The Mitsubishi A6M Zero is the legendary Japanese carrier-based fighter that dominated the Pacific theater in the early years of the war. In Skyraid.io it has the tightest turn rate of any plane (0.07), the second-fastest fire rate (130 ms), and a unique stealth ability that hides it from the enemy minimap. The trade-off is the lowest survivability of any Tier 2 plane: 150 HP and zero armor.
The Zero entered service in 1940 and immediately proved itself superior to every Allied fighter in the Pacific. Its combination of low wing loading, light construction, and a powerful Sakae radial engine gave it extraordinary maneuverability and a phenomenal range — more than 1,900 miles on internal fuel, which let it escort bombers to targets that no other carrier-based fighter could reach. Allied pilots quickly learned that turning with a Zero was suicide. The eventual counter, developed by US Navy aviators, was the "Thach Weave": a two-plane tactic that used mutual support and head-on passes to negate the Zero's turn-fighting advantage. The Zero's weakness was structural — the same lightweight construction that made it nimble also meant it had no armor protection for the pilot and no self-sealing fuel tanks. A few well-placed bullets could send one down in flames, while contemporary American fighters like the F6F Hellcat could absorb tremendous punishment and keep flying.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Tier | 2 |
| Max HP | 150 (lowest at Tier 2) |
| Speed | 4.4 |
| Gun Damage | 11 |
| Fire Rate | 130 ms (second fastest) |
| Magazine | 15 rounds |
| Reload | 1.0 s (fastest) |
| Armor | 0 |
| Rockets | 1 (60 damage) |
| Rocket Reload | 10 s |
| Special | Stealth (invisible on minimap) |
| Evolves from | Interceptor |
The Zero is the highest skill ceiling plane in the game. Its strengths are extraordinary — the tightest turn radius, the fastest reload, the highest sprint multiplier, and the only minimap stealth in the game — but it has 150 HP and 0 armor, which means a single missed dodge against a Mustang or Lightning will end your run. Every fight you take needs to be a fight you control completely.
Use stealth to dictate engagements. Because you do not appear on the enemy minimap, you can approach unsuspecting targets from any direction and disengage without being tracked. Hover near the edges of fights between other planes, dive in to finish wounded targets, and disappear before reinforcements arrive. The kill feed will reveal you, but a Zero pilot who keeps moving can be back to anonymity within seconds.
In a turn fight, the Zero wins against every plane in the game. Pull into a circle as soon as combat begins and trust the geometry — even a Spitfire will lose nose position to a competent Zero pilot within two or three turns. The catch is that you only have 150 HP to spend on the fight, so you need to land your guns from the moment the merge begins. Wasted shots are wasted survivability.
Save your single rocket for guaranteed kills. Sixty damage is enough to finish a wounded enemy but not to make any dent in a healthy Tier 2 plane — firing it speculatively is almost always wrong. The 10-second reload makes every shot a commitment.
The Zero is fragile by design. Max HP is the mandatory first pick — you cannot survive Tier 2 dogfights at 150 HP indefinitely. Armor is the second pick because each rank dramatically reduces incoming damage from the high fire-rate planes that are most likely to catch you. Attack Damage is the third pick. Skip rockets entirely.
The Zero beats: every plane in the game in a one-on-one turning fight, and any plane that loses track of it on the minimap. The Zero struggles against: Mustangs and Lightnings in head-on engagements, B-17 Fortresses firing six rockets at once, and any situation where it gets focused by multiple enemies.
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