The Imperial Navy, although lagging behind in the development race of radio weapons, had equipped its battleships and aircraft carriers with radar by 1943. Despite the performance shortcomings of Japanese radar compared to those of the British and Americans, especially in detecting large formations of around 100 aircraft, it could not be overlooked.

When the Third Fleet detected the British mobile task force, its direct air combat squadron was in a three-tier formation. One-third was on high-altitude alert, another third was on immediate standby, and the remaining third was engaged in maintenance and resupply, following a rotation system. As soon as the radar identified the enemy formation, 27 Zero fighters that were in the sky above the Third Fleet immediately launched an assault on the enemy formation. The 27 Zero fighters on standby on the flight decks of the six carriers also launched at once, following the high-altitude alert group. Furthermore, the remaining 27 Zero fighters were brought up to the flight deck one after another using elevators. As the Zero fighters in maintenance and resupply were already in a state close to immediate standby, not much time was needed for them to launch.

The 27 Zero fighters of the high-altitude alert group, which first made contact with the British attack formation, were met by the 36 escorting Martlets to protect the Tarpons. Among the mixed group of 63 Japanese and British fighters, the 27 Zero fighters from the urgently launched standby group engaged the 54 Tarpons advancing.

Already stripped of the escorting Martlets, some of the Tarpons swung their defensive machine guns to protect themselves from the Zero fighters' attacks. However, the vast difference in maneuverability between fighters and torpedo bombers was evident. Moreover, the Tarpons, burdened with a nearly one-ton torpedo, had sluggish movements.

Against such Tarpons, the Zero fighters, equipped with the Mark 2 cannons introduced since the end of the previous year, continued to fire 20 mm shells one after another. The Mark 2, with a faster initial velocity compared to the Mark 1, and the high-powered 20 mm shells expelled from their muzzles, could inflict significant damage on even the heavily defended Tarpons serving as single-engine carrier-based torpedo bombers. With an increased ammunition capacity from the previous 60 rounds to 100 rounds and improved low dispersion, the hit rate also increased.

Nevertheless, relying on its exceptional defensive capabilities, almost a third of the Tarpons succeeded in breaking through the Zero fighters' defensive net. When they finally spotted the long-awaited Japanese fleet, the Tarpon pilots, however, were faced with a devilish fighter that had been devouring their comrades one by one. This demon-like fighter leaped off the carrier's flight deck, aimed its nose toward them, and fired 20 mm shells at close range as they passed each other.

Even with the Tarpon's superior defense, being hit by 20 mm shells countered was unbearable. The few surviving Tarpons jettisoned their torpedoes and attempted to escape. However, even if a small number of aircraft attempted torpedo attacks, they would be annihilated under the concentrated gunfire of the enemy ships.

In the end, the battle in which the Japanese and British mobile task forces first clashed concluded as a one-sided game in favor of Japan. The determining factor was the number of carrier-based aircraft, or more precisely, the number of fighters. Regarding the aircraft with anti-ship capabilities, such as dive bombers and torpedo bombers, both Japan and Britain had an equal number of 84. However, when it came to the fighters crucial for gaining air superiority, Japan had a significant advantage with 123 aircraft, compared to Britain's 72.

While the British needed 36 Martlets to intercept 108 Japanese attack aircraft, the Japanese managed to repel 90 British attack aircraft with 81 Zero fighters. Although the British had an advantage with their armored carriers, the actual factor deciding victory or defeat was the performance and number of carrier-based aircraft. Furthermore, the Japanese had gained painful lessons from previous battles, reflecting on their tactics. By preparing a sufficient number of fighters for both offense and defense, they created a numerically advantageous situation, leading to victory over the British.

Conversely, the British mobile task force, lagging behind in both the number and experience of carrier-based aircraft, suffered defeat.