# Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Carrier fighter. Range came at a cost.

Object · Fictionalized · Established

Stable ID: `margin-aces-aircraft-zero` · Revision 2 · Updated 2026-10-30

Context: [Margin Aces](/field-guide/collections/margin-aces/)

[Web page](/field-guide/entities/margin-aces-aircraft-zero/) · [JSON record](/field-guide/entities/margin-aces-aircraft-zero/record.json)

## At a glance

- The quickest pencil on the page. Stay moving: this airframe gives little room for error. In this notebook its specialty is light & nimble. All twelve aircraft are available from the hangar; the selection is a playful comparison of handling, not a reconstruction of historical opposing forces.

- Real aircraft design · fictional arcade handling and matchups.

## Appearances

- [Margin Aces encyclopedia](/gamelab/projects/marginaces/) (context: [Margin Aces](/field-guide/collections/margin-aces/))

## Dated changes

- 2026-10-30: Added from the named source to the Field Guide.

## Open questions

- What was the cost of pursuing range and low weight? Early Zeros omitted pilot armor and self-sealing tanks. Low weight brought advantages, but protection was a competing requirement.

## Sources

- [Margin Aces encyclopedia](/gamelab/projects/marginaces/)

## Reference library

### Source reference

![Mitsubishi A6M Zero, from the Margin Aces aircraft sprite.](/field-guide/assets/references/margin-aces-aircraft-zero/01-notebook-aircraft-v1-1200.webp)

Mitsubishi A6M Zero, from the Margin Aces aircraft sprite.

[Download full-size image](/field-guide/assets/references/margin-aces-aircraft-zero/01-notebook-aircraft-v1.webp) · [Original project image](/gamelab/marginaces.html) · v1 · SHA-256: `0f0d8746b11f3f2b54a0fd2baede52cbcb33582c3ccffc2d16db9456804e1170`