Toa
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Image:The original toa.jpg Toa are the heroes of the fictional Bionicle mythos, a storyline of adventure and evil made by the Lego toy company. Each Toa has, and represents, an elemental power.
There have been many Toa over the years. All Toa wear a great Kanohi mask of power on their face, and almost all of them share a desire to do good. They all also possess the ability to create or control a certain element. The traditional elements are fire, ice, air, water, stone, and earth, and there are traditionally six Toa in a team. However, there are exceptions to both rules: to elements, there has been one known Toa each of Light, Gravity, Sonics, and Plasma; to the numerical value, there was once a team of eleven Toa.
A metal-colored armor often denotes an "Elite" Toa, such as Toa Hagah, Toa Nuva or Takanuva.
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Major Toa Teams
Toa / Toa Nuva
Template:Main Tahu, Lewa, Gali, Pohatu, Kopaka, and Onua are the six Toa whose destiny is to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui. They are the main heroes of the Bionicle storyline; even when the story focuses on other Toa, these six are always close by somehow.
These six Toa were originally sent to the island of Mata Nui to confront the Master of Shadows, Makuta. (As the only known heroes at the time, they were simply referred to as "the Toa"; fans later created the nicknames "Toa Olda" and "Toa Mata" for this incarnation.)
After their first fight with Makuta, he awakened swarms of creatures called Bohrok that threatened to destroy everything on the island. The Toa fought these swarms off and imprisoned their queens, Cahdok and Gahdok. Immediately afterward, they were immersed in energized protodermis, making them Toa Nuva with enhanced powers and equipment.
As Toa Nuva, they fought both the elite Bohrok called Bohrok-Kal and the "Sons of Makuta", the Rahkshi. In the weeks of peace after Makuta's apparent death in a battle with Takanuva, the Toa of Light, the Toa Nuva have been listening to the Turaga's tales of the Great Cataclysm and the Great Rescue that took place a thousand years ago.
The Toa Nuva have now travelled to the island of Voya Nui in search of a powerful Mask of Life that could save Mata Nui from death. However, they have run afoul of Piraka that are also looking for the mask...
Toa Metru / Toa Hordika
Template:Main Image:Bionicle Toa Vakama.jpg Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua were once Matoran a thousand years ago in the city of Metru Nui. The city's lone protector, Toa Lhikan, gave Toa Stones to the six Matoran and sent them to the Great Temple, where they were transformed into Toa Metru. Their first task was to stop the Morbuzakh plant creature that was slowly taking over the city; but they then discovered that Makuta was scheming to put the Great Spirit Mata Nui to sleep and take his place as the Matorans' object of reverence. Though they were able to imprison Makuta, they could not stop Mata Nui from falling asleep and had to escape the crumbling city, leaving behind nearly all the comatose Matoran.
In trying to rescue the Matoran from Metru Nui, the Toa Metru were captured by the Visorak hordes that had conquered the ruined city. The Visorak's venom mutated them into beastly Toa Hordika; these new forms had no mask powers, limited access to elemental powers, and a feral rage that threatened to consume the Toa. With help from strange creatures called Rahaga, the Toa fought to free the Matoran from the Visorak; and they looked for the mythical Keetongu, who could possibly cure them of their mutation.
Once the Visorak were defeated and the Toa were cured, they relocated all the Matoran to the island of Mata Nui. There, they gave up their Toa power to wake the Matoran from their slumber, becoming Turaga.
Toa Inika
Template:Main Jaller, Hahli, Nuparu, Hewkii, Kongu, and Matoro are a new team of Toa that will be fighting the Piraka on the island of Voya Nui. Before the confirmation of the term "Inika", these Toa were referred to by fans first as "Toa Voya" (after the island where they would fight) and then as "Toa Igniters" (based on Lego's early promotional materials).
After finding out that Mata Nui is in danger of dying, Jaller refuses to wait helplessly. He gathers a small squad of Matoran to go and aid the Toa Nuva in finding the Mask of Life that can save him. Upon arriving on Voya Nui, they are struck by lightning from the Red Star and turned into Toa.
