Does Ka‘iana actually kill Keōua in Chief of War season 1 finale? Explained

Chief of War season 1 finale answers the headline: Keōua does not die by Ka‘iana’s hand. In The Black Desert, Ka‘iana closes in, aims, and the battlefield fractures. A violent eruption hurls both men, killing Keōua and leaving Ka‘iana injured as Kamehameha’s forces seize the field. The Chief of War season 1 finale threads that outcome through character beats set the night before: Ka‘ahumanu is formally seated beside Kamehameha, Heke asks to fight, and Namake levels with Ka‘iana about Kupuohi.

On the day, priests challenge one another, ‘Ōpūnui spits insults, and muskets meet clubs and spears until the earth decides the crown.

The Chief of War season 1 finale also frames the aftershock: in O‘ahu, Kahekili hears the name “Ka‘iana” and answers with war.

Jason Momoa leads as Ka‘iana, Cliff Curtis plays Keōua, Kaina Makua is Kamehameha I, and Luciane Buchanan is Ka‘ahumanu, with Mainei Kinimaka (Heke) and Te Kohe Tuhaka (Namake) pivotal to the personal stakes.

That is the ending and the setup the Chief of War season 1 finale leaves for what comes next.

Chief of War season 1 finale ending explained: Did Ka‘iana actually kill Keōua?

Short answer: no. The Chief of War season 1 finale builds to Ka‘iana and Keōua trading range and rage across the lava plain after a night of reckonings.

Ka‘iana reassures Tony that Hawai‘i is his home, accepts Namake’s confession about Kupuohi, and walks into battle with Kamehameha’s blessing beside Ka‘ahumanu.

The morning opens with chants and opposing priests, then a war of words. Spears fly, muskets crack, and the line surges. Heke is nearly overpowered by ‘Ōpūnui until Ka‘ahumanu’s shot staggers him.

Heke finishes the job, and the front breaks into brutal pockets. Ka‘iana takes a spear from Namake, kills Keōua’s priest, and pushes up the ridge toward Keōua.

The crucial beat is not a duel, but the volcano: as Ka‘iana raises his weapon, the plain explodes, Keōua falls to the lava, and Ka‘iana is thrown clear. Kamehameha’s colors rise. Ka‘ahumanu reaches Ka‘iana.

Tony pounds his chest in salute. Across the channel, Kahekili hears the report and chooses escalation, not retreat: the Chief of War's season 1 finale’s last promise of conflict still to come. Namake stated:

“I found comfort with Kupouhi, and she with me. It's the shame of my life. But I love her. I betrayed you Ka'iana.”

Ka‘iana warned,

“Keōua, your time to die is now. Kill them all.”

Ka‘iana shouted to the line,

“Hail Kamehameha.”

What the Chief of War season 1 finale sets up next

The Chief of War season 1 finale leaves three clean arcs for the next chapter.

First, the political center shifts: Kamehameha has publicly seated Ka‘ahumanu by his side before and after the battle, signalling that counsel, not only conquest, will shape the coming war. Second, the triangle of loyalty tightens around Ka‘iana.

His bond with Ka‘ahumanu is visible, and the Namake-Kupuohi admission cannot be shelved forever.

The episode seeds those tensions inside victory so that personal choices carry as much weight as tactics.

Third, the outer map expands. Keōua’s death via eruption removes one rival but energizes another: the tag in O‘ahu shows Kahekili prepared to answer the name “Ka‘iana” with total war.

Practically, that means new fronts, shifting alliances, and hard choices about gunpowder, ships, and foreign leverage, the Chief of War season 1 finale keeps gesturing toward.

The mechanics are clear: if unification continues, it will be paid for in both battlefield calculus and private cost.

How the Chief of War Season 1 finale staged the lava-field showdown

The Chief of War season 1 finale turns ritual into rhythm. The priests open with a spiritual “argument,” then chosen speakers, ‘Ōpūnui for Keōua, Ka‘iana for Kamehameha, trade insults that spark the first volley.

From there, the camera follows clusters rather than a single line: Tony’s musket drill pays off in tight formations. Heke, Kupuohi, and Ka‘ahumanu are fighting inside the crush.

Namake is dragging a spear from Kupuohi and shoving it at Ka‘iana at a crucial moment.

The eruption is staged as both consequence and chance, not miracle, so the answer to the headline holds: Ka‘iana doesn’t kill Keōua, the land does.

That choice keeps the Chief of War season 1 finale consistent with the show’s thread about agency and omen, leaders move the pieces, but the islands can move too.

On the craft side, the battle reads clean on screen because geography is simple (ridge, plain, altar), weapons are distinct (clubs, spears, muskets), and the final image, Ka‘iana conscious again, Ka‘ahumanu at his side, states the next chapter without speech.

Stay tuned for more updates.