Toa Nuva
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Image:The original toa.jpg The Toa Nuva are the main heroes of LEGO's Bionicle franchise. Even when the story focuses on a different team of Toa, the Toa Nuva are always close by in the background.
In their first appearance, these were the only known heroes at the time and were simply referred to as the Toa (currently, fans commonly refer to this incarnation as the "Toa Olda" or "Toa Mata" - see "Notes", below). They gained the title of "Toa Nuva" when they were submersed in energized protodermis and came out with enhanced powers and abilities. The meaning of the word "Nuva" is currently unknown, but it is a word Tahu Nuva coined for the group; strangely Zaktan knew the team's name despite never having heard the term before.
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History
The Toa's history is shrouded in mystery. It's known that around the time of the Great Cataclysm, when the Great Spirit Mata Nui was put to sleep, the Toa "descended from the heavens" in canisters that landed in the sea (though Turaga Dume has suggested that the Toa didn't come from the heavens, but were launched into the sky from somewhere on land). The intention was that they would land on the island of Mata Nui and begin their task of awakening the Great Spirit. However, something went wrong and the canisters floated in the ocean for centuries...
A thousand years later, a Matoran on Mata Nui named Takua collected the six Toa Stones and brought them to the Kini-Nui Temple. The Toa Stones shot a beam of light into the air, carrying Takua and smashing him on the beach below, erasing his memory. The canisters carrying Tahu, Toa of Fire; Gali, Toa of Water; Lewa, Toa of Air; Onua, Toa of Earth; Pohatu, Toa of Stone; and Kopaka, Toa of Ice finally began to make their way to the island. When they arrived, the Toa found the island in the grip of Makuta, as it had been for exactly nine hundred ninety nine years (Makuta had spared the island for a year) who had enslaved the Rahi wildlife to do his bidding with Kraata-infected masks. The Toa immediately set out to stop him and free the Matoran, collecting Kanohi Masks to add to their abilities. Once they each collected a full set of masks, they were each given a Golden Kanohi and a Makoki Stone; they used the Makoki Stones to unlock the path to Makuta's underground lair, Mangaia. There, the Toa faced Makuta's guardians, the Manas crabs and the Shadow Toa, before facing the Master of Shadows himself.
However, Makuta was only using a fraction of his power. After deciding that they were indeed the heroes that they said they were, he retreated. But he would not allow the Toa to rest: he awakened the Bohrok, swarms of insectoid creatures whose mission was to reduce the island to bare rock, a normally harmless species, but when awakened too early would definitely seem harmful. The Toa had to act fast to save the Matoran villages, but not all succeeded: Onu-Koro was completely flooded, Po-Koro also had to be evacuated, and all of Le-Koro - including Lewa but excluding Kongu and Tamaru- was assimilated into the swarm through the Bohrok's mind-controlling Krana. However, the Toa would continue to fight and collect the Krana that could unlock the swarm's secret - Onua and the Onu-Matoran were even able to free Lewa and the Le-Matoran from the swarm's influence.
Kopaka was eventually able to find the Bohrok's nest, and once the Toa were gathered they entered to stop the swarms once and for all. In the cave for a brief period of time, Tahu went ahead of the group into a chamber filled with Tahnok, where he was briefly controlled by a krana. After Tahu made the room explode and gained his mask back, the six Toa descended into the heart of the nest. Coming across a series of niches, the Toa placed the Krana they collected inside them. This unlocked six doors, behind each of which was a powerful suit of armor called an Exo-Toa. After suiting up, the Toa went in to face the Bohrok Queens, Cahdok and Gahdok. But despite the extra strength that the armor granted, the Toa still struggled; they eventually figured that the Exo-Toa were blocking their elemental powers. They removed the armor and combined their elemental powers into a single blast, which imprisoned Cahdok and Gahdok in a protodermis cage. The Toa had won, but before they could celebrate, the floor gave way beneath them and they fell into energized protodermis, a substance that either transformed or destroyed what it came into contact with, depending on its destiny. The Toa were destined to transform, and they became Toa Nuva; with stronger powers, new tools, and enhanced masks.
