Elements

The elemental powers of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. tie 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., 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 TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. to particular forces of nature. Six elements, those of the first Toa on Mata Nui, are the most familiar. The later story adds rarer elements with their own Matoran and Toa, and the opposed pair of LightLightThe elemental power of Light was the rarest of the elements wielded inside the Matoran Universe, native to the Av-Matoran and, in full form, only ever expressed by Takanuva among the Toa. and ShadowShadowShadow was the elemental absence of Light in the Matoran Universe, wielded natively by the Makuta and weaponized through the Shadow Leeches. sits apart from the rest. On Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., outside the Matoran Universe, the six Element Lords held a related but separate set of elements. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa; BIONICLE: Mask of Light; The Yesterday Quest; All Our Sins Remembered)

The six primary elements#

The six best-known elements are FireFireOne of the six main elements of the Matoran Universe, marked by the Ta- prefix and the colours red and orange, and wielded by Toa from Lhikan to Tahu., WaterWaterOne of the six core elements of the Matoran Universe and Spherus Magna, controlled by Toa, Turaga, and Matoran of Water, and apex-wielded by the Element Lord of Water., EarthEarthEarth is one of the elemental powers of the original BIONICLE story, wielded by Toa such as Onua and Whenua and felt by Onu-Matoran as sharp night vision., StoneStoneStone was one of the six primary elements of the Matoran Universe, governing rock, sand, and worked stone across villages, Toa, and Bohrok., IceIceIce was one of the six primary elements of the Matoran Universe, tied to preservation, stillness, and the cold reaches of Ko-Metru and Ko-Koro. and AirAirOne of the elemental powers of the Matoran Universe, carried by the Le- prefix across its bearers and most prominently wielded by the Toa of Air Lewa, Matau, and Lesovikk.. They are the elements of the six Toa MataToa 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. who arrived on Mata Nui: Tahu of Fire, Gali of Water, Onua of Earth, Pohatu of Stone, Kopaka of Ice and Lewa of Air. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa)

The elements give their names to the Matoran and their homes. Each of the six villages on Mata Nui is named for its element with a prefix: Ta-Koro for Fire, Ga-Koro for Water, Onu-Koro for Earth, Po-Koro for Stone, Ko-Koro for Ice and Le-Koro for Air, and the 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., Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, a female Matoran type, who filled the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats of the Mata Nui coast., Onu-MatoranOnu-MatoranEarth-wielding Matoran of the deep who adapted to darkness and built the Matoran Universe's defensive cavalry., Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits., Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. and Le-MatoranLe-MatoranGreen-powered Matoran obsessed with thrills and transport. They're basically Bionicle's daredevils. take the same prefixes. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa)

A Toa can create their element, shape it and use it in combination with others. When the Toa Mata fought the Bahrag together, their six elements struck in turn: a howling gale, driving rain, hail, stones, waves of earth and blasts of fire that turned the stone and earth to lava. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The secondary elements#

Beyond the six, the later story introduces rarer elements, each with its own kind of Matoran and Toa. (Brothers In Arms; Reign of Shadows; The Yesterday Quest)

Some appear mainly through their Matoran. De-MatoranDe-MatoranMatoran with Sonics powers who valued silence so deeply that they didn't welcome Toa and the conflict they bring., the Matoran of Sonics, have hearing so sharp that, as the Order of Mata Nui's Jerbraz puts it, they could hear a conversation a kio away, so they train themselves from early on not to make more noise than they must. Ba-MatoranBa-MatoranMatoran of Gravity with inherent resistance to crushing gravitational forces, largely overlooked in the primary canon despite being a complete Matoran species. are the Matoran of GravityGravity: The Elemental Power of Gravitational ForceGravity was the elemental power over gravitational force in the Matoran Universe, carried by Ba-Matoran, Toa of Gravity, and the Bohrok-Kal Nuhvok-Kal.; in Reign of Shadows, Mazeka passes the overrun remains of one of their villages. (Brothers In Arms; Reign of Shadows)

