What counters Japanese in AoE4?

Spearmen, Crossbowmen, Men-at-Arms, Camels. Pressure in the Fast Castle window from 5:40 to 8:00 with Men-at-Arms, Archers or Horsemen

Is Japanese a good civ in AoE4 right now?

Japanese wins 51.3% of ranked 1v1 games across all ranks (about 86,557 games), which puts it in tier A on our tier list.

What are the unique units of Japanese?

Samurai, Katana Bannerman, Onna-Bugeisha, Shinobi, Uma Bannerman, Yumi Ashigaru, Yumi Bannerman, Buddhist Monk, Mounted Samurai, Onna-Musha, Shinto Priest, Atakebune, Ozutsu. - Samurai: Man-at-Arms replacement. Heavy melee infantry that have Deflective Armor which can block melee and ranged attacks. - Mounted Samurai: Lancer replacement. Heavy melee cavalry with Deflective Armor. - Yumi Ashigaru: Archer with improved move speed for reduced cost and health. - Onna-Bugeisha: Light melee infantry that can use their fast move speed and long weapon range to keep their oppon

When is Japanese strongest?

5:41 — Feudal with few units, the best time to pressure · 7:40 — Castle: Stable and non-stop Mounted Samurai

Japanese guide: strengths, counters and build orders

Fast Castle with Kura and Floating Gate, Mounted Samurai and Yumi

Tier A · 51.3% win rate Samurai Katana Bannerman Onna-Bugeisha Shinobi Uma Bannerman Yumi Ashigaru Yumi Bannerman Buddhist Monk Mounted Samurai Onna-Musha Shinto Priest Atakebune Ozutsu

Strengths

Safe, strong economy: Kura makes free farms and the Daimyo boosts farms
Mounted Samurai are very strong in Castle
Yumi Ashigaru are cheap and fast, and Bannermen give a damage aura
The Shinobi scouts, sabotages and assassinates
Best win rate in this group

Weaknesses

Fast Castle leaves him with few units between 5:40 and 8:00
Deflective Armor got nerfed (15-second cooldown)
Weak against Macedonian Dynasty, Ayyubids and Golden Horde

How to counter Japanese

Pressure in the Fast Castle window from 5:40 to 8:00 with Men-at-Arms, Archers or Horsemen
Build a tower on his gold to delay the Mounted Samurai
Against Mounted Samurai: upgraded Spearmen, Crossbows and Camels, and kill the Uma Bannerman
Keep fights long so Deflective Armor runs out
Scout: Barracks at 0:00, Kura or Koka, Stable at 8:00

Units that work well: Spearmen · Crossbowmen · Men-at-Arms · Camels

Layla's in-game tip: Japanese: pressure before minute eight, and Spearmen against Samurai

Power spikes and timings

5:41Feudal with few units, the best time to pressure
7:40Castle: Stable and non-stop Mounted Samurai

Strongest armies per age (simulator)

Open-field fights in Layla's battle simulator against standard armies of the same cost. Score = resources needed per enemy resource (lower is better; 1.0 is an even trade).

Feudal Age

Katana Bannerman0.75
Katana Bannerman + Onna-Bugeisha0.75
Katana Bannerman + Hardened Spearman0.79

Castle Age

Veteran Samurai + Veteran Spearman0.8
Veteran Samurai0.81
Veteran Samurai + Veteran Onna-Bugeisha0.87

Imperial Age

Elite Spearman + Elite Onna-Bugeisha0.77
Elite Spearman0.78
Elite Spearman + Elite Samurai0.79

Civilization bonuses

Town Centers can be upgraded to improve defenses, harvest rates of nearby Farms, and the production cap of Samurai Bannermen.
Samurai Bannermen provide bonuses to nearby infantry and cavalry.
Samurai have Deflective Armor that can block ranged or melee attacks.
Barracks are cheaper to build.
Farmhouses are Food drop-off sites in addition to providing Population.
Forges are Gold and Stone drop-off sites in addition to containing military upgrades.
Gold deposited by Villagers generates bonus Stone and vice versa.
Extra melee damage upgrade accessible in the Dark Age (I).
Choose between Buddhist Monks or Shinto Priests with your choice of Castle Age (III) Landmark.
Keeps come equipped with Rocket Emplacements and increased health in the Imperial Age (IV).

