The Official Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Topic

That's pretty nuts. Still a lot better than it used to be, even though I know that doesn't help you here.

I gave Kayamba the Mock Melynx mask when I unlocked it, because he was pretty aggressive melee-wise and can steal items with that mask. As for Cha-Cha...I would give him something passive because he seemed to be a terrible fighter.

The Shakalakas on their own have pretty much the same AI and stats. It's all based on what mask you have equipped and mastery on said mask.

If you're wanting attack, the Rathalos Mask is a solid choice. If you want actual damage, however, get the False Felyne mask and level it up to Lv5 Mastery. Doing so unlocks an ability slot and so you can give him the skill Bombardier. Congratulations, you now have a Shakalaka throwing LBB+ at monsters like candy at fat children on Halloween.

Another great combination I've found is the Artillery Mask, obtained by doing a villager request after hunting Jhen Mohran in Village High Rank, and the Ultimate Mask obtained after beating Ivory Lagiacrus at the end of Village High Rank.
The Ultimate Mask prevents the Shakalaka wearing it from taking damage, and when the Shakalaka enters rage mode, his health continually drains until it's depleted. In this state, his attack is raised considerably.
The Artillery Mask allows you to fire the Shakalaka not wearing the mask for high damage of all types (If the Shakalaka hits the monster, it will do both cutting and impact damage; I've both cut tails and broken off Barroth's crest with this attack).
My usual strategy is just to wait until the Ultimate Mask user is in rage mode. Then when he's close to death, I fire him at the monster to make use of the attack boost. It usually works pretty well since the Ultimate Mask has relatively decent recovery time.