Toa of Shadow

A Toa of Shadow shouldn't exist. That's the whole hook. Shadow MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. never occurred naturally in the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. Universe, which meant no MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. could be born destined to become a Toa of Shadow. The Brotherhood of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. broke this rule with Shadow Leeches, parasitic creatures that could drain the moral Light directly from any being. Once a MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.'s Light was stripped away, they could be bathed in Toa PowerToa PowerThe fundamental energy of a Toa, depleted when destiny's fulfilled and transferable through specially prepared stones. and transformed into something that violated the universe's design: a Toa wielding pure Shadow as an element.

The Impossible Toa#

Creating a Toa of Shadow required two distinct steps. First, a Shadow LeechShadow LeechMutated Kraata designed to drain light and corruption. Created by Mutran and allies, they transformed dozens of Matoran before the Energy Storm wiped them out. would drain all moral Light from a target (Matoran or existing Toa), leaving them hollow. Then that drained being would be exposed to Toa PowerToa PowerThe fundamental energy of a Toa, depleted when destiny's fulfilled and transferable through specially prepared stones., awakening them as a Toa of an element that should never have existed. In BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands. Ignition 12: Fear, VamprahVamprahVamprah hunted in absolute silence, but silence wasn't enough when Tahu outmaneuvered him in the swamp. argues that drained MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. could become Toa of Shadow for the Brotherhood, framing the corruption as a strategic advantage rather than an abomination.

The most famous example is 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.. In the serial Dwellers In DarknessDarknessThe Dark Hunter assigned to shadow The Shadowed One himself, waiting for any sign of weakness in the leader he was prepared to replace, and one of the few Hunters his master openly counted among the most powerful., the Toa of LightToa of LightThe sole Toa wielding the Element of Light through the Avohkii mask, singular and feared by Makuta itself. awakens as Shadow 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. with no memory of his light-based past. He's convinced he's always wanted to destroy everything. According to the narration, he can't even wait to get started. He's hollow in a way the original Toa never were, and that void is filled with dark purpose.

Powers and Mechanics#

A Toa of Shadow wields the Elemental Power of Shadow just as any other Toa commands their element. But there's a steep cost to this corruption. If they lose their KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. (their Great Mask), their elemental powers are halved, and their overall strength drops significantly. It's one of the few mechanical weaknesses the canon specifies for Toa of this type, suggesting they're fundamentally unstable compared to naturally-occurring Toa.

Path to Redemption#

Should a Toa of Shadow somehow fulfill their destiny and choose to step down from their role, they could become a TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. of Shadow instead. It's an oddly graceful ending for something created in such darkness, and it hints that even corrupted Toa can be given the option to find peace.

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