Well, I did a Japanese edition on the AoK forum, so...
Infantry: B( While Yamato infantry is not particularly bad on paper, I would like to point out they will rarely if ever use it on the late game. They have Centurions, but they are just too slow to catch up to the cavalry that makes up most of their army, and are more likely to get on the way then to help. Their lack of both Iron and Tower shield also makes then even more vulnerable then normal against archers. Overral, you should only be using infantry as the Japanese to counter things that you cant counter with your cavalry. Namelly, Camels on the Bronze Age, and Elephants on the Iron Age. Maybe use it to protect your Stone Thrower on the elusive case where your opponent built so many walls you may actually have to use then )
Cavalry: A-( I actually was kind of debating with myself as for whether to give then that or a B+. The Yamato are, again, a very hard civilization to rate. They have unambiguously the best cavalry-line in the game... But that is it. And the cavalry-line just happens to be a very unpopular unit, though I personally( Despite my own joke about the Cataphract upgrade not being important on another thread ) find then a bit underrated, which is why I eventually went with a A-. Ones feelings on Yamato cavalry are thus likely to be related to ones feeling on the Cavalry-line. So, allow me to elaborate on mine:
I am of the personal opinion Yamato cavalry is at its best on the Bronze Age, where the Cavalry should be their go-to rushing unit. If you are lucky enough to get to the Bronze Age before your opponent, what is perfectly viable with the Yamato, then even two or three Cavalries, even without nobility, can make a nigh-unstoppable force against a Tool Age army. The main weakness of this strategy is that, particularly for the Yamato, it is a tad bit predictable. They simply dont get a better Bronze Age rushing unit, so a lot of opponents can try to counter their cavalry with Camels. However, against opponents without Camels, Cavalry raiding remains a annoiyng and obnoxious to deal with strategy well into the Bronze Age, as the Cavalry can outrun its other counters and is just a all-around strong, cost-effective unit.
However, the Cavalry-line utility falls off a bit in the Iron Age. I would theorise it is for mainly three reasons: First, the Cataphract upgrade is ridiculously expensive and often neglected, especially on Randon Map: Secound, most people prefer Scythe Chariots who are much cheaper and can hit for actually more damage on virtue of their trample damage: And third, since Legions get a much better boost at this point, Cataphracts arent too cost-effective against then anymore( Though with Yamato Cataphracts being the most cost-effective in the game, they are probably the exception. ). However, the Yamato should still always get their Cataphracts fully upgraded. They are the core of their army: Plus, they have quite high health, what makes then good at absorbing archer fire and thus supporting the other core unit on the Yamato army, the HHA. )
Archers: A-( In a way, they are kind of the opposite of their cavalry. In the sense that, while their cavalry is strong on the Bronze Age but mediocre on the Iron Age: Their archers are generally considered bad on the Bronze Age but great on the Iron Age.
The main reason their Bronze Age archers are considered weak is their lack of Chariot Archers. They do, however, get Composite Bowman. Composite Bowman actually have their uses: They are cost-effective against most other archers and, in mass, they can do a great job at killing infantry. Sometimes, up to the Iron Age, they can still prove to be a worthy counter to infantry of civilizations without Tower or Iron Shield... It is simply that... They simply dont have the rushing potential that the speedy Chariot Archer does.