But the new power went to the Toa's heads; they decided that they could now protect their respective villages just fine on their own and chose to split up, with only Gali encouraging everyone to stay together. But when elite Bohrok called the Bohrok-Kal sought to release the swarms again by saving the Bahrag, the weaknesses of the Toa's Nuva forms quickly became apparent: Nuva Symbols had appeared in the villages when the Toa transformed, and when the Bohrok-Kal stole the Symbols the Toa lost their elemental powers. In addition, the Toa had lost all the Great Kanohi Masks that they had gathered, and now had to collect scattered Kanohi Nuva masks to replace them.
The Toa Nuva rallied together against the Bohrok-Kal, but despite their best efforts they could barely slow the Kal down. The Kal eventually discovered the location of the Queens' prison, only to find the Exo-Toa acting on their own to guard the prisoners. The Bohrok-Kal reduced the Exo-Toa to scrap, but were still delayed long enough for the Toa Nuva to catch up to them. As the Kal proceeded to use the Nuva Symbols to unlock the Queens' cage, Tahu attempted to use the Vahi Mask of Time (which he got from Turaga Vakama) to slow them to a near-standstill, which would give the Toa time to strike. But being so close to completing their mission, the Kal were completely invulnerable from outside attack. Instead, gambling that the Nuva Symbols could receive power as well as give it, the Toa fed their energy through the Symbols. The gambit worked, as the powered-up symbols supercharged the Bohrok-Kal's own powers beyond what they could control, destroying them. The Toa Nuva were able to reclaim their Symbols and with them, their elemental powers; they then returned to their villages and hid their symbols in places where they could not be stolen again.
The next few weeks were peaceful ones, but it wasn't to last. Takua, the Matoran that had gathered the Toa Stones, discovered a powerful Kanohi Mask called the Mask of Light. While he and his friend Jaller went off in search of the mask's wearer, the Toa of Light, the Toa Nuva had their hands full fighting the "Sons of Makuta," the Rahkshi, whom Makuta had sent to intercept the searchers. In the first fight with the Rahkshi, Tahu was poisoned, causing him to increasingly lose his temper. By the time the Rahkshi got to Onu-Koro, Tahu had given in to mindless rage; only the combined powers of Gali, Lewa, and Kopaka could purge the poison and calm him down. While the Rahkshi searched for the Mask of Light, they also destroyed all of Ta-Koro and some of Onu-Koro.
The Toa Nuva then regrouped and made their last stand against the Rahkshi at the Kini-Nui Temple, disabling five of the Rahkshi; but the sixth, a Turahk, was able to get through and kill Jaller. Seeing his friend's sacrifice, Takua accepted his destiny as Takanuva, the Toa of Light; and he destroyed the Rahkshi, ending the battle.
The next day, Takanuva went to face Makuta, insisting that the Toa Nuva stay behind with the Matoran. When Takanuva summoned the Matoran to Makuta's lair, the Toa Nuva went with them and witnessed Takanuva and Makuta fuse into the being known as Takutanuva, who reopened the path to Metru Nui that had been closed for a thousand years. In the weeks afterward, while the Matoran were preparing to travel to Metru Nui, the Toa Nuva and Takanuva listened to the Turaga's tales of the Great Cataclysm and the Great Rescue.
Once on Metru Nui, Turaga Dume delivered the grave news that Mata Nui was not only asleep, but dying. He told them of a Mask of Life that could potentially save him, and sent them to the island of Voya Nui, where it was supposed to be hidden. Unfortunately, rouge Dark Hunters calling themselves Piraka were also in search of the mask. When the Toa Nuva arrived, the two groups quickly got in a fight, which the Toa ultimately lost, although it was a close battle. The Piraka's leader, Zaktan, has now ordered their weapons and masks taken, and their unconscious bodies thrown into the volcano. Pohatu later moved the Toa Nuva out of danger from an errupting Mount Valamai. The Voya Nui Restitance team later attacked them, mistaking them for Piraka. The battle ended with Balta coming up and stopping them. They then formed an allience with them and headed to the Piraka stronghold to get their stuff back. However, due to the sudden appearance of Brutaka, they were defeated, and are currently bring held by Brutaka in the Piraka's stronghold.
