World of Warships: Legends ship guide

Yūbari

Beta
Japan · Tier III · CL Cruiser · Premium
All-rounder cruiserNo glaring weakness: pick AP, HE, or cap support to fit the team and the map.
Playstyle
  • Hold 10-13 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand
  • Avoid: Open-water broadside trading
Key characteristics
Defensive AAHeavy HE shellsPunchy HE secondariesWide dispersion
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Community Data

Yūbari Community Stats

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Playstyle

Overview

Yūbari is a Tier III Japanese all-rounder light cruiser with 140mm guns at 12.7 km: no single dominant trait, but competent at AP citadels, HE pressure, and cap support. Adapt to the team comp - DD hunter, BB chip, or cap contester - rather than locking into one role. Standout traits: best HE alpha in T3 CAs (2,400) and best punchy HE secondaries in T3 CAs (2,000).

Positioning

Hold 10-13 km with islands tight enough to break vision on demand. The HE pressure rewards a steady firing arc more than rotation play; pick a corner of the map you can hold and work fires from there. 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.

Potato Avoidance

Open-water broadside trading

Her 140mm shells citadel cruisers on the wrong frame, and her 18,700-HP hull does not recover from a punished salvo. Pick rotations and angles deliberately; the chip-damage role pays better than the trade-blow role on a cruiser of this profile.

Signature Traits

Heavy HE shells

2400.0 damage per HE shell, best of T3 CAs. Punishes superstructure and modules harder than peers.

ELITE SECONDARIES
  • Punchy HE · 2000.0 max
  • Burny · 8.0%
  • Punch-through · 20.0 mm
Fast torpedoes

63.0 kt torpedo speed, best of T3 CAs. Less reaction time for targets to dodge.

Long-reach AA

4.5 km AA reach, best of T3 CAs.

Wide dispersion

120.3 m max horizontal dispersion, worst of T3 CAs. Long-range salvos are noticeably wider than peers'.

Visible torps

1.6 km torpedo detect, worst of T3 CAs. Easy to dodge if targets are looking.

Acquisition

How to get Yūbari

Yūbari is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.

Best listed chance for this ship

  • Secret Santa '22 0.055833% Premium Ship Event containers · Secret Santa '22 · 1 of 12 ships
Official WG availability sources
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Builds Beta

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Cohort position

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Where Yūbari sits among Tier III CAs (13 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.

BestRudder shift3.8 s (1 of 3 tied) BestMain battery reload5.5 s (1/13) BestHE alpha2,000 (1/4) BestSecondary fire chance8% (1/4) BestSecondary HE pen20 mm (1/4) BestAA range4.5 km (1 of 2 tied) BestAA threat434 (1/13) BestTorpedo speed63 kt (1/12) Top 25%Stealth profile9.68 km / 5.81 km (4/13 / 4/13) Top 25%HE DPM104,727 (3/12) Top 25%Displacement4,869 t (3/13) Top 25%Power-to-weight11.89 hp/t (4/13) Top 25%AA DPS139 (4/13) Top 25%Torpedo damage≈13,400 (3/12) Top 25%Deck armor51 mm (3/13) Bottom 25%Hit points18,700 HP (11/13) Bottom 25%Traverse-to-turn ratio4.13 × (11/13) Bottom 25%Main battery caliber140 mm (11/13) WorstMain dispersion120.3 m (13/13) WorstSecondary DPM (per side)10,000 (4/4) WorstSecondary range2 km (4/4)
See 22 mid-pack stats

Not standouts for Yūbari -- 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.

