Bionicle Rahkshi: the Sons of Makuta from Mask of Light

Rahkshi are the armoured hunters of the MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself., best known as the six "sons of Makuta" who chased the Mask of Light across the island of Mata Nui in the 2003 film BIONICLE: Mask of Light. Each one is a hollow shell grown from a kraata, a Makuta's slug-like creature, and driven by a second kraata of the same power riding inside it. They fly, they carry staffs that channel their power, and they don't stop until the job is done. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light; BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below)

What a Rahkshi is#

A Rahkshi starts life as a kraata. When one of these creatures is put into energized protodermis, it doesn't survive as a living thing; it changes into an empty, inorganic suit of armour. The armour can't move on its own. A second kraata with the same power has to crawl inside and work it, and the Rahkshi then fights with that kraata's power, mostly fired through the staff it carries. (BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

They're about as subtle as a rockslide. In the film they punch up through the floor of Kini-Nui and smash through the walls of Onu-Koro, they can fly, and the Toa Nuva struggle to put them down. Darkness makes them stronger: in the novelisation, the three Rahkshi frozen in Ko-Wahi can't break out in daylight but get free once shadow falls on the ice. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light; BIONICLE: Mask of Light (novelisation))

Rahkshi answer to the Makuta who made them. Without orders they turn into wild, territorial beasts. In The Darkness Below, the Toa MetruToa Metru: Heroes of Metru NuiThe Toa Metru were the six Toa transformed from Matoran of Metru Nui by Toa Lhikan's Toa stones, who defeated the Morbuzakh, sealed Teridax after the Great Cataclysm, survived mutation into Toa Hordika, and carried the city's Matoran to the island of Mata Nui before becoming Turaga. run into stray Rahkshi of Weather Control, Insect Control and Density Control living in the maintenance tunnels under the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. of Metru Nui, and they attack anything that comes close. (BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below)

The kinds of Rahkshi#

Kraata come in 42 powers, each with its own colour, and every one of them can produce a matching kind of Rahkshi. The official lists run from fear, poison and disintegration through to oddities like insect control, power scream and slowness. Only six Rahkshi were ever given names, and they're the ones from Mask of Light: (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

• Turahk, Rahkshi of Fear, red. Its staff can scare a Matoran to death. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)
• GuurahkGuurahkThe disintegration-breed Rahkshi released by Makuta Teridax to hunt down the Mask of Light, one of the first three sent to Mata Nui to kill the Herald before the Toa of Light could rise., Rahkshi of Disintegration, blue. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)
• Lerahk, Rahkshi of Poison, green. It infected Tahu's mask. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)
• Panrahk, Rahkshi of Fragmentation, brown. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)
• Vorahk, Rahkshi of Hunger, black. It drains strength from whoever it touches. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)
• Kurahk, Rahkshi of Anger, white. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

Rahkshi can also combine. In BIONICLE 15: Secrets and Shadows, a flashback shows Teridax's six Rahkshi merged three at a time into two larger forms, the Rahkshi Kaita Za and Kaita Vo, which tore a path through Le-Wahi and ambushed the Toa Nuva before splitting apart again. (BIONICLE 15: Secrets and Shadows)

The Rahkshi in Mask of Light#

The film is where most people meet them. When TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light. found the Avohkii, the Mask of Light, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. knew the seventh Toa was coming. From his lair he released Guurahk, Lerahk and Panrahk, who burst out of Kini-Nui, drove off 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. and flew to Ta-Koro. They beat 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., whose mask was scarred by Lerahk's poison staff, and the fire village sank into the lava. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

The three caught up with Takua and JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. in Ko-Wahi. 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. knocked them into a river with an ice dart and froze the lake over them. Teridax then let loose Vorahk, Kurahk and Turahk, who smashed into Onu-Koro. Vorahk's staff drained 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., Turahk struck 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. with fear, and Kurahk's anger made Lerahk's poison take hold of Tahu, who turned on Gali. Onua finally brought the cavern roof down on everyone. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

All six caught the two Matoran at Kini-Nui, and this time all six Toa Nuva were waiting. They trapped Guurahk, Panrahk and Lerahk in glass and froze Vorahk and Kurahk after a shower of lava. Turahk got back up unnoticed. It struck Takua with fear and lifted its staff to kill him, and Jaller grabbed the staff and took the full force of the fear himself. As he died he gave Takua the mask. Takua put it on, became TakanuvaTakanuvaHidden among the Ta-Matoran as Takua, the disguised Av-Matoran who became Takanuva was the sole Toa of Light produced in the Matoran Universe's full history. and beat Turahk with a blast of light. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light)

Afterwards the Toa built the UssanuiUssanuiBuilt from the wreckage of the six defeated Rahkshi and guided by a Shadow Kraata, the Ussanui carried Takanuva into Makuta's lair. out of the Rahkshi armour and put one of their kraata inside to guide Takanuva down to Teridax's lair. The same story is told in the comics BIONICLE 13: Rise of the Rahkshi! and BIONICLE 14: At Last -- Takanuva!, after the Rahkshi first showed up in BIONICLE 12: Absolute Power. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light; BIONICLE 12: Absolute Power; BIONICLE 13: Rise of the Rahkshi!; BIONICLE 14: At Last -- Takanuva!)

Rahkshi in the rest of the story#

The Metru Nui books, set a thousand years earlier, show plenty of Rahkshi too. In Time Trap, Teridax calls every Rahkshi in the city to swarm the Dark Hunter Voporak so that he and Vakama can get away with the Kanohi Vahi; Voporak's time field ages them to dust. Teridax tells Vakama the Rahkshi are born of his darkness, and admits he never simply unleashed them on the city because there'd have been nothing left to rule. (BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap)

In the Destiny War they're the Brotherhood of Makuta's soldiers. The serial has 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. watching the Skakdi of Zakaz, recruited for the Order of Mata Nui, tear through a Rahkshi force on one of the southern islands. The Skakdi took heavy losses at first, then won on sheer rage, the one thing the Rahkshi didn't have. After Teridax took over the Great Spirit Robot in 2008, Reign of Shadows has him keep making kraata and Rahkshi to control the universe, and Tahu and Onua plan to hit the place where the kraata are being made. (Destiny War; Reign of Shadows)

Their last stand came on Bara Magna in 2010. Teridax poured Rahkshi out of the Great Spirit Robot against the Glatorian, and Takanuva tricked two of them into wrecking each other. When Tahu put on the full Golden ArmorThe Golden ArmorA glossary entry on the golden armor, the six-piece relic worn by Tahu on Bara Magna, and the 2015 reboot's six Golden Masks of Power it is often confused with., its power swept across the desert, killed thousands of kraata and shut down every Rahkshi at once. (BIONICLE Glatorian 6: All That Glitters; BIONICLE Glatorian 7: Rebirth)