ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kantai Kessen

Kantai kessen is a Japanese term that means "decisive naval battle." It refers to a specific type of battle that usually takes place on the open sea between two opposing navies.

Imagine you are playing with your toys and you have a bunch of different boats. You and your friends decide to have a really big battle using the boats. That's kind of what kantai kessen is like, but on a much bigger scale.

During a kantai kessen, each navy is trying to defeat the other one and gain control of the sea. Both sides have a bunch of ships, including bigger ones called battleships, and each ship has a specific job to do. Some ships are meant for attacking, while others are meant for defending or supporting the other ships.

In order to win a kantai kessen, a navy has to destroy as many of the other navy's ships as possible while keeping their own ships safe. It's kind of like a big game of tag or hide-and-seek, but with boats shooting at each other.

Kantai kessen is usually used to describe battles from history, like the Battle of Midway during World War II. But sometimes it's used in fictional stories, like in anime or manga.

Overall, kantai kessen is just a fancy way of talking about a really big and important battle on the open sea between two navies.