Ryūjō
Also called: 龙骧 Beta- Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull
- Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella
- Avoid: Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
On this page
Ryūjō Community Stats
Across 8,200+ Standard battles from 260+ players, Ryūjō averages a 57% win rate, 46,700 damage and 0.9 kills per battle, and survives 61% of them.
Ryūjō Community Stats
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Ryūjō Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Ryūjō is the Tier V Japanese carrier: a balanced strike kit across dive bombers and air torpedoes without a single dominant weapon. The kit rewards reading the enemy AA and picking the squadron that fits the next target. Her air-torpedo alpha is among the heaviest in the cohort. Each squadron flies 8 planes and they come back 40 s apiece, so losing a full wave costs 320 seconds of reserves.
Positioning
Stay a full map cell behind the brawl line, far enough back that a rotated DD or radar cruiser cannot threaten the hull. Launch from positions where the recall path stays inside your team's AA umbrella, not over open water where intercepting fighters can finish off limping squadrons. Longer trip back, fewer waves per match. You are spotted at 12.4 km and run at 28 kn, so that distance plus your speed is the whole margin for noticing a DD has slipped past and getting out. Her handling reads as a contradiction and is not one: 13.4 s on the rudder means she starts turning late, while a 770 m circle means she comes around inside most of her cohort once she does. Decide a beat early and the turn itself will not let you down.
Potato Avoidance
Trading a full squadron for one high-value kill
Match impact comes from cycling waves across multiple targets, not committing a dive into layered AA for one battleship. When a target's AA is heavy, route around and find a softer pick rather than burning planes through the wall. Replacing a lost aircraft takes 80 s at best, and your most fragile squadron flies at 1,400 HP, so a wave sent into a wall of AA thins the reserve for the rest of the match.
Signature Traits
5 km AA reach, best of T5 CVs.
- Punchy HE · 2100 max
- Punch-through secondaries · 21 mm
500 HP bow pool, top quartile of T5 CVs. A small pool saturates quickly, after which bow-on penetrations do about a tenth -- angle and they stop mattering.
- Sluggish rudder · 13.4 s
- Slow for the class · 28 kt
How to get Ryūjō
Ryūjō is available in the Offensive Strike Carriers branch of the Japan Tech Tree for 6,400,000 credits after researching it in the branch. Known module upgrades cost up to 1,610,000 credits.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Show Japan tech-tree branch diagram
Ryūjō sits in the Offensive Strike Carriers branch. The highlighted path shows the local branch context inside the full Japan tree.
Builds
Pair with a commander whose unique skill complements her main armament; check the build tool for current recommendations.
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 Ryūjō sits among Tier V CVs (7 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.
See 14 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Ryūjō -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier V Aircraft CarriersStats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
2 planes per drop x 2 bombs each = 4.ƒ
Initial: 4 bombs x 5,500 alpha = 22,000 → 4 bombs x 5,900 alpha = 23,600. If every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
2 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 2.ƒ
Initial: 2 torpedoes x 6,000 alpha = 12,000 → 2 torpedoes x 6,400 alpha = 12,800. If every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 1.2 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 102 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 33 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 116 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 102 + Medium 116 = 218ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 2 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 5 clouds per salvo × 190 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 5 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
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: 6×2 127 mm (6/side) × 60/5 s × 2100 = 151,200. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).ƒ
Fires/min (per side) 5.8 × (1 − 0.233 fire resistance) × 60 s × 0.003 of max HP per second × 54,550 HP = 43,380. 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.ƒ
Secondary DPM (per side) 151,200 + secondary fire DPM 43,380 = 194,580: shell damage plus fire damage against one T5 battleship, every shell hitting.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
6×2 barrels / 2 sides × 60 / 5 s × 0.08 (8% fire chance) = 5.8. 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.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 45 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
4 km × 45 + 30 = 210 m.ƒ
top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 28 / 4 + 4.9 = 11.9 kt. Base value; speed modifiers scale it.ƒ
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.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse.ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (25.2 kt of 28.0 kt).ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (27.7 kt of 28.0 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.ƒ
Base value, no camouflage. With a Grade IV permanent camo (or any disposable camo): 12.41 km x 0.955 = 11.85 km. Camouflage does not change detectability by air.ƒ
Detectability by sea 12.41 km x 0.955 (Grade IV permanent camo or any disposable camo) = 11.85 km.ƒ
Air detectability 8.69 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 8.69 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020.ƒ
Sea detectability 12.41 km + 2.0 km while burning = 14.41 km.ƒ
Air detectability 8.69 km + 3.0 km while burning = 11.69 km.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
Under the hood
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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.