The Toa Nuva
Gali is the Toa (or Spirit) of Water, and the only female Toa. Though she personifies the deepest, darkest oceans, there is an aura of warmth and caring surrounding Gali that the other Toa do not possess. She is gentle and kind, and often the only one who keeps the Toa from splitting up or doing battle amongst themselves. Though her preference for peace would make her ill-suited to lead the Toa, she has proven herself many times in battle. Gali is probaly the wisest toa. She faced Hakann in a fire vs water battle on Voya Nui, but was struck down by a mental bolt.
Gali's original mask is Kanohi Kaukau, the Mask of Water Breathing, which lets her stay underwater for an extended period. In her original form, her "tools" were her hooked hands; as a Toa Nuva, she carried two Aqua Axes that doubled as swim fins so that she could swim even faster. As the Toa of Water, Gali can control the tides, create floods from the tiniest bit of moisture, summon and disperse tsunamis and rainstorms, and combine forces with Lewa to unleash a powerful storm. She could sense any change connected to the rivers, streams and ocean; and knew immediatly when something was wrong in the waters.
Kopaka is the Toa of Ice. Kopaka's intelligence and cunning are matched only by emotionlessness: he almost never shows any passion or loses his cool, preferring to hide his feelings behind a layer of silence as thick and impenetrable as the ice sheets covering the mountains of his homeland, Ko-Wahi (He mostly kept to himself; and he could be as cold as a blizzard, and as sharp as an icicle). Kopaka rarely gets along well with the other Toa, being the least social of them, but seems to have a friendship with Pohatu. He put up with Takua sometimes, because Takua was the Chronicler. He faced Avak in a battle on Voya Nui but Avak won by forming a cage of flaming bars around him.
Kopaka's original mask is Kanohi Akaku, the Mask of X-Ray Vision, letting him see through solid objects; it is also equipped with a telescoping eyepiece that lets him see over long distances. When he arrived on Mata Nui, he carried a sword and shield; upon becoming a Toa Nuva, his shield was enlarged and his sword became a double-ended Ice Blade, which could be split into a pair of power skis so that he could move fast. Kopaka's powers include the ability to start and stop avalanches and ice storms, survive in highly cold temperatures, unleash blasts of ice and snow, create structures from ice.
Lewa is the Toa of Air. Lewa is an especially playful and mischievous spirit who thinks nothing of pulling innocent pranks on his villagers and fellow Toa; some have argued that this will be his undoing unless he learns when he's taken a joke too far. Lewa is highly energetic, and during the early Toa meetings he would often do cartwheels and handstands. Towards the end of the quest for the Kanohi, Lewa was captured by a Nui-Rama swarm and wore an infected mask. He was saved, however, by timely intervention by Toa Onua. Shortly after, Lewa was again infected, this time by a Bohrok Krana, but Onua came to his aid again. After this second infection, Lewa developed the ability to discern Bohrok and Krana language. One of his Air Katanas was broken in a battle with Reidak. He got into a fist fight with Reidak and saved Tahu from Hakann's heat vision. He was knocked out by a mental bolt by Hakann.
Lewa's original mask is Kanohi Miru, the Mask of Levitation, allowing him to glide through the air. He originally carried an axe; and his Nuva tools are a pair of Air Katana that can be tucked under his arms to make glider wings. Lewa’s abilities as the Toa of Air include the power to control the wind, summon air currents, windstorms and twisters made of sand (which, as shown in Mol, Tahu could launch fire into the twister to make it into a glass column to trap opponents), unleash gusts of air, and combine his powers with Gali’s to form a storm. It was said that the storms on Mata Nui were caused by them, and the sound of thunder was when their weapons made contact.
Onua is the Toa of Earth and the most mysterious of the Toa. Little is known about this Toa, who spends most of his time underground in his subterranean realm of Onu-Koro. While this wise Toa has much to contribute to the group, he often shies away from drawing attention to himself. Still, Onua has a combination of down-to-earth sense, powerful natural instinct, and sheer brute strength which makes him useful. Perhaps the most intelligent of the Toa, Onua is also one of the strongest, and he also sees well in the dark, but not so good in bright light. Onua is the most silent of the group, but that is because he only brings up what is worthwhile. Onua shares a strong friendship with Toa Lewa, and is often on the side of Toa Gali in arguments. He faced Reidak thousands of times, he was the last Toa standing and was knocked out by Thok, Vezok, Zaktan and Hakann.
