Celebrated for his slugging ability, he ate a lot and became a strong hitter, though was later weakened by diabetes mellitus.

Kadota won the Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1980 with 41 home runs and 84 RBI.

That year he was also given the Matsutaro Shoriki Award, for contribution to the development of professional baseball.

After playing for the Orix Braves for two seasons, he returned to the Hawks in 1991; he retired after his last game against pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1992.

Kadota died on January 23, 2023, after a police officer found him lying on the ground after having not showed up to an outpatient treatment in a hospital in Aioi, Hyogo and was confirmed dead on the scene.