BIONICLE Reference Books

This page catalogs the seven reference books that sit alongside the BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands. novels and comics. All seven were written by Greg Farshtey between 2003 and 2009. Five were published by Scholastic; the two late character guides came from AMEET, with Papercutz paperbacks in the US. Several are framed as documents existing within the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.: a field guide compiled by a character, a personnel file, or a personal diary. (The Official Guide to BIONICLE; BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts; BIONICLE: Dark Hunters; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

Several of these books are presented as in-universe documents. RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. Beasts is written by the Rahaga NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored.. Dark Hunters is written in the first person by The Shadowed OneThe Shadowed OneThe Shadowed One is the leader of the Dark Hunters, a black, yellow, and silver figure based on Spherus Magna. Armed with a staff and a Rhotuka, the Shadowed One directs the organization.. MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself.'s Guide carries diary entries by TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., and Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s Guide carries diary entries by the Great Spirit on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.. None of those presents itself as a neutral chronicle. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts; BIONICLE: Dark Hunters; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

The Official Guide to BIONICLE (2003)#

Released by Scholastic in August 2003, with availability through Barnes and Noble from July 20. Greg Farshtey, sole author. It came out alongside the Mask of LightThe Search for the Avohkii: Takua, the Rahkshi, and the Coming of TakanuvaThe recovery of the Mask of Light, the death of Jaller, and the transformation of the Chronicler into the Toa of Light at the gate of Mangaia. release, and hidden notes in the book were part of a contest promoting the film. (The Official Guide to BIONICLE)

Contents include full-page CGI profiles of every primary character from 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. through the RahkshiBionicle Rahkshi: the Sons of Makuta from Mask of LightRahkshi are armoured hunters made from kraata, the slug-like creatures of the Makuta. Six of them chased the Mask of Light across Mata Nui in 2003. Here's what they are, the different kinds and where they turn up in the films, books and comics., with pronunciation guides, a short dictionary of TreespeakTreespeak: The Slang of the Le-MatoranTreespeak was the distinctive slang of the Le-Matoran, a form of speech that fused two words into one. Known as treespeak on the island of Mata Nui and chutespeak on Metru Nui, it marked the air-dwelling villagers and was spoken most famously by Matau., and a guide to the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. alphabet. Eight notes in MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. lettering at the bottoms of certain pages gave clues to where the Toa of LightToa of LightThe sole Toa wielding the Element of Light through the Avohkii mask, singular and feared by Makuta itself. would reveal himself. Most sections open with a short passage placing them in the story; the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. section, for example, explains that after the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. were defeated the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. were unleashed by TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. (The Official Guide to BIONICLE)

The two English editions disagree on pronunciations for OnewaOnewaOnewa served as Toa Metru of Stone, led Po-Koro through the Dark Time, and constructed the Metru Nui statue honoring the fallen Toa Mahri Matoro., KonguKonguKongu captained Le-Koro's Gukko Force before lightning from the red star turned him into a Toa of Air, who later served among the Toa Mahri., PanrahkPanrahkPanrahk is a brown and dark grey Kraata, known as a Rahkshi, who hails from Mangaia and serves as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta. Carrying the Staff of Fragmentation, Panrahk wields the power of fragmentation., BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., and the six BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. breeds. Apart from OnewaOnewaOnewa served as Toa Metru of Stone, led Po-Koro through the Dark Time, and constructed the Metru Nui statue honoring the fallen Toa Mahri Matoro. and BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., the US-edition readings carried forward into the encyclopedias. VorahkVorahkVorahk is a black and dark grey Rahkshi of the Kraata species, serving as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta. Originating from Mangaia, Vorahk commands the power of Hunger and carries the Staff of Absorption. was missing from the first Encyclopedia, and the Updated edition gave him a new reading, "VOH-rock", in place of the guide's "VOH-rahk". (The Official Guide to BIONICLE; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

One known production error: PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. Va's entry shows an image of Lehvak VaLehvak VaLehvak Va were the expendable workers of the Lehvak swarm, mindless acid drones built only to serve.. (The Official Guide to BIONICLE)

BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts (2005)#

Released by Scholastic in summer 2005. Greg Farshtey with Jeff James. Forty-five full-page RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. entries, counting the six VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. breeds as one, each covering habitat, behaviour, abilities, and a closing comment from one of the Rahaga, with a photograph of the model opposite. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

Frame: in-universe, the book was written by the Rahaga NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored. during the Great Rescue. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

