The early-tier CVs are also the slowest ships in the game and you will die if even one enemy ship finds you. The strike loadouts are extremely powerful, able to erase same-tier battleships from the map with a single well-placed and/or -timed attack, but if anyone has fighters, even surface ships, you're in trouble and will have to accept the effective neutering of one of your squads. Ranger and Independence are only competitive if you run strike and know how to use it, or have a 15-point captain and use the stock loadout.

However, they're outright inferior to the IJN from T8 onwards regardless of what you do. USN CVs have much fewer squads and tougher planes, which make them more forgiving against both ship-based AA and enemy fighters. However, the upshot is that their strike loadouts have both fighters and potent numbers of attack aircraft, which allows you to do things American CVs just can't match if you're good enough. And while you get 2 fighter squads minimum starting with Hiryu, you will still be stomped by an AS carrier in any war of attrition, and in very short order too.

The chance to make a mistake is also far higher because of the greater number of squads you're balancing. Not helping is the fact that they use the same torpedo bomber on 3 different-tier CVs. Especially when it comes to lining up attack runs on enemy ships: your planes are not much faster, and the smaller squad count leaves them unfavored by AA mechanics. The IJN CVs until T8 are far more punishing of any mistakes made in microing your aircraft than their contemporary USN CVs.

World of warships best carrier line