AA defense
Only families that reach 5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 25mm Type96 single 5x1 -> 41 DPS @ 3.1 km; 25mm Type96 double 9x2 -> 74 DPS @ 3.1 km; 127mm40 Type 89 6x2 -> 102 DPS @ 5 km.@ 5 km: 102 from one family; @ 3.1 km: 41 + 74 + 102 = 217. 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.41 + 74 + 102 = 217 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (3.1 km).41 × 3.1 + 74 × 3.1 + 102 × 5 = 866. 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
The only family (127 mm): 2100. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2100 from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 8%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 127 mm family.The only family (127 mm): 21 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: 21 mm from the 127 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
An aircraft carrier built under the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Owing to a double-deck hangar, she could carry an impressive air group despite her limited displacement. Her drawbacks were low survivability and the small size of her flight deck, which hampered takeoff and landing for squadrons.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 38,400 → 39,600 with hull upgrade, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimates.
Overmatched by 93+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 23%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 16 mm primary (range 16–20 mm) | ≈ 1,980 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)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) | 25 mm primary (range 6–25 mm) | ≈ 29,700 (~75% of HP) | Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Bayern, Gneisenau)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 16 mm primary (range 16–19 mm) | ≈ 1,980 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 283mm+ AP (Moltke, Graf Spee)Angle bounces 203mm16 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 30 mm primary (range 13–30 mm) | 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 6–16 mm) | no cap | 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). |
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 Ryūjō. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.
Ministry of Balance: Aerial Adjustments
- Torpedo bombers:
- Stock torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 80 s.
- Stock torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 132 to 120 kts.
- Upgraded torpedo bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 80 s.
- Upgraded torpedo bomber base speed reduced from 140 to 127 kts.
- Dive bombers:
- Stock dive bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 80 s.
- Stock dive bomber base speed reduced from 146 to 132 kts.
- Upgraded dive bomber restoration time increased from 57 to 80 s.
- Upgraded dive bomber base speed reduced from 151 to 137 kts.
Ministry of Balance: Carriers 2.0 – First Wave
- Stock Dive Bombers:
- Now match accuracy parameters of the upgraded dive bombers.
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 2.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,100 to 1,450 (squadron HP reduced from 12,600 to 11,600).
- Base speed increased from 120 to 146 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 30 kilometers.
- Bomb damage reduced from 9,100 to 5,500.
- HE bomb penetration reduced from 53.4 to 43.6 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 55 to 30%.
- Bomb splash radius reduced.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 16.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 2.
- Upgraded Dive Bombers:
- Bombs per aircraft increased from 1 to 2.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,200 to 1,550 (squadron HP reduced from 13,200 to 12,400).
- Base speed increased from 123 to 151 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 32 kilometers.
- Bomb damage reduced from 9,100 to 5,900.
- HE bomb penetration reduced from 53.4 to 43.6 mm.
- Bomb fire-setting chances reduced from 55 to 34%.
- Bomb splash radius reduced.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 16.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 2.
- Stock Torpedo Bombers:
- Torpedo strike aiming time reduced from 15 to 12 seconds.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,200 to 1,400 (squadron HP reduced from 13,200 to 11,200).
- Base speed increased from 108 to 132 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 28 kilometers.
- Torpedo damage increased from 5,866 to 6,800.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 16.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 2.
- Upgraded Torpedo Bombers:
- Torpedo strike aiming time increased from 10 to 12 seconds.
- Number of aircraft in squadron increased from 6 to 8.
- Maximum HP per aircraft reduced from 2,300 to 1,500 (squadron HP reduced from 13,800 to 12,000).
- Base speed increased from 116 to 140 knots.
- Maximum flight range set to 30 kilometers.
- Torpedo damage increased from 6,966 to 7,200.
- Maximum & starting hangar aircraft increased from 12 to 16.
- Aircraft restored increased from 1 to 2.
- Aircraft restoration time reduced from 73 to 57 seconds.
Halloween Update: New Friends, Old Foes
- Surface detectability range changed from 11.4 to 12.4 km; air detectability range changed from 8 to 8.7 km.
- Stock dive bomber HP changed from 2,050 to 2,100; stock torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,100 to 2,200.
- Upgraded dive bomber HP changed from 2,150 to 2,200; upgraded torpedo bomber HP changed from 2,200 to 2,300.
Halloween Update: Double the Fun, Double the Trouble
- Detectability range by sea increased from 9.5 to 11.4 km.
- Detectability range by air increased from 7.6 to 8 km.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Ryūjō 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.
