 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Akagi, pamwe chete ne Kaga uye mutakuri, vakagoverwa mukutsvaka mauto ehondo eAmerica achivhozhokeraMarshall Islands pana 1 February 1942, vasati vashevedzwa. Musi waFebruary 7 Akagi nevatakuri veFirst neChipiri Carrier Divisions vakarairwa kuenda kumaodzanyemba kuGungwa reTimor uko, musi waFebruary 19, kubva kunzvimbo yekumaodzanyemba kwakadziva kumabvazuva kwekumabvazuva kweTimor, vakatanga kurwisa mhepo kuDarwin, Australia, mukuyedza kuparadza chiteshi chayo chengarava nenhandare yendege kudzivirira chero kupindira nekupinda kweJava. Akagi akapa 18 B5Ns, 18 D3As, uye 9 Zeros pakurwisa, izvo zvakabata vadziviriri nekushamisika. Ngarava sere dzakanyura, kubatanidza muparadzi weAmerica, uye dzimwe gumi nenhanhatu dzakakanganiswa. Hapana imwe yendege dzomutakuri wacho yakarasika mukurwiswa uye kurwiswa kwakabudirira mukudzivisa Darwin kubva pakupa rubatsiro rwekudzivirirwa kweAllied kweJava. Musi wa1 March, ngarava yokuAmerica yakanyudzwa neD3A kubva kuSōryū neAkagi. Gare gare zuva rimwe chetero muparadzi weAmerica akarwiswa ndokunyudzwa neD3As kubva ku Akagi uye Sōryū, pamwe chete nepfuti kubva kune maviri ehondo uye maviri anorema cruisers ehondo yekufambisa. Akagi nevamwe vake vakanyora nezvekupinda kweJava, kunyange zvazvo mupiro wake mukuru uchiita kunge waive wekupa 18 B5Ns uye 9 Zeros nokuda kwekurwiswa kwemhepo musi wa 5 March paTjilatjap. Boka iri rakabudirira zvikuru, richinyudza ngarava sere muchiteshi chengarava imomo uye hapana imwe yendege dzaAkagi yakarasika. Mauto mazhinjisa eAllied muDutch East Indies akazvipa kuvaJapan gare gare muna March. Kido Butai akabva aenda kuStaring Bay paCelebes Island kunotenga mafuta uye kunopora. 