Characters / BIONICLE

The characters in the BIONICLE franchise. Since the series has an extensive Cast Herd, these character pages do the same, arranged in rough order of prominence. This particular page lists general character tropes relevant to multiple sagas.

For tropes about the characters of the 2015 Continuity Reboot, see BIONICLE (2015)

• Bionicle Chronicles
  The Toa Mata/Toa Nuva (Tahu, Kopaka, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu, Onua, the Toa Kaita, Takua/Takanuva), Matoran of Mata Nui (Onepu, Kapura, Macku, Hafu, Taipu, Tamaru, Kopeke), Makuta Teridax, Rahi (Tarakava, Nui Rama, Nui Jaga, Muaka, Kane-Ra, Manas, Gukko, Ussal crabs), the Bohrok Swarm (the Bohrok, the Bohrok Va, the Bahrag, the Bohrok-Kal), the Rahkshi
• Bionicle Adventures
  The Toa Metru/Toa Hordika/Turaga of Mata Nui (Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Nuju, Whenua), Matoran of Metru Nui (Nuhrii, Vhisola, Orkahm, Ehrye, Tehutti, Ahkmou) Metru Nui Leadership (Dume, Lhikan), Vahki, plant creatures (the Morbuzakh, the Karzahni), the Dark Hunters ("the Shadowed One", Sentrakh, Voporak, Nidhiki, Krekka, Lariska), the Visorak Horde (the Visorak, Sidorak, Roodaka), The Rahaga/Toa Hagah (Norik, Iruini, Kualus, Gaaki, Pouks, Bomonga), Rahi (Kikanalo, Krahka, Nivawk, Tahtorak, Keetongu)
• Bionicle Legends
  The Toa Inika/Toa Mahri (Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, Hewkii, Nuparu, Matoro), the Piraka (Zaktan, Hakann, Vezok, Thok, Avak, Reidak, Vezon, Inrakk, Nektann), the Voya Nui Resistance Team (Garan, Balta, Dalu, Velika, Piruk, Kazi), the Order of Mata Nui (Helryx, Axonn, Brutaka, Botar, Hydraxon, Krakua, Mazeka, Umbra, Maxilos robots), the Barraki (Pridak, Takadox, Ehlek, Kalmah, Carapar, Mantax, Nocturn), Matoran of Mahri Nui (Dekar, Defilak, Sarda, Idris), Other Toa (Lesovikk, Tuyet, Ignika) Legendary Figures (Artahka, Kharzahni, Tren Krom, the Zyglak), Av-Matoran (Tanma, Solek, Photok) Shadow Matoran (Kirop, Galva, Radiak, Vican, Vultraz), the Brotherhood of Makuta (Antroz, Chirox, Vamprah, Krika, Bitil, Gorast, Mutran, Icarax, Miserix, Spiriah, Tridax), Rahi (Fenrakk/Kardas, Hydruka, Energy Hounds, Gadunka, Toa Terrian Crawler, Klakk)
• Spherus Magna
  The Agori (Raanu, Berix, Tarduk, Atakus, Metus), the Glatorian (Gresh, Vastus, Malum, Ackar, Tarix, Kiina, Strakk, Gelu, the Skrall, Tuma, the Sisters of the Skrall), Mata Nui, Click, the Great Beings, the Sand Tribe, the Bone Hunters, the Iron Tribe, (Sahmad, Telurris), the Battera, the Element Lords, Annona

The Matoran and Toa Races

The Matoran

The Matoran are the main race in Mata Nui's realm. A race of workers, one of their most prominent traits is that they're ready and willing to defend themselves no matter how big the threat. Divided into tribes corresponding to natural elements; the main ones are Fire ("Ta-"), Water ("Ga-"), Air ("Le-"), Earth ("Onu-"), Stone ("Po-"), and Ice ("Ko-"), and the tribe of Light ("Av-") also eventually makes a prominent appearance.