Onua's original mask is Kanohi Pakari, the Mask of Strength. His original "tools" were his clawed hands; as a Toa Nuva he carried two chainsaw-like Quake Breakers which could cut right through rock, and he could strap them to his feet like rollerblades to travel over rough ground. As the Toa of Earth, he can cause or end earthquakes or tremors, open fissures in the ground, manipulate the landscape, and bring forth tremendous structures of earth.
He is friendly for a Toa; he taught Takua all about the world below the surface of Mata Nui, and about mining, which Onua thinks was a "real job".
Pohatu is the Toa of Stone, and as the friendliest of the Toa, he is binding force that ties the other Toa together. The witty, chivalrous Toa is above all things a people person, and he maintains friendships with each of the other Toa even when they can't agree with each other. He is very like the element he represents: sturdy, down to earth, and always strong. Unlike the other Toa, Pohatu's strength is mainly in his lower body, which explains why his village is skilled in the sports of Kolhii and its predecessor Koli. He faced Reidak with Onua and Lewa. He was knocked out by a mental bolt.
Pohatu's original mask is Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed. In both original and Nuva forms, his main "tools" are his large, padded feet which he can use in devastating kicks. As a Toa Nuva, he has two sets of Climbing Claws that allow him to stay on the mountain easily, and can be combined into a Kodan Ball for sport. As the Toa of Stone, Pohatu can change earth to stone, detect any weaknesses in a stone, create structures from stone, hurl a barrage of rocks or a large single stone, heal cracks in boulders and statues, and command rock with his will. The only thing he fears is water; he can't swim, and he's much too heavy to float.
Tahu is the Toa of Fire and the leader of the Toa, and guardian of Ta-koro. Tahu is the boldest, fiercest, and most courageous of the Toa; however, this trait often manifests itself as hot-headed temper and aggression (He could be a bit of a hothead). He was saved by Lewa from Hakanns heat vision, he had a swordfight with Zaktan which he ultimately lost by Zaktan piercing his armour and inflicting him with Protodites.
Tahu's original mask is Kanohi Hau, the Mask of Shielding, which can protect him from any physical attack (except ambushes). At first, he carried a flame sword; as a Toa Nuva this became twin Magma Swords that chanelled the power of fire and lava, and can be combined into a lavaboard. As the Toa of Fire, Tahu can emit a stream or a blast of fire or lava towards his enemies or melt rocks into lava.
Notes
- Once these Toa became the Toa Nuva, fans created nicknames to differentiate their original forms from other kinds of Toa. "Toa Olda" was made to contrast with "Toa Nuva" (as in "old" and "new"), while "Toa Mata" compares to "Toa Metru" (as the teams protected Mata Nui and Metru Nui, respectively).
- Each Toa has collected Kanohi (masks) of each type that their brother Toa and their Turaga wear. As a result, each Toa can access the Great powers of Water Breathing, X-Ray Vision, Levitation, Strength, Speed, and Shielding; and the Noble powers of Concealment, Illusion, Telekinesis, Translation, Night Vision, and Mind Control. As Toa Nuva, their Great Masks were replaced with Nuva Masks, which contained stronger versions of the Great powers and the ability to share their mask powers with those nearby; it is unknown if they still had access to their Noble Masks at this time.
- This is the only Toa team known so far who has merged into Toa Kaita: Tahu, Pohatu, and Onua combine to form Akamai, Toa Kaita of Valor; and Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka become Wairuha, Toa Kaita of Wisdom. Each Toa Kaita has the combined elemental and mask powers of the three Toa they are made from; Akamai's mask is called the Kanohi Aki while Wairuha's is the Kanohi Rua. The Toa first became the Toa Kaita to fight the Manas crabs that guarded Makuta's lair; Wairuha Nuva later attempted to fight the Bohrok-Kal but was stopped when the Kal formed a Kaita of their own.