# Chief of War (2025)

> A ferocious warrior sets out to unite Hawaii's warring kingdoms before an existential threat reaches their shores.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/122900

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 9
- Episode runtime: 49 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: action, drama, history
- Created by: Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, Jason Momoa
- Network: Apple TV
- Cast: Jason Momoa, Luciane Buchanan, Te Ao o Hinepehinga, Cliff Curtis, Kaina Makua, Moses Goods, Siua Ikaleʻo, Brandon Finn
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19381692/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: intense, visceral, epic, aggressive, mournful

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers praising the epic scale and Jason Momoa's commanding lead performance.

## Synopsis

Chief of War (2025) is a United States prestige historical action miniseries created by Thomas Pa'a Sibbett and Jason Momoa for Apple TV. Set in precontact Hawaii, it follows the ferocious warrior Kaʻiana (Jason Momoa) as he embarks on an epic mission to unite the islands' four kingdoms, which are divided by open war. Principal characters include Kaʻahumanu (Luciane Buchanan), Keoua (Cliff Curtis) and King Kamehameha (Kaina Makua), whose rival ambitions and alliances shape every step of the journey. The engine of the story is a physical, politically fraught quest, with each episode built from negotiations, rivalries, dangerous travel across the water and sharp outbreaks of combat, all tightening as an outside threat approaches the shores. Told as a single nine-episode arc of about forty-nine minutes each, the series moves with a brisk, intense momentum. Its tone is visceral and mournful, with an aggressive physicality balanced by a deep sense of cultural pride and the weight of inherited duty. Its historical grounding and indigenous perspective give it a distinctive texture for viewers who enjoy the scope of Shogun, the battlefield drama of The Last Kingdom, or the fierce leadership politics of Vikings.

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