The single completed Ōyodo-class cruiser extends the design problem beyond heavy cruisers. The ship concentrated six 155 mm guns forward while placing six floatplanes, aviation fuel, and their support systems aft. That arrangement made the least protected part of the ship especially vulnerable even though the cruiser still depended on guns against surface threats. British Town-class practice placed aviation facilities amidships and used gun positions that better supported an angled fight. Moving the aircraft closer to the centre and restoring an after triple turret might have balanced reconnaissance and surface combat more coherently.
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Ōyodo's reconnaissance layout concentrated risk aft
Ōyodo put two triple 155 mm turrets forward and six floatplanes aft, leaving the aviation complex exposed if the cruiser lost control of an engagement.