GamingDiver / WoWs Legends Ships / Kuma

World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Kuma

Also called: 球磨 Beta

Japan · Tier III · CL Cruiser · Tech Tree: Early Japanese Cruisers

HE fire-spam cruiserStack fires and HE DPM; Sonar buys safe vision around cover and torpedoes.

Playstyle

Work the islands rather than a firing line
Avoid: Pushing in blind because the kit says brawler

Key characteristics

Long torps (7 km)Heavy HE shellsHigh HE / fire outputHigh AP DPMSonarPattern widens fast with range

On this page

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

Community Data

Kuma Community Stats

Across 4,000+ Standard battles from 360+ players, Kuma averages a 55% win rate, 24,400 damage and 0.9 kills per battle, and survives 25% of them.

Community Data

Kuma Community Stats

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

Playstyle

Overview

Kuma is a Tier III Japanese light cruiser whose 140mm guns bring 144,000 HE DPM (1st of 11), with Sonar as her vision tool: it lets her contest islands and smoke without exposing the hull. Her sonar reaches 3.5 km, which is the range at which she can commit to a contest without guessing. She also puts out top-decile AP (162,000 AP DPM), making her a dual-threat gunship: keep AP up against broadsides and citadels, and switch to HE against bow-in ships, superstructures, and the thin or angled targets AP over-penetrates or bounces off. Standout traits: best HE alpha in T3 CAs (2,400, 2nd of 11) and best thick citadel floor in T3 CAs (35 mm, 1st of 6). The trade is pattern widens fast with range in T3 CAs (9.5 m, 11th of 12).

Positioning

Work the islands rather than a firing line. Sonar (3.5 km on ships, 2.5 km on torpedoes) is the whole kit, and it only pays inside that radius, so hold the cover beside a contested cap and use it to catch destroyers and torpedoes coming around the corner: HE into the destroyer, AP into any cruiser that shows you a broadside while it sits in smoke. Firing from a friendly smoke reveals you at 4.2 km, so pick the salvo rather than holding the trigger. Your guns lose penetration at range, so aim AP at broadsides you can still citadel and put HE into superstructures and upper-hull sections, rather than the bow-in or belt armor your shells bounce and shatter on. The helm answers quickly (5.4 s), so she can break an incoming salvo that slower hulls have to eat.

Potato Avoidance

Pushing in blind because the kit says brawler

3.5-km Sonar is what makes the close fight winnable, and it only helps once you are already committed; it does not tell you what is waiting two islands over. Push when a destroyer is lit or a teammate holds vision, not to find out who is there.

Signature Traits

ELITE MAIN BATTERY ↗

Heavy HE shells · 2400 damage
HE DPM machine · 144000 HE
AP DPM machine · 162000 AP
High fire pressure · 6 fires/min
Fire-starter cruiser

ELITE ARMOR ↗

Thick citadel floor · 35 mm
Heavy magazine · 35 mm

Pattern widens fast with range ↗

Shell pattern widens about 9.5 m per km of range, bottom decile of T3 CAs. Salvos spread more at any given distance than peers', so bracketing matters (this is range-normalized, so out-ranging peers does not count against her).

Soft superstructure ↗

6 mm superstructure, bottom quartile of T3 CAs. HE farms harder.

Acquisition

How to get Kuma

Kuma is available in the Early Japanese Cruisers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 85,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 19,120 credits.

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

Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram

Japan Tech Tree

Kuma sits in the Early Japanese Cruisers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan tree.

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

JapanIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIII★

Destroyer

Destroyer Split

Cruiser

Cruiser Split

Battleship

Hybrid Battleship

Carrier

Tier VIIsePJSB527 Tier ★AkiPJSB310 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

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 Atago AL Azuma Arpeggio Haguro

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

Hide ▾

Where Kuma sits among Tier III CAs (11 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.

BestHE DPM144,000 (1/11) Top 10%Fires per minute6 (2/11) Top 10%AP DPM162,000 (2/12) Top 10%Effective HE DPM (incl. fire)183,366 (2/11) Top 10%Torpedo reload42 s (2/11) Top 25%Smoke fire bloom4.17 km (4/12) Top 25%Rudder shift5.4 s (3/12) Top 25%Main battery reload6 s (3/12) Top 25%Main dispersion119.8 m (3/12) Top 25%AP arming threshold23 mm (4/12) Top 25%Engine power90,000 hp (3/12) Top 25%Power / turn radius140.6 hp/m (4/12) Top 25%Torpedo range6.99 km (3/11) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber140 mm (10/12) Bottom 25%Main battery range12.58 km (10/12) WorstNo secondaries (8 of 12 in cohort) WorstEnd plates10 mm (1 of 6 tied / 1 of 6 tied)

See 27 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Kuma -- 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.

Hit points24,200 HP(5/12) Max speed34.5 kt(5/12) Concealment9.88 km(8/12) Air detection5.93 km(7/12) Turning circle640 m(9/12) HE fire chance10%(7/11) AP shell damage2,700(8/12) AP velocity850 m/s(9/12) HE velocity850 m/s(9/11) Time to 90% speed23 s(6/12) Acceleration (0-12 kt)8.2 s(6/12) Displacement7,948 t(9/12) Power-to-weight11.32 hp/t(5/12) AP pen at 10 km60 mm(9/12) AA DPS106(7/12) AA range3.1 km(6/12) AA threat294(5/12) Torpedo damage≈9,933(8/11) Torpedo speed57 kt(7/11) Torpedo reaction time7.8 s(8/11) Max armor65 mm(7/12) Citadel belt65 mm(6/12) NormSigma2(11 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.025 s(9 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(11 of 12 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(11 of 12 tied at this value) NormTurn speed retained81%(11 of 12 tied at this value)

Peers in this cohort

Compare Tier III Cruisers

Show all 11 peers

Stats & specs

Customize in the Build Tool →

Survivability

Hit PointsInitial: 23,000 → 24,200

Displacement7,948 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.

162.1 x 14.8 m (ship-model figure)

Armor range6–65 mm

Plate armor thicknesses6, 10, 13, 15, 19, 25, 30, 35, 40, 51, 65 mm

Armor material/layer entries29

Fire resistance

stock hull: 1 − 0.9334 fire coefficient = 6.7%; 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.

Initial: 6.7% → 10%

Fire duration30 s

Fire damage

One unattended fire: 0.003 of max HP per second (0.3%) × 30 s = 0.09 of the pool; 0.09 × 24,200 HP = 2,178 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: 0.0025 of max HP per second (0.25%) × 40 s = 0.1 of the pool; 0.1 × 24,200 HP = 2,420 HP on this ship.

0.25% of HP per second

Torp Reduction

1 − 0.333 hull torpedo-damage coefficient / 0.333 unprotected baseline = 0%. 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.

12,100

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.

7,300

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 × 3,700 = 7,400), 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.

3,700

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 × 18,200 = 36,400), 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.

18,200

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 × 1,600 = 3,200), 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.

1,600

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 × 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 ×. 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

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: 140 mm/50 Type3

Mounts / barrels7 mounts / 7 barrels

Reload time6 s

Firing range (base)11.4 km

Firing range (top fire control)12.6 km

Turret traverse8.5 °/s

Turret armor25 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.

4x ±150°, 2x 165° arc, ±125°

Guns to bear

180° − 150° (the most restricted aft-facing mount's arc) = 30° off bow; 180° − 125° (the most restricted forward-facing mount's arc) = 55° 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.

30° off bow / 55° off stern

Shell Grouping (σ)2

Dispersion type

In practice: the baseline curve for a standard cruiser -- at max range (12.6 km) shells land in an ellipse about 120 m wide and 72 m tall. Also on this curve (215): AL Baltimore, AL Chapayev, AL Cheshire, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Tallinn, AL Zara, Aberdeen, Accord, Agano, Albemarle, Algérie and 203 more.

Standard cruiser

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{12579.6}{30} \cdot \frac{8 - 1.1}{1000} + 1.1) \cdot 30 = 119.8 m

119.8 m at 12.6 km

Max Vert Disp

Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range:

σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot radiusOnMax

= 119.8 \cdot 0.6 = 71.9 m

71.9 m at 12.6 km

Med Horiz Disp

50%-hit horizontal radius:

σ_{H, 50} = σ_{H} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 119.8 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 35.9 m

35.9 m at 12.6 km

Med Vert Disp

50%-hit vertical radius:

σ_{V, 50} = σ_{V} \cdot \frac{0.6}{σ}

= 71.9 \cdot \frac{0.6}{2} = 21.6 m

21.6 m at 12.6 km

Turret turn time

180 degrees / 8.5 deg/s traverse speed = 21.2 s.

