Metru Mantis

The MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Mantis is one of Bionicle's stranger 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. designs, created by contest winner Eric Richter for the 2005 release. These nocturnal insectoids stand six to eight feet tall with the appearance of praying mantises but the hunting instinct of apex predators. Their sedative venom makes them lethal despite their generally tame nature. What really matters, though, is what the Rahaga were planning to do with them.

The Hunters#

MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Mantis aren't hostile by default. They're nocturnal hunters with a strict dietary preference for insectoids, especially VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe.. Their sedative venom means they don't need aggression to secure a meal. A single sting paralyzes prey long enough for the kill. Everything about their physiology points to a predator perfectly tuned to one ecological niche in the Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. depths.

The Archives Plan#

Rahaga 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. and BomongaBomongaBomonga was the Toa Hagah of Earth, mutated by Roodaka into a Rahaga, later restored to Toa form and resettled on Spherus Magna. discovered that MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Mantis naturally hunted VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. with lethal efficiency. They began capturing them and hiding them in the Archives, not for study, but as a living weapon against the Horde. The two viewed the MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Mantis as enemies of their enemy. Knowing that the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. hated them, BomongaBomongaBomonga was the Toa Hagah of Earth, mutated by Roodaka into a Rahaga, later restored to Toa form and resettled on Spherus Magna. and 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. made a special effort to capture them and keep them safe in the Archives, with plans to deploy them as a strike force against the hordes at the right moment.

The Rahaga had a genuine tactical advantage within reach. A coordinated release could have turned the tide in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.'s favor. Instead, VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. disbanded his people before the strike force could be deployed, and the plan died with the Rahaga as a unified front.

After the Fall#

When the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. was destroyed and dismantled, the MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Mantis escaped the robot's interior and found themselves on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. They thrived. The new world's ecosystem had no predator adapted to hunting them, and their prey species flourished. What the Rahaga imagined as a desperate weapon became something else entirely. On Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., they're simply survivors.

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Compiled from primary sources by Lore Fortress editorial. Reviewed by Joe Garratt, Editor-in-Chief.