Ottomans vs Japanese: how to win the matchup
Playing Ottomans against Japanese, you win 44.1% of ranked 1v1 games (8,964 games). Here is how to beat Japanese, what they do and when.
Win rate by rank
bronze
44%
972
silver
43.3%
1,466
gold
44.6%
3,834
platinum
44.6%
1,532
diamond
42.7%
583
conqueror
45.3%
371
How to beat 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 against Japanese: Spearmen · Crossbowmen · Men-at-Arms · Camels
When Japanese hits
- 5:41Feudal with few units, the best time to pressure
- 7:40Castle: Stable and non-stop Mounted Samurai
Ottomans strengths to lean on
- Free units from Military Schools all game long
- Vizier points unlock strong bonuses like Akinji and Janissary Company
- The Mehter gives the army attack speed or armor
- Janissaries have high DPS and shred cavalry
- Great Bombard has long range and wrecks armies and buildings
Ottomans weaknesses Japanese can punish
- No boar
- Free units take time, so he's weak against early pressure
- Sipahi got nerfed several times in 2026
- Weak win rate at Diamond and Conqueror
Strongest Castle Age armies (simulator)
- Ottomans: Man-at-Arms + Veteran Spearman (0.87)
- Japanese: Veteran Samurai + Veteran Spearman (0.8)
FAQ
- Is Ottomans good against Japanese?
- Ottomans wins 44.1% of 8,964 ranked games against Japanese (Japanese is favored).
- How do I beat Japanese as Ottomans?
- 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
- When does Japanese attack?
- 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.