With the armored cruiser Blücher , a huge step from the outdated armored cruiser design to the modern battlecruiser was made, besides its smaller main artillery the ship showed many elements that were typical for the later battlecruisers. Because of  all innovations like the all-turret main artillery, more powerful steam engine, the installation of a torpedo protection bulkhead and more modern general layout, the size grew about 25% compared ot its predecessors of the Scharnhorst class.

One special design detail later proved to be fatal for this armored cruisers. Because of the huge size of its engine system, there was no room to add own ammunition stored under the forward side turrets. Instead those turrets were connected to the forward turret and afterward side turrets via ammunition transport tunnels below the armor deck.

Although the Blücher was much improved compared to its predecessors, it got obsolete with the introduction of the British Invincible class battlecruisers, and despite this knowledge, the Blücher operated together with other battlecruisers in the fleet to increase the number of ships available for the reconnaissance forces. This usage finally led to its fatal end.