Great Temple Squid

The Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. was a massive aquatic 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. native to the deep channels and submerged passages surrounding Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. It was distinguished by twelve powerful arms, each tipped with a smaller beak, and a central beak capable of crushing protosteel. The species was known to inhabit zones near the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. and other waters of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., where its only natural predator was the Dweller in the DeepDweller in the DeepThe Dweller in the Deep was a colossal Rahi inhabiting the waters beneath Ga-Metru's Great Temple, encountered only once by Toa Metru Nokama..

Encounter at the Great Barrier#

During the Toa MetruThe 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.'s passage through the waters beyond Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. in search of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., the team navigated treacherous channels marked by scalding currents and shifting temperatures. After 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. altered their course away from the heat, the vessel entered an even more hostile stretch of the deep waterways.

It was here that the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. struck. The creature surged from the darkness without warning, its twelve beak-tipped arms and central maw posing an immediate threat to the Toa's craft. The encounter served as the first recorded engagement between Toa-level beings and the species, establishing it as one of the apex predators of the submerged regions surrounding the city.

Confrontation with Gali Nuva#

Decades later, during the Toa NuvaToa 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.'s search for the Kanohi NuvaKanohi NuvaThe most powerful Masks of Power ever created, granting each Toa Nuva fundamentally enhanced abilities., GaliGali, Toa of WaterThe 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. journeyed alone into deep waters to retrieve one of the legendary masks. She entered the domain of a Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. and fought the creature in single combat. Drawing on her mastery over water and her enhanced Nuva form, she survived the encounter.

The recurrence of the species across spiritually significant zones, including waters near the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. and regions later associated with the Mask of LifeThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero., suggested that the creatures favored locations of latent power. Whether such proximity reflected ecological preference or a deliberate placement by an older system was never resolved in canonical records.

Biology and Combat Traits#

The Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. possessed no elemental ability. Its strength lay entirely in physical form. Each of its twelve arms ended in a secondary beak, providing the creature with multiple cutting and crushing surfaces beyond its central maw. The primary beak was sharp enough to shear through protosteel, making the species one of the most lethal aquatic 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. on record.

The creature favored enclosed, high-pressure zones within the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., particularly the deeper trenches and tunnels where prey could be funneled into ambush. No reproductive behavior, juvenile form, or population data was ever documented, leaving its life cycle effectively unknown.

Predators and Captors#

The only confirmed natural predator of the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. was the Dweller in the DeepDweller in the DeepThe Dweller in the Deep was a colossal Rahi inhabiting the waters beneath Ga-Metru's Great Temple, encountered only once by Toa Metru Nokama., an immensely powerful entity itself rarely observed. The relationship placed the squid near, but not at, the apex of its food web, and indicated the scale of threats present in the deep regions of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control..

Two ManasManasManas are a species of Rahi that exist in two color variants, one black, grey, and yellow and the other white, grey, and orange, and are armed with claws. were also recorded restraining a Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue.. Since the ManasManasManas are a species of Rahi that exist in two color variants, one black, grey, and yellow and the other white, grey, and orange, and are armed with claws. were under the direction of the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit., the act implied deliberate intervention by MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. forces rather than a natural interaction. The purpose of the operation, whether containment, study, or display, was never disclosed.

The Temple Association#

Despite its name, the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. was never recorded performing any guardian function at the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. itself. The structure was protected during the era of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.'s prominence by the VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming., whose mandate covered law enforcement throughout the city. The squid's designation derived from its presence in waters near the temple rather than from any role assigned to it.

The BIONICLE: Encyclopedia UpdatedTakua's Quest for the Toa StonesAn alternate-continuity record of Takua the Chronicler crossing Mata Nui to recover the six Toa Stones before the arrival of the Toa Mata. entry treated the term as a species label, consistent with naming conventions for 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. identified by region. The creature held no sacred status and was not referenced in MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. prophecy or ritual.

Ambiguities in the Record#

Surviving records left unresolved whether the encounters with the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. involved a single long-lived entity or multiple members of a species. The Toa MetruThe 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. faced one before the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent., while Gali NuvaGali, Toa of WaterThe 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. engaged another centuries later, with no clear linkage between the two specimens.

Sizing descriptions also varied between sources, ranging from a creature large enough to overwhelm a submersible to one comparable in scale to a Toa. The absence of habitat data, breeding records, or sighting reports beyond the two principal encounters left the species among the more obscure entries in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.'s aquatic catalog.

Place in the Deep Ecosystem#

The Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. SquidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. occupied a notable position in the hierarchy of aquatic 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.. It sat below the Dweller in the DeepDweller in the DeepThe Dweller in the Deep was a colossal Rahi inhabiting the waters beneath Ga-Metru's Great Temple, encountered only once by Toa Metru Nokama. as prey, yet above most other creatures of the trenches as a predator. Its inclusion in encyclopedic records alongside the DwellerDwellerDweller was a Dark Hunter assassin who spent over a thousand years hidden in the Archives of Metru Nui, monitoring the city for the Shadowed One and killing through mental probes and induced nightmares. indicated that the species was treated as an established part of the ecosystem rather than as an anomaly.

The image of two ManasManasManas are a species of Rahi that exist in two color variants, one black, grey, and yellow and the other white, grey, and orange, and are armed with claws. restraining one of the creatures suggested that even the deepest reaches of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. were not beyond the reach of the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit.. For later inhabitants of regions such as 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. and the PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains., the existence of such predators reinforced the dangers of the deep zones that remained largely uncharted throughout the universe's history.