Island Kahuna

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 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, 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.

In the anime
In the Pokémon anime, defeating the Island Kahunas is a major part of 's island challenge. To date, Ash and have encountered the following Island Kahunas:
 * 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, won, and received a new Electrium Z after 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 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 the, he is an old acquaintance of.
 * Like in the games, Poni Island has no Island Kahuna as of SM104, when Ash and his classmates arrived to the island to conduct their personal research projects. Hapu first appeared in the same episode. Like in the games, she is presently not a Kahuna, but her grandfather, Sofū, 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 has not been able to meet despite multiple attempts to get in touch with it.

In Young Kiawe Had a Farm!, Kiawe's grandfather was mentioned to have been a Kahuna prior to the start of the. In SM104, it is mentioned that the previous 🇮🇸 Island Kahuna, unrelated to Hapu or her grandfather, had retired due to age and illness.

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.
 * All island kahunas keep their Pokémon in s.