Born in Hawaii, Nanaue is a humanoid shark. His father is "The King of All Sharks"—also known as the Shark God. Originally there were some doubts surrounding his origins, as other characters, such as special agent Sam Makoa, dismissed his origins as superstition and referred to Nanaue as a "savage mutation" and it was also implied that he was one of the "Wild Men", evolved animals based on those in "Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth", but the now-ended "Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis" series put an end to the controversy by firmly establishing him as the Shark God's son.