The class was also one of a series called Destroyer Type-A (甲型駆逐艦, Kō-gata Kuchikukan) within the Imperial Japanese Navy from their plan name.

During the start of World War II for Japan, the Kagerō class took part in a large variety of convoy and carrier escorting duties, and the occasional shore bombardment, to support the invasion of the Philippines and Dutch East Indies.

[7] In the latter campaign, Natsushio became the first loss of the class when she was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS S-37, while the entirety of destroyer division 16 took part in the Battle of the Java Sea, where Tokitsukaze was damaged by a shell hit from the destroyer HMS Electra, but otherwise did not do anything of note, but in the battle's aftermath, Amatsukaze assisted in capturing the hospital ship Op Ten Noort.

[8][9] The careers of the Kagerō class began to pick up in March 1942 with the fall of the Dutch East Indies, with Nowaki and Arashi picking up an active role hunting down Allied warships attempting to escape to Australia, during which they together either sank or helped to sink the destroyer-minelayer hybrid HMS Stronghold, the gunboat USS Asheville, the sloop HMAS Yarra, three minesweepers, an oil tanker, four cargo ships, and a depot ship, alongside helping to capture three cargo ships.

After the battle, Arashi's crew committed a war crime when they murdered the downed USS Yorktown pilot Ensign Wesley Osmus.

[12] In stark contrast, Yukikaze survived the battle completely undamaged, and for her part helped to sink the destroyer USS Cushing with gunfire, then sank the destroyer USS Laffey with a torpedo hit to her stern, before transporting survivors from the sunken battleship Hiei to Truk.

[13] Two days later, Kagerō and Oyashio took part in a torpedo attack against the battleship USS Washington during the second naval battle of Guadalcanal, but inflicted no damage.

At the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, after being damaged in a collision, Hatsukaze was sunk by the destroyers USS Charles Ausburne, Claxton, Dyson, Stanly, and Spence.

A small piece of Hatsukaze's bow returned to Rabaul lodged into the heavy cruiser Myōkō, later to be removed and scraped.

They only scored one victory at the Battle off Samar, October 25, 1944, when Yukikaze, Isokaze, Urakaze, and Nowaki helped to finish off the already crippled destroyer USS Johnston.

[6] In February, Maikaze was sunk off Truk by the heavy cruisers USS New Orleans and Minneapolis and the battleship New Jersey.

Yukikaze, Isokaze, Urakaze, and Nowaki fought Taffy 3 at the Battle off Samar, firing torpedoes at the US escort carriers without obtaining a hit before as stated helping to sink Johnston.

With the American invasion of the Philippines becoming increasingly successful, the remaining ships retreated to mainland Japan, during which Urakaze was sunk with all hands by the submarine USS Sealion in the same attack that sank the battleship Kongō.

Upon returning to Japan, Yukikaze, Isokaze, and Hamakaze escorted the newly completed aircraft carrier Shinano, during which she was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Archerfish.

[6] The same day of Amatsukaze's destruction, Yukikaze, Isokaze, and Hamakaze departed Japan as escorts for the battleship Yamato during Operation Ten-Go.

During her service as ROCS Dan Yang, the former Yukikaze took part in two shore bombardment missions, and captured two oil tankers and a cargo ship, alongside having over 50,000 overseas Chinese civilians tour the destroyer during a visit to Manila.