The Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explained

The Mask of Life is not just a mask. It has a simple mind of its own, it can talk, and in the end it grows a body. The Great Beings made the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. Ignika so that, if 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. were ever dying, a destined being could put it on and give up their own life to restore his. Writer Greg Farshtey later grouped it with the Vahi (Mask of Time) and the Mask of CreationMask of Creation: the Legendary Kanohi of ArtakhaThe Kanohi worn by Artakha, the master builder of the Matoran Universe. It let its wearer envision a finished object from raw materials and learn how to build it, and Artakha won it in a fight with his brother Karzahni. as the three Legendary Kanohi, saying time, creation and life are equal forces in the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. Universe and that no weaker version of these masks can exist; that ranking comes from his online answers rather than a story. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

The IgnikaThe 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.'s job was 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.'s life if he ever ran out of it. Everything interesting about the mask comes from how badly anyone else handles it. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The first curse#

The IgnikaThe 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. was first kept in a golden armoured shell. One of the Great Beings became curious and took it out. The mask sensed he was not meant to use it, but shared its power with him anyway, thinking it a wonderful gift. Everything around him came to life, and every object cried out to him to have its needs met. The curse broke him, and the other Great Beings imprisoned him so he could not bring anything else to life. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

Two Great Beings then took the mask to the region that would become Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time., dug down through the ground to form the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was the vault beneath the Lake of Lava of Mount Valmai on Voya Nui where the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, lay hidden. beneath Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life., and left it on a pedestal there. They set traps along the Staircase to the IgnikaStaircase to the IgnikaThe Staircase to the Ignika was the path the Great Beings built beneath Voya Nui to guard the Kanohi Ignika, a descent of a rumored 777 steps broken by chambers of nightmares, sacrifice, and lethal guardians. and installed UmbraBionicle Umbra: the Light-Speed Guardian of the Mask of LifeUmbra is the warrior of light who guards the way down to the Kanohi Ignika beneath Voya Nui. He was the first guardian the Great Beings made for the Mask of Life, and in 2006 he very nearly stopped the Toa Inika. as a guardian, and the mask made guards of its own. Later the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe.'s AxonnAxonnAxonn served as an arbitrator under the Hand of Artakha and later as an Order of Mata Nui agent, guarding the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui for thousands of years. and BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. stood watch as well. That is a lot of protection for a single KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe.. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

The Great Disruption#

The mask was used once in the long era between its making and the main events of the story. During the Great Disruption, a civil war among the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., 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.'s health was put at risk. Toa JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui. led his team to the Chamber of Life under Mount Valmai and took the Ignika to Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui., where one member of the team put it on and gave his life 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.. Jovan then returned the mask to its chamber. This is the rule the Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. arc would replay, for keeps. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Voya Nui and VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset.#

A thousand years before the present-day events, the Brotherhood of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. struck down 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.. In the Great Cataclysm, the land around Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life. broke away and rocketed up to the ocean surface above. That island is Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time.. The mask was still inside it, still guarded. (BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The race for the Ignika was a three-way. The PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. wanted it for themselves. 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. Nuva came to save Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. and were defeated early. Six MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. (Jaller, HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe., 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., HewkiiHewkiiHewkii rose from Po-Metru Matoran to Mata Nui's foremost kolhii player, then served as Toa Inika and Toa Mahri through the late wars of the universe., NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny., 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.) followed them to Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time., were struck by lightning on the way, and became the Toa InikaToa Inika: six Matoran struck by lightningSix Matoran of Metru Nui chased the Toa Nuva to Voya Nui and were struck by lightning from the red star. That strike made them the Toa Inika.. (BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom; BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny)