Now, on the Iron Age, having the most cost-effective HHA in the game is pretty ridiculous, and the fact they get the Cataphract as a decently speedy meatshield to protect it from other archers certainly helps. )
Siege: C( All they get is the Stone Thrower. Nothing to be proud of here. They shouldnt be using it much on the late game except if the enemy just covered itself with layers of walls. )
Navy: A( A major strong point of the Yamato: Their bonus lets then keep the edge against most civilizations from the early game to the late game. They are only below the Minoans in my opinion, though some civilizations also have a better Iron Age navy then they, but they should be able to take over the seas and end it before they get a chance to take advantage of it. )
Priests: C( ... Definitively part of the list of "Use it only if all else fails", right alongside their infantry and their siege. )
Defenses: B-( They fall a lot on the Iron Age, though to be fair, by this point you probably wont care too much about defenses. )
Economy: A+( A powerfull economy bonus similar to the Assyrians AND all Market upgrades, perk that the Assyrians lack? I am in. )
Infantry: B( While Yamato infantry is not particularly bad on paper, I would like to point out they will rarely if ever use it on the late game. They have Centurions, but they are just too slow to catch up to the cavalry that makes up most of their army, and are more likely to get on the way then to help. Their lack of both Iron and Tower shield also makes then even more vulnerable then normal against archers. Overral, you should only be using infantry as the Japanese to counter things that you cant counter with your cavalry. Namelly, Camels on the Bronze Age, and Elephants on the Iron Age. Maybe use it to protect your Stone Thrower on the elusive case where your opponent built so many walls you may actually have to use then )
Cavalry: A-( I actually was kind of debating with myself as for whether to give then that or a B+. The Yamato are, again, a very hard civilization to rate. They have unambiguously the best cavalry-line in the game... But that is it. And the cavalry-line just happens to be a very unpopular unit, though I personally( Despite my own joke about the Cataphract upgrade not being important on another thread ) find then a bit underrated, which is why I eventually went with a A-. Ones feelings on Yamato cavalry are thus likely to be related to ones feeling on the Cavalry-line. So, allow me to elaborate on mine:
I am of the personal opinion Yamato cavalry is at its best on the Bronze Age, where the Cavalry should be their go-to rushing unit. If you are lucky enough to get to the Bronze Age before your opponent, what is perfectly viable with the Yamato, then even two or three Cavalries, even without nobility, can make a nigh-unstoppable force against a Tool Age army. The main weakness of this strategy is that, particularly for the Yamato, it is a tad bit predictable. They simply dont get a better Bronze Age rushing unit, so a lot of opponents can try to counter their cavalry with Camels. However, against opponents without Camels, Cavalry raiding remains a annoiyng and obnoxious to deal with strategy well into the Bronze Age, as the Cavalry can outrun its other counters and is just a all-around strong, cost-effective unit.
However, the Cavalry-line utility falls off a bit in the Iron Age. I would theorise it is for mainly three reasons: First, the Cataphract upgrade is ridiculously expensive and often neglected, especially on Randon Map: Secound, most people prefer Scythe Chariots who are much cheaper and can hit for actually more damage on virtue of their trample damage: And third, since Legions get a much better boost at this point, Cataphracts arent too cost-effective against then anymore( Though with Yamato Cataphracts being the most cost-effective in the game, they are probably the exception. ). However, the Yamato should still always get their Cataphracts fully upgraded. They are the core of their army: Plus, they have quite high health, what makes then good at absorbing archer fire and thus supporting the other core unit on the Yamato army, the HHA. )
Archers: A-( In a way, they are kind of the opposite of their cavalry. In the sense that, while their cavalry is strong on the Bronze Age but mediocre on the Iron Age: Their archers are generally considered bad on the Bronze Age but great on the Iron Age.
The main reason their Bronze Age archers are considered weak is their lack of Chariot Archers. They do, however, get Composite Bowman. Composite Bowman actually have their uses: They are cost-effective against most other archers and, in mass, they can do a great job at killing infantry. Sometimes, up to the Iron Age, they can still prove to be a worthy counter to infantry of civilizations without Tower or Iron Shield... It is simply that... They simply dont have the rushing potential that the speedy Chariot Archer does.
Now, on the Iron Age, having the most cost-effective HHA in the game is pretty ridiculous, and the fact they get the Cataphract as a decently speedy meatshield to protect it from other archers certainly helps. )
Siege: C( All they get is the Stone Thrower. Nothing to be proud of here. They shouldnt be using it much on the late game except if the enemy just covered itself with layers of walls. )
Navy: A( A major strong point of the Yamato: Their bonus lets then keep the edge against most civilizations from the early game to the late game. They are only below the Minoans in my opinion, though some civilizations also have a better Iron Age navy then they, but they should be able to take over the seas and end it before they get a chance to take advantage of it. )
Priests: C( ... Definitively part of the list of "Use it only if all else fails", right alongside their infantry and their siege. )
Defenses: B-( They fall a lot on the Iron Age, though to be fair, by this point you probably wont care too much about defenses. )
Economy: A+( A powerfull economy bonus similar to the Assyrians AND all Market upgrades, perk that the Assyrians lack? I am in. )