• Abnormal Ammo: Metru Nui Matoran use Kanoka Disks (superpowered frisbees), while the Mahri Nui Matoran shoot solid bubbles of air (toxic to the waterbreathers assaulting them)
• Characterization Marches On: At least in the comic books, denizens of Le-Koro (also including Lewa) don't use Treespeak until the Mask of Light arc. When Lewa first speaks in this manner, in issue #13, the comic gives no explanation for him doing so.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Matoran destined to become Toa are usually (though not always) a little weird, described as being like their brain knows something it's not telling the rest of its body.
• Color-Coded Elements: Played straight with all tribes except Matoran of Light, who subvert it by being able to change colors and specifically avoid their native gold-and-white scheme.
• Cool Mask: All Matoran wear one, and need it to function, but even if they wear a Mask of Power they can't use its powers.
• Dumb Muscle: Though the actual truth to this is debatable, Po-Matoran (the physically strongest Matoran type) seem to be stereotyped as dimwits among the other Matoran tribes.
  Jaller: (to Takua) You've got more rocks in your head than a Po-Matoran!
• Hobbits: Size-wise in comparison to the Toa.
• Hufflepuff House: Just about any tribe outside the main seven. Some Matoran types don't even have characters to represent them. For example, there are no named Toa of Gravity.
• Long-Lived: As with all denizens of the Matoran Universe; the main groups have been alive for a millennia at the absolute least, and some are close to 100 times that.
• Meaningful Name: Each element is given a certain prefix strongly associated with the nature or history of that same element.
  • The prefixes for the six primary elements are derived from the names of the Toa Mata. Light's prefix comes from Avohkii, the name of the Mask of Light.
  • The prefix for iron, "Fe-", is derived from the chemical symbol "Fe" for the real element of iron.
  • The prefix for sonics, "De-", is derived from the word "decibel," a real-world measurement unit for sound.
  • The prefix for gravity, "Ba-", is derived from words with the Greek origin of "baros", meaning "weight".
  • The prefix for psionics, "Ce-", is derived from the words "cerebral" and "cerebellum", both of which are words related to the anatomy of the brain.
  • The prefix for plants, "Bo-", is derived from botany, the study of plants.
  • The prefix for lightning, "Vo-", is derived from the word "volt," the SI unit for electric potential, electric potential difference (a.k.a. voltage), and electromotive force.
  • The prefix for plasma, "Su-", stems from the word "superheated", which refers to how gases must be subjected to incredibly high temperatures in order to become plasma.
  • The prefix for magnetism, "Fa-", is derived from the surname of Michael Faraday, a famous English scientist best known for his work in the field of electromagnetism.
• Nanomachines: Given that Mata Nui is a Humongous Mecha, they would appear really tiny to him.
• Nature-Loving Robot: The Le-Matoran of Mata Nui are the most prominent example; they inhabited the jungle and peacefully coexisted with the Rahi, even taming Gukko birds and using them as flying mounts.
• One-Gender Race: Played straight with most types of Matoran being only male. Though the tribe of Light subverts this by being composed of both genders, as does the Psionics tribe, which is a female-only tribe save for their first member, the male Toa Orde. Turns out he wasn't effective in peacefully dealing with the Zyglak, so the rest of the Psionics Matoran are female on the grounds that they would be gentler with their powers. However, the female Toa of Lightning Chiara he explains this to strongly doubts that Women Are Wiser.
• Personality Powers: Matoran personalities tend to match the tribe they belong to; fire is Hot-Blooded, ice is The Stoic, and so on. Occasionally subverted on an individual basis, such as the friendly-but-shy Ko-Matoran Kopeke, fierce Ga-Matoran Dalu or scheming jerkass Po-Matoran Ahkmou.
• Required Secondary Powers: Matoran naturally have small affinities to their respective elements (ex. Ta-Matoran are heat-resistant), but get the primary ones if/when they become Toa.
• Proud Scholar Race: The most prominent examples are the Ko-Matoran, Onu-Matoran and Ga-Matoran in Metru Nui. The citizens of Ko-Metru lived in Knowledge Towers and study the stars, Onu-Metru had the Great Archives (essentially a giant underground Rahi museum) and Ga-Metru had schools.
• Servant Race: The true purpose of the Matoran; they were robotic workers who were supposed to maintain the Great Spirit Robot from within.
• Training the Peaceful Villagers: Averted; they're either pre-trained or willing to get their hands dirty anyway.
• Weaksauce Weakness: A Matoran without a Kanohi mask will soon fall comatose.

The Toa

The heroes; Matoran chosen by Destiny to receive power and transform into benevolent protectors. Tend to work in six-member teams. Once they fulfill their purpose, they may be called upon to give up their power and become Turaga elders.

