The Bohrok War

The BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. War was the conflict fought on the surface of the island of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. between the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. and the six swarms of BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. released from beneath the island in the aftermath of the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac.'s defeat of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. at MangaiaMangaia: Teridax's lair beneath Mata NuiMangaia was Teridax's hidden lair beneath the island of Mata Nui. It held a pool of Energized Protodermis used to make Infected Kanohi and Rahkshi.. The war ended with the sealing of the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. queens beneath the Bohrok-NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them. and the transformation of the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. into the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. via Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards.. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Background#

The Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. had arrived on the surface of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., retrieved their KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. masks of power, and descended into MangaiaMangaia: Teridax's lair beneath Mata NuiMangaia was Teridax's hidden lair beneath the island of Mata Nui. It held a pool of Energized Protodermis used to make Infected Kanohi and Rahkshi. beneath the island where they had defeated MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. They returned to the surface expecting the island to be settling into peace. They found the opposite. The six BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms had woken, mechanical creatures whose purpose was to clear the island's surface of everything living and built on it. The swarms had emerged from the Bohrok-NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them. beneath the island and begun attacking the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. settlements. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa; BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. suffered the first wave of attacks before the Toa returned. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The defence of Ta-Koro and the krana briefing#

The Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. reached the surface and were intercepted by a fleeing Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. who reported the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. attack. They raced to Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed. and found the village under direct assault. The team repulsed the immediate swarm, captured one of the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., and reported to Turaga VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. for guidance. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. explained the swarm system. Each BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. was animated and directed by a kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm., an organic creature housed within the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected.'s headplate. There were eight breeds of kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm., each with a distinct function. To defeat the swarms, the Toa would need to collect a sample of each of the eight breeds and assemble them. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The collection campaign#

The team divided to collect kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. from the swarms attacking each region. Even GaliGali, Toa of WaterThe Toa Nuva of Water and conscience of the Toa Mata, whose attunement to her element anchored the team across every campaign from Mata Nui to Karda Nui., reluctant to split the team, accepted the necessity. PohatuPohatuPohatu was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Stone, guardian of Po-Wahi, whose speed and steady humour anchored the team through every era of the Matoran Universe. took Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies., where a PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. attack was already in progress and a LehvakLehvakAcid-wielding Bohrok that dissolve obstacles as easily as enemies. swarm arrived to compound it. He collected several krana under combined fire from two swarms. OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. took Onu-KoroOnu-KoroOnu-Koro was the earth engineers' city, where underground isolation created one of Mata Nui's most self-sufficient settlements, until the Bohrok came., where the autocratic nature of the NuhvokNuhvokThe earth-dwelling Bohrok whose rigid nature made them dangerously predictable. left them vulnerable to deception. He tricked the swarm into submission. Each Toa worked their assigned region with the resources available. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Le-KoroLe-KoroLe-Koro is a village situated within Le-Wahi, inhabited by the Le-Matoran and home to Turaga Matau and Toa Lewa. The settlement was once held under the control of Teridax. fell. By the time LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. reached the village, every Le-MatoranLe-MatoranGreen-powered Matoran obsessed with thrills and transport. They're basically Bionicle's daredevils. was wearing a kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm., and Turaga MatauMatauA former Le-Metru test driver who became a Toa Metru, Matau wielded air, illusion, and shape-shifting before sacrificing his Toa power to wake the sleeping Matoran. had been infected as well. The villagers attacked him. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. refused to defend himself against his own MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. A kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. was clamped to his face. The Toa of AirToa of AirWielders of the Element of Air, typically transformed from Le-Matoran, tasked with protecting the Matoran Universe. became part of the swarm. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui. followed a group of Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. to a remote spot that proved to be the entrance to the Bohrok-NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them. and showed TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna., who wanted to plunge straight in and was warned against it. The find gave the Toa the route to the source of the swarms. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The recovery of Lewa#

OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. located LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. and engaged him directly. Rather than fighting, he spoke. He told LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. that only LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. held power over LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui.'s own mind, and that the kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. could not control him if he refused it. The argument worked. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. removed the krana himself and rejoined the team. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna. began to doubt LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui.'s loyalty after the recovery, suspicious of any influence the krana might have left behind. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. Mata continued the campaign together. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The descent into the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected.-Nest#

With the full set of kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. collected and the location of the Nest known, the Toa Mata entered the Bohrok-NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them.. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. worked out on the way that TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had released the swarms through his link to them. They reached an inner wall that could not be breached by direct force. TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna. found an opening and dropped through into a lower chamber, where he was trapped. KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui. intercepted a lava flow with a wall of ice, warning that the ice would not hold indefinitely. The remaining Toa attempted to break through the wall by force. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. recognised that the wall was an illusion. The team walked through it. TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna. broke his own chamber by heating the surrounding air until the structure cracked. The combined disruption dropped every Toa into a single lower chamber together. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The chamber contained the kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. niches: a wall of small receptacles, one for each of the eight breeds. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. fitted their collected krana into the appropriate slots. The wall responded by opening six passages, each containing a suit of Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor built for the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata against the Bahrag and later used as enforcers under Teridax. armour. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. put on the suits and proceeded into the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. chamber. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. engagement#

Cahdok and GahdokGahdokOne of the twin Bahrag queens, Gahdok commanded the Bohrok swarms alongside Cahdok until the Toa Mata sealed them both in solid protodermis., the twin queens of the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms, were waiting. The Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor built for the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata against the Bahrag and later used as enforcers under Teridax. suits proved deceptive. They drove the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. into the centre of the chamber, but the proximity of the twins fed the queens' strength and the suits themselves blocked the Toa's access to their elemental powers. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. recognised the trap. They shed the armour. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Without the Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor built for the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata against the Bahrag and later used as enforcers under Teridax., the team combined all six elemental powers into a single beam. The beam struck the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. and produced an unintended result. The combined elemental energy condensed around the queens as solid ProtodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form., forming a cage that sealed them in place. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. had not planned the seal. It was an emergent property of the combined attack, and it would prove to be the most consequential side-effect of the war. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The Toa Nuva transformation#

The chamber floor opened beneath the Toa Mata. They fell into a pool of Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards., the volatile substance that transformed any being it touched along the line of that being's destiny. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. Mata emerged transformed. Their armour had been redesigned. Their tools had been split or paired into new configurations. Their elemental powers had been enhanced. They were the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age.. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The Nuva escaped through the collapsing ceiling of the chamber and returned to the surface. TahuTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna., believing the war complete, suggested that the threat to Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. was over. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., observing from a hidden vantage, recorded that it was only the beginning. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Significance#

The BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. War was the second confrontation the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. survived on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. and the engagement that produced their transformation into the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age.. The Nuva SymbolsNuva SymbolsStone carvings housing the Toa Nuva's elemental powers, designed to seal the Bahrag but vulnerable to a crippling flaw. would become the central liability in the following year's Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them. crisis when the elite squad of the same name attempted to free the sealed queens. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge)

The accidental nature of the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. seal proved to be the campaign's most consequential outcome. The ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. had produced the cage by side-effect rather than design. They had not planned the lock, and the Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them. would go after it directly. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge)

The war was also the first conflict in which the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. operated as a coordinated unit across all six regions of the island simultaneously. The collection campaign required each Toa to act alone in their own domain. The descent into the Nest required them to act together. The transformation that followed was the consequence of both halves of that pattern proving viable. The Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. that emerged were a different team in body and in elemental output, but the war that produced them was the campaign in which they first earned the coordination their new form would require. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)