Hau

Hau
Species	Human
Hair color	Dark Green
Eye color	Gray
Age	11
Relatives	Hala (Grandfather) Father Mother
Voiced by	Laura Stahl (2019)
Debut	Pokémon Sun/Moon

Hau is a Pokémon trainer who was featured as a supporting character and rival character in the seventh generation games of the Pokémon series: Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. He also acts as the final opponent to be faced to win the first championship of the Alola region in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Background

Hau was the grandson of Hala, who was the kahuna of Melemele Island. He had a father who was a strong trainer, but at some point he started working somewhere far away from the Alola region. Hau believed that it was because he hated being the son of a kahuna. As for Hau, he admired his grandfather and aspired to surpass him someday. When Hau was younger, Hala once made him cry when got angry at him, and this caused him to go softer on his grandson from then on. Hau generally had a friendly and optimistic disposition, and he tended to be easily impressed by most things. Although he strove to become stronger, he saw Pokémon battles as being fun first and foremost. Prior to beginning his island challenge, Hau carried out errands for Professor Kukui and met Lillie when she started staying at a loft Kukui's lab.

As the events of seventh generation began, it was finally time for Hau to receive his starter Pokémon and start his island challenge. The exact order of events differed depending on the version. In Sun/Moon, he had already received his starter Pokémon and Rotom Dex from Hala prior to the beginning of the game. In Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, the starter Pokémon had been entrusted to Kukui, and he let Elio/Selene choose their Pokémon early, after those Pokémon drove away a wild Pokémon that was bothering the youth. Hau got to choose his Pokémon next, after he found Kukui and Elio/Selene. In all versions, Hau challenged Elio/Selene to a first Pokémon battle upon meeting them and was lost, but he quickly defended them. Soon afterwards, the two battled again at Iki Town as part of the Melemele Festival which kicked off the island challenge. Afterwards, Hau and Elio/Selene began taking on the trials of the islands of the Alola region. Throughout the journey, Hau often gave Elio/Selene items such as Revives, Ethers and Potions. He also was keen to try out the malasada everywhere he went, as it was his favorite food, and at one point he joked that visiting every malasada shop was his "own personal island challenge".

They first took on the challenges of Melemele Island. After beating Ilima's trial, he tried battling Elio/Selene again at Route 3 and lost again. Sometime after that, the Melemele Island challenge ended with Hau completing his grandfather's grand trial and receiving a Z-Power Ring from him. With that, they traveled to the second island, Akala Island. In Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, the two of them traveled to that island by surfing on Mantine, at Hau's request, as he was not fond of Kukui's old boat. They had their next battle in Paniola City, an area which Hau felt made their battle reminiscient of a "real old-fashioned Western showdown". He was next seen at Route 5, where he had just lost a battle against Gladion. He took the loss in stride because he considered the battle to be fun, which bothered Gladion. Hau did not like Gladion's attitude in turn and wished that he would let himself have a good time. Afterwards, he took part in a Battle Royal with Elio/Selene, Gladion and the Masked Royal, while being oblivious to the Masked Royal's true identity. After a visit to Professor Burnet's lab, Hau teamed up with Elio/Selene in a Multi Battle against Team Skull Grunts at Digglett's Cave.

After Hau and Elio/Selene finished the trials and grand trial for Akala Island, Faba brought them to visit Aether Paradise, where they met Lusamine and Hau witnessed an Ultra Beast coming from an Ultra Wormhole. Following that visit, they moved on to Ula'ula Island, where Hau challenged Elio/Selene to another battle at Malie City. In Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, he gave them a Lycanium Z after the battle, as he had received it from Wicke but did not plan on adding Lycanroc to his team. They then went on to take on the island's challenges. Hau met up with Elio/Selene again at Route 13 after completing Sophocles's trial, where Gladion confronted them with a warning that Team Skull was looking for [{Cosmog]], a Pokémon which they knew was accompanying Lillie. Hau became concerned for Lillie and was determined to protect her. Despite that, Hau proceeded to lose against Team Skull members while spending time with the kids at the island's Aether House. After the first loss, they kidnapped a Yungoos that belonged to one of the youngsters. While Elio/Selene and Acerola were off to retrieve it, Plumeria came for Cosmog. Hau was unable to stand up to her, and Lillie gave herself up to Team Skull to be with Cosmog. Afterwards, Hau accompanied Elio/Selene and Gladion to Aether Paradise, where they battled against members of Team Skull and the Arther Foundation alike in search of Lillie. Hau teamed up with Elio/Selene for several of those battles, including one against Faba. Along the way, Hau also learned that Lillie, Gladion and Lusamine were related. In Sun/Moon, he also attempted to take on Guzma in the Trophy Room at Gladion's request.

Ultimately, Lusamine was successful in opening and entering the Ultra Wormhole. Hau remained optimistic in the aftermath, but he was tired of relying on others to save him. He decided to focus on his training so that he could save Pokémon himself. In Sun/Moon, he felt that this was necessary if he wanted to become an island kahuna someday, while in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, he realized that he and his Pokémon were stronger when they were in sync about wanting to save Lillie and Cosmog.

