Hau: The Alola Rival Who Picks the Weaker Starter
1199 words | Reading time: 5 minutes
The first friend the player makes in Alola is also their first opponent. Hau accompanies the hero of Sun and Moon, then of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, keeping pace with them and at the same age. The grandson of Kahuna Hala and a notorious foodie, he fills the rival slot without the arrogance that usually comes with it — and he even takes the idea as far as picking a starter Pokémon at a disadvantage.
Contents
- The player's first friend on the islands
- The rival who takes the disadvantaged type
- In the mobile game: from Tauros to Tapu Koko
- His first card dates back to February 2017
- Hau at a glance
- Frequently Asked Questions
The player's first friend on the islands
Hau is a young Alolan Trainer, and the games give him a specific role: the first friendly face the hero meets on arriving on the islands. Hau is eleven, the same age as the main character, so he's as much a peer from the same generation as a traveling companion.
His family ties are anything but incidental. Kahuna Hala is his grandfather; in other words, the boy following you comes from the family of the figure who oversees your journey across the islands.
The rest of his portrait comes down to a few traits, but they never waver. A bottomless appetite and an open passion for malasadas, the region's signature pastry, whose new flavors he seems to hunt down endlessly. Add to that an attachment to Pokémon that his mobile-game profile sums up well: what he looks for in a battle is whatever brings a Trainer closer to their Pokémon.
The rival who takes the disadvantaged type
The mechanic fits in a single sentence, and it goes against the grain. Once the player has settled on a starter Pokémon, Hau picks the one whose type is at a disadvantage against yours, not the one that beats it.
The classic rival formula calls for the opposite: he's the one who gets the advantage, and the player has to close the gap. Here, the gap tilts your way in every duel, and Hau goes into every encounter with the hero at a handicap. The character isn't there to block your path, but to serve as a benchmark.
That special status shows even in the battle animations. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he is one of the very few Trainers who trigger no Ball-throwing animation when you battle them, the League match aside: his starter already walks alongside him and enters the field first, so a wave of the hand is all it takes. The Ultra Forest Kartenvoy and their Kartana are in the same situation.
🍩 It all starts with your starter Pokémon: browse the section Pokémon starters.
In the mobile game: from Tauros to Tapu Koko
The mobile game included Hau from launch and now gives him two outfits. In his standard outfit, his default sync pair teams him up with a Raichu in its Alolan Form, the species' regional variant, ahead of three additional partners.
These alternate sync pairs each unlock in their own way. The one that pairs him with Crabominable is obtained with Training Tickets from the Damage Challenge, a second one features him with Incineroar, and a third, with Tauros, requires raising his friendship to level 100 in the Trainer Lodge.
His second outfit, his Sygna Suit, has him battle alongside Tapu Koko. The game's story explains the switch: in the chapter about the island's guardians, within the Alola arc, Hau partnered with his Tauros until Tapu Koko chose him. The character thus goes from an ordinary partner to a Pokémon the story counts among the guardians.
His first card dates back to February 2017
Hau joined the Trading Card Game alongside the generation that introduced him. His first appearance is in the Sun & Moon expansion, released in France on February 3, 2017.
It didn't stop there: other cards have featured him since, which places him among the supporting characters the card game saw fit to bring back beyond their first expansion.
Hau at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Role | The player's friend and rival in Sun and Moon, then Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon |
| Region | Alola |
| Family | Hala, the kahuna, is his grandfather |
| Age | 11 years old, like the main character |
| Starter Pokémon | The one whose type is at a disadvantage against the player's |
| Signature trait | A bottomless appetite and a passion for malasadas |
| Mobile game partners | Alolan Raichu, Crabominable, Incineroar, Tauros, and Tapu Koko in his Sygna Suit |
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Who is Hau in Pokémon Sun and Moon?
A young Alolan Trainer the same age as the hero, eleven, who becomes their first friend on the islands and stays with them throughout the journey. He's also the grandson of Kahuna Hala. -
Which starter Pokémon does Hau choose?
Always the one whose type is at a disadvantage against yours. Unlike the series' usual rivals, he gives up the type advantage instead of taking it. -
What is the connection between Hau and Hala?
Hala, the kahuna, is his grandfather. The player's traveling companion therefore belongs to the family of the figure who oversees their journey across the islands. -
Which Pokémon does Hau use in the mobile game?
An Alolan Raichu in his default sync pair, then Crabominable, Incineroar, and Tauros in his alternate sync pairs. In his Sygna Suit, he battles with Tapu Koko. -
Why doesn't Hau throw a Poké Ball in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon?
Because his starter Pokémon follows him on foot and enters battle first: a simple wave of the hand replaces the throwing animation. Outside the League match, he's one of the very few Trainers in this situation, along with the Ultra Forest Kartenvoy.
In short
Hau fills the rival slot while draining it of aggression. He follows you instead of racing ahead, and he deliberately picks the losing type — an opponent calibrated to measure your progress without ever standing in its way. The mobile game has taken the character well beyond that role, moving him from the Tauros of his early days to Tapu Koko, and his family tie to Alola's kahuna gives him a place in the story that his good cheer almost makes you forget.