Max speed34.5 kt(5/13) Main battery range12.66 km(7/13) HE fire chance10%(7/12) Fires per minute4.36(7/12) AP shell damage2,700(9/13) AP DPM117,818(8/13) AP velocity850 m/s(9/13) HE velocity850 m/s(9/12) Acceleration23.9 s(5/13) AP arming threshold23 mm(5/13) Engine power57,900 hp(9/13) Turn-speed retention103.4 hp/m(9/13) Torpedo range6 km(8/12) Torpedo reload49 s(5/12) Max armor57 mm(10/13) Citadel belt57 mm(10/13) NormSigma2(12 of 13 tied at this value) NormAP fuse timer0.03 s(10 of 13 tied at this value) NormAP ricochet start45°(12 of 13 tied at this value) NormAP auto-bounce angle60°(12 of 13 tied at this value) NormBow armor10 mm(7 of 13 tied at this value) NormStern armor10 mm(7 of 13 tied at this value)
Survivability
Hit Points18,700
Displacement4,869 t
Armor range6–57 mm
Plate armor thicknesses6, 7, 10, 13, 15, 20, 25, 38, 51, 57 mm
Armor material/layer entries29
Fire resistance10%
Fire duration30 s
Torp Reduction0%
Main Battery
ModuleArtillery: 140 mm Type3
Mounts / barrels2 mounts / 4 barrels
Reload time5.5 s
Firing range12.7 km
Turret traverse7.5 °/s
Shell Grouping (σ)2
Max Horiz Disp
ƒHorizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: σH=(R30·idealRadiusminRadiusidealDistance+minRadius)·30 =(1265830·81.11000+1.1)·30=120.3m
120.3 m
Max Vert Disp
ƒVertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: σV=σH·radiusOnMax =120.3·0.6=72.2m
72.2 m
Med Horiz Disp
ƒ50%-hit horizontal radius: σH,50=σH·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =120.3·0.32(σ=2)=38.5m
38.5 m
Med Vert Disp
ƒ50%-hit vertical radius: σV,50=σV·GetHalfHitsRatio(σ) =72.2·0.32(σ=2)=23.1m
23.1 m
Turret turn time
ƒ180 degrees / 7.5 deg/s traverse speed = 24 s.
24 s
Base shells/min
ƒ4 broadside guns x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 43.6.
43.6
HE shells
HE Damage2,400
HE Velocity850 m/s
Fire Chance10%
HE penetration
ƒ23 mm ≈ 140 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
23 mm
HE full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,400 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,600.
9,600
Base HE DPM
ƒ9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 104,727.
104,727
Base fires/min
ƒ43.6 shells/min x 10% fire chance = 4.36.
4.36
AP shells
AP Damage2,700
AP Velocity850 m/s
Min Ricochet45 deg
Guaranteed Ricochet60 deg
Fuse Timer0.025 s
Fuse Threshold23 mm
AP overmatch
ƒfloor(140 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
9 mm
AP Pen Close
ƒCanonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: P=107·K·m0.69·d1.07·v01.38 =107·1794·380.69·0.141.07·8501.38=199.6mm. Matches the in-game spec card.
199.6 mm
AP Pen Far
ƒSame formula at the ship's max firing range (15.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 272.2 m/s: P=107·1794·380.69·0.141.07·272.21.38=41.5mm.
41.5 mm
AP full-salvo alpha
ƒ2,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 10,800.
10,800
Base AP DPM
ƒ10,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 117,818.
117,818
AP AOE Radius
ƒAP 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.
8
Torpedoes
ModuleType8
Launchers / tubes2 launchers × 2 tubes = 4 tubes
Reload time49 s
Projectile speed63 kt
Range6 km
Maximum simulated damage
ƒEstimate of WG's in-game value; matches the in-game port screen within ±5%. Saturation: most targets only intersect one hull section, so the sim transfers ~1/3 of the warhead alpha (2/3 when the warhead blast >= 5000 and the burst reaches a second section). For this ship: Dsim=α·c=40,200·0.333=13,400.
≈ 13,400
Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Flooding chance240%
Torpedo launcher traverse25 °/s
Torp Turn
ƒTime to rotate the launchers 180 deg: tturn=180°25°/s=7.2s.
7.2 s
Torp Arming421 m
Per-side salvo damage
ƒOne side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 2 x 13,400 = 26,800.
26,800
AA Defense
AA mount points15
Close-range AA DPS
ƒSum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (43×3.5×0.9) + (1×3.5×0.9) = 139. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.
139
Maximum AA range
ƒLongest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
4.5 km
25 mm Type96 mod. 13×3 25mm
25 mm/60 Type96 mod. 18×1 25mm
25 mm Type96 mod. 14×2 25mm
120 mm 10th Year Type mod. B2 (DP)1×1 120mm
Far aura
DPS
ƒIncludes 1 continuous AA damage from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.
1
Range4.5 km
Medium aura
DPS43
Range3.1 km
Total DPS in Aura
ƒFar 1 + Medium 43 = 44
44
S
Secondary Battery
Mounts1
Firing range2.0 km
Shell Grouping (σ)1
Caliber120 mm
Reload time6 s
HE Damage2,000
Muzzle Velocity825 m/s
Fire Chance8%
Armor Pen20 mm
Min Ricochet91°
Max Ricochet60°
Secondary dispersion type
ƒMax dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Standard
Max secondary dispersion @ 2 km
ƒ2 km × 57 + 30 = 144 m.
144 m
Maneuverability
Engine moduleEngine: 57,900 hp
Engine power57,900 hp
Maximum speed34.5 kt
Turning circle radius560 m
Rudder shift time3.8 s
Engine power-boost threshold7 kt
Engine spool-up time15.3 s
Reverse spool-up time7.7 s
Acceleration 0-90%
ƒTime to reach 90% of top speed (31.1 kt of 34.5 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.
23.9 s
Acceleration 0-99%
ƒTime 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.
38.2 s
Traverse-to-turn ratio
ƒHow many degrees the turret can swing for each degree the hull turns. Turn rate ωhull=180π·Vmax(m/s)Rturn=180π·34.5·0.5144560=1.82°/s, so ratio=ωturretωhull=7.51.82=4.1×. Below 5 the turrets drag in a turning fight; 25+ keeps up with any rudder.
4.1× drags
Concealment
Detectability by sea9.68 km
Detectability by air5.81 km
Smoke firing penalty4.06 km
Detect after firing main guns
ƒmax(base sea detectability, gun-firing bloom range). Firing never pulls your detection closer than base concealment.
9.68 km
Detect Fire Sea11.68 km
Detect Fire Air8.81 km
Guaranteed Detect2 km
Consumables
Damage Control Party∞ charges · 60 s reload · 5 s active
Defensive AA Fire3 charges · 140 s reload · 25 s active · +100% flak burst boost

