Ka’iana from Chief of War vs Baba Voss from See: Which of these characters played by Jason Momoa is a better leader?

Jason Momoa stomping around as Ka’iana in Chief of War gets all tangled up in the old-school Hawaiian power struggles. The show has people buzzing, and it’s no surprise, given Momoa's front-and-center presence. Now, stack that up against his Baba Voss from See, the guy who’d probably punch a bear if it looked at him funny. So who’s the top dog when it comes to leading their gang?

If you put up Baba Voss against anyone, the guy oozes what people want in a leader: empathy, grit, and that uncanny knack for making people want to follow him, not just obey out of fear. Fans love to point to his leadership style as a blueprint.

Now, in Chief of War, Ka’iana was smart, no doubt. His story has the whole tragic hero vibe: bold moves, some real wins, but then defects, and ends up dead on the battlefield. Some people see him as a cautionary tale instead of someone to stick on a leadership poster.

So, I’m putting my chips on Baba Voss from See. He has it all: brains, guts, and heart. Compare that to Ka’iana, who has plenty of guts but ends up tripping over his ego.

Let’s dig in deeper, because these two men don’t run their kingdoms the same way.

Disclaimer: The article contains the writer's opinions; reader discretion is advised.

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Ka’iana from Chief of War vs Baba Voss from See: Who is the better leader?

Jason Momoa crushes it playing two wildly different men: Ka’iana, who is in ancient Hawaii, and Baba Voss, who’s a warrior dad in some freaky future where everyone’s blind. Both run their worlds, but in their ways.

Chief of War: The story behind Ka’iana

First up, you’ve got Ka’iana: He is not just some random historical figure; he’s a Hawaiian legend, born around 1755. Chief of War hit Apple TV+ in August 2025, and it’s all about Ka’iana trying to make his mark while Hawaii is a powder keg ready to blow.

So, Ka’iana was built like a tank. He started as one of the top dogs, rolling with the big chiefs, but then Kamehameha, the main guy trying to unite all the Hawaiian islands, kept Ka’iana out of his war meetings. Ka’iana didn’t take that lying down. He flipped sides, joined up with the opposition, and it didn’t end well for him. He died at the Battle of Nu’uanu in 1795, which was bloody and dramatic.

Momoa has this whole tortured-warrior thing down cold. One minute he’s saving the day, the next minute he’s flipping the table and stirring up trouble. The show dips its toes into Hawaiian history, and Ka‘iana is in the middle, sometimes cracking skulls, other times just roasting people with a look.

Ka‘iana is also unpredictable. He’s playing every side, ducking knives in the dark, doing whatever it takes just to not get wrecked while everything around him is blowing up. People can’t even agree on what his deal is; some call him a mastermind, others think he just got crushed by the mess he landed in.

Either way, he wasn’t just some pawn; he was right in the thick of the Chief of War, trying to steer his fate while everyone else was fighting to rewrite the rules.

See: Baba Voss’s leadership in a post-apocalyptic world

So Baba Voss runs the show in See, a post-apocalyptic Apple TV+ show that dropped back in 2019 and just wrapped up not long ago. Imagine a world where everyone is blind; Baba is the guy you want in your corner. He leads the Alkenny tribe, swings an axe, and will wreck anyone who messes with his family.

He has a feral warrior vibe, but he is also tender. He is raising kids who can see, all while keeping it hush-hush so nobody freaks out and tries to hunt them down.

As the show goes on, you see him get hit with more insane problems, but he just keeps rolling with it; he never really cracks, just gets tougher and more creative. Jason Momoa has even said he pulls from his own “dad mode” to play Baba, which you can tell.

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Comparing their leadership qualities in the Chief of War and the See

Ka’iana, in Chief of War, is running the show back when kingdoms are clashing left, right, and center. He has wheel and deal with alliances, always watching his back for betrayals, and then suddenly everyone has guns and cannons, thanks to the Europeans.

Now, Baba Voss is something completely different. See is set in a post-apocalyptic setting where survival is everything. He’s not plotting grand military campaigns; he’s more about keeping his tribe alive, staying loyal, and making sure their culture doesn’t just disappear into the void. He fights hard, sure, but it’s personal. It’s about his family, his people, the stuff that matters when the world’s gone sideways.

Politics-wise, Ka’iana is knee-deep in drama: alliances blow up, people double-cross him, and there’s this constant scramble for power. It’s cutthroat. With Baba Voss, the drama is closer to home; he’s got tribal beefs, enemies lurking, but at the end of the day, it’s all about his clan and keeping them safe.

As for what they leave behind? In Chief of War, Ka’iana’s memory is tangled; he’s the guy who fought to keep local power alive, even if it cost him everything. People remember him as a symbol of resistance, even if the unification rolled on.

Baba Voss in See is a beacon for starting over: protecting his kids, teaching them to adapt, and keeping hope alive even when the old world’s in ruins.

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At the end of the day, both Ka’iana and Baba Voss are warriors. But if I had to pick who I’d ride into battle with, I would go with Baba. Ka’iana’s story is messy in Chief of War with lots of double-crossing, questionable choices, and political drama.

Meanwhile, Baba puts his people first, actually earning respect instead of demanding it, and somehow never losing his sense of right and wrong. That’s the real deal. That’s the kind of leader who doesn’t just scrape through a fight; he changes the game.