Wanting another guardian, the mask drew VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. to the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was the vault beneath the Lake of Lava of Mount Valmai on Voya Nui where the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, lay hidden.. The moment he touched it, his feet were fused to the FenrakkFenrakkA Fenrakk Spawn mutated by the Mask of Life's curse and fused to Vezon as a guardian, then reborn as Kardas after Vezon rode it into the lava of the Chamber of Life. spider, which grew huge, and the mask fused itself to the back of his head and granted him powers. In the fight with the Toa Inika, Jaller melted the floor beneath Vezon, and Vezon drove Fenrakk into the lava, knowing it would come out stronger. It emerged as the KardasKardasA winged Rahi dragon created when the Mask of Life rebuilt the Fenrakk spider in the lava of the Chamber of Life, with Vezon still fused to its back. Dragon. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The moment that matters: Toa 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. used his telepathy to project the mask's thoughts into Vezon's mind, and Vezon learned the mask did not want him. It had already picked a new guardian. On the way to the island, 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. had been caught in a tunnel that swallowed all light and sound; the mask appeared to him as a living figure, he took its hand believing it was a friend, and it led him out. He had passed its test. The mask is alive enough to interview candidates. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny)

Jaller froze VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. and KardasKardasA winged Rahi dragon created when the Mask of Life rebuilt the Fenrakk spider in the lava of the Chamber of Life, with Vezon still fused to its back. with a special Zamor SphereZamor SphereHollow projectiles that fire various substances through temporarily intangible barriers, from poisons to bottled godhood., and 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. lifted the mask off easily. The mask sensed it was not yet time, made the unfrozen Kardas knock it from his grip, and flew up the staircase and into the sea, heading for the place where the universe was most damaged. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

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 Barraki#

As it sank toward the Pit, the mutagenic water began to erode the mask, bleeding its energy away as air. The Ga-Matoran sentry KyrehxKyrehxKyrehx is a blue Ga-Matoran of the water element, though that power remains inaccessible to her. She serves as a Hydruka Guard and carries claws and blades. She resides on Spherus Magna. found it and was cursed with plants that tried to trap her; the Po-Matoran DekarDekarDekar is a former Po-Matoran who serves as an Aqua Hunter on Spherus Magna. Colored yellow, black, and silver, he once wore a powerless Kiril and retains an inactive Stone element; his tools are Electro-Blades and an Air Launcher. rescued her, took the mask, and was cursed so that anything he struck healed itself. In the end the Barraki, six ancient warlords imprisoned in the Pit, took it from him, and PridakPridak: the most savage of the BarrakiPridak was the most savage of the six Barraki warlords and commanded an army of sharks. The League of Six Kingdoms ended with all six imprisoned in the Pit. seized it. The mask answered with a wave of light that lit the whole Pit and transformed the Toa Inika into the Toa MahriToa Mahri: The Toa Who Saved the UniverseThe Toa Mahri were the water breathing form of the sixth Toa team, transformed by the Mask of Life on the way down to the drowned city of Mahri Nui. They fought the Barraki for the mask and recovered it at the cost of one of their own.. (BIONICLE Ignition 6; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

Each Barraki who handled the Ignika got a custom curse. PridakPridak: the most savage of the BarrakiPridak was the most savage of the six Barraki warlords and commanded an army of sharks. The League of Six Kingdoms ended with all six imprisoned in the Pit.'s worst traits, his anger among them, were pushed further. NocturnNocturnNocturn was an amphibious prisoner of the Pit who served as Ehlek's lieutenant and briefly held the Mask of Life before its recovery. instantly killed any living thing he touched. MantaxMantaxMutated Barraki warlord of the Pit who uncovered Takadox's Brotherhood collaboration through a hidden Tablet of Transit. drained the life force of anyone near him. Each curse is a crude version of a Life power, which is the mask telling the Barraki exactly what kind of creatures they are. (BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the Pit)

The IgnikaThe 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. also remade the dying DekarDekarDekar is a former Po-Matoran who serves as an Aqua Hunter on Spherus Magna. Colored yellow, black, and silver, he once wore a powerless Kiril and retains an inactive Stone element; his tools are Electro-Blades and an Air Launcher. as a near-copy of HydraxonHydraxonThe jailer of the Pit was killed once, then resurrected as the Matoran Dekar by the Mask of Life., the Pit's long-dead jailer, as extra protection. That Hydraxon later decided the mask was too dangerous and fired a Cordak BlasterCordak BlasterA six-shot revolving launcher made on Xia that fires explosive mini-rockets, and works underwater as well as in air. at it to destroy it. HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. swept the missile aside with a current of water. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost; BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the Pit)