21.2 s

Shells/min

6 broadside guns x 60 / 6 s base reload = 60.

HE shells

HE alpha2,400

HE Velocity850 m/s

Fire Chance10%

HE fire DPM vs T3 BB39366

Effective HE DPM vs T3 BB183366

HE penetration

23 mm ≈ 140 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).

23 mm

HE full-salvo alpha

2,400 HE damage x 6 broadside guns = 14,400.

14,400

HE DPM

14,400 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 144,000.

144,000

Fires/min

60 shells/min × 0.1 (10% fire chance) = 6.

AP shells

AP alpha2,700

AP Velocity850 m/s

Min Ricochet45 deg

Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg

Fuse Timer0.025 s

Fuse Threshold23 mm

AP overmatch

floor(140 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).

9 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 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot {0.14}^{- 1.07} \cdot 850^{1.38} = 199.6 mm

199.6 mm point-blank

AP Pen Far

Same formula at the ship's max firing range (12.6 km), where the shell has slowed to 300.3 m/s:

P = 10^{- 7} \cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot {0.14}^{- 1.07} \cdot {300.3}^{1.38} = 47.5 mm

47.5 mm at 12.6 km

AP full-salvo alpha

2,700 AP damage x 6 broadside guns = 16,200.

16,200

AP DPM

16,200 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 6 s base reload = 162,000.

162,000

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: Type6

Launchers / tubes4 launchers × 2 tubes = 8 tubes

Reload time42 s

Projectile speed57.0 kt

Range6.99 km

Maximum simulated damage

Most targets only intersect one hull section, so a hit transfers about 1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship:

D_{sim} = α \cdot c = 29, 800 \cdot 0.333 = 9, 933

. In battle, a hit on the torpedo belt deals the per-hit figure × (1 − the target's torpedo protection %), a bow or stern hit deals it in full, and a torpedo never counts as a citadel hit.

≈ 9,933

Maximum damage (ammunition)

29,800 warhead alpha / 3 + 900 blast = 10,833. Warhead alpha / 3 plus the blast addend: the per-torpedo damage figure. The 'Maximum simulated damage' row above applies target geometry to the same warhead.

10,833

Torpedo module damage

Per-torpedo module/blast damage parameter. Most torpedoes carry 500 to 2,000; ships announced by WG as dealing increased module damage carry 9,000 to 12,000, so their hits knock out engines, rudders, and turrets far more often. Comparative figure.

900

Torpedo detectability1.2 km

Reaction time

How long a target has to dodge after your torpedo is spotted at its detectability range (lower means less warning):

t_{react} = \frac{1.2 km}{57 kt \times 2.6855} = 7.8 s

. 2.6855 converts knots to m/s on the game clock. Base value; commander torpedo-concealment skills lower it further.

7.8 s

Flooding chance

This torpedo carries a flooding-chance value of 1.75 per hit, shown as

1.75 \times 100 = 175 %

. Values above 100% are normal: in battle the base chance is scaled down by the target's torpedo protection (the Torp Reduction stat on its Survivability card) and any flood-resistance modifiers, so a value above 100% keeps flooding likely even through partial protection.

175%

Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s

Launch arcswing 135° (one launcher per beam)

Torp Turn

Time to rotate the launchers 180 deg:

t_{turn} = \frac{180 °}{25 ° / s} = 7.2 s

7.2 s

Torp Arming183 m

Per-side salvo damage

One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 9,933 = 39,732. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

39,732

AA Defense

AA mount pointsInitial: 4 → 8

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.

Initial: 3 km → 3.1 km

25 mm Type96 mod. 1 (upgraded hull only)6×2 25mm

13 mm Type93 (upgraded hull only)2×1 13mm

76.2 mm 3rd Year Type (stock hull only)2×1 76mm

6.5 mm 3rd Year Type (stock hull only)2×1 7mm

Guns25 mm Type96 mod. 1

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 28 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.9 hit probability = 88 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range3.1 km

Guns13 mm Type93

Continuous DPS

Effective DPS: 6 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.85 hit probability = 18 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.