Nineteen of the forty-five featured RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. were custom models built by LEGO fans through the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. Building Challenge held via LEGO Magazine. The winning model, the TahtorakTahtorakMassive, articulate Rahi that turned against their Skakdi riders and nearly wiped out an entire civilization., appeared on the cover. The other twenty-six were official sets or combiner models. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

A six-page appendix gives short descriptions of other RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. found in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., most of them small or alternate models, or creatures with no official model at all. (BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts)

BIONICLE: Encyclopedia (2005)#

Released by Scholastic in October 2005, written by Greg Farshtey. The first alphabetical reference book for BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands., dedicated to the fans and to two well-known members of the fan community. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia)

Format: alphabetical entries covering characters, RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts., places, Mata Nui and pre-Cataclysm Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., with major characters subdivided into History, Powers, Personality, and Equipment sections. Inserts on MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. society include the rules of AkiliniAkiliniAkilini was the official sport of Metru Nui, in which Matoran surfed on Kanoka disks and threw others through scoring hoops, with tournaments held on the shifting floor of the Coliseum.. End matter includes a sticker page and a short story, "Birth of a Dark Hunter," covering NidhikiNidhikiOnce a guardian of Metru Nui, Nidhiki traded his Toa honor for Dark Hunter gold and paid the price.'s fall from Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. to Dark HunterThe Dark HuntersA band of mercenaries and thieves founded on Odina by the Shadowed One and Ancient, hired out across the Matoran Universe, and left a battered ruin by the time Teridax ruled the universe.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia)

Known errors: the KualsiKualsiThe Kanohi Kualsi let its wearer teleport to any place within their field of vision, with Toa Hagah Iruini its best-known bearer. entry is misplaced after KualusKualusKualus is a Toa of Ice and member of the Toa Hagah, formerly serving as one of the elite bodyguards of Makuta Teridax before dedicating himself to the protection of the Matoran. White and metallic blue in color, he wields a Sub-Zero Spear and a Rhotuka Launching Shield, and wears the Great Mask of Rahi Control, granting him the power to direct the minds of animal life. He resides on Spherus Magna., some images are wrong (the Kakama entries show a Miru Nuva), and the VorahkVorahkVorahk is a black and dark grey Rahkshi of the Kraata species, serving as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta. Originating from Mangaia, Vorahk commands the power of Hunger and carries the Staff of Absorption. entry is missing entirely. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia)

Coverage runs up to the 2005 storyline. The PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. and the Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. story only arrive in the Updated edition. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated (2007)#

Released by Scholastic in September 2007. Greg Farshtey, sole author. Folds the original Encyclopedia's entries together with its omissions and the later storyline. New entries include the Hand of ArtakhaThe Hand of ArtakhaAn ancient organization formed by the Great Beings and Artakha to safeguard the early Matoran Universe, disbanded after its interventions caused more harm than good., KotuKotuKotu was a Ga-Matoran of Water who resided on Spherus Magna. Blue and light blue in color, Kotu wore a powerless Rau and carried a Kolhii Stick, serving at various times as a Rahi Tender, an assistant to Nokama, an athlete, and a guard in the Defense Force., AxonnAxonnAxonn served as an arbitrator under the Hand of Artakha and later as an Order of Mata Nui agent, guarding the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui for thousands of years., BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix., the PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards., the BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit., and the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe.. Coverage extends through the events of BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the PitThe Toa Mahri Descent into the PitThe transformation that ended the Toa Inika, the Barraki's war on the newcomers, and the moment Matoro learned that his Maxilos escort was Teridax.. The Updated edition does not come with a short story or stickers. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Updated edition also contains information about the events of Invasion, the original BIONICLE Legends 7 book, which was cancelled. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The volume does not cover Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui., since its coverage stops before the 2008 storyline. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

BIONICLE: MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate.'s Guide to the Universe (2008)#

Released by AMEET in Poland in 2008, later sold internationally through LEGO Shop at Home, with a Papercutz paperback in April 2010. Greg Farshtey, sole author. It overviews almost the whole saga as it stood, with commentary from TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. written as diary entries, plus entries on characters, legends and myths. (BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

Its best-known feature is a two-page map, the only map of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. ever published. It also reprints excerpts from Dark Mirror, Federation of FearFederation of FearAn Order of Mata Nui strike team of imprisoned villains, led by Brutaka, rescued Makuta Miserix from the volcanic prison of Artidax so the Order could turn him against the Brotherhood., BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of DoomThe Toa Nuva on Voya Nui: The Piraka Deception and the Catastrophic ArrivalThe Toa Nuva's launch from Metru Nui in pursuit of the Kanohi Ignika, their defeat on the slopes of Mount Valmai by the Piraka, and the opening weeks of the Voya Nui campaign., BIONICLE Legends 5: InfernoThe Quest for the Mask of Life: The Voya Nui DescentThe Toa Inika and the Piraka raced each other through the trap-tunnels under Mount Valmai for the Kanohi Ignika, and Matoro learned the price of carrying it., BIONICLE Legends 8: DownfallThe Death of Matoro and the Revival of Mata NuiThe sacrifice of the Toa of Ice that restored the dying Great Spirit, exposed a Barraki traitor, and opened the second front of the war inside Karda Nui., and BIONICLE Legends 9: Shadows in the Sky. (BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. (2009)#