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. died while the Toa Mahri were still fighting for the mask, and the mask stopped glowing. 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. kept going anyway. He dived under Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. just before it sealed the way into Karda Nui and put the mask on. He learned that he had to die, accepted it, teleported his friends back to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., and was converted into energy that the mask used to bring 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. back to life. 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. was the second being in the mask's history to wear it and die, and the one the mask had chosen. (BIONICLE Ignition 10: The Death of Mata Nui; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Toa Ignika#

The IgnikaThe 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. did something no one expected in the next arc. It fell into the Swamp of SecretsSwamp of SecretsThe Swamp of Secrets was the mutagen-saturated wetland that filled the floor of Karda Nui after the Great Cataclysm, serving as a Brotherhood stronghold until the Energy Storms. in Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui. and, inspired by the courage 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. had shown, decided to experience life as a hero. It formed a Toa's body and weapons for itself from the swamp's organic matter, along with a Skyboard, and went by the name Toa Ignika. (BIONICLE Ignition 12: Realm of Fear; BIONICLE Legends 9: Shadows in the Sky)

Toa Ignika could not speak at first and had little experience of the world. When a Makuta's illusion made him look like a monster, the Toa Nuva 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., PohatuPohatuPohatu was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Stone, guardian of Po-Wahi, whose speed and steady humour anchored the team through every era of the Matoran Universe. and Kopaka and their Av-Matoran companions, among them PhotokPhotokPhotok was an Av-Matoran of Karda Nui who fought alongside Tanma and Solek in the resistance against the Brotherhood of Makuta during the final battle for Mata Nui's awakening. and Tanma, attacked him; hurt and angry, he began speeding up their ageing until Pohatu pinned him and realised who he was. Later, when IcaraxIcaraxHe thought scheming was for the weak and said so out loud, so the canon made sure the thing that finally killed him was a scheme. nearly knocked him off his Skyboard, he devolved the Makuta from a gaseous being back into a biomechanical one. He is not a soldier, but he may be the most powerful being in any room he enters. (BIONICLE Legends 9: Shadows in the Sky)

The IgnikaThe 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.'s countdown to the death of all life in the universe was running again. In the Codrex, Toa Ignika saw that waking Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. the slow way would take too long. Encouraged by Tahu and 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., he chose to give his energy to the Great Spirit, knowing it would end his life as a living being. His body turned to energy, and only the mask was left behind. (BIONICLE Ignition 14: Endgame)

Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. and the end#

After 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. woke, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. took over his body, placed his spirit in the Ignika and threw the mask out into space. (BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle)

The mask crash-landed on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. and built a body for Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. out of self-preservation. It turned a ScarabaxScarabaxSmall desert beetles of Bara Magna, welcomed as helpful scavengers by most Agori but dismissed as vermin by the Skrall. Beetle into Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.'s shield-companion ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika turned him into Mata Nui's scarab shield, and who travelled with Mata Nui across Bara Magna., and later turned a VoroxVoroxThe warrior caste of the Sand Tribe, reduced to feral pack hunters in the wastes of Bara Magna after the collapse of their civilisation in the Core War. stinger into a sword. Mata Nui learned to use the mask himself and gave elemental powers to AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna., KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world., GreshGreshA young Glatorian of the Jungle Tribe who served Tesara and later joined the alliance that defended Bara Magna during its final crisis., Tarix and Vastus. (BIONICLE Glatorian 3: A Hero Reborn; BIONICLE Glatorian 4: Before the Storm; BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn)

In Journey's End, 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. combined the power of the Ignika with that of the PrototypePrototype (Dark Hunter)An unstable fusion of Fire and Earth, Prototype was forged through biomechanical mutation and hired for his violent unpredictability. robot and bathed the reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. in energy, turning the desert into fertile land. The robot collapsed, but the time Mata Nui had spent in the mask had bonded them, and his spirit was drawn back into it. He told the people of Spherus Magna that he would stay within the mask and not interfere in their affairs, and retreated inside. (BIONICLE Glatorian 7: Rebirth; BIONICLE: Journey's End)

That is the Mask of Life. Made as a last resort, guarded like a bomb, and finished as a person. It took the lives of the two beings shown wearing it and changed everyone else who touched it. And in the end it gave up its own body, helped remake a broken planet, and became the home of the Great Spirit himself. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; BIONICLE: Journey's End)