NO Japanese aircraft that saw regular production had the speed of the second generation American or British fighters, period. By second generation, I mean the F4U, P-47, P-38, P-51, etc.
The Japanese went for maneuverability, the Americans went for speed and ruggedness.
They are opposite approaches to the art of aerial combat, each having it's strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes what I read in here makes me think we should just skin Spitfires and 109's so each side has the exact same planes and no one has an "advantage".
Honestly, this debate has been going on since I came to AH over 4 years ago, and people keep dragging it up over and over.
No, the Japanese planeset is NOT complete, but even if HTC added the vaunted K-84, which I think we need myself, the Japanese are STILL going to find themselves at a speed disadvantage, anywhere from 30+mph against a Jug to nearly 60mph against a Pony-B or -D.
Bottom line is, both sides can win their share of fights if the pilots are smart and use good tactics and fly smart. Get stupid in any plane, and you will find yourself back in the tower in a heartbeat,wondering what the heck just happened.
Instead of coming here and complaining about how unfair the planeset is, how about asking some of the guys flying with you to give you tips on how to defeat that week's enemy planeset?
I've seen sekiji give 4, 5, sometimes 6 F4U's and F6F's fits while he was in a Ki-61, so yes, the planeset can be competitive, but it is up to you to find what your plane's strengths are and capitalize on them.