Others appear as Toa. KrakuaKrakuaA Toa of Sonics from De-Koro who served the Order of Mata Nui and delivered a devastating prophecy to Vakama., a De-Matoran whom the Order of Mata Nui rescued and trained, later serves the Order as a Toa of Sonics. In The Yesterday Quest, ChiaraChiaraChiara is a blue and white Toa and former Vo-Matoran who wields the element of Lightning and possesses the power of Stealth. She carries a spear and wears the Great Volitak, replacing the Powerless Volitak she wore as a Matoran, and serves as a Protector of Matoran on Bota Magna, Spherus Magna. fires narrow bolts of lightning from her finger, and the Toa of Iron ZariaZariaZaria is a Toa of Iron and a former Fe-Matoran, distinguished by gunmetal gray and burnt orange armor. Armed with a staff, Zaria commands the elemental power of Iron and resides in the Bota Magna region of Spherus Magna. drops two other Toa with a gesture by seizing control of the metal in their bodies. (Brothers In Arms; Dreams of Destruction; The Yesterday Quest)

Psionics and Iron#

Two of the rarer elements get closer attention in The Yesterday Quest. PsionicsToa of PsionicsThe first Toa of Psionics tried to calm a group of Zyglak with telepathy and made them more savage instead. Every Psionics Toa after Orde was made female in response. is the element of mental power. OrdeOrdeOrde is a blue and gold Toa of Psionics of the Matoran species who resides on Spherus Magna. He wields a mace and formerly served as a member of Orde's Toa Team., a Toa of Psionics, joins the team sent to find the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. after the reformation of Spherus Magna. On the journey he scans the surroundings with his mind, and later reads the thoughts of the Vorox leader Kabrua, learning that the Vorox had been getting information from an outsider. Orde also explains that he was the first Toa of Psionics and that, after his temper made a bad situation worse, all later Matoran and Toa of Psionics were made female. (The Yesterday Quest)

IronToa of IronToa of Iron were the rare Toa drawn from Fe-Matoran stock, commanding metal at a scale that let them tear open Makuta armor and forced the Brotherhood to hunt them across the Matoran Universe. is the element of metal. ZariaZariaZaria is a Toa of Iron and a former Fe-Matoran, distinguished by gunmetal gray and burnt orange armor. Armed with a staff, Zaria commands the elemental power of Iron and resides in the Bota Magna region of Spherus Magna., the team's Toa of Iron, is one of the few of his kind left: after the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to build Rahi and keep order in his universe, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. turned on the Great Spirit, they hunted down and killed Toa of Iron, and most of Zaria's friends died. To survive he killed a Makuta himself, breaking the Toa code, and the act haunts him. (The Yesterday Quest)

Light and Shadow as the opposed pair#

LightLightThe elemental power of Light was the rarest of the elements wielded inside the Matoran Universe, native to the Av-Matoran and, in full form, only ever expressed by Takanuva among the Toa. and ShadowShadowShadow was the elemental absence of Light in the Matoran Universe, wielded natively by the Makuta and weaponized through the Shadow Leeches. stand apart from the other elements as opposites. TakanuvaTakanuvaHidden among the Ta-Matoran as Takua, the disguised Av-Matoran who became Takanuva was the sole Toa of Light produced in the Matoran Universe's full history., the Toa of Light, is the element's best-known hero, and his duel with 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. and his shadow powers ends the 2003 film. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

The Av-MatoranAv-MatoranThe Light-element Matoran, prototypes of their species, who colonised Karda Nui from the Southern Continent and built the Stalactite Villages above the Swamp of Secrets. are the Matoran of Light. In Karda Nui, the Makuta used shadow leeches to drain the light from Av-Matoran, turning them into twisted Shadow MatoranShadow MatoranAv-Matoran corrupted by the Makuta in Karda Nui, drained of Light and weaponized with shadow powers. who served the Brotherhood. (BIONICLE Legends 9: Shadows in the Sky)

The process could be reversed. The klakk, a flying Rahi created by Makuta MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat., let out a sonic scream that restored a being's light, and Takanuva used one to heal the Shadow Matoran, himself included. (BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle)

