Why the Mitsubishi Zero was not a copied Spitfire

What uncommon naval-aviation myth is especially easy to disprove?

The claim that the Mitsubishi Zero copied the Spitfire; the two aircraft used different structures, engines, shapes, and design approaches.

The answer uses the myth to show how routine interwar technology evaluation can be mistaken for copying. Japan, Britain, the United States, and Germany all bought foreign aircraft to test and compare, but the Zero's structure, engine, and aerodynamic design were distinctly Japanese. The exchange cautions against denying Japanese engineers agency simply because they studied foreign machines.