Island kahuna

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The four island kahunas in the anime

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 island challenge in the Alola region. Island kahunas serve as the final obstacle in that particular island's trial and battle a Trainer in a grand trial. 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 Trial Captains for their island. Prior to the establishment of the Alolan Pokémon League, a Trainer attempting their island challenge who had finished all of their trials and grand trials was to scale Mount Lanakila and battle all four kahunas in a row in order to become an island challenge champion.

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 Trial Captains and the final trial. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Poni Island's sole Trial 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 Trial Captain.

List of island kahunas

Island kahunas
Generation VII Region: Alola
Kahuna
Japanese
Island Location
Japanese
Type
Hala
Hala
ハラ Hala
Melemele Trial Completion.png
Melemele Island
Iki Town
リリィタウン
Liliʻi Town
Dream Fightinium Z Sprite.png
Fighting
Olivia
Olivia
ライチ Lychee
Akala Trial Completion.png
Akala Island
Ruins of Life
命の遺跡
Ruins of Life
Dream Rockium Z Sprite.png
Rock
Nanu
Nanu
クチナシ Kuchinashi
Ula'ula Trial Completion.png
Ula'ula Island
Malie City
マリエシティ
Malie City
Dream Darkinium Z Sprite.png
Dark
VSHapu.png
Hapu
ハプウ Hapū
Poni Trial Completion.png
Poni Island
Vast Poni CanyonSM
ポニの大峡谷
Great Canyon of Poni
Dream Groundium Z Sprite.png
Ground
Exeggutor IslandUSUM
ナッシー・アイランド
Nassy Island

In animation

Ash challenging Hala in his first grand trial

Pokémon the Series

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:

In Young Kiawe Had a Farm!, Kiawe's grandfather was mentioned to have been a kahuna prior to the start of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon. 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

Three of the four island kahunas in Pokémon Adventures

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

  • 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 ()
The Czech Republic Flag.png Czech Kahuna
Denmark Flag.png Danish Kahuna
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Eiland-Kahuna
Finland Flag.png Finnish Kahuna
France Flag.png French Doyen ()
Doyenne ()
Germany Flag.png German Inselkönig ()
Inselkönigin ()
Hungary Flag.png Hungarian Kahuna
Italy Flag.png Italian Kahuna
South Korea Flag.png Korean 섬의 왕 Seom-ui Wang ()
섬의 여왕 Seom-ui Yeowang ()
Norway Flag.png Norwegian Kahuna
Poland Flag.png Polish Kahuna Wyspy
Portugal Flag.png Portuguese Kahuna da ilha
Russia Flag.png Russian Кахуна Kakhuna*
Вождь острова Vozhd' ostrova
Spain Flag.png Spanish Kahuna
Sweden Flag.png Swedish Ökahuna
Turkey Flag.png Turkish Ada Kahunası

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