• All Your Colors Combined: six Toa can team up to Seal Evil In A Can as long as they are all different powers, and that Light and Shadow aren't both used.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Elements are all color-coded with one or two colors (see Elemental Powers)
• Combo Platter Powers: Combining the Elemental Powers and the Mask of Power often results in this. Although in some cases, they synergize (Gali: Making a Splash and Artificial Gill; Lewa: Blow You Away and Not Quite Flight).
• Dying Race: In one of the last serials, it's noted that there aren't many Toa around in the present-day; the ones we know are some of the few left. Obviously, the Matoran race is still fine, so this could mean that for unknown reasons, less Matoran are becoming new Toa.
• Elemental Baggage: Usually justified, but the Toa can create their element out of thin air.
• Elemental Powers:
  • Major Elements:
    • An Ice Person (Toa of Ice, white and grey)
    • Blow You Away (Toa of Air, green)
    • Dishing Out Dirt (split between Toa of Earth and Toa of Stone, black and brown respectively)
    • Making a Splash (Toa of Water, blue)
    • Playing with Fire (Toa of Fire, red and orange)
    • Holy Hand Grenade (Toa of Light, white and gold)
    • Casting a Shadow (Theoretical Toa of Shadow)^note Matoran of Shadow did exist, and there were plans to make a Toa of Shadow, but it was cut due to time constraints
  • Minor Elements:
    • Extra-ore-dinary (Toa of Iron, metallic grey, bronze, gold and burnt orange)
    • Psychic Powers (Toa of Psionics, gold and blue)
    • Shock and Awe (Toa of Lightning, blue and white)
    • Make Some Noise (Toa of Sonics, gray)
    • Green Thumb (Toa of Plants/The Green/Jungle, green and blue)
    • Gravity Master (Toa of Gravity, purple and black)
    • Plasma Cannon (Toa of Plasma, orange and white)
    • Selective Magnetism: (Toa of Magnetism, gunmetal gray and black)
  • Elemental Absorption
  • Elemental Punch: Of a sort; they can charge their Toa Tools with their powers.
• Fusion Dance: Three Toa can merge into a Toa Kaita.
• Magic Knight: Their Elemental Powers and generally melee-based weaponry give them this image.
• The Magic Touch: Toa often channel their Elemental Powers into their weapons.
• Magic Wand: The most common use of the Toa Tools, thanks to Lego's stance on violence. They have been used as actual weapons from time to time.
• Man of Kryptonite: Before Takanuva, the Makuta were most vulnerable to Toa of Iron and Magnetism due to them having all evolved into armor-encased Energy Beings (which someone with control over metal or magnetism could just rip open, easily killing the Makuta). This led to almost all Toa of Iron and Magnetism being hunted down and killed by the Makuta and the Matoran of those respective elements closely monitored.
• Mask of Power: The Trope Namers; each Toa wears a mask that grants them an ability.
• Meaningful Name: Almost all of them. Most that were written before the Maori lawsuit have names relating to their element, while those named after tend towards fairly obvious wordplay. In fairness, this applies to damn near every character in the series, not just the Toa.
  • Tahu: "Burn", Lewa: "The Air", Pohatu: "Stone", Kopaka: "Icy, cold", Whenua: "The Earth".
• Personality Powers: Their Elemental Powers to a degree, though the story began playing with this more as it continued.
• Person of Mass Destruction: Toa can perform Nova Blasts, which explosively releases all of their elemental powers.
  • For comparison, only one Nova Blast has been shown in canon with Gali Nuva's... and i's implied to have devastated an entire continent. In Legends, Jaller prepares one in a Heroic Sacrifice to let Matoro save Mata Nui. When they are transported back to Metru Nui, it's treated as a serious possibility that he might sink the island, thereby destroying the whole universe.
• Plot-Relevant Age-Up: Matoran into Toa, and again into Turaga.
• Power of the Storm: Elemental Powers such as Ice, Air, and Water can be used to manipulate the weather in regards to the power.
• Rapid Aging: When any Toa turns into a Turaga.
• Required Secondary Powers: Which they already had since they were Matoran (except for the Toa Mata, who were created first as Toa rather than Matoran).
• Super-Strength: The average Toa can lift about a ton without a Mask of Strength.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Officially part of the "Toa Code" due to PR concerns, as Toa need the trust of the Matoran in order to operate effectively. Said code was probably loosened in wartime, but none of the Toa we meet take killing lightly.
  • One Toa is known to have killed a Makuta under necessary circumstances (Toa Zaria of Iron), and he's still haunted by it.
• True Companions: Toa teams commonly form this dynamic, though it has been subverted on occasion.
• Weapon Specialization: Each Toa has their own unique Toa Tool, though Toa Tools are often granted magically and not really chosen.