Other Toa
Takanuva is the Toa of Light. Once a Matoran, Takua, Takanuva put on the Kanohi Avohkii, the Mask of Light, and turned into a Toa. His elemental power is Light. This Toa can shoot a powerful, bright beam of light enegy at enemies that can either freeze or destroy them (like a laser beam) and can create a sphere of light energy, he can throw it at his opponents which can cause some serious damage. He wields the Kolhii Staff of Light. Takanuva wears armor similar to the Toa Nuva, but he actually has the normal level of Toa powers as opposed to the enhanced Toa Nuva.
As Takua, he followed the Toa deep underground and hid as the Toa defeated Makuta in a great battle. Afterwards, he recorded the events of the Bohrok swarms. After the Bohrok were annihilated, the Toa transformed into the Toa Nuva. Takua chronicled the events of the Rahkshi. He soon found the Mask of Light and was sent on a mission to find the 7th Toa. Long story short, after engagements with the Rahkshi, and the death of his best friend Jaller, Takua realized the true reason of the discovery, and donned the mask. The Mask transformed him into the legendary Takanuva, the 7th Toa of Light. Takanuva defeated the Rahkshi rather easily and then descended underground to take on Makuta alone. He nearly failed, until the threat of killing the other Toa and Matoran made him angry enough to deliver the decisive blow (using a Kolhii move of his own creation that he failed to do correctly in the grand tournament) to Makuta, and then threw him into a pool of energized protodermis which fused the two into one being. With dark and light combined, Takutanuva was the most powerful being ever to walk on Mata-Nui. After the transformation, he walked towards the gateway to Metru Nui and lifted it. He noticed Hahli carrying Jaller's mask while the Matoran, Toa, and Turaga were going in. Takutanuva revived Jaller using Makuta's life force. This took away much of his energy as he struggled upon the weight of the gate and was crushed under it soon after. Takanuva emerged safely, but Makuta did not and is presumed dead. Currently, he has stayed behind on Metru Nui to protect the city, while the Toa Nuva go on a quest to Voya Nui.
Lhikan was the final survivor Toa on Metru Nui before the coming of the Toa Metru. He was part of a team of 10 Toa that travelled to Metru Nui with the mission to destroy the Kanohi Dragon. He was a Toa of Fire and wore an exotic version of the Hau Mask of Shielding; his tools were a pair of fire greatswords that could combine to form a gliderboard. He became a Turaga in order to give the Toa Metru their powers, and was eventually killed by Makuta. Jaller, a Matoran on Mata Nui, currently wears Lhikan's old Hau; and Turaga Vakama invented tales of "Lhii the lava surfer" to honor Lhikan's memory without revealing the existence of Metru Nui.
Nidhiki was a member of Toa Lhikan's team, until he was exiled for trying to betray the Toa during the war with the Dark Hunters. He became a four-legged Dark Hunter when Roodaka deceived and mutated him into an insectoid monster. He was a Toa of Air with the Mask of Stealth, which gave him a combination of camouflage and silent movement; he also wielded a scythe. Ironically, he was scared of and disgusted by insects.
Turaga Dume was once a Toa, but nothing is known about his team.
Norik, Iruini, Gaaki, Pouks, Kualus, and Bomonga were an elite team of Toa called the Toa Hagah. The Toa Hagah once served the Brotherhood of Makuta as bodyguards, when it was an organization dedicated to the protection of the Matoran. However, they discovered that the Brotherhood had turned corrupt and rebelled. They were caught soon afterward, and Roodaka mutated them into twisted Rahkshi-faced creatures she called "Rahaga". The Rahaga would later aid the Toa Hordika in rescuing the Matoran.
Krakua (winner of the LEGO-sponsored Bionicle Toa Building Challenge competition, created by John Dexter) is a Toa from the future who is the lone defender of a mysterious island fortress. Using his Kanohi Suletu, Mask of Telepathy, he stays ahead of his enemies by reading their thoughts. Krakua has the power of Sonics, or sound, and can use his sword to unleash shockwaves that can shatter mountains. Krakua aids Vakama in the retrieval of the Vahi Mask of Time, but since he and Vakama live in different time periods, the only role he serves is to remind Vakama that he must succeed, and to give him a cryptic warning of what he must do in the future. He appeared in Bionicle Adventures #10: Time Trap .