See all derived stats

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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.

Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.

Main battery formulas

Shell Grouping (σ)2
Max Horiz Disp120.3 m
Horizontal dispersion ellipse width at max range, from the verified WoWS dispersion model: $\sigma_H = \left(\dfrac{R}{30}\cdot\dfrac{\text{idealRadius}-\text{minRadius}}{\text{idealDistance}} + \text{minRadius}\right)\cdot 30$ $= \left(\dfrac{12658}{30}\cdot\dfrac{8-1.1}{1000} + 1.1\right)\cdot 30 = 120.3\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter width @ 10 km102 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.
Max Vert Disp72.2 m
Vertical dispersion ellipse height at max range: $\sigma_V = \sigma_H \cdot \text{radiusOnMax}$ $= 120.3 \cdot 0.6 = 72.2\,\text{m}$
Shell scatter height @ 10 km56.9 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.
Med Horiz Disp38.5 m
50%-hit horizontal radius: $\sigma_{H,50} = \sigma_H \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 120.3 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 38.5\,\text{m}$
Med Vert Disp23.1 m
50%-hit vertical radius: $\sigma_{V,50} = \sigma_V \cdot \text{GetHalfHitsRatio}(\sigma)$ $= 72.2 \cdot 0.32\;(\sigma = 2) = 23.1\,\text{m}$
AP Pen Close199.6 mm
Canonical community AP formula (jcw780/wows_shell), evaluated at muzzle velocity: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot K \cdot m^{0.69} \cdot d^{-1.07} \cdot v_0^{1.38}$ $= 10^{-7}\cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot 0.14^{-1.07} \cdot 850^{1.38} = 199.6\,\text{mm}$. Matches the in-game spec card.
AP Pen Far41.5 mm
Same formula at the ship's max firing range (15.8 km), where the shell has slowed to 272.2 m/s: $P = 10^{-7}\cdot 1794 \cdot 38^{0.69} \cdot 0.14^{-1.07} \cdot 272.2^{1.38} = 41.5\,\text{mm}$.
HE penetration23 mm
23 mm ≈ 140 mm caliber / 6 (standard HE penetration ratio).
AP overmatch9 mm
floor(140 mm caliber / 14.3) = 9 mm (AP auto-penetrates plating this thick or less).
AP AOE Radius8
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.
Broadside guns used for alpha4
All 4 barrels bear on the broadside.
Turret turn time24 s
180 degrees / 7.5 deg/s traverse speed = 24 s.
HE full-salvo alpha9,600
2,400 HE damage x 4 broadside guns = 9,600.
AP full-salvo alpha10,800
2,700 AP damage x 4 broadside guns = 10,800.
Base HE DPM104,727
9,600 HE full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 104,727.
Base AP DPM117,818
10,800 AP full-salvo alpha x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 117,818.
Base shells/min43.6
4 broadside guns x 60 / 5.5 s base reload = 43.6.
Base fires/min4.36
43.6 shells/min x 10% fire chance = 4.36.

