War Thunder Best Japanese Tanks By Tier

Updated:

29 Sep 2022

But anyways, this article will be about their tanks. Are they any good? Well, they’re not as good as the German or American tanks but they still have some hidden potential in their armaments and mobility. I’m gonna discuss some of the best tanks from the Japanese side and explain how to play them effectively, and why they’re fun + generally worth grinding for. Let’s go:

Tier 1

The best tank: Ho-I

Ho-I is good at a few things - first of all, mobility. It can reach speeds of 44-49 KM/H, which is impressive for a tank in this tier. It’s equipped with a relatively powerful cannon that can be equipped with HEAT shells capable of dealing decent penetration damage. The armor is alright compared to the other tanks in this tier. Give it a try!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Ho-I

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdYggKwRcvg

The second-best tank: Ka-Mi

This feller on the other hand is amphibious, it’s also equipped with plenty of machine guns on the sides, which might make you question whether this is a tank or not. Don’t worry, it is. It’s equipped with a 37 mm Type 1 cannon - it’s not bad, and will surely do its job against light+medium tanks!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Ka-Mi

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_DC2uaOffI

Tier 2

The best tank: Chi-Nu

Let’s start with the main cannon, which is the icing on the cake. The 75mm cannon is effective at both short and long engagements and can deal a lot of damage, if not instakilling other enemy tanks. Keep in mind that Chi-Nu is pretty small and nimble, with a short reload time, it makes it a pretty good flanker tank!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Chi-Nu

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XwKzTkSiQs

The second-best tank: Chi-Ha

This guy looks absolutely badass and massive. This means that you should play it as a sniper, due to the lackluster armor and big profile being too much of a liability in close-proximity engagements. Does a good job at climbing up the hills and being overall mobile, turning feels smooth and fast in the low gear!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Chi-Ha_LG

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKnOIbDkL6g

Tier 3

The best tank: Chi-Ri II

The best feature about Chi-Ri is its reload speed - 3 seconds. It’s insane and it allows you to overwhelm your opponents with a constant barrage. Keep in mind though that the armor won’t be able to withstand much damage and with a massive profile, you’ll be begging to get rekt. Play it as a sniper instead or at least play with your teammates and coordinate!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Chi-Ri_II

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktrDPK06HWU

The second-best tank: Heavy Tank No.6

Besides being considered a heavy tank that weighs around 57.3 tons, this feller can move at a speed of 45-48 KM/H. This enables you to keep up with your lightly-armored buddies and keep them from getting one shot. The tank is well-armored and can take a beating but it becomes even more ridiculously resilient when angled properly. The main cannon is pretty terrifyingly OP and can easily obliterate some USSR/USA tanks.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Heavy_Tank_No.6_(Japan)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfAa3CW3qlY

Tier 4

The best tank: Type-61

Type-61 is a pretty decent tank if you want to flank with it. It’s relatively fast and accelerates pretty well, the turret’s rotation speed also allows you to react to threats sooner and the reload speed is not too bad - 7.5 seconds if your crew is trained. But, thanks to the rangefinder and night vision, this tank can also be played as a sniper. Have fun!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_61

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hei4EfG3WmA

The second-best tank: Type 60

Type 60 on the other hand is known for being a little, sneaky and fast piece of shyt, capable of flanking and ambushing its opponents. Although you don’t wanna get hit directly with a shell or even struck with machine gun fire due to a gap in the armor that exposes the crew. If equipped with HEAT rounds, you can be a serious menace on the battlefield, especially if you use the gun depression to your advantage. Some people don’t like this tank but I don’t see why - maybe it’s not that good on some maps but I had plenty of fun with it!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_60_SPRG_(C)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvxUxj_ny30

Tier 5

The best tank: STB-1

The 105mm cannon is -pretty impressive and rightfully so, it’s capable of eliminating other tanks with ease and it’s also equipped with a laser rangefinder+a stabilizer, which both contribute greatly to sniper gameplay. High mobility means that you can get to points quickly and perhaps flank enemies thanks to the 6.7-second reload speed(if the crew is trained). The browning machine guns can be effective against light targets and some aircraft.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/STB-1

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SBce8xc2d8

Tier 6

The best tank: Type_89

The biggest strength of this tank is its ATGMs - with a whopping penetration power of 700mm and decent accuracy, it’s one of the deadlier tanks in urban settings. It’s also equipped with thermal vision, which makes night maps more bearable. Keep in mind that maneuvrability is terrible in gear 1, so change it to gear 2/3 for better maneuverability.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_89

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnvqGiOqHPQ

The second tank: Type 74 (F)

Type 74 F is known for having the same ammunition choices as NATO tanks and a powerful cannon(L7A3 105 mm) which proved many times to be quite effective in combat. The reload speed is pretty good, if your crew is skilled then it’s going to be somewhere around 6.7 seconds. There’s also a .50CAL mounted on the top to harass or rarely destroy enemy aircraft if they’re on low altitudes.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_74_(F)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7a2NlUA3fw

Tier 7

The best tank: Type 10

The biggest pro of this tank is probably the fact that it uses a 120mm cannon and an autoloader with a reload speed of 4 seconds. It’s also mobile and it’s advisable to not stay for too long in one place, because a single, yet accurate shot can easily knock out your crew, which only consists of 3 people. It’s also not the biggest tank out there so you can take advantage of the small profile!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_10

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-kTRnQmc1E

The second-best tank: Type 90 (B)

This feller will be my last tank for today. It’s a medium tank with a decent forward speed of 81-73 KM/H and an amazing backward speed of 38-34 KM/H - you should use this to your advantage if you need to get the hell out of FUBAR situations. The cannon is the same as in the previously mentioned tank(120mm) with the same reload speed, which is amazing. The tank’s gun depression is supported by the hydropneumatic suspension, which might open a way for some angling gameplay!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_90_(B)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgjKNdaAhFM