Kanohi Calix

The Calix was the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. Mask of Fate, a Great KanohiGreat KanohiThe most common mask type worn by Toa and other powerful beings, forged from the highest-grade Kanoka discs. that allowed its wearer to perform acts at the absolute peak of their natural physical abilities, better than almost any unenhanced member of their species. Its best-known wearer was Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

Function#

The Calix let its wearer perform at the absolute peak of their natural physical abilities, running, leaping and dodging more quickly and precisely than almost any unenhanced member of their species. Its effect worked within the wearer's own body, allowing feats others would call impossible. It didn't add abilities the wearer lacked; it closed the gap between what they could do in theory and what they actually did. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

That set the Calix apart from masks such as the PakariPakariThe Mask of Strength amplifies physical power and never stops working, giving its wearer a constant edge., the Mask of Strength, and the KakamaKakamaThe Mask of Speed granted superhuman velocity but blinded its wearer to the world around them., the Mask of Speed, which boosted one quality beyond normal limits. The Calix raised the wearer's performance to the top of whatever ceiling they already had. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The best-known example comes in BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands. Legends 3: Power Play, when JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. used his Calix to make a near-impossible leap over a chasm and catch HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. before she fell into lava. The mask didn't make him invulnerable or show him the future; it pushed his speed and precision to their natural peak at the moment he needed them. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

Jaller's organic Calix#

JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. wore a powerless Calix as a Matoran. When he and his companions were struck by lightning from the Red StarRed StarThe Red Star was an orbiting facility that revived the dead and enabled the Great Spirit Robot's cosmic travels. and transformed into the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., their masks became organic Great Kanohi, and his Calix gained its full power. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Power Play rescue is the main story moment for the mask. It came during the Inika's struggle against 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. on 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., as the Toa fought their way towards the Mask of Life. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

When the Inika became the Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. at the close of the 2006 story, Jaller's Calix changed into a Kanohi Arthron, so he no longer had the Mask of Fate during the Mahri NuiMahri NuiA matoran settlement that sank, survived, and was ultimately crushed beneath Voya Nui, leaving behind one of Bionicle's most poignant lost civilizations. events. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

Other Great Calix wearers#

As with all Kanohi, a powerless Calix looked like the Great version but gave no power, which is why Jaller's Matoran mask did nothing for him until his transformation. No story shows another Calix wearer in action, though writer Greg Farshtey later named a couple, among them an unnamed Toa of IceToa of IceThe warrior role for guardians of the Ice element, typically drawn from Ko-Matoran, with the option to ascend to Turaga status. of the Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. and the Toa of Psionics VarianVarianVarian was a blue and gold Toa of Psionics and former Ce-Matoran who wore a Great Calix and wielded Elbow Blades and a Rhotuka Launching Shield. She was held at the Fortress of the Shadowed One.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Role in the Inika kit#

The Calix was one of the six Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. masks, alongside the IdenThe Kanohi IdenThe Kanohi Iden allowed its user to project their spirit from their body, granting invisibility, speed, and the ability to inhabit hostless forms., FaxonFaxonThe Kanohi Faxon, Mask of Kindred, allowed its wearer to mimic the powers of Rahi that shared their environment., SuletuSuletuThe Suletu, Mask of Telepathy, allowed its wearer to read thoughts and project thoughts into other minds. Its best-known wearers were Toa Inika Kongu and Toa Krakua., GaraiGaraiThe Kanohi Mask of Gravity, granted Hewkii control over the gravitational pull on his targets during the Toa Mahri campaign in the Pit., and KadinKanohi KadinThe Kadin granted its wearer self-powered flight, and served Toa Inika Nuparu through the Voya Nui campaign.. It was the one that dealt with physical performance. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

In the 2006 story, Jaller fought as a Toa with sharper reflexes and finer movement than his peers, which is the Calix at work. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)