Krana

Krana were small organic creatures that served as the control units of the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms. The first krana were created by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., and 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. were later taught to make their own. Each BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. needed a krana inside its head to serve the swarm. Without one it was an empty shell; with one, it was part of a colony working toward a single goal. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 4: The Bohrok Awake)

Form and biology#

A krana was a small, soft organic creature that fitted into the head of a BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. and linked it to the swarm. Out of a host, krana could only crawl very slowly, like slugs. When not commanding a host they went dormant and changed colour, which is why the krana carried by Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. were always in their dormant state. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; After the Storm)

The original krana came from the Great Beings, who exposed what was left over from the process that created the first MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. to energized protodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards.. The same procedure produced the ZyglakZyglakZyglak are a species of dark red, dark blue, and white creatures who are amphibious and wield spears and knives in combat. Formerly confined to the Pit, the Zyglak now inhabit Spherus Magna.. The Bahrag later learned to make krana themselves from a different substance. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The krana was not optional equipment. A BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. without its krana could not serve the swarm, and if one was lost, it fell to the Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. to bring a replacement. That gave the 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. their strategy: they did not have to destroy a BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., only remove its krana. As Kopaka put it, the krana were not objects of power like Kanohi but living things. (BIONICLE 4: The Bohrok Awake; BIONICLE 5: To Trap a Tahnok; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The eight standard breeds#

Eight krana types existed, each named by a two-letter suffix and each granting its BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. a different power. Every one of the six Bohrok breeds had all eight, making forty-eight varieties in all. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The Xa was the Swarm Commander. It let its BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. form complex plans and led the swarm on its mission. A Krana Xa led an attack on Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The Za was the Squad Leader, with the power of telepathy. When krana-controlled 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. wore a Za, he used it to read 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.'s thoughts, and the krana-controlled Turaga 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. used one to relay orders to the swarm. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE 4: The Bohrok Awake)

The Vu was the Surveyor. It let its BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. fly short distances and went ahead of the swarm to check that the path was clear. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Ca was the Clearance Worker, able to shield itself and others from attack. These krana led the swarm's work from the front. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Yo was the Mole. A Yo let its BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. tunnel through almost any substance on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Ja was the Scout, using a radar sense to detect obstacles far ahead. In one clash in Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax., a Ja inside a TahnokTahnokFire-element Bohrok swarms from Mata Nui, controlled by krana and armed with Fire Shields. detected a ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. ambush, and the squad's Za relayed the warning to the rest. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 5: To Trap a Tahnok)

The Su was the Worker, granting great strength. These krana were found only in the strongest BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Bo was the Sentinel. It could see in the dark and served as a night guard and a guide into dark caves. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

All krana could communicate telepathically with each other and with 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., which tied the swarm together into something close to a single mind spread across many bodies. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Bonding and assimilation#

A krana did not need a BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected.. It could latch onto the face of a MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. or a ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. and take control of them, linking them to the swarm. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

This happened at Le-KoroLe-KoroLe-Koro is a village situated within Le-Wahi, inhabited by the Le-Matoran and home to Turaga Matau and Toa Lewa. The settlement was once held under the control of Teridax., where the NuhvokNuhvokThe earth-dwelling Bohrok whose rigid nature made them dangerously predictable. overran the village and Turaga 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. and most of the Le-Matoran were fitted with krana in place of their masks. The enslaved villagers then tricked 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. and replaced his mask with a krana. TamaruTamaruTamaru was a Le-Matoran Forest Navigator of Le-Koro, Kongu's Kolhii partner, and the Le-Koro representative in the Chronicler's Company at the Battle of Kini-Nui. and KonguKonguKongu captained Le-Koro's Gukko Force before lightning from the red star turned him into a Toa of Air, who later served among the Toa Mahri. were among the last Le-Matoran left free. TahuTahu, 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. also briefly wore a Krana Xa. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE 4: The Bohrok Awake; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The link worked in both directions. Through his Za, the krana-controlled Lewa could read Onua's thoughts with ease. Onua refused to fight his friend, telling him the krana controlled his body but not his will, and Lewa was eventually freed. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE 6: Into the Nest)

Universal compatibility meant the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. were more than an army. The same krana could drive a mechanical body or take over a village. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

The Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. carried replacement krana into the field to restore Bohrok that had lost theirs. During the later Bohrok-Kal crisis, Bohrok Va also carried replacement krana-kal. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge)

The Bohrok War#

When the Bohrok first attacked, the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. told the 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. to collect one of each of the eight krana types from each of the six Bohrok breeds. The total was forty-eight. Placed in niches in the floor of the Bohrok NestBohrok NestThe subterranean chamber where the Bohrok slumbered beneath Mata Nui until Makuta's machinations awakened them., they would open the way to six 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. suits. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE 4: The Bohrok Awake)

The mission was unusual for a ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. team, since the aim was to extract rather than destroy. In Po-Wahi, the Toa set an ambush for a TahnokTahnokFire-element Bohrok swarms from Mata Nui, controlled by krana and armed with Fire Shields. squad, only for a Krana Ja to sense it coming. (BIONICLE 5: To Trap a Tahnok)

The Le-KoroLe-KoroLe-Koro is a village situated within Le-Wahi, inhabited by the Le-Matoran and home to Turaga Matau and Toa Lewa. The settlement was once held under the control of Teridax. losses were the most costly. By the time 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. arrived, his village was under krana control, and he was turned against his own allies until he was freed. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE 6: Into the Nest)

The endgame came inside the nest. The forty-eight krana were placed in their niches, the Exo-Toa were released, and the Toa Mata took them into battle against Cahdok and GahdokGahdokOne of the twin Bahrag queens, Gahdok commanded the Bohrok swarms alongside Cahdok until the Toa Mata sealed them both in solid protodermis.. The Bahrag were finally imprisoned in a Toa SealToa SealA cage of Protodermis created by six Toa combining their Elemental Powers, used to trap powerful beings. of 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., and with the queens contained the swarms stopped. Afterwards the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. dumped many krana into a deep pit, which they sealed and marked with warnings, though many more stayed dormant in the nests. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; After the Storm)

Krana-Kal and the Bohrok-Kal incident#

The Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them. were six elite BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. that set out to free their queens. Ordinary krana could not run them. Instead they carried krana-kal, krana exposed to the same mutagen that had created the Bohrok-Kal. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge)

Unlike ordinary krana, krana-kal could function independently 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., so the Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them. did not need a swarm. They had metallic colours and stronger versions of the usual krana powers. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 11: A Matter of Time...)

Krana-kal could also communicate telepathically with beings of other species, not only with their own kind. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 11: A Matter of Time...)

In the final battle, the Bohrok-Kal reached the caged 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., and TahuTahu, 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. used the Kanohi VahiKanohi VahiThe Kanohi Vahi was the Legendary Mask of Time, forged by Toa Metru Vakama from the six fused Great Disks of Metru Nui during the city's evacuation. to slow time around them. Before the other Toa could grab their stolen Nuva symbols, the krana-kal turned silver and raised a shield that protected the Kal from all harm. 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. then had 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. pour their own powers into the symbols. The Kal took in the energy, could not handle it, and their powers went out of control and destroyed their shells. At least some of the krana-kal escaped. (BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge; BIONICLE 12: Absolute Power; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The silver shield showed that the krana-kal held powers beyond those of ordinary krana. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Empty shells and parallel designs#

A BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. without its krana was an empty shell. After the war, krana-less Bohrok and the Bohrok Va helped the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. rebuild their villages. The bodies could be put to work. The krana were locked away. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge)

BoxorBoxorBuilt by Nuparu from a salvaged Gahlok shell, the Boxor was the first Matoran-engineered combat machine and a key resistance asset against the Bohrok swarms. units, the small vehicles the Onu-Matoran NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny. built from Bohrok parts during the war, gave the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. a way to fight the swarms themselves, and they helped free the krana-controlled villagers of Le-Koro. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Every krana dumped into the pit after the war stayed there as a sleeping creature, and many more lay dormant in the nests. Like the Bahrag, they were contained rather than destroyed. (After the Storm; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Status#

With 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. sealed, the swarms could not act, but the krana themselves were not gone. Some lay sealed in the pit, others dormant in the nests, and several krana-kal had escaped the destruction of the Bohrok-Kal. (After the Storm; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)