Chief of War Episode 5: Why does Moku doubt Ka’iana’s loyalty despite Kamehameha’s decision to work with him?

Chief of War Episode 5 dropped on Apple TV on August 22, 2025. The episode featured slow progress, and some might even deem it as a "filler," but it marked the return of Ka'iana to his home and the beginning of strategies that they will need to fight with not one, but three forces.

Ka'iana has decided to join hands with Kamehameha, but three enemies are knocking at their doorsteps. The first and the immediate one is Keoua, who is angry by the fact that his late father, who was the King of Hawai'i, didn't name him Chief of War, instead gave him he title of Kamehameha. He is ready to fight him for it. 

The second battle that awaits is against King Kahekili, who is planning to use this opportunity of civil conflicts in Hawai'i to his advantage and attack them. And the third one, which is not an immediate but impending war, is the one against the colonizers, or the  pale-skinned, who have agreed to supply them with weapons and armoury, but may very well get greedy in the future and colonize the kingdoms. 

Chief of War Episode 5 Recap - Keoua prepares for a battle as Ka'iana returns to Hawai'i

The episode begins with Keoua calling on the chiefs from all the districts except Kohala, which belongs to Kamehameha. As the Chiefs have begun to question the new, younger King, their faith extends towards Kamehameha, as they trust the wisdom of their late leader when he appointed Kamehameha as the Chief of War instead of his own son. 

As for Ka'iana, he is back, but that does not go without having to prove himself. Moku, who is the Chief of Kamehameha's council, is full of doubts about him as he should be. He served as a chief for Kahekili and abandoned him after helping him kill innocent people of O'ahu. And now, he has left a door open that could invite the colonizers into their lands. However, Kamehameha wants to work with him. And to do so, Ka'iana is required to beat him at he’e holua, a dangerous game. At the end, he emerges victorious and proves himself, thus joining the council. 

Chief of War Episode 5 Recap - Kupohi returns to Ka'iana

As for Ka'iana's personal life, his wife Kupohi had cheated on him with Namake. But now that he has returned, Kupohi is more than happy to go back to his husband. However, this has left Manake heartbroken, who had become quite attached to her. This information is a ticking time bomb because, if leaked, it could destroy Ka'iana's image, especially when he is on a mission to do something bigger. Thus, Namake will have to be silent about the whole thing. 

Ka'iana has brought Tony and a lot of guns to the island, which will strengthen their army against Kahekili's invasion and lead them to victory. At the end of the episode, Keoua, who has been mad about people doubting him, goes on and burns the food storage units of Kohala. This is brutal, especially when the islands are preparing for war and can not bear to lose resources. It will be interesting to see how Ka'iana and Kamehameha respond to this attack in the next episode. 

Chief of War episodes are available to stream online via Apple TV. The latest entries are released weekly on Fridays at 3 AM Eastern Time.