: Her important stats being slightly better than average means she will serve you well as an early carrier. Her good slot count is let down by her less than ideal slot distribution. The two medium slots being only 20 and positioned on top means she risks getting them emptied when facing heavy enemy anti-air. In that situation, she can lose her ability to perform artillery spotting and plane proficiency bonuses.
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* Kai Ni: '''Low'''
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: She doesn't really improve much slot-wise at Kai Ni. However, she does gain a 5th slot that gives her incredible flexibility. She can easily find room for recon planes to help LoS or other utility equipment like radar for routing in events. She can also contribute a lot more fighter support than other carriers while still maintaining strike power. Her increase to firepower is also another welcome buff. However, her remodel is expensive and not worth the cost for most players. Her Kai Ni is strictly a late-game upgrade.
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* Kai Ni E: '''Low'''
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: Her top two slots actually get worse at Kai Ni E. The slots are quite small and will be prone to getting emptied by heavy enemy anti-air. She is a powerful night carrier that can hit the night battle cap with ease while still maintaining strike power during the day. That said, her niche role means it is better to keep her in her Kai Ni form unless you have the night planes required to make her useful.
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* Kai Ni Go: '''Low'''
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: Her slots get neutered and will be prone to getting emptied by heavy enemy anti-air. The ability to perform (O)ASW can be useful in some situations, but can impede her ability to conduct surface combat quite a bit since she prioritizes targeting submarines. Her Jet capabilities are nothing to write home about as she lacks the slot size to actually make them hit hard and survive reliably in heavy AA maps. That said, her niche role means it is better to keep her in her Kai Ni form unless you have the night planes required to make her useful in Kai 2 E form.