There were also a Toa of Gravity and a Toa of Plasma, who were briefly mentioned in the books. Their names, appearance and other data are unknown. The Toa of Gravity was reported killed by Lariska in Bionicle Adventures #10: Time Trap, as he wasn't prepared to fight someone with experience in zero-gravity combat. The Toa of Plasma was mentioned as killed by Zaktan in Bionicle Legends #1: Island of Doom; the exact cause of death is unknown, but all that was left of him was half a mask, some armor shards, and a puddle.
Toa Kaita
Three Toa can merge into a single being called a Toa Kaita. Toa Kaita have the combined elemental and mask powers of the individual Toa. However, Toa cannot stay merged for very long, because keeping three personalities in sync can be mentally taxing.
So far, only one team (in both its incarnations) has been seen to form Toa Kaita. Tahu, Pohatu, and Onua combine to form Akamai, Toa Kaita of Valor, whose mask is called the Kanohi Aki. Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka become Wairuha, Toa Kaita of Wisdom, who wears the Kanohi Rua. When these Toa became the Toa Nuva, their Kaita forms received a similar upgrade.
The Toa Metru had the potential to merge into Toa Kaita, but had no idea that they actually could; and as Toa Hordika, they presumably did not have the mental focus that such a fusion requires. It is unknown whether the Toa Hagah ever formed Kaita, and it remains to be seen whether the Toa Inika will eventually do so.
Theoretically, a six-Toa fusion would be called a Toa Nui, and its power would rival Mata Nui himself. However, nobody knows that the Toa Nui is even possible. (Source, 4th post from bottom)
False Toa
Shadow Toa
Shadow Toa are some of the Makuta's guardians. They are clones of each Toa "Mata" and have the same powers and abilities. They are not real Toa, for they are created of dark energy by Makuta. The Shadow Toa appeared only once, to do battle with the Toa "Mata" after their counterparts defeated the Manas. The Toa found themselves matched, but discovered how to defeat the Shadow Toa by switching off. Thus the Shadow Toa were beaten, and never seen again.
(Not actually imposters, the Shadow Toa were defensive mechanisms created by Makuta to help guard his lair which were created in the image of the Toa "Mata")
"Prophesized" Toa Metru
When Lhikan was choosing the new Toa Metru, Makuta was looking to manipulate the choices to his advantage. Mata Nui was fully aware of this, and to make sure his choices would become Toa, he and his Order created false prophecies that said the six Matoran who found the Great Kanoka Disks would become the Toa Metru: Nuhrii, Orkahm, Ahkmou, Vhisola, Tehutti, and Ehrye. Makuta was convinced by the prophecies, and influenced Lhikan to choose six other Matoran who were much more stubborn and hard-headed: Vakama, Matau, Onewa, Nokama, Whenua, and Nuju - the ones that Mata Nui had wanted to be Toa all along.
Roodaka would later use these prophecies to demoralize the Toa, making them believe that their election as Toa had been a mistake.
While searching for the Vahi Mask of Time, Vakama had become convinced that the Vahi had affected the past so that Lhikan actually had chosen Nuhrii, Vhisola, etc. to be the Toa Metru. In truth, it was just an elaborate illusion created by Makuta. In the illusion, the Toa Metru were encouraging and enforcing stricter laws, even banning experiments with energized protodermis in order to keep other Matoran from becoming Toa.
Piraka
When arriving on Voya Nui, the Piraka claimed to be Toa in order to gain the help of the native Matoran. However, despite playing the part of heroes, they could not hide their sadistic and cruel natures. They dropped this act once they enslaved the Matoran using a strange virus, now known to be called Antidermis (no known connection to protodermis). Zaktan is also the only Piraka who has the ability to mine Antidermis, most likely due to his condition (made of protodites).