Released by AMEET for European markets on 4 November 2009 as a 96-page hardcover, with a Papercutz paperback in the US. Greg Farshtey, sole author. It carries diary entries in Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna.'s own words from his time on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., after TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. took the Great Spirit's body at the end of BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final BattleThe Final BattleThe convergence of the Toa Nuva, Takanuva, and the Toa Ignika at the Codrex beneath Karda Nui, the second Energy Storm, the reawakening of Mata Nui by the sacrifice of the Ignika's body, and the moment Teridax revealed that he had taken the body for himself.. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

Coverage includes Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. and Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system. and their villages, the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them., the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule., bone hunters, Arena Magna and vehicles, with a map of a region of the planet and titled excerpts from Empire of the SkrallThe Skrall Conquest of Bara MagnaThe year in which Tuma turned Roxtus into the strongest power on Bara Magna, dealt with the traitor Metus and the Bone Hunters, and set the southern villages on the road to the Battle of Roxtus., Raid on Vulcanus and The Legend Reborn. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

BIONICLE: Dark Hunters (2006)#

Released by Scholastic in June 2006, eighty pages. Greg Farshtey, sole author. The book is written in the first person from The Shadowed OneThe Shadowed One's SpeciesFour named members of an unnamed species from an island of shadows and ice, three of whom became Dark Hunters and one of whom started the whole organization by selling his sword.'s point of view, and most hunters, the Shadowed One included, are listed by code name rather than real name. Each entry gives a brief history, powers and abilities, and present status. (BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

It holds thirty-nine Dark Hunter biographies. Ten were created by the BIONICLE team and released as sets or combiner models, among them NidhikiNidhikiOnce a guardian of Metru Nui, Nidhiki traded his Toa honor for Dark Hunter gold and paid the price. and KrekkaKrekkaA brutish but ineffective Dark Hunter with no powers or masks, Krekka was outmatched from his first moments in Metru Nui.. The rest were winning entries from the Dark Hunter Building Challenge, including ConjurerConjurerConjurer is a Dark Hunter who formerly served as a Matoran warrior-king. Brown, gray, and red in coloration, Conjurer wields a Disintegration Staff and a Rhotuka in battle., EliminatorEliminatorA Dark Hunter fixer who executes failures and finishes their missions, defined entirely by capability and reputation rather than backstory., Lurker, Mimic, Poison, PrototypePrototype (Dark Hunter)An unstable fusion of Fire and Earth, Prototype was forged through biomechanical mutation and hired for his violent unpredictability. and Shadow Stealer. (BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

The book does not list every Dark Hunter. Its own introduction says some hunters were left out because their missions were too secret to name. Published in 2006, it also predates the later serials that took the Dark Hunters into open war with the Brotherhood. (BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

Reading across the editions#

For research, a useful rule is to note the year of a claim and check the reference book current at that year. Where two reference books contradict each other, both are worth surfacing with publication dates. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Worked references: The Official Guide to BIONICLE (2003) for launch-era pronunciations of OnewaOnewaOnewa served as Toa Metru of Stone, led Po-Koro through the Dark Time, and constructed the Metru Nui statue honoring the fallen Toa Mahri Matoro. and others, with the Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Updated for revised readings. Encyclopedia Updated (2007) for the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe., with a note that the entry predates the Destiny WarThe Destiny WarThe open war between the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, told in the 2008 Destiny War podcast, which ended with the Brotherhood's assault on Metru Nui broken and the Great Spirit apparently awake. serial. MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself.'s Guide to the Universe (2008) for TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s view of the story and for the universe map. Dark Hunters (2006) for detail on the hunters behind the code names. (The Official Guide to BIONICLE; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

The encyclopedias carry the limitations expected of single-author references, with misplaced entries, wrong images and omissions like VorahkVorahkVorahk is a black and dark grey Rahkshi of the Kraata species, serving as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta. Originating from Mangaia, Vorahk commands the power of Hunger and carries the Staff of Absorption.. The diary books carry the limitations of in-universe documents written by biased narrators. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)