Range1.2 km

Total DPS in Aura

Medium 88 + Near 18 = 106

106

See the AA layers diagram ↓

Maneuverability

Engine power90,000 hp

Maximum speed34.5 kt

Turning circle radius640 m

Rudder shift timeInitial: 6.9 s → 5.4 s

Engine power-boost threshold7.0 kt

Engine spool-up time15.3 s

Reverse spool-up time7.7 s

Reverse speed

top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 34.5 / 4 + 4.9 = 13.5 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.

13.5 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.

24.8 s

Engine boost threshold (reverse)

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

9.5 kt

Acceleration 0-90%

Time to reach 90% of top speed (31.1 kt of 34.5 kt).

23 s

Acceleration 0-99%

Time to reach 99% of top speed (34.2 kt of 34.5 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.

36 s

Guns in a full turn

With the rudder hard over the hull turns 6.8°/s, so a target drifts across the bow at that rate. Turret traverse minus hull turn: 8.5 − 6.8 = +1.7°/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 (+1.7°/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): 9.88 km x 0.955 = 9.44 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.

9.88 km

With Grade IV camouflage (sea)

Detectability by sea 9.88 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 9.44 km.

9.44 km

Detectability by air5.93 km

Smoke firing penalty4.17 km

Detect when firing (sea)

max(main battery range, sea detectability 9.88 km) = 12.58 km. Equal to the ship's main battery range (never below base detectability): firing makes you visible to everyone you can reach.

12.58 km

Detect when firing (air)

Air detectability 5.93 km + gun-firing bloom 2.8 km = 8.73 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber 140 mm × 0.020 = 2.8 km.

8.73 km

Detect when on fire (sea)

Sea detectability 9.88 km + 2.0 km while burning = 11.88 km.

11.88 km

Detect when on fire (air)

Air detectability 5.93 km + 3.0 km while burning = 8.93 km.

8.93 km

Guaranteed Detect2 km

✦

Consumables

Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active

Sonar Hull B only2 charges · 180 s reload · 90 s active · 3.48 km ship detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{116 \times 30}{1000} = 3.48 km$
· 2.52 km torpedo detect
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{84 \times 30}{1000} = 2.52 km$

Catapult Fighter Hull B only1 charges · 80 s reload · 70 s active · 5 km patrol radius
ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000): $\frac{167 \times 30}{1000} = 5 km$
· 1 squadron size

Module options (2)

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

HullUpgrade

Hit points23,000 → 24,200
Rudder shift6.9 → 5.4 s
AA mounts4 → 8
Close-range AA DPS3 → 34
Maximum AA range3 → 3.1 km

Fire controlUpgrade

Main battery range11,436 → 12579.6 m

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 cruiserStandard

The standard cruiser dispersion curve.

Shell scatter width @ 5 km67.5 m

(166.7 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 67.5 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 km102 m

(333.3 × (8 − 1.1) / 1000 + 1.1) × 30 = 102 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 km29.6 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,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 12579.6 = 6290$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 12579.6 m. Below the kink:  $k = 0.2 + (0.5 - 0.2) \cdot \frac{5000}{6290} = 0.4385$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 67.5 \cdot 0.4385 = 29.6 m$ .

Shell scatter height @ 10 km57 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,  $radiusOnDelim = 0.5$  at  $delim \cdot R_{m a x} = 0.5 \cdot 12579.6 = 6290$  m, and  $radiusOnMax = 0.6$  at 12579.6 m. Above the kink:  $k = 0.5 + (0.6 - 0.5) \cdot \frac{10000 - 6290}{12579.6 - 6290} = 0.559$ , so  $σ_{V} = σ_{H} \cdot k = 102 \cdot 0.559 = 57 m$ .

