It's an E fighter which turns superbly. Speed is lacking, though acceleration and more importantly, climb, are excellent. It's a great roper, if you drop flaps when coming over the top.
You can't turn with spits or nikis, and if a speed-demon dives for the deck don't bother chasing it unless you're sure you can nail it before you reach 450 mph and compress. Flaps are essential for the low-speed fight, but generally you want to BnZ/rope/E-fight in it and only start turning when you know there are no real turners around. Oh, like the other japanese planes, at high speed it's not very good at turning.
Good ammo loadout. Don't spray, as the cannons seem to fire very quickly. Fuel load and consumption are fantastic, with %75 being enough for around 30 minutes of ass-kicking and loitering.