Character guide · Sun & Moon

Kiawe.

Fire-type rider / dancer from Akala Island

Debut. SM002 Hometown. Akala Island, Alola

Key partner Pokémon

Their team across arcs.

Background

Who they are.

Kiawe is the cast's tonal anchor. While most of the SM cast leans toward soft slice-of-life comedy, Kiawe plays his Pokémon Trainer life completely seriously: he wakes up before dawn for Charizard-led milk deliveries, performs the Fire-type Z-Move dances with full ritual commitment, and treats his classmates like junior siblings who need looking after. His family runs a Tauros / Miltank ranch and an aerial delivery service on Akala Island; Kiawe juggles school, ranch work, and trial-completion. Of the Pokémon School cast he's the strongest pure battler.

His signature partners are Turtonator (a Fire / Dragon obtained pre-series, deeply trained) and Alolan Marowak (Fire / Ghost, his Akala Island trial reward). Reaches the Manalo Conference semifinals; loses to Lana in SM135. Carries the most consistently strong battle record of any SM companion.

Arc-by-arc · 3 story beats

Their growth across the run.

  1. Sun & Moon

    Pokémon School and ranch work in parallel. Z-Move dance sequences become signature visual beats.

  2. Ultra Adventures

    Acerola's trial / Alolan Marowak storyline. Inferno Overdrive Z-Move featured.

  3. Ultra Legends

    Manalo Conference semifinalist. Loses to Lana in SM135.

Signature episodes · the ones to watch first

Their best episodes.

  1. SM002
    The Guardian's Challenge!

    Kiawe's debut.

  2. SM038
    Alola, Alola!

    Z-Move dance sequence peak.

  3. SM135
    Battling Besties!

    Manalo Conference semifinal loss to Lana.

Legacy

Why this character mattered.

Strongest pure battler of the SM cast. His Z-Move ritual performances were studied as part of the franchise's visual identity push for the era.

Editorial facts hand-verified May 2026 against Bulbapedia, Wikipedia, and Pokemon.com. Pokémon, character names, and series titles © Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, OLM Inc. This is an unofficial fan reference.