The details of his later appearances differ depending on the version.

Sun/Moon

After splitting up from Elio/Selene at Aether Paradise, Hau went on to complete the last of his island challenges and spent some time training with Ilima at Melemele Island until he felt that he was ready to take on the Pokémon League. Gladion informed him that Elio/Selene was already on their way to challenge the Elite Four, so Hau quickly traveled to Mount Lanakila and met with Elio/Selene at its peak. There, he took them on in one more battle to determine which of them would taken on the Elite Four first. Hau lost, but he felt that the frustration would only make him stronger and supported Elio/Selene in their challenge. After Elio/Selene became the first Pokémon League champion of the Alola region, Hala took part in the celebrations at Iki Town. Hau resolved to continue training with Ilima so that he could defeat his grandfather for real.

He was then heartbroken to discover that Lillie was leaving to go to the Kanto region. He claimed that there was a lot that he wanted to say to her, so he resolved to send her a very long letter. At Kukui's suggestion, he tried to say farewell to her with a smile. Not long after that, Hau finially managed to defeat Hala in an all-out battle and received some Z-Crystals as a reward. He shared some of them (the ones for the fully-evolved forms of the starter Pokémon that the player had not chosen) to Elio/Selene when he visited them at their house. Hau resolved to become stronger so that he could travel the world, in order to find both Lillie and his dad. It was then that he talked to Elio/Selene about his father, and he decided to train at the Battle Tree. He could also be seen teaching Alolan sumo to a pair of reformed Team Skull grunts at Iki Town.

Hau also went on to challenge Alola's Pokémon League, as he was one of the opponents who could appear to challenge Elio/Selene to a Title Defense battle upon defeating the Elite Four again.

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

Hau returned to Melemele Island and trained with his grandfather. During the crisis in which the Ultra Beasts were unleashed upon the Alola region, Hau and Hala were confronted by either Blacephalon in Ultra Sun or Stakataka in Ultra Moon. Hala felt confident leaving this battle to Hau, and they were also joined by Tapu Koko. Though the details of the battle that ensued are unknown, the Ultra Beast crisis was resolved soon afterwards. Hau also continued his island challenge, and he met with Elio/Selene again at two points during Mina's challenge. The first was at Hau'oli Cemetary, where Hau congratulated Elio/Selene on becoming the savior of Alola, having heard about their role in defeating Necrozma from Gladion. He also assured them that he was still training and wanted a serious battle between the two of them once they finished the island challenge. His second appearance was outside the Aether House, where he met with Guzma and heard about how he went on an island challenge in the past. Hau told him that he was determined to outdo the kahunas and prove that everyone could become something great, regardless of whether or not they took on the island challenge. He attempted to assure Guzma that he could become something else, "something that nobody else has ever managed to be".

At some point, Hau finally managed to defeat Hala in an all-out battle. He proceeded to head to the Pokémon League, and he defeated the Elite Four shortly before Elio/Selene did. Afterwards, Elio/Selene and Hau battled for the championship. Elio/Selene won and became known as the first champion of the Alola region. Hau appreciated that the battle was the most exciting one that he ever had and was ready to celebrate Elio/Selene becoming champion. He proceeded to take part in the festivities that ensued at Iki Town. Afterwards, Hau and Elio/Selene were asked to help the Ultra Recon Squad to catch some loose Ultra Beasts at Poni Grove. After a successful mission, they headed back home.

Pokémon Roster

• Rowlet/Dartrix/Decidueye, Litten/Torracat/Incineroar, Popplio/Brionne/Primarina: Hau's starter Pokémon. He uses the starter Pokémon that has a type disadvantage against the one chosen by the player (Rowlet if the player chose Litten, Litten if the player chose Popplio and Popplio if the player chose Litten). His starter Pokémon evolves into its second form before the Paniola Town battle and its final form before the Multi Battles at Aether Paradise. This Pokémon (in its second form at the time) is the Pokémon he uses when fighting in the Battle Royal. It is also this Pokémon that Hau has use a Z-Crystal: Normalium Z starting in the Paniola City, and a crystal matching the Pokémon's type (Grassium Z, Firium Z or Waterium Z, respectively) starting with the Multi Battle at Diglett's Tunnel. For Title Defense batltes in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, it uses the Z-Stone specific to the Pokémon: Decidium Z, Incinium Z or Primarium Z.
• Pichu/Pikachu/Alolan Raichu: Hau first uses Pichu during the second battle with him at Iki Town. It evolves into Pikachu by the next battle at Route 3 and into Alolan Raichu by the Malie City battle.
• Eevee/Vaporeon, Flareon or Leafeon: He first uses Eevee as a Multi Battle partner in Diglett's Tunnel and it evolves by the Malie City battle. Its evolution differs depending on the player's starter Pokémon, as he will evolve Eevee into the evolved form that has a type advantage over the player's starter Pokémon: Flareon if the player chose Rowlet, Vaporeon if the player chosen Litten or Leafeon if the player chose Popplio.
• Komala: He uses this Pokémon in Sun/Moon only. He first uses it for the battle at Mount Lanakila.
• Crabominable: In Sun/Moon, he first uses this Pokémon during Title Defense battles, while in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, he first uses it during the championship battle.
• Noibat/Noivern: He uses this Pokémon only in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. He first uses it during the Route 3 battle, and it evolves into Noivern before the Multi Battles at Aether Paradise.
• Tauros: He uses this Pokémon only in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon. He first uses it during the Malie City battle.

