 The design and development of the Ki-44 differed greatly to other Japanese fighters of the time, incorporating speed and rate-of-climb in preference to maneuvrability.This was a result of a need for a heavy fighter aircraft that followed a more offensive doctrine and the Ki-44 is often classified as an Air Defence Fighter.Its development ran almost in parallel to its predecessor, the lighter and nimble Nakajima Ki-43, and yet the two aircraft differed.