Later fast-battleship terminology does not fit neatly when read backward onto the G3. The G3 was designed around speed and firepower, with armor added into a capable layout, while the N3 represented the fuller battleship response in the same intended generation. Comparing N3 with Yamato conveys the intended scale without treating a game simulation as proof. If N3 construction had proceeded, 18-inch guns would probably have pulled American and Japanese designs into another calibre cycle. Comparing G3 only with later treaty-era vessels obscures how its designers understood the battlecruiser distinction.
Chapter · 19:38-27:22
The G3 is a battlecruiser when judged beside the N3
Ship labels depend on the contemporary design context: the G3's speed-and-firepower priority makes most sense as a battlecruiser beside the N3 battleship.