Whom did King Kahekili choose to lead the army against Kamehameha in Chief of War? Details explored 

In Chief of War Season 1, Episode 6, it takes a darker turn when Keoua refuses Kamehameha's offer of peace and joins King Kahekili, declaring a full-fledged war. Kahekili chooses his most violent lieutenant, Opunui, "the most unhinged warrior," to lead the army sent to aid Keōua.

Kahekili chooses to send Opuini rather than his son. This suggests that Kahekili's support isn't sympathetic or complicit while simply "helping" Keoua. In a scene where Kahekili's son reaches out to Opunui with the information, Opunui declares that after their win over Kamehameha, he will kill Keoua, too. This underscores the treacherous nature of the alliance that comes with a threat.

Read on to dive deeper into what this could mean for Keoua and the Hawaiian island altogether.

King Kahekili chooses Opunui, his most dreadful warrior, to lead the army against Kamehameha in the Chief of War

Season 1 episode 6 of Chief of War pushes Keōua’s hunger for admiration toward bloodshed and intimidation. When Kupuohi reaches out to him with an offer of peace and to unite the Hawaiian Islands, he rejects it and declares war. Keoua particularly scorned how Kamehameha worked with Ka'iana, leading the army bolstered by European firearms. However, deep down, he also knows that he can't face these Western weapons and their knowledge alone. His mother suggests he turn to Kahekili, the enemy of Kamehameha, who could agree to come on his side.

Kahekili, while agreeing to support him, does so on his own terms. Rather than sending his son to lead the army, he sends an unhinged warrior, Opunui. When his son argues to Opunui that the King doesn't want him to kill Keoua, Opunui highlights how he understands Kahekili more than his son.

Therefore, Kahekili decides not just to "help" Keoua with his military power but to send his most dreadful warrior, Opunui, to lead his army, which suggests that he doesn't want a partnership. He wants the island to break, as he wishes to exploit the same. He agrees to Keoua's alliance, not because he is valued, but because Kahekili can exploit him to the point that he is useful to him. Opunui is the embodiment of Kahekili’s cruelty and intends to gut Keōua once his usefulness ends.

Will Kahekili betray Keoua in the Chief of War?

Indeed, Kahekili is laying a vicious trap by sending Opunui to war. Keoua, however, isn't realizing the long-term game: if he defeats Kamehameha, Kahekili would easily defeat him eventually. What Keoua understands is that Kahekili can't kill him now, as this would make Kamehameha's hold unshakeable, in Chief of War.

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Therefore, we can say that betrayal is inevitable. His strategy is to let Keoua do the work of softening Kamehameha's defences and then eliminate him. Kahekili's only purpose is to rule over the island, and there shouldn't be room for a fearful cousin.

This event will escalate the stakes for the season's climax, with violence-driven rulers like Keōua and Kahekili facing their ends in the Chief of War. However, this isn't it; the arrival of Captain Metcalfe also suggests the island might also suffer colonization, and Ka'iana may emerge as the only shield against that threat with his knowledge of the western world.

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