Codenamed Zeke by the Allies, but commonly known as the Zero, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen was the most famous Japanese single-seat fighter. It took part in almost every major action where the Japanese Navy was engaged. Its tight turning radius, made it was an extremely deadly weapon in a dogfight, and with its maximum speed of 331 mph (532 km/h) and the ability to climb to 6,000 m in 7 minutes 27 seconds, it possessed an ascendancy over any other fighter type in the Pacific.

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen legendary status mirrored the fortunes of the rising sun in which four years, the sun would finally set. For the Japanese and its former enemies, the A6M was the symbol of Japanese air power and marked the beginning of a new epoch in naval aviation. With its tight turning radius, it was an extremely deadly weapon in a dogfight, and was famous for its ability to outmaneuver, theBrewster F2A Buffalo, the Curtiss P-40 and the Grumman F4F Wildcat. It was the first shipboard fighter capable of surpassing land-based aircraft... (see more at: http://www.aviation-history.com/)