Tier scaling and Nova Blasts#

Elemental power varies with a being's stage of life. Matoran belong to an element, but full command of it comes only when a Matoran becomes a Toa, as the six Matoran from Metru Nui found when they were transformed into the Toa Inika. Turaga are former Toa: Vakama, Turaga of Ta-Koro, was once the Toa Metru of Fire. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play; BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui)

The greatest release a Toa can make is a nova blastNova BlastA Toa's most destructive technique, releasing all elemental power at once at the cost of total power drain., the discharge of all their elemental energy at once over a wide area. The term first appears in BIONICLE Adventures 7: Web of the Visorak. Near the end of BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall, Jaller primes a fire nova blast and stops himself before unleashing it. (BIONICLE Adventures 7: Web of the Visorak; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Other species use elements differently. The Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. can project their consciousness into their element, as the Water Lord did when he spoke through a face in a river. SkakdiSkakdiA brutish warrior species from Zakaz whose pair-dependent elemental powers and moral void made them one of Bionicle's few irredeemable factions. have elemental powers but use them in tandem: on Voya Nui, Avak and Hakann combined fire and stone to make a lava monster for a staged fight. (Riddle of the Great Beings; BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom)

The Element Lord tier of Spherus Magna#

Outside the Matoran Universe, on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., the Great Beings made six warriors one with their elements to rule the planet's tribes: the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into a being one with flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental warlord whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains., the Element Lord of WaterElement Lord of WaterFormer warrior of the Water Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into a being one with water, ruler of the Water Tribe during the Core War, and the elemental claimant who dragged the Tarduk expedition under the River Dormus., the Element Lord of IceElement Lord of IceThe Element Lord of Ice is a member of the Element Lords and a former Glatorian who once served as the leader of the Ice Tribe on Spherus Magna. Wielding the element of ice and bearing white coloration, the Element Lord of Ice resides on the reformed Spherus Magna, the homeland from which the species originated., the Element Lord of RockElement Lord of RockRock Tribe warrior remade by the Great Beings into a being one with stone, ruler of the Rock Tribe during the Core War, and the elemental claimant who turned the river fight on the way to the Valley of the Maze., the Element Lord of SandElement Lord of SandThe Element Lord of Sand was a warrior chosen by the Great Beings as one of the six Element Lords, made one with the element of Sand, and the ruler who led the Sand Tribe through the Core War before the Shattering broke the planet apart. and the Element Lord of JungleElement Lord of JungleThe Element Lord of Jungle was a being native to Spherus Magna who was formerly of the Glatorian species, wielded power over the jungle element, and carried a sword. A member of the Element Lords, the individual once led the Jungle Tribe and bore green coloration.. Their set overlaps only partly with the Toa's. Fire, Water and Ice appear in both, Rock stands in for Stone, and Sand and Jungle are their own. (All Our Sins Remembered; Riddle of the Great Beings)

The Core WarThe Core War: the war that shattered a planetThe Core War was fought on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis. It ended in the Shattering, which tore the planet into three planetary fragments. was fought over energized protodermis, which the six Lords each wanted for themselves, with their tribes' warriors doing the fighting. The Element Lord of JungleElement Lord of JungleThe Element Lord of Jungle was a being native to Spherus Magna who was formerly of the Glatorian species, wielded power over the jungle element, and carried a sword. A member of the Element Lords, the individual once led the Jungle Tribe and bore green coloration. shows how much power they held: his Forest of BladesForest of BladesThe forest north of the White Quartz Mountains where Core War warriors stood fused into the trees, still gripping their swords, in the territory of the Element Lord of Jungle. held scores of warriors merged with the trees, and in Riddle of the Great Beings he told the Agori explorer TardukTardukTarduk is an Agori of the Jungle Tribe, distinguished by his dark green and lime coloration. A treasure hunter by trade, he wields claws and spikes and makes his home on the reformed Spherus Magna. that the Lords had become nature itself, as giving and as ruthless as that can be. (All Our Sins Remembered; Riddle of the Great Beings)

The two systems stayed separate for the rest of the saga. Toa powers belong to the Matoran Universe inside the Great Spirit robot, while the Element Lords are creatures of Spherus Magna, and the story never brings them face to face. (Riddle of the Great Beings; The Yesterday Quest)