Fire resistance40%

Fire duration30 s

Torp Reduction0%

Magazine HP

The magazine is the module a detonation comes from. Penetrating hits to it raise the detonation chance from 1% toward 30% as its HP is worn down, so a larger magazine pool rides out citadel hits longer before a detonation becomes likely.

10,400

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.

6,200

Main Battery

ModuleArtillery: 8×100 mm

Mounts / barrels4 mounts / 8 barrels

Reload time2.8 s

Firing range (base)10 km

Firing range (top fire control)11 km

Turret traverse16 °/s

Shell Grouping (σ)

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10042/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 90.3 m

90.3 m

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 90.3 × 0.6 = 54.2 m

54.2 m

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 90.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 28.9 m

28.9 m

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 54.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 17.3 m

17.3 m

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 16 deg/s traverse speed = 11.2 s.

11.2 s

Base shells/min

8 broadside guns x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 171.4.

171.4

HE shells

HE Damage1,200

HE Velocity1000 m/s

Fire Chance5%

HE penetration

In-game data: 30 mm = 100 mm caliber / 3.33 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

30 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

1,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 9,600.

9,600

Base HE DPM

9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 205,714.

205,714

Installed HE DPM

9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.5 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 230,400.

230,400

Base fires/min

8 HE shells x 60 / 2.8 s reload x 5% fire chance = 8.57.

8.57

AP shells

AP Damage1,700

AP Velocity1000 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.01 s

Fuse Threshold17 mm

AP overmatch

floor(100 mm caliber / 14.3) = 6 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

6 mm

AP Pen Close

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2154 × 13^0.69 × 0.1^-1.07 × 1000^1.38 = 205.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

205.1 mm

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2154 × 13^0.69 × 0.1^-1.07 × 254.9^1.38 = 31.1 mm.

31.1 mm

AP full-salvo alpha

1,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 13,600.

13,600

Base AP DPM

13,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 291,429.

291,429

Installed AP DPM

13,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.5 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 326,400.

326,400

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.

◇

Torpedoes

ModuleTorpedoes: 610 mm Type93

Launchers / tubes1 launchers × 6 tubes = 6 tubes

Reload time157 s

Projectile speed76 kt

Range8.01 km

Maximum simulated damage19,867 (est.)

Alpha damage59,600

Torpedo detectability1.8 km

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Torp Turn7.2 s

Torp Arming586 m

Per-side salvo damage

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

119,202

AA Defense

AA mount points24

Close-range AA DPS

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (35×3.5×1) + (21×3.5×0.95) + (33×3.5×1) = 308. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

308

Maximum AA range

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

5 km

40 mm/60 Type 5 (upgraded hull only)6×2 40mm

25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 118×1 25mm

25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (stock hull only)6×3 25mm

DPS

Includes 33 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose main battery firing as AA in this range band.

Range5 km

DPS35

Range3.5 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 33 + Medium 35 = 68

DPSInitial: 35 → 21

Range3.1 km

Total DPS in Aura

Far 33 + Medium 35 + Near 21 = 89

Maneuverability

Engine moduleEngine: 52,000 hp

Engine power52,000 hp

Maximum speed36 kt

Turning circle radius730 m

Engine power multiplier speed threshold7 kt

Traverse-to-turn ratio11.0× ok

Concealment

Detectability by sea6.7 km

Detectability by air3.35 km

Smoke firing penalty2.07 km

Detect after firing main guns6.7 km

Detect Fire Sea8.7 km

Detect Fire Air6.35 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 40 s reload · 5 s active

Smoke Generator2 charges · 240 s reload · 15 s emit / 89 s cloud active

Engine Boost2 charges · 180 s reload · 120 s active · +8% speed bonus

Torpedo Reload Booster2 charges · 240 s reload · 5 s active · Rapid torpedo reload

Module options (3)

Stats above use the fully-upgraded modules. These are the research-tree alternatives; trade-offs are flagged.

HullUpgrade

Hit points16,200 → 20,700
Rudder shift8.5 → 6.1 s
Close-range AA DPS35 → 56
Maximum AA range3.1 → 3.5 km

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range10,042 → 11046.2 m

TorpedoesTrade-off

Range11.01 → 8.01 km
Reload171 → 157 s
Alpha damage66,800 → 59,600
Display damage22,267 → 19,867
Speed67 → 76 kt

See all derived stats

Show ▾

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.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Shell grouping (sigma); shown in-game as Shell Grouping.

