Toa

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The Great Beings, when creating the Matoran Universe, implemented the concept of the Toa as the defenders, who would protect the universe's primary residents, the Matoran. Basing the general design on the warrior species of Spherus Magna and the powers off of the Element Lords, the Great Beings created Helryx, who assisted the Matoran in the construction of Metru Nui. Helryx was also a member of the Hand of Artakha, which defended the universe from early threats. After Helryx, certain Matoran were imbued with a specific energy at their creation. Matoran who had this energy triggered were transformed into Toa this way, instead of being created by the Great Beings. More and more Toa came into being, eventually replacing the Hand as the main protectors of the universe. Helryx later founded the Order of Mata Nui, and prohibited other Toa from joining. Toa were the part organic, part biomechanical race of heroes in the BIONICLE. They each had a power over an element, and they wore Kanohi masks of power that provided them with additional powers. Toa each had a specific destiny that they had to try to fulfill in their lifetime. Toa, however, were not predestined to fulfill a certain destiny, and they could fail trying to complete their destiny. Most Toa also held a moral code that upholds justice and kept one from killing opponents, those who betrayed such codes are no longer considered "Toa." Each Toa had a destiny to fulfill in their lifetime, though whether or not they fulfilled it depended on them. For the most part, members of Toa Teams all had the same destiny, but in some special cases, such as Matoro, Lhikan, and Lesovikk, a certain Toa has a very different destiny than the rest of his or her team, which usually resulted in all of the team dying or becoming a Turaga before this Toa or the Toa dying or becoming a Turaga before the rest of his team. Toa traditionally worked in teams of six, with each member controlling a different element. However, Toa had been known to work alone (such as Lesovikk) or in larger groups when neccessary (such as in the Toa/Dark Hunter War). Toa were usually transformed from Matoran, but some of the early Toa (namely Helryx and the Toa Mata) were created as Toa by the Great Beings. After fulfilling their destiny, Toa will become Turaga for the rest of their lives. The way a Matoran looked when they became a Toa depended on their idea of how a Toa looked--Takua the Av-Matoran imagined Toa to look like the Toa Nuva did, and thus looked like a Toa Nuva when he became a Toa. The Toa Metru imagined Toa to look like Lhikan, and thus looked like him. (The Toa Inika, because they believed Toa looked like Toa Nuva, would have looked like Toa Nuva, except for their unique transformation by means of the Red Star.) At the peak of the Toa's existence, they numbered around 3,000. But as of the death of Mata Nui, the number had fallen to about 57. Of these 57, 23 have been heard about so far: 6 Toa Nuva, 5 Toa Mahri, 6 Toa Hagah, Takanuva, Lesovikk, Krakua, Tuyet, Helryx, and a captured Toa suspended in animation in Odina. Toa Ignika was a Toa-like being, but not considered a Toa due to being a body created by an intelligent Kanohi the same was for Mata Nui.y Artakha at the behest of the Great Beings. These Toa, who were designed to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui should something happen to him, were trained by the Order of Mata Nui, and later put into stasis to await the time they were needed. The Brotherhood of Makuta, an organization originally tasked with creating Rahi, began assisting the Toa, using them to defeat common enemies such as the rebellious League of Six Kingdoms. The Toa also earned themselves the enmity of the Dark Hunters, a group of renegades devoted to profit making. The Dark Hunters killed various Toa over the years, though some Toa defected from the side of good, and joined the mercenaries.

A group of Toa began to grow suspicious of the Brotherhood, believing they would take on the same goal as the League: to overthrow the Great Spirit. They gathered any useful information about the Brotherhood, such as the names of their members and fortress locations, on a stone. However, their base was situated next to a Frostelus encampment, and they were