Mutagen

Pit MutagenPit MutagenThe biological lock built into the Pit, a mutagenic substance that rewrote every being immersed in it into a water-breathing form unable to survive on land. was an energy substance that lived in the waters surrounding The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains. and mutated almost any being exposed to it for any sustained period. It had originally been a power source for the dome islands of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., held in two reactors in Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. and on Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. The Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. cracked the power lines that carried the energy and released it into the ocean of Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand..

Nature#

The mutagen present in the waters of The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains. was a form of energy that mutated almost any being exposed to it. The change required only minutes of contact, and once produced could not be reversed by any means short of the Kanohi 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.. The form taken by each mutation varied with the subject's original biology and the conditions of exposure, but the alteration was permanent in the absence of the Mask of Life.

The mutagen had originally been engineered as a power source for the dome islands of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., including Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui.. It was stored in two reactors, one in each dome, and distributed through pipework that powered the surrounding lightstones. The Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. cracked the power lines, including one running beneath The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains., and released the mutagen into the ocean of Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand.. The substance was not a weapon. It was infrastructure that failed and poisoned the surrounding water for centuries afterwards.

The mutagen also affected the Kanohi 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. itself. The mask slowly dissolved in the contaminated water and, as it dissolved, leaked small quantities of its life-power. That leakage was what sustained the 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. MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population after their city fell into the ocean and lost contact with surface air.

Mutated subjects#

The BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell in a single Brotherhood ambush, and spent millennia mutated in the Pit., comprising PridakPridakPridak was the most feared of the six Barraki, commander of a shark army and the dominant voice of the League of Six Kingdoms before its imprisonment in the Pit., KalmahKalmahA red-and-black Barraki warlord of the League of Six Kingdoms, imprisoned in the Pit and mutated into permanent aquatic form., EhlekEhlekA Barraki warlord with electrical powers who led aquatic forces against the Brotherhood of Makuta., TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat., MantaxMantaxMutated Barraki warlord of the Pit who uncovered Takadox's Brotherhood collaboration through a hidden Tablet of Transit., and CaraparCaraparOne of six Barraki warlords imprisoned for 80,000 years, Carapar sought the Mask of Life and became expendable muscle for a final, fatal mission., were mutated during their imprisonment in The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains.. Each was transformed into a different aquatic form by the same exposure.

The 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. MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., including SardaSardaSarda was a Ta-Matoran from Toa Lesovikk's homeland, mutated to breathe water and serving as a jailer under Hydraxon in the Pit., IdrisIdrisIdris was a Ga-Matoran of Mahri Nui, the volunteer who helmed Defilak's Submarine into the Black Water, was captured by Pridak alongside Sarda and Gar, and carried the air-breathing device repaired by Lesovikk back to the underwater city after Karzahni was finally trapped., DefilakDefilakDefilak is a dark green and silver Le-Matoran who serves as leader of the Mahri Nui Council and as an inventor. He wears a powerless Kualsi and wields Electro-Blades alongside an Air Launcher. As a Le-Matoran, he carries an inactive affinity for the element of Air and resides on Spherus Magna., 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., GarGarGar was an Onu-Matoran of Mahri Nui and Defilak's best friend, one of the four submariners captured by Pridak in the Black Water and the volunteer who offered to sacrifice himself so that Idris could carry the warning back to the underwater city., ReysaReysaReysa was an impatient Onu-Matoran Hydruka shepherd of Mahri Nui whose unexplained death at the Fields of Air opened the chain of events that put Defilak's submarine into the Black Water and exposed the Barraki to the underwater city., and 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., were mutated when their city fell into the ocean. In their case, the mutagen reversed earlier damage that KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. had inflicted on them, and left them functional as water-breathers rather than hostile shapes.

The PirakaPirakaSix rogue Skakdi mercenaries who broke from the Dark Hunters to hunt the Mask of Life on Voya Nui., all six members, suffered the most severe mutation on record. After falling into a mutagen pool during their pursuit of the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was a vault built by the Great Beings beneath Mount Valmai on Voya Nui to house the Kanohi Ignika for over one hundred thousand years., they were transformed into water-breathers and lost the bulk of their bodies, retaining only spines and heads. When they later attacked the Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., they had been further mutated into sea snakes.

KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. himself was mutated. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team. was affected only lightly, requiring a breathing apparatus rather than undergoing full transformation. LesovikkLesovikkA Toa of Air and former commander whose team was destroyed, leaving him fractured and searching for purpose., SpinaxSpinaxSpinax is an Energy Hound who serves the Order of Mata Nui on Spherus Magna. Grey and silver in coloration, Spinax relies on its teeth and claws as tools in carrying out its duties as a servant of the Order., KerasKerasLarge coral crab Rahi native to the ocean of Ga-Metru and the reefs of Ga-Wahi, briefly tamed during the Bohrok War and later conscripted by Carapar., and Nui-KopenNui-KopenGiant wasp Rahi that Le-Matoran tamed for travel, but they're far more dangerous when controlled by Toa. were also affected, alongside numerous less prominent Pit prisoners. The three MistikaMistikaMistika was the designation given to the Toa Nuva and Makuta who fought in the Swamp of Secrets at the floor of Karda Nui during the final campaign. MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate., BitilBitilA Makuta obsessed with enslaving Toa, Bitil weaponized his Mohtrek's copying power in the final invasion of Karda Nui., GorastGorastA Makuta defined by rage and ruthlessness, Gorast conquered the Visorak and became Teridax's most devoted enforcer., and KrikaKrikaThe cautious Mistika leader who survived by never taking unnecessary risks, until Teridax's Plan forced his hand., were locked into insect-like forms when they landed in 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. during the Brotherhood's invasion of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui..

The Swamp of Secrets#

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. at the floor of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. was the second great deposit of mutagen-bearing water in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The deposit formed when 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. broke off the Southern Continent during the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent., producing holes in the domes of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. and the Southern Continent. Large volumes of mutagen-laced sea water poured through the holes, forming a waterfall that flooded the floor of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. and created the swamp.

The three MistikaMistikaMistika was the designation given to the Toa Nuva and Makuta who fought in the Swamp of Secrets at the floor of Karda Nui during the final campaign. MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. walked directly into this environment when the Brotherhood invaded. On contact with the water, they were mutated and locked into insect-like forms. The mutation also stripped them of access to roughly half of the forty-two KraataKraataSlug-like creatures birthed from Makuta's essence, designed as both weapons and the cores of Rahkshi armor. powers, including the ability to shapeshift. They established a base camp in the swamp that served as their headquarters for the remainder of the campaign.

Immune species and individuals#

A small number of species and individuals were unaffected by the mutagen. The list included HydraxonHydraxonThe jailer of the Pit was killed once, then resurrected as the Matoran Dekar by the Mask of Life., 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. species, the HydrukaHydrukaAquatic scorpion-like Rahi domesticated by the Matoran of Mahri Nui to harvest Airweed, and the natural prototype for the Air Launcher weapon. 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. (including MorakMorakMorak was a Hydruka of Mahri Nui, one of two named members of the air-harvesting species that kept the underwater Matoran colony alive. and ThuloxThuloxThulox was a Hydruka assigned to the Fields of Air beneath Mahri Nui, harvesting airweed and wielding an Air Launcher for defense.), organic 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. in general, NocturnNocturnNocturn was an amphibious prisoner of the Pit who served as Ehlek's lieutenant and briefly held the Mask of Life before its recovery., and the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. and Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself.. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team. appeared on both lists, partially resistant and only lightly affected, an ambiguity sometimes attributed to his connection with the Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi Olmak was the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates, a portal-opening Kanohi forged by Artakha. Only two ever existed in the Matoran Universe, and both passed through the hands of figures who reshaped the late storyline..

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. Mahri case required clarification. 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. Mahri were not changed into water-breathers by the mutagen itself. They were altered by the burst of energy released by the Ignika as a cry for help when 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. found it. The end state, a team of underwater-breathing Toa fighting the Barraki for the mask, was the same, but the mechanism was not the mutagen.

BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold., 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 transit operative, was never affected by the mutagenic waters because he never remained in The PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains. for long enough. He deposited prisoners and teleported out within a fraction of a second, and never noticed that the prison had flooded.

Reversal by the Ignika#

Reversal of the mutagen's effects was possible only through the Kanohi 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.. During the restoration of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., 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. used the energies of the Ignika to reverse the mutations on those affected. The BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell in a single Brotherhood ambush, and spent millennia mutated in the Pit. were among the recipients of the reversal and were restored to their original forms as part of the wider reformation of the planet.

The MistikaMistikaMistika was the designation given to the Toa Nuva and Makuta who fought in the Swamp of Secrets at the floor of Karda Nui during the final campaign. MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. did not receive that benefit. The Energy StormsEnergy StormsThe raw-energy maelstroms that filled Karda Nui whenever Mata Nui was awakened, incinerated the Brotherhood of Makuta contingent at the climax of the Final Battle, and supplied the Great Spirit Robot with the energy it needed to function. in Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. incinerated the swamp before the Ignika was applied, and the three MistikaMistikaMistika was the designation given to the Toa Nuva and Makuta who fought in the Swamp of Secrets at the floor of Karda Nui during the final campaign. perished with it.