The real-life Takao was the lead ship and name ship of a class of four heavy cruisers designed as an improvement over Myoukou, with the same 20.3 cm twin mounts of an improved turret design in the same layout. Intended to correct seakeeping and firepower issues with the Myoukous, they ended up having the same top-heaviness that resulted in the last two members of the class (Maya and Choukai) built to a slightly modified design.
During the war, Takao saw action in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Aleutians, Guadalcanal, and Solomon Islands campaigns before sustaining damage in an air raid on Rabaul in November 1943. After repairs, she saw further action in the battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf, where she was torpedoed and put out of action for the rest of the war. She remained moored alongside Myoukou in Singapore where they were surrendered to the Royal Navy and later sunk as targets.
