Ice

Ice was one of the six primary Elemental Powers of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., tied in cosmology to preservation, peace, and stillness. Its wielders ranged from 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. capable of triggering avalanches and freezing targets with a touch, to Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. whose limited gift took the form of passive cold resistance. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Cosmological role#

Ice held the role of preservation and peace, set in counterbalance to the aggression of Fire and the volatility of Air. From the formation of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., it stood among the six foundational Elemental Powers woven into the structure of existence. Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. were built for endurance and stillness, their constitutions suited to the cold reaches of the universe. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The element's protective aspect extended beyond direct combat application. On Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., the Ice TribeIce TribeOne of Bara Magna's six major tribes, the Ice Tribe produced legendary Glatorian like Strakk and survived the Shattering intact. carried the element's name long after the Agori had lost any elemental power. Its best-known member, the Agori MetusMetusMetus was a transformed Agori from Spherus Magna who worked as a Glatorian recruiter. Originally a member of the Ice Tribe, he later joined the Rock Tribe. White and ice blue in coloration, Metus wielded an Ice Axe and an Ice Shield., was a smooth talker who secretly dealt with the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. and claimed he knew how to beat the shapeshifting BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down.. (Empire of the Skrall)

Peace within Ice's cosmological role meant enforced stasis rather than the absence of conflict. NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro., as a Toa Metru in The DarknessDarknessThe Dark Hunter who shadows the Shadowed One himself, waiting for any sign of weakness so he can kill his leader and take his place. Below, used his power to deal with obstacles by freezing them rather than smashing them. Ice tended to stop things in place rather than destroy them. (BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below)

Powers and tiers of wielders#

KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui. arrived on Mata Nui in Comic 1: The Coming of the Toa as the island's 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.. Toa of Ice could create, control and absorb ice and cold: freezing targets, raising walls and bridges of ice, and bringing down snow. In BIONICLE: Mask of Light, Kopaka froze an entire lake over to trap three Rahkshi beneath it. (BIONICLE 1: The Coming of the Toa; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

Lower tiers of Ice wielders operated at reduced scale. TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. of Ice retained focused control over cold but had lost the raw elemental output of their Toa days. Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. could not wield the element at all, though they were at home in the cold reaches where they lived. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Fire was the natural counter to Ice, and heat could undo what cold had made. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Kopaka and the Toa Nuva#

KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui. operated from the outset as a solitary figure among the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac., preferring to work alone and keeping his distance from his teammates. His early adventures on Mount IhuMount IhuA snow-capped peak in Ko-Wahi where Kopaka sought his first mask and Nuju honored his mentor. and in Ko-Wahi showed the same cold self-reliance as his element. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa)

Upon transformation into a Toa NuvaToa NuvaThe form the Toa Mata took after stepping into the Energized Protodermis beneath the Bahrag, with new masks, new tools, and the elemental scale to fight Karda Nui., KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui.'s mastery of ice expanded. He could shape a battlefield rather than merely freeze a target, as when he froze over the lake beneath Ko-Koro to trap the Rahkshi. The Nuva transformation strengthened his power rather than changing his nature. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

The decisive test of Ice's strategic value came during the binding of the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui.. The 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. first fought the queens in Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor built for the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata against the Bahrag and later used as enforcers under Teridax. armour, which failed. Only when they gave up the suits and worked together did they defeat the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui., sealing them in a cage of solid ProtodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form., with Kopaka's Ice one of the six powers combined. Containment, not destruction, ended the conflict. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Ice in the world#

Ko-MetruKo-MetruKo-Metru was Metru Nui's frozen intellectual quarter, home to the scholarly Ko-Matoran race., Ko-WahiKo-WahiKo-Wahi is a region situated directly above Ko-Metru, inhabited by Matoran, Turaga, Toa, and Rahi. It was formerly under the control of Teridax., and Ko-KoroKo-KoroKo-Koro is a location in Ko-Wahi, home to the Ko-Matoran and associated with both Nuju and Kopaka. Its exact size is unknown. served as the intellectual and spiritual strongholds of Ice within the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population. In Ko-MetruKo-MetruKo-Metru was Metru Nui's frozen intellectual quarter, home to the scholarly Ko-Matoran race., the crystal Knowledge Towers housed scholars who studied the stars and tried to read the future. NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro. was one of those seers before he became a Toa. The Ko-MetruKo-MetruKo-Metru was Metru Nui's frozen intellectual quarter, home to the scholarly Ko-Matoran race. Great Disk was hidden there too, and recovering it was part of the Toa Metru's first quest. (BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui)