In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he also catches a Blacephalon or Stakataka, respectively, but he immediately gives the Ultra Beast over to the Ultra Recon Squad.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Hau and his Alolan Raichu appeared as a playable sync pair that could be recruited by playing Chapter 11 of the Main Story's PML Arc. A Sygna Suit variant of Hau paired with Tapu Koko was made available at random through the Sync Pair Scout during limited time periods starting at the end of April 2023. Hau has also been seen using a Tauros in a storyline event and sometimes pairs up with one of his other Pokémon such as Decidueye, Primarina or Noviern when faced as an opponent in battle.

In Chapter 11 of the PML Arc, he had formed a team with Sophocles to compete in the Pokémon Masters League, but they lost to Scottie/Bettie in a battle. At Sophocles's suggestion, Hau joined Scottie/Bettie's team so they could keep on battling them and getting stronger. He was also featured in the Legendary Event "The Beast That Devours the Sun", in which he accompanied Scottie/Bettie in investigating the presence of Solgaleo on Pasio, which ultimately chose to partner with Scottie/Bettie. In the "Summer Superstars" Story Event, he formed a team with Professor Kukui and Hapu for the Pasio Superstar Competition, but they lost to Scottie/Bettie, Steven Stone and Lyra, at which point Hau retreated to the food booths. In the extra scenes for some Story Events, he pointed out a resemblance between Gladion and Lisia's poses in "Dazzling Dizzying Battle Stage" and helped Marnie with her smiling lessons in "Champion Time". Hau also helped to search for Necrozma in the Story Event "The Light Devourer". He later was randomly assigned to a team with Hop and Calem for the New Stars of Pasio tournament, and they defeated the team of Bede, Hugh and Wally. He proceeded to criticize Bede and Hugh's teamwork skills after the match, and ultimately all of the tournament's competitors (who were all rival characters) teamed up to fight off Team Break. In the Solo Event "It's All Good", he provided inspirational advice to a group of trainers after they lost a match against him, Elesa and Phoebe.

Hau was also featured in the Alola chapter of the Main Story's Villain Arc. Hau had dressed up in traditional clothes (which would become his Sygna Suit for Tapu Koko) for an Alolan-themed festival that was being held on Pasio. This was disrupted by an outbreak of Ultra Beasts. Some Ultra Beasts cornered Hau and Hala in a similar manner as in Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (a similarity noted by the characters themselves), and Tapu Koko (a different one from the one they knew in Alola) appeared to lend its aid to Hau. Hala believed that Hau was chosen because he had a stronger heart. Hau worked together with Mina, Lana and Acerola, who each bonded with the other tapus, to calm the Ultra Beasts down. Hau ultimately invited the Ultra Beasts to remain on Pasio as part of the community. In the Champion Stadium's Alola Challenge, which was based on the Elite Four line-up in the games, the challenge's champion battle would alternate between Kukui and Hau from week to week, reflecting how the two of them acting as the final challenge for the championship in different versions.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Hau appeared in several episodes in the latter portion of the Sun/Moon-based series. When he first appeared, he had just returned to Alola from a long trip with his father. Battling Ash, he won the first time and lost the second. He later competed in the Manalo Conference and made it to the Top 8 of the tournament after defeating Samson Oak, only to be defeated by Ash. He also helped the Ultra Guardians in the climactic battle against the Shiny Guzzlord, and he was last seen taking on Nanu's grand trial. He also made an appearance watching a Battle Royal in a Pokémon Journeys episode. He was shown with a Dartrix that evolved into Decidueye.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Hau appeared during the Sun/Moon arc. He was first seen competing in a festival tournament at Iki Town, where he lost to Gladion, who called him weak for fighting for fun. Hau went on to help in battles against Team Skull and later the Ultra Beasts. He had to prove himself to Hala in order to be allowed to take part in the latter conflict. He found a Sparking Stone that was forged into his own Z-Ring, and Hala trained him to prepare him. At the end of the arc, he opened a malasada and Tapu Cocoa, with help from a reformed Guzma and Mallow. His starter Pokémon was a Popplio that evolved into Primarina.
• In the Pokémon Evolutions series of anime shorts, Hau made a cameo appearance during one episode about Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, in which he was seen in a flashback witnessing when the Ultra Wormhole was being opened at the Aether Paradise.

Trivia

• Hau is named after the Hawaiian word for the sea hibiscus.