Max Horiz Disp90.3 m

Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range. (R/30·(idealRadius−minRadius)/idealDistance + minRadius)·30 = (10042/30·(8−0.5)/1000 + 0.5)·30 = 90.3 m

Max Vert Disp54.2 m

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range = max horizontal × radiusOnMax = 90.3 × 0.6 = 54.2 m

Med Horiz Disp28.9 m

50%-hit horizontal radius = max horizontal × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 90.3 × 0.32 (σ=2) = 28.9 m

Med Vert Disp17.3 m

50%-hit vertical radius = max vertical × GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) = 54.2 × 0.319 (σ=2) = 17.3 m

Dispersion familyDD Disp.

Standard destroyer dispersion baseline.

AP Pen Close205.1 mm

Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: 1e-7 × Krupp × mass^0.69 × caliber_m^-1.07 × v0^1.38 = 1e-7 × 2154 × 13^0.69 × 0.1^-1.07 × 1000^1.38 = 205.1 mm. Matches the in-game spec card.

AP Pen Far31.1 mm

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (13.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 254.9 m/s: 1e-7 × 2154 × 13^0.69 × 0.1^-1.07 × 254.9^1.38 = 31.1 mm.

HE penetration30 mm

In-game data: 30 mm = 100 mm caliber / 3.33 (non-standard HE penetration ratio).

Improved HE PenYes

This ship's HE shells use a 1/4 (~0.25) caliber-to-pen ratio instead of the standard 1/6 (~0.167) - 0.3 in this case. Lets HE pen ~25mm armor instead of ~16mm. Hits every German cruiser (150mm CL, 203mm CA) and BB (350mm+), British heavy cruisers / Lion / Nelson, a handful of other premiums.

AP overmatch6 mm

floor(100 mm caliber / 14.3) = 6 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

AP AOE Radius7

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.

Broadside guns used for alpha8

All 8 barrels bear on the broadside.

Turret turn time11.2 s

180 degrees / 16 deg/s traverse speed = 11.2 s.

HE full-salvo alpha9,600

1,200 HE damage x 8 broadside guns = 9,600.

AP full-salvo alpha13,600

1,700 AP damage x 8 broadside guns = 13,600.

Base HE DPM205,714

9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 205,714.

Base AP DPM291,429

13,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 291,429.

Installed HE DPM230,400

9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.5 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 230,400.

Installed AP DPM326,400

13,600 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 2.5 s installed reload (Main Battery Mod. 3 = -10%) = 326,400.

Base shells/min171.4

8 broadside guns x 60 / 2.8 s base reload = 171.4.

Installed shells/min192

8 broadside guns x 60 / 2.5 s installed Artillery reload = 192.

Base fires/min8.57

8 HE shells x 60 / 2.8 s reload x 5% fire chance = 8.57.

Installed fires/min9.6

8 HE shells x 60 / 2.5 s installed reload x 5% fire chance = 9.6.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.8 km

Estimated torpedo reaction time9.1 s

detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Torpedo speed76 kt

Travel time to max range40.5 s

range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).

Tube count6

1 launchers x 6 tubes.

Per-side salvo6 torpedoes

6 (centerline launchers train across - full salvo to either side).

Full-salvo damage119,202

tube count x per-torpedo simulated damage (all torpedoes hitting).

Per-side salvo damage119,202

per-side salvo x per-torpedo simulated damage.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS308

Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (35×3.5×1) + (21×3.5×0.95) + (33×3.5×1) = 308. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.

Maximum AA range5 km

Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.

AA threat index1223

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

Armor

Hull HP 16,200 → 20,700 with hull upgrade, 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.

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,900 (14% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)Angle bounces 283mm20 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)	19 mm	15,500 (75% of HP)	Overmatched by 283mm+ (Scharnhorst '43, Schill)Angle bounces 203mm19 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	20 mm primary (range 19–20 mm)	2,100 (10% of HP)	Overmatched by 305mm+ (Cherbourg, Brandenburg)Angle bounces 283mm20 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	20 mm primary (range 13–20 mm)	≈ 165,500 (effectively no cap)	Citadel pen ×0.50 damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage	Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. Damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead (×0.50 direct pen, ×0.10 over-pen).
Superstructure	13 mm	1,200 (6% 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	10,400 magazine HP	Magazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HP	Per-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
AA mount (40 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	6,200 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.

Shell ballistics chart

AP penetration, impact velocity, flight time and impact angle vs range. Click to load the interactive chart.

Balance History

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

Buff ×3Main Battery ×2

2023-11-02

MINISTRY OF BALANCE REPORTS: A FLURRY OF CHANGES

By popular request and to improve the upgrade of this ship over Akizuki, Kitakaze is getting a big buff to her main guns in both damage output and HE penetration.
Main battery reload time reduced from 3.3 to 2.8 s.
Main battery HE shell penetration increased from 20 to 30 mm.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

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

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.

2023-03-02 · Patch notes March Update: Seeing Green Patch notes