Survival in the high-altitude Ice regions demanded precision. The glaciers of Ko-WahiKo-WahiKo-Wahi is a region situated directly above Ko-Metru, inhabited by Matoran, Turaga, Toa, and Rahi. It was formerly under the control of Teridax. and the mountain settlement of Ko-KoroKo-KoroKo-Koro is a location in Ko-Wahi, home to the Ko-Matoran and associated with both Nuju and Kopaka. Its exact size is unknown. supported a sparse, quiet existence. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa)

TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro. anchored the spiritual weight of Ice within his community. He spoke in whistles and bird calls that MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui. translated for others. The Ko-MatoranKo-MatoranIce Matoran who were quiet scholars and star-watchers, built to survive the frozen peaks of Ko-Wahi. carried on his tradition of watching and foresight. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

Element Lords and conflicts#

On Spherus Magna, a spring of energized protodermis was found in Ice tribe lands, and in 'All Our Sins Remembered' 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. claims it as his own, convinced it could make him greater than the Great Beings. The other Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. would not accept that, and the quarrel fed 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. that continued until Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. shattered. According to SurelSurelSurel is a Glatorian and the Element Lord of Ice, native to Spherus Magna. Clad in white and light blue, he wanders the reformed Spherus Magna armed with a spear. in 'Riddle of the Great Beings,' the Core War never ended among the surviving Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke., whose hatred persisted across a hundred thousand years. (All Our Sins Remembered; Riddle of the Great Beings)

MetusMetusMetus was a transformed Agori from Spherus Magna who worked as a Glatorian recruiter. Originally a member of the Ice Tribe, he later joined the Rock Tribe. White and ice blue in coloration, Metus wielded an Ice Axe and an Ice Shield., an AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system. of the Ice TribeIce TribeOne of Bara Magna's six major tribes, the Ice Tribe produced legendary Glatorian like Strakk and survived the Shattering intact., lived in the aftermath of that war. He struck deals with the Bone Hunters and the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule., passing on village defences and promising TumaTumaTuma rose from the survivors of the Baterra massacre to rule the Skrall Empire from Roxtus until Mata Nui defeated him in single combat. the secret of defeating the BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down.. Tuma privately doubted Metus knew anything useful, and Metus's betrayal of the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system. villages was later exposed. (Empire of the Skrall)

Across these conflicts, Ice's people tended to show their worth in calculation, observation and endurance rather than in direct confrontation. (Empire of the Skrall; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Combinations and weaknesses#

Ice could also work alongside other elements. Against the Bahrag it was one of six powers combined, and Toa of Ice like Kopaka often built with it, raising bridges, ramps and walls rather than only attacking. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa)

No Ice Nova BlastNova BlastA Toa's most destructive technique, releasing all elemental power at once at the cost of total power drain. is shown in the story. The most famous act by a Toa of Ice is a different kind of sacrifice: in 'BIONICLE Legends 8: DownfallThe Death of Matoro and the Revival of Mata NuiThe sacrifice of the Toa of Ice that restored the dying Great Spirit, exposed a Barraki traitor, and opened the second front of the war inside Karda Nui.', MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui. used the Mask of Life to save Mata Nui at the cost of his own life. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Heat remained Ice's opposite. A Toa of FireTahu, Toa of FireTahu served as Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, and Toa Mistika of Fire, leading his team from the first landing on Mata Nui to the destruction of the Rahkshi army on Bara Magna. such as Tahu could melt what a Toa of Ice built, and the two elements were often shown in tension. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Legacy#

Ice continued to shape events even as the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. gave way to the reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui., a 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., sacrificed himself 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. to restore Mata NuiMata 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.. The element's character, as the story presents it, remained tied to calm calculation rather than raw force. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)