Island kahuna
- Kahuna redirects here. For the Pokémon the Series: The Beginning episode "The Pi-Kahuna", see EP067.
An island kahuna (Japanese: しまキング Island King or しまクイーン Island Queen) is a person who presides over a certain grand trial during a trial-goer's island challenge in the Alola region. Island kahunas serve as the final obstacle in that particular island's grand trial and battle a Trainer. There is one kahuna for each of the four main islands of Alola, with each one chosen by that island's guardian deity. In addition to presiding over an island, they are also in charge of tending to their guardian's ruins when necessary and selecting new captains for their island.
| Island Kahuna しまキング/しまクイーン Island King/Island Queen | |
 The four island kahunas in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon | |
| Introduced in | Generation VII |
|---|---|
| Appears in | Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Masters EX |
| Gender | Both |
| Notable members | See list |
| Animated debut | To Top a Totem! (Pokémon the Series) |
| Manga debut | The Delivery of Rotom and the Girl (Adventures) Mastering the Z-Move (Pokémon Horizon) |
Like captains, the kahuna also offer a typed Z-Crystal, as well as a stamp for a Trainer's Trainer Passport when defeated, replacing that of a Gym Badge. Also similar to captains and Gym Leaders, each known kahuna is known to focus on a particular type, which may coincide with hobby or alternative job they have interest in. For example, Hala, Melemele Island's kahuna, is a Fighting-type specialist, who's known for partaking in Alolan sumo wrestling. During the course of Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player is required to defeat a kahuna before moving onto the next island in their island challenge. All four kahuna must be defeated in order to become as island challenge champion. Prior to the establishment of the Alola Pokémon League, a Trainer attempting their island challenge who had finished all of their trials and grand trials were to scale Mount Lanakila and battle all four kahunas in a row in order to become an island challenge champion, similar to that of a group of Elite Four members in other regions. During this reestablishment, some kahuna, notably HalaSM and Olivia, have become a part of Alola's Elite Four.
According to Acerola, a person chosen to be an island kahuna cannot refuse the position; in this case, she was referring to Nanu. A kahuna's reign lasts until they die, as was the case with Hapu's grandfather and predecessor, or are forcibly ejected from their position by their respective guardian deity, as was with the case with a former unspecified kahuna who established the gang that Team Skull drew inspiration from. The time in between an island kahuna's exit from their position and the naming of a new one is not always immediate — following the death of Hapu's grandfather, Poni Island was left without a kahuna for several years.
It is unknown how the lack of a kahuna affects the island challenge, specifically the assignment of captains and the final trial. In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Poni Island's sole captain, Mina, says that a kahuna from one of the other islands has to substitute for an island without one in order to allow that island's grand trials to be conducted — a role Nanu had to play prior to Hapu's crowning. However, Mina does not mention who selected her to be a captain.
All kahuna keep their Pokémon in Ultra Balls and use a Z-Crystal and Z-Move of their respective type. They all have the Island Kahuna Trainer class.
List of island kahunas
| Kahuna | Island | Hometown | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hala |
 Melemele Island |
Iki Town |  Fighting |
 Olivia |
 Akala Island |
Konikoni City |  Rock |
 Nanu |
 Ula'ula Island |
Route 17 |  Dark |
 Hapu |
 Poni Island |
Ancient Poni Path |  Ground |
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
In Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, defeating the island kahunas was a major part of Ash's island challenge. Ash and his classmates have encountered all four main island kahunas from the games:
- Hala made his debut in To Top a Totem!, where he watched over Ash while he completed the Verdant Cavern trial. In Trial and Tribulation!, Ash fought him and won, receiving a new Electrium Z to replace his first one after Tapu Koko swapped Hala's Fightinium Z with it.
- Olivia first appeared in person in The Island Whisperer!, where she brought Ash's class to Akala Island. After completing the Lush Jungle trial in Currying Favor and Flavor!, Ash battled Olivia in Trials and Determinations! and won, earning a Rockium Z.
- Nanu's first appearance was in Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, where he gave Team Rocket a Z-Power Ring as thanks for helping Acerola. Ash met him in Tough Guy Trials!, and then battled him in a grand trial in Guiding an Awakening! and won, earning a Lycanium Z as a reward. In Pokémon the Series, he is an old acquaintance of Giovanni, though the details of their common past are unknown.
- Like the games, Poni Island had no island kahuna as of That's Some Spicy Island Research!, when Ash and his classmates arrived to the island to conduct their personal research projects. Hapu first appeared in the same episode. Also like the games, she was not a kahuna when she was first seen, but her late grandfather Sofu was the island's second-most recent. As revealed in the following episode, Hapu had been training to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, but had not been able to meet Tapu Fini, despite multiple attempts to get in touch with it. In Memories in the Mist!, Tapu Fini accepted Hapu after witnessing her desire to save her friends from its illusory mist, and was officially instated as Poni Island's kahuna in a ceremony in the next episode. The night after the ritual, Ash battled Hapu in a grand trial and won, earning a Steelium Z, as chosen by Pikachu, as a reward.
In Young Kiawe Had a Farm!, Kiawe's grandfather was mentioned to have been a kahuna prior to the start of the Sun & Moon series. In That's Some Spicy Island Research!, it was mentioned that the previous Poni Island kahuna, unrelated to Hapu or her grandfather, had retired due to age and illness.
In The Dealer of Destruction!, the four island kahunas were revealed to have agreed with Professor Kukui to act as referees during the first Alola Pokémon League Conference, a promise that they would go on to fulfill during the Manalo Conference.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc
In The Delivery of Rotom and the Girl, the three current island kahunas met in Malie Garden to discuss the recent sightings of the guardian deities, coming to the conclusion that they had been angered by something, and decided to revive the old tradition of island challenge to appease them.
In Thieving and Boss Crabominable, the island kahunas agreed to make Hapu the next kahuna of Poni Island in Iki Town, a decision that was verified when Tapu Fini gave her a Sparkling Stone.
Trivia
- Every kahuna's typing is weak to either one of the guardian deities' primary typing, or their Fairy typing.
- Each kahuna wears an article of clothing of the color that corresponds to their island's name and guardian. Hala's Aloha shirt is yellow, Olivia's shirt is pink, Nanu's undershirt is red, and Hapu's bonnet is purple.
- In Pokémon Sun and Moon, there is a Zygarde Core at each Kahuna's home.
- All island kahunas keep their Pokémon in Ultra Balls.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 島嶼之王 Dóujeuih jī Wòhng (♂) 島嶼女王 Dóujeuih Néuihwòhng (♀) |
| Mandarin | 島嶼之王 / 岛屿之王 Dǎoyǔ zhī Wáng (♂) 島嶼女王 / 岛屿女王 Dǎoyǔ Nǚwáng (♀) | |
| Czech | Kahuna | |
| Danish | Kahuna | |
| Dutch | Eiland-Kahuna | |
| Finnish | Kahuna | |
| French | Doyen (♂) Doyenne (♀) | |
| German | Inselkönig (♂) Inselkönigin (♀) | |
| Hungarian | Kahuna | |
| Italian | Kahuna | |
| Korean | 섬의 왕 Seom-ui Wang (♂) 섬의 여왕 Seom-ui Yeowang (♀) | |
| Norwegian | Kahuna | |
| Polish | Kahuna Wyspy | |
| Portuguese | Kahuna da ilha | |
| Russian | Кахуна Kakhuna* Вождь острова Vozhd' ostrova | |
| Spanish | Kahuna | |
| Swedish | Ökahuna | |
| Turkish | Ada Kahunası | |
Related articles
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This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games. |