Why a modernised Hood should still avoid Yamato

Could a modernised Hood fight Yamato successfully?

Possibly under favourable radar-directed night conditions, but Hood would remain a battlecruiser facing 18-inch guns, so a Lion, Iowa, or paired Nelson and Rodney would be safer choices.

A modernised Hood would still be a battlecruiser confronting a fast battleship armed with 18-inch guns. Radar-controlled gunnery and a night action offer plausible paths to success, but they do not make the matchup desirable. Lion- or Iowa-class battleships are judged more comfortable choices against Yamato. A pair of Nelson and Rodney could mass heavy fire, though their lack of speed would create another tactical problem.