Torpedoes

Torpedo detectability1.6 km
Estimated torpedo reaction time9.8 s
detectability / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Torpedo speed63 kt
Travel time to max range36.6 s
range / (speed kt x 2.6 community game-speed factor).
Tube count4
2 launchers x 2 tubes.
Per-side salvo2 torpedoes
tube count / 2 (symmetric port/starboard launcher layout; common on cruisers and battleships with deck torpedoes).
Full-salvo damage53,600
All tubes hitting one target: tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 4 x 13,400 = 53,600.
Per-side salvo damage26,800
One side firing, all torpedoes hitting: per-side tubes x per-torpedo simulated damage = 2 x 13,400 = 26,800.

AA defense

Close-range AA DPS139
Sum across every AA aura on this ship of (aura.continuous_damage x 3.5 x aura.hit_probability). Here: (43×3.5×0.9) + (1×3.5×0.9) = 139. Covers AA-only mounts plus dual-purpose secondaries (Bismarck 105mm, USN 5"/38 cruiser secondaries) and dual-purpose main batteries (Sumner-class 5"/38, Akizuki-line 100mm). Formula validated against in-game captures on California, Sumner, Manfred von Richthofen, Dante Alighieri (exact) and within +/-17% on the remaining verified ships.
Maximum AA range4.5 km
Longest-reaching aura across AA-only + dual-purpose auras.
AA threat index434
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 dispersion

Secondary dispersion typeStandard
Max dispersion = range (km) × 57 + 30. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.
Max secondary dispersion @ 2 km144 m
2 km × 57 + 30 = 144 m.

Secondary battery firepower

Secondary DPM (per side)10,000
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 1×1 120 mm (0.5/side) × 60/6 × 2000 = 10,000. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).
Max HE alpha2000
Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 2000 from the 120 mm family.
Max HE fire chance8%
Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 120 mm family.
Max HE pen20 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: 20 mm from the 120 mm family.

Armor Beta

Hull HP 18,700, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are the exact in-game values, not estimated.

Bow & stern10 mm

Overmatched by 95+ guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.

Belt / citadel57 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 ballistics tool →

Section Plates HP cap Threats Tactic
Bow10 mm primary (range 7–15 mm)2,900 (16% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (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)13 mm14,000 (75% of HP)
Overmatched by 203mm+ (Desert Falcon, Genova)Angle bounces 152mm13 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest.
Stern10 mm primary (range 10–15 mm)1,500 (8% of HP)
Overmatched by 150mm+ (Java, Taranto)Angle bounces 127mm10 mm: HE pens from 127mm+
Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation.
Citadel57 mm primary (range 10–57 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.
Superstructure6 mm primary (range 6–51 mm)1,200 (6% 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 HP9,400 magazine HPMagazine detonation1–30% chance · below ~75% HPPer-turret powder-magazine HP. Detonation chance scales from 1% (no mag damage) to 30% (full mag damage); this range is the in-game value. Detonation can't roll while the ship is above ~75% HP (the standard detonation-protection threshold, not a per-ship stat). Smaller magazines saturate to the 30% ceiling faster.
Secondary mount (120 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP800 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-mount HP for the heaviest secondary on this ship. A mount destroyed at 0 HP is out for the rest of the battle; DCP does not repair destroyed mounts. Smaller (lighter-caliber) secondaries typically share the same HP value.
AA mount (25 mm mount)separate HP pool, does not drain ship HP200 per-mount HPDestroyed at 0 HPPer-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 HP5,600 module HPIncapacitated at 0 HPWhen 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.

Approximated side profile.
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Acceleration and Ballistics Chart

Balance History

Balance updates affecting Yūbari. Cards are condensed; use each source link for full context.

Buff ×1Main Battery ×1
2024-12-12

Ministry of Balance: Breaking the Ice

  • We're improving Yūbari by making her reload faster to better compliment her low number of guns.
  • Main battery gun reload time reduced from 6.5 to 5.5 s.
Read the full official post
Exteriors

Skins & permanent camouflages

Every custom exterior Yūbari can equip, from in-game data.

  • Yūbari default exterior
    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.