AP pen 5 km106 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot {0.14}^{- 1.07} \cdot 538^{1.38} = 106 mm$ , where 538 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 5 km (from 850 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 km60 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  $P = 10^{- 7} \cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{- 1.07} \cdot v^{1.38}$   $= 10^{- 7} \cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot {0.14}^{- 1.07} \cdot {354.2}^{1.38} = 60 mm$ , where 354.2 m/s is the shell's speed when it arrives at 10 km (from 850 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 km6.93 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.3696 \cdot {0.14}^{2}}{8 \cdot 38} = 7.49 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 850 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 km6.65 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:  $k = \frac{π C_{d} d^{2}}{8 m} = \frac{π \cdot 0.34 \cdot {0.14}^{2}}{8 \cdot 38} = 6.89 \times 10^{- 5}$ . That runs from a 850 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)6

Counted from each mount's firing arc: most barrels that bear at once: 6 of 7, on the beam; casemate/wing mounts only fire one side.

Model inputs

Krupp (AP)1,794

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 mass38 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 coefficient0.3696

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

AP muzzle velocity850 m/s

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

HE muzzle velocity850 m/s

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

idealRadius8

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

minRadius1.1

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.

taperDist4,000 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.

radiusOnDelim0.5

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

radiusOnMax0.6

Vertical scatter as a share of horizontal at maximum range.

delim0.5

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

Torpedoes

Estimated torpedo reaction time7.8 s

1200 m / (57.0 kt × 2.6855) = 7.8 s. detectability / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Torpedo speed57.0 kt

Travel time to max range45.7 s

6990 m / (57.0 kt × 2.6855) = 45.7 s. range / (speed kt x 2.6855 m/s per knot on the game clock).

Tube count8

4 launchers × 2 tubes.

Per-side salvo4 torpedoes

8 wing tubes / 2 = 4: the launchers sit one per beam, so only half of them reach any one side. Each launcher reloads on its own, so she can fire one beam, turn, and fire the other without waiting.

Full-salvo damage79,464

All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 8 x 9,933 = 79,464. Each hit on the target's torpedo belt is reduced by its torpedo protection %.

AA defense

AA DPS at max range88

Only families that reach 3.1 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 25mm Type96 double 6x2 -> 88 DPS @ 3.1 km; 13mm76 Type93 single 2x1 -> 18 DPS @ 1.2 km.

AA DPS layered by range88 DPS @ 3.1 km, 106 DPS @ 1.2 km

@ 3.1 km: 88 from one family; @ 1.2 km: 88 + 18 = 106. 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-blank106

88 + 18 = 106 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (1.2 km).

AA threat index294

88 × 3.1 + 18 × 1.2 = 294. 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 range1.2 km

Open in Charting Tool

Ship Charts

Background

A multipurpose light cruiser that could serve as a scout and a destroyer leader. Compared with the preceding class, Kuma had a greater displacement, reinforced weaponry and increased speed. She retained a weak AA defense that was typical of earlier-period Japanese cruisers.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 23,000 → 24,200 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds.

Bow & stern10 mm

Overmatched by 96+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel65 mm

Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.

Farming6 mm

Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 10%, fires burn 30s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →

Section	Plates	HP cap	Threats	Tactic
Bow	10 mm primary (range 10–15 mm)	3,700 (15% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ AP (Java, Taranto)Angle bounces 127mm10 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)	25 mm	18,200 (75% of HP)	Overmatch not possible in its bracketAngle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+	Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern	10 mm primary (range 10–25 mm)	2,000 (8% of HP)	Overmatched by 150mm+ AP (Java, Taranto)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+	Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel	65 mm primary (range 10–65 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	6 mm primary (range 6–51 mm)	1,600 (7% 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	12,100 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.
AA mount (25 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	7,300 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 Kuma. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×1

2026-07-30

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Kuma: credit and XP earnings increased by 2%.

Read the full official post

Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Kuma 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.

2026-07-30 · Patch notes Anniversary Update: Tides of Adventure Patch notes

Kuma

Kuma Community Stats

Kuma Community Stats

Kuma Community Stats

Playstyle

Overview

Positioning

Potato Avoidance

Signature Traits →

How to get Kuma

Builds

Cohort position

Peers in this cohort

Stats & specs

Under the hood

Main battery formulas

Model inputs

Torpedoes

AA defense

Ship Charts

Background

Armor Beta

Balance History

Ministry of Balance: Anniversary Tune-Up

Skins & permanent camouflages

Primary official WG sources

Signature Traits