Bohrok War
The 2002 swarm that nearly destroyed Mata Nui when Teridax triggered the Bohrok's awakening ahead of schedule.
The BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. War was one of the most chaotic turning points of the Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. era. The BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms awoke from hibernation not by design but by sabotage. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., still buried beneath 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 soil and plotting from the shadows, triggered their emergence ahead of schedule. What should have been a controlled cleansing became a full-scale invasion. 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, the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities., and the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. villages had weeks to adapt to an enemy they had barely heard of and fewer weeks still to stop them.
The Invasion Begins#
Six BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms attacked 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. in waves. The creatures operated with hive-mind precision, coordinating their assaults across the entire island. From KohrakKohrakIce-wielding Bohrok from the 2002 original wave, the foundational design for all subsequent Bohrok variants. to PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories., the swarms moved with calculated aggression. Each one carried 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., a worm-like organism controlling its actions and linking it to 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., twin queens buried deep in the Bohrok NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them.. 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, still reeling from their transformation into Toa NuvaToa NuvaThe form the Toa Mata took after stepping into the Energized Protodermis beneath the Bahrag, with new masks, new tools, and the elemental scale to fight Karda Nui., scrambled to defend the villages. The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. hadn't faced anything like this. Some villages fell faster than others.
Le-KoroKoroThe Koros were the six elemental villages built on Mata Nui after the Great Rescue, on sites the Toa Metru had chosen, each tied to one element and one Turaga. fell hard. The jungle village collapsed under the relentless LehvakLehvakAcid-wielding Bohrok that dissolve obstacles as easily as enemies. assault, and 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.'s best efforts couldn't hold the line against them. The Le-MatoranLe-MatoranGreen-powered Matoran obsessed with thrills and transport. They're basically Bionicle's daredevils.'s defensive positions crumbled. 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., the earth village, endured a brutal siege led by PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. swarms. 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. and other key MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. fought with everything they had, but the outcome hung entirely on whether the Toa could reach them in time.
Breaking the Control#
The turning point came when the Toa realized each 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 the creature's weak point. Remove 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., and the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. went dormant. It sounds simple in hindsight, but discovering it meant engaging the swarms directly, fighting through their assaults to extract the control organism from each one. This discovery shifted the war from defense to desperate counterattack. 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. and allied MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. began a push toward the Bohrok NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them. itself, racing against time to reach 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 stop the source. It was dangerous work, and the swarms kept coming. But for the first time, there was finally a path to victory.
Compiled from primary sources by Lore Fortress editorial. Reviewed by Joe Garratt, Editor-in-Chief.
Sources
- WikiBS01 Wiki: Bohrok War
- SerialBIONICLE 2002 Online Serials, Greg Farshtey's chronicle of the Bohrok invasion
- BookBIONICLE Encyclopedia Updated, 2009 reference covering 2002 events and characters
- WikiBionicle Fandom: Bohrok War
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry

Krana
The small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm.

Toa Nuva
The form the Toa Mata took after stepping into the Energized Protodermis beneath the Bahrag, with new masks, new tools, and the elemental scale to fight Karda Nui.

Po-Koro
Po-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.

Bahrag
Cahdok 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.

Koro
The Koros were the six elemental villages built on Mata Nui after the Great Rescue, on sites the Toa Metru had chosen, each tied to one element and one Turaga.

The Toa: Heroes of the Matoran Universe
The Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe.
Mentioned in26 entries
Boxor
Built by Nuparu from a salvaged Gahlok shell, the Boxor was the first Matoran-engineered combat machine and a key resistance asset against the Bohrok swarms.
Ga-Koro Waterfall
The Kaukau-crowned Naho Falls above Ga-Koro, hiding a route to the Kini-Nui, whose statue was rebuilt in the form of a Kaukau Nuva after the Bohrok War.
Ga-Wahi Beach
The shoreline outside Ga-Koro where the Toa Metru first set foot on Mata Nui, later stripped by the reawakened Bohrok and lost with the island.
Gahdok
One of the twin Bahrag queens, Gahdok commanded the Bohrok swarms alongside Cahdok until the Toa Mata sealed them both in solid protodermis.
Gali, Toa of Water
The 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.
Ghekula
Small amphibious Rahi displaced from the swamps of Le-Wahi by the Bohrok swarms, considered lucky by Matoran and once peddled by Ahkmou.
Hafu
Hafu was a Po-Matoran Carver of Po-Koro, recognized as a Master Carver, who served in the Chronicler's Company and survived the Reign of Shadows.
Keras
Large coral crab Rahi native to the ocean of Ga-Metru and the reefs of Ga-Wahi, briefly tamed during the Bohrok War and later conscripted by Carapar.
Keras Crab
A large coral crab Rahi native to the ocean of Ga-Metru and the reefs of Ga-Wahi, briefly tamed by the Ga-Koro Defense Force during the Bohrok War and later mutated into the standing infantry of the Barraki Carapar in the airweed fields of Mahri Nui.
Lily Pads of Ga-Koro: The Floating Foundation of a Matoran Village
The giant lily pads that formed the buoyant ground of Ga-Koro on Mata Nui, carrying the village's huts, walkways and kolhii field across the surface of Naho Bay.
Macku
Macku was a Ga-Matoran of Metru Nui and later Ga-Koro, attendant to Turaga Nokama, Kolhii partner to Hahli at the championship at Ta-Koro, and a member of the Chronicler's Company.
Mata Nui Military
A decentralized network of village militias defended the island of Mata Nui through the eras of Rahi unrest, the Bohrok War, and the Rahkshi incursions.
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