The Turaga

The Turaga are elder Toa who have sacrificed their Toa Power and fulfilled their destiny. Their elemental and mask power is far weaker than when they were Toa, and so they act as chieftains of the Matoran, leading then with respected wisdom.

• Caped Mecha: In the movies, Turaga are depicted with robes.
• Demoted to Extra: Turaga as a whole became less important in later sagas.
• Fusion Dance: Turaga can merge into a Turaga Kaita, or even a Turaga Nui if there's six of them around to do it, but it's never shown in the storyline.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Their whole reason for being, though Reasonableness may vary. Most of the Mata Nui Turaga kept a lot of secrets, and Dume was remote and isolated from his citizens.
• Retired Badass: While they still have some power and will defend themselves if need be, they typically leave the fighting to the Toa if they can. The canonized fan written short story The Dweller Report by Spirit showed the reawakened Turaga Dume joining the Rahaga and Keetongu in defending Metru-Nui from a second Visorak attack after the events of Web of Shadows, without the aid of any Toa. Dume attacks the Visorak by using his regenerative mask power to seal them into the damaged city streets and then permanently mutate them with a Kanoka disc launcher, showcasing the Turaga's ability to defend themselves when needed.
• Staff of Authority: All Turaga carry staffs called their Badge of Office which symbolizes their experience and knowledge. They're usually tramsformed from their Toa Tools, with a few exceptions (Vakama's Firestaff was his former Mask-Making tool, Nokama's Trident was carved from fishbone).
• Supporting Leader: A Turaga's leadership is highly valued by the Matoran, who tend to have a hard time coping without their guidance.

Energized Protodermis

I have met your kind before. So confident in your power to contain me, control me, or destroy me. You are no more than Stone Apes reaching for the stars, believing you could extinguish them if only you could get them in your grasp. Transformation, or destruction. Which will be your fate? Let us find out, together.

Protodermis is called the "stuff of life" by the Matoran, and for good reason — almost everything within the Matoran Universe is made of it, right down to the mechanical armor and organic tissue of its inhabitants. However, the true nature of this substance lies in its mysterious original form: a glowing, silver liquid known as Energized Protodermis, which can either transform or destroy whatever touches it depending on whether or not they are destined for transformation.

What really makes this substance notable is that fact it is sentient in of itself, able to manifest anywhere its natural form exists. The Entity possesses an enigmatic, arrogant personality, willing to work with whoever intrigues it but overall considering itself superior to all other lifeforms.

Energized Protodermis existed deep within the core of Spherus Magna long ago, until some of it leaked to the surface. Its discovery prompted the Core War as the world's tribe fought for control of the powerful substance, but as more was drawn to the surface, the planet began to come apart. At the time, the Great Beings processed Protodermis to build the Great Spirit Robot and the Matoran Universe within it, using some of its Energized form to stabilize its power source.

• Applied Phlebotinum: Natch. Its strange power is essentially what kickstarted the Bionicle story, and its transformative abilities play a key role in certain stories.
• Greater-Scope Villain: For the entire franchise, as it sparked the Core War that eventually caused the Shattering that in turn was responsible for the creation of the Great Spirit Robot (and the Matoran Universe contained within) by the Great Beings.
• Making a Splash: It channels itself into tidal waves as its typical method of attack.
• Minor Major Character: The Entity has manifested a few times in the story, but its role as Applied Phlebotinum is about as important as the Great Beings themselves.
• Mutagenic Goo: To those destined for it.
• Phlebotinum-Handling Equipment: Both the Matoran Universe and Spherus Magna have developed materials that can safely have the substance.

• Superpower Russian Roulette: If you get some of this on you, you might get cool enhanced superpowers with no side-effects like the Toa Nuva. Or you might turn into a monster but still get new powers like with minor Dark Hunter Firedracax. Or you suffer an And I Must Scream fate like Kraata turning into lifeless Rahkshi armor and suffering a slow Death of Personality. Or you just die painfully as it eats through your body, which is the most-likely fate of the poor schmuck who decides to gamble on his destiny.
• Toxic Phlebotinum: At least to those not destined to transform by it.
• Ultimate Life Form: It views itself as the Superior Species.
• Unpredictable Results: Not even the Entity has control over who transforms or dies by it, or what they turn into, since that is determined by destiny. While a lot of beings know their own destiny, knowing what Energized Protodermis will do to you usually isn't part of that knowledge. The Entity, on the other hand, does have a limited ability to sense whether or not someone is destined for transformation.