Do I need cardio for fat loss?
No. Fat loss can happen without formal "cardio" if calorie balance is managed. Cardio can be useful for increasing energy expenditure, improving conditioning, supporting health, training for a specific skill or event, general enjoyment and recreation, and sometimes improving mood. It is not a separate fat-loss requirement.
"Cardio", as the term is typically used, is technically imprecise, but roughly speaking, we know what it means: running, cycling, swimming, rowing, elliptical work, hiking, sports, martial arts, circuits, sled work, loaded carries, intervals, and similar conditioning activities. That is fine as shorthand. The underlying physiological point is that the body cares about demand, duration, intensity, and recovery cost, not the category name. Some styles of resistance training can also create meaningful (and in some cases, superior) cardiovascular conditioning, even though people do not usually call lifting "cardio".
For fat loss, the most useful distinction is often between low-intensity activity and more intense conditioning. Low-intensity work, especially walking, can add energy expenditure with relatively little hunger, soreness, or recovery cost. That makes getting more steps one of the best first tools during a cut. More intense "cardio" can burn more calories per minute, but it can also create fatigue, interfere with lifting, and increase appetite enough that you eat back much of what you burned if you're not careful. In that case, it may generate more "calories of hunger" than useful deficit.
Resistance training is still the priority for physique change because it supports partitioning: preserving or building muscle while fat is lost. It can also contribute to cardiovascular fitness when programmed with enough density, volume, and effort, though it is not a full replacement for every endurance goal. If you want to run a race, hike at elevation, improve sport conditioning, or build a larger aerobic base, you should train those qualities more directly.
So the practical hierarchy is simple: Manage food intake, lift to preserve or build muscle, add steps or other low-friction movement, and then add more formal cardio if it helps the whole plan. If cardio makes you miserable, ravenous, or under-recovered, use less of it or choose a different mode. If it improves mood, enjoyment, health, appetite control, and work capacity, use it. The best conditioning plan is the one that supports the goal without making the rest of the system worse.