The Forbidden Mask
Makuta's Heretical Six-Element Kanohi
The Mask of Ultimate Power, the mask Makuta of Okoto forged against the rule that a mask should hold only one power. Its destruction sent Capital City into the Shadow Realm, and Umarak later hunted its fragments.
The Forbidden Mask is a descriptive name for the Mask of Ultimate PowerMask of Ultimate PowerA heretical Kanohi forged by Makuta of Okoto that contained the powers of all six elements and ruined the Mask Makers' civilization the moment it was worn., the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. forged by MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City. of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. in BIONICLE's 2015 reboot, a continuity separate from the original Matoran Universe story. In the stories it is always called the Mask of Ultimate Power. It broke the sacred tradition that a mask should hold only one power, and its destruction reshaped the island. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers; BIONICLE webisodes)
Why it was forbidden#
Okotan mask-making held to a sacred tradition: a mask should never contain more than one power. MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City. and his brother EkimuEkimu the Mask MakerEkimu is the Mask Maker of Okoto in the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, brother of Makuta, who knocked the Mask of Ultimate Power from his brother's face and slept for thousands of years before the Toa woke him. were the Mask MakersThe Mask MakersThe two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City. of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., and Ekimu's masks won the greater praise, which bred jealousy in Makuta. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers; BIONICLE webisodes)
Makuta first tried putting just two elemental powers into one mask, hoping to win the Okotans' praise by giving them power that would help in daily life. Those masks proved too dangerous, and Ekimu rebuked him. Undeterred, Makuta stole a set of Elemental Crystals from his brother, combined them with his melted-down earlier attempts, and made a mask that held all six elements. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers)
Construction and powers#
The Mask of Ultimate Power held the powers of all six of the elements that matched Okoto's regions. It could make changes on a huge scale, from altering weather and whole climates to raising new land covered in forest or other terrain, and it could clean and secure entire cities. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers)
It was also very hard to control. Misused, it wrapped its wearer in a column of light and turned them into the centre of a force strong enough to threaten the island, and when worn it twisted the wearer's resentment and anger into pure evil. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers; LEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One)
The Battle of the Mask Makers#
Makuta took the mask to Capital CityCapital CityThe former main city of Okoto, drawn into the Shadow Realm by the destruction of the Mask of Ultimate Power, leaving the Black Crater on the surface and a ruined court for Makuta in the dark below., hoping to show its inhabitants how useful it could be. When he put it on, it overwhelmed him. Ekimu realised what was happening, attacked his brother and knocked the mask from his face. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers; BIONICLE webisodes)
Weakened by Ekimu's blow, the mask couldn't contain the power of six elements and destroyed itself. The blast drew Makuta and Capital City into the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault., leaving the Black CraterBlack CraterThe vast depression in Okoto's Region of Stone, left when the Mask of Ultimate Power drew Capital City into the Shadow Realm, and the site from which Umarak later raised the Black Volcano. behind, wrecked much of the island and changed its geography, and sent Ekimu into a deep sleep. The mask's fragments, the Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto. and the Mask of ControlThe Mask of ControlThe Kanohi of mind control once worn by Makuta of Okoto, hidden by the Elemental Creatures, sought by the Toa, and seized by Umarak, who became the Destroyer when he put it on. were scattered across OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.. (BIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers; LEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One)
The scattered fragments#
Even broken into fragments, the mask still had power. The pieces could survive lava, and they could be used to reopen the portal to the Shadow Realm. (LEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One)
Umarak's recovery#
A thousand years later, UmarakUmarakUmarak hunted the Elemental Creatures of Okoto until the Mask of Control bound him to Makuta's will and remade him as the Destroyer. hunted the fragments down for Makuta, retrieving one from a pool of lava, and collected them in a black box. He took them to the Black CraterBlack CraterThe vast depression in Okoto's Region of Stone, left when the Mask of Ultimate Power drew Capital City into the Shadow Realm, and the site from which Umarak later raised the Black Volcano. and used them in a ritual to reopen the rift. (LEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One)
The closing of the portal#
GaliGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto, from the 2015 reboot, was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the City of the Mask Makers, and the Toa pulled into the Shadow Realm who came back knowing how to banish Makuta again. tried to stop the ritual by stealing the fragments, but her spirit was drawn into the Shadow Realm through the portal. When Umarak opened it, the fragments were pulled inside, and the opening also let Gali escape. The ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. then sealed the portal with their elements, keeping Makuta trapped. (LEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Forbidden Mask in Bionicle?
- Forbidden Mask is a descriptive name for the Mask of Ultimate Power, the mask Makuta of Okoto made in BIONICLE's 2015 reboot. It held the power of all six of the island's elements, breaking the sacred tradition that a mask should never contain more than one power.
- Why was the Forbidden Mask forbidden?
- Okotan mask-making held that a mask should never contain more than one power. When Makuta had earlier tried putting just two elemental powers into one mask, the result proved too dangerous and Ekimu rebuked him. The Mask of Ultimate Power broke the tradition completely.
- Who made the Forbidden Mask and why?
- Makuta made it, out of jealousy at the praise his brother Ekimu's masks received. He stole a set of Elemental Crystals from Ekimu and combined them with his melted-down earlier attempts, hoping to show the people of Capital City how useful it could be.
- What happened when Makuta wore the Forbidden Mask?
- The mask overwhelmed him and twisted his resentment into pure evil. Ekimu knocked it from his face, the weakened mask destroyed itself, and the blast drew Makuta and Capital City into the Shadow Realm, put Ekimu into a deep sleep and scattered the mask's fragments across Okoto.
- What happened to the fragments of the Forbidden Mask?
- A thousand years later, Umarak hunted them down and used them in a ritual at the Black Crater to reopen the rift. When the portal opened, the fragments were drawn inside, and the Toa sealed it with their elements before Makuta could escape.
Sources
- ComicBIONICLE: Battle of the Mask Makers, LEGO BIONICLE Graphic Novel 2, Ryder Windham, Little, Brown and Company, 2016
- SerialBIONICLE webisodes, The LEGO Group, LEGO.com and YouTube, 2015
- EpisodeLEGO BIONICLE: The Journey to One, Animated series, Netflix, 2016
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
The Mask of Creation
The signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, the source of his creative craft. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto.
The Mask Makers
The two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City.
Mask of Ultimate Power
A heretical Kanohi forged by Makuta of Okoto that contained the powers of all six elements and ruined the Mask Makers' civilization the moment it was worn.
Makuta (2015)
Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City.
Black Crater
The vast depression in Okoto's Region of Stone, left when the Mask of Ultimate Power drew Capital City into the Shadow Realm, and the site from which Umarak later raised the Black Volcano.
Capital City
The former main city of Okoto, drawn into the Shadow Realm by the destruction of the Mask of Ultimate Power, leaving the Black Crater on the surface and a ruined court for Makuta in the dark below.
Mentioned in3 entries
Kerato, Ancient Protector of Stone of Okoto
Protector of Stone in BIONICLE's 2015 reboot, who followed Ekimu to Capital City when the first age ended, went to Ketar for the crystal of Stone, and left an office that reached Nilkuu.
Owaki, Ancient Protector of Water of Okoto
First-age Protector of Water of Okoto, given as Owa in the earliest accounts. Owaki went into the depths for Akida's crystal and founded the line that produced Kivoda.
Uganu, Ancient Protector of Ice of Okoto
Called Udapo in the earliest accounts, the first-age Protector of Ice of Okoto, gatherer of Melum's crystal and founder of the line that reached Izotor.
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