The A6M2 should roll really lousy. The clipped wing A6M3 gained both speed and roll-rate over the A6M2 which didn't have much to do with the ailerons. The A6M5 has the rounded wing tip but a shorter and strengthened span wing and so naturally rolled better and could dive better than the A6M2. The A6M2 that we have rolls way too well from my understanding and shouldn't even be close with the Wildcat at high speeds. And, the A6M2 rolled even worse one way as opposed to the other and USA tactics took advantage of this deficit.
The following site has a pretty good write-up on the Zeke:
http://www.kotfsc.com/aircraft/zero.htmTo Quote:
"The type was placed in production as the Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 32. Beginning with the fourth aircraft, the ammunition supply for the wing-mounted 20-mm cannon was increased from 60 rpg to 100 rpg. Soon thereafter, in order to simplify production and maintenance, the folding wingtips and the tab balances were removed, reducing the wingspan to 36 feet 1 1/16 inches and wing area to 231.75 square feet. This resulted in a slight increase in the level speed with little adverse effect in the overall maneuverability.
Japanese pilots did find that both the maneuverability and climb rate of the new clipped-wing Zero Fighter were slightly poorer than those of the earlier A6M2, but the aircraft was considerably faster in a dive, the ailerons were more effective, and the roll rate was better at high speedTypical charactersitics:
"However, the maneuverability of the Zero deteriorated rapidly as the speed increased. At high speeds, the ailerons stiffened and became extremely difficult to move. In addition, tests revealed that the wings had structural problems which prevented the Zero from being dived at high speeds. In combat, a pursuing Zero could often be escaped by diving at the maximum possible speed and by rolling either right or left, the Zero being unable to follow. The rule for an Allied pilot was to keep his speed as high as possible during combat and never, never try to out-maneuver a Zero while at low speed. The Zero Fighter lacked any armor protection for the pilot, did not have any self-sealing fuel tanks, and had no onboard fire extinguishing equipment. A superficial hit would often cause the aircraft to catch fire."