Landmarks

Farmhouse (built in Age 1; 50W · 15s) Increases your maximum Population and Villagers can drop-off Food at this building. Contains technologies to improve Food gathering.
Forge (built in Age 1; 50W · 20s) Villagers can drop-off Stone and Gold at this building. Houses technologies to improve mining and military units.
Koka Township (built in Age 1; 400F 200G · 190s) Can produce Shinobi espionage units which specialize in scouting, sabotage, and assassination. Queues production of a free Shinobi upon completion.
Kura Storehouse (built in Age 1; 400F 200G · 190s) Universal drop-off location that creates a Farm around the Landmark every 50 seconds — generates Wood instead when farmland becomes full.
Floating Gate (built in Age 2; 1200F 600G · 220s) Produces a Shinto Priest carrying a Yorishiro every 2 minutes. The first priest spawns instantly. Deposit up to 4 Yorishiro in buildings to provide unique…
Temple of Equality (built in Age 2; 1200F 600G · 220s) Produces Buddhist Monks and contains unique Buddhist technologies. Buddhist Monks and Buddhist Temples provide support in combat by decreasing enemy damage…
Buddhist Temple (built in Age 3; 200W · 25s) Produces the Buddhist Monk and houses Unique Buddhist technologies. Starting in the Castle Age (III), religious units can pick up Relics and place them in…
Castle of the Crow (built in Age 3; 2400F 1200G · 250s) Acts as a Castle. Can periodically spawn Treasure Caravans from selected neutral Trading Posts to provide a large amount of Food, Wood, Gold, and some Stone…
Shinto Shrine (built in Age 3; 200W · 25s) Produces the Shinto Priest and houses Unique Shinto technologies. Starting in the Castle Age (III), religious units can pick up Relics and place them in this…
Tanegashima Gunsmith (built in Age 3; 2400F 1200G · 250s) Stockpiles weapon supplies every 30 seconds that can be used to instantly produce gunpowder units - comes with 2 stockpiles. Produces Ozutsu, a unique heavy…
Castle (built in Age 4; 300W 900S · 180s) Heavy garrison and defensible position equipped with a powerful Rocket, which deals high damage to a single target. Can be upgraded with weaponry. Adds…
Tokugawa Shrine (built in Age 4; 5000F 5000W 5000G 5000S · 600s) Build and defend a Wonder to secure victory. Rival civilizations will be aware of its construction and seek to destroy it.

Japanese build orders

Fast Castle Kurafast_castleFeudal 5:41Castle 7:40
Harass into Mounted SamuraiaggressiveCastle 8:00

How Layla reads build orders out live

Japanese matchups

Best matchups

Hardest matchups

All matchups

vs Chinese60.2% · 7,150
vs Sengoku Daimyo58.3% · 2,498
vs Ottomans55.9% · 8,964
vs Delhi Sultanate55.8% · 3,664
vs Byzantines55.7% · 5,862
vs Holy Roman Empire54.6% · 8,459
vs Abbasid Dynasty54.1% · 4,656
vs Malians54% · 5,550
vs Rus52.7% · 7,153
vs English52.5% · 23,323
vs House of Lancaster52.2% · 4,997
vs Jeanne d'Arc52.2% · 3,051
vs Zhu Xi's Legacy51.5% · 5,773
vs Mongols51% · 7,016
vs Order of the Dragon50.6% · 10,130
vs French49.7% · 22,724
vs Tughlaq Dynasty49.3% · 2,417
vs Knights Templar48.3% · 18,587
vs Jin Dynasty46.8% · 3,343
vs Golden Horde46.4% · 5,834
vs Ayyubids45.9% · 4,010
vs Macedonian Dynasty42.3% · 7,952

FAQ

What counters Japanese in AoE4?: Spearmen, Crossbowmen, Men-at-Arms, Camels. Pressure in the Fast Castle window from 5:40 to 8:00 with Men-at-Arms, Archers or Horsemen
Is Japanese a good civ in AoE4 right now?: Japanese wins 51.3% of ranked 1v1 games across all ranks (about 86,557 games), which puts it in tier A on our tier list.
What are the unique units of Japanese?: Samurai, Katana Bannerman, Onna-Bugeisha, Shinobi, Uma Bannerman, Yumi Ashigaru, Yumi Bannerman, Buddhist Monk, Mounted Samurai, Onna-Musha, Shinto Priest, Atakebune, Ozutsu. - Samurai: Man-at-Arms replacement. Heavy melee infantry that have Deflective Armor which can block melee and ranged attacks. - Mounted Samurai: Lancer replacement. Heavy melee cavalry with Deflective Armor. - Yumi Ashigaru: Archer with improved move speed for reduced cost and health. - Onna-Bugeisha: Light melee infantry that can use their fast move speed and long weapon range to keep their oppon
When is Japanese strongest?: 5:41 — Feudal with few units, the best time to pressure · 7:40 — Castle: Stable and non-stop Mounted Samurai

Data from the open game data (aoe4world/data), patch 16.2.10884, public ranked statistics, and Layla Coach's battle simulator. Layla Coach is an independent tool, not affiliated with Microsoft, Relic Entertainment or World's Edge.