Hoto

The Hoto was a fire insect, a small 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 chiefly to Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and Ta-WahiTa-WahiTa-Wahi was the volcanic region of Mata Nui surrounding the Mangai Volcano, encompassing Ta-Koro, the Lake of Fire, the Charred Forest, and the Ta-Wahi Beach.. Its defining trait was the heat its body gave off, enough to let it burrow through soil and even bore into some buildings, which made it a persistent nuisance wherever it took hold.

A pest of the fire regions#

Hoto bugs were treated as pests on both Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. and Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. Their nuisance value was great enough that a Hoto bug invasion counted among the menial threats the Toa HagahToa HagahElite Toa teams appointed by the Brotherhood of Makuta to serve as personal guardians, later rebelling against their creators. were expected to deal with, and it was exactly the kind of low task that grated on IruiniIruiniIruini is a Toa of Air, formerly a Le-Matoran and a member of the Toa Hagah who served as bodyguard to Makuta Teridax. He wears the Great Kualsi, wields a Cyclone Spear and Rhotuka Launching Shield with a healing Rhotuka, and resides on Spherus Magna as a Rahi Hunter and protector of Matoran., who felt his talents wasted by being set against such minor dangers rather than larger ones. The same sense of futility weighed on his teammate NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored., for whom Hoto infestations were part of the unglamorous routine of guarding the Brotherhood.

Heat and burrowing#

The Hoto's body could give off enough heat to tunnel through the ground and even through some buildings, the trait that made it both a marvel and a hazard. That same heat had its uses to others. In the Nui-RamaNui-RamaLarge insect-like Rahi with deadly claws and venom, known for kidnapping Matoran and attacking Le-Koro. Hive, where captured Le-MatoranLe-MatoranGreen-powered Matoran obsessed with thrills and transport. They're basically Bionicle's daredevils. were forced to work the protodermis mines, glowing Hoto bugs served as taskmasters, delivering a shock to any Matoran who misbehaved. On a separate occasion in Le-WahiLe-WahiLe-Wahi is a region on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Le-Matoran and Rahi. Formerly subject to the power of Teridax, the region is no longer under that influence., a Hoto bug was caught up in the fight to free the infected LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui., when OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. used a Noble MatatuMatatuWorn by Toa Metru Nuju and his later Turaga form, the Matatu let its bearer move and strike at any target within line of sight by force of will alone. to knock the corrupted mask from LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui.'s face.

After the close of the island wars, Hoto bugs migrated from the Matoran UniverseMata 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. to Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., carrying their burrowing habits to the reformed world.