Sorry The Last of Us, But the Best TV Battle of 2025 Just Happened in This New Apple TV+ Show’s Premiere Episode

Apologies to The Last of Us, but season 2's major battle sequence just got outclassed by a new show. The Last of Us season 2's numerous game changes sparked a range of emotions from fans, and one of the biggest was the massive Infected invasion in Jackson, Wyoming, forcing Tommy to defend the commune from an Infected horde.

HBO brought audiences the Battle of the Bastards and many other major action set pieces in the world of Game of Thrones. While these sequences are becoming more commonplace on television, it's rare that they have the production value of The Last of Us season 2. This makes it all the more shocking to see it surpassed so quickly.

Chief Of War's Invasion Of O'ahu Tops The Last Of Us' Jackson Battle

Chief Of War's Production Value Is The Real Deal

Chief of War is the latest series on Apple TV+, centered around the unification of Hawaii in the 18th century. The historical epic is a long-term passion project for its star, writer, producer, and director, Jason Momoa. He plays Ka'iana, a real-life figure and famous warrior. With a title like Chief of War, one would expect a fair degree of violence.

The show's trailer teased some major battle sequences, but I wasn't expecting to see one in the premiere episode. In the fifty-minute first episode, Chief of War unleashed one of the most intense, well-produced war scenes I've ever seen on TV.

King Kahekili leads his forces on ships to the shores of O'ahu, hoping to bring the opposing Hawaiian island under his control. Meanwhile, Momoa's Ka'iana and his group sneak in from another location, planning to assassinate a priest in hopes of triggering an early surrender. The battle erupts into chaos anyway.

The Last of Us season 2's battle was fun, and it managed to involve some unique elements with the snowstorm and the Infected simultaneously. However, Chief of War's sequence felt raw and poignant, managing to be surprisingly powerful for the show's first episode.

Chief Of War Still Has Many Battles To Come

This Was Only The First Episode

When it comes to historical or fantasy epics on TV, I typically expect some small-scale battles now and then, with a climactic end-of-season war sequence. Even The Rings of Power, the most expensive show ever made, has yet to have a battle sequence that's particularly dynamic or moving.

Chief of War hit the ball out of the park in just its first episode. I'm not talking about a brief skirmish; I'm talking about a full-scale naval invasion with multiple phases to it. The Last of Us season 2's battle was impressive from a film production standpoint, but Chief of War is going to be delivering on another level for episodes to come.