Hapu is the island kahuna of Poni Island and specializes in Ground-type Pokémon. She awards the Poni stamp to trainers who manage to defeat her.
She's best known for being quiet and reserved—a trait that deepened after her grandfather passed away. These days she spends a lot of time alone harvesting Poni radishes, which keeps her connected to memories of him. That said, she's not completely closed off. When she met Ash and his classmates, she warmed up to them once she realized how much they actually cared about their Pokémon. From there, she started joining them on their island adventures and even let them crash at her place while they worked on school projects. She claims she's comfortable with solitude and denies feeling lonely, though her own Pokémon might beg to differ.
Hapu comes across as a bit formal and talks in an old-fashioned, elaborate way. She's also quick to jump to conclusions—like when she immediately assumed Ash stole her radishes with zero actual evidence. But here's the thing: once she realizes she's wrong, she owns it and apologizes without much fuss. By the time she and Ash had their rematch, she was even willing to battle him just for fun, which was a big shift from her earlier attitude.
As the granddaughter of a former island kahuna, she has deep, insider knowledge about what the role actually means and is super knowledgeable about local mythology, especially regarding Tapu Fini. She's a serious battler who uses fights to measure whether people are actually worth her time. Her genuine respect for Poni Island's history and traditions is ultimately what made Tapu Fini recognize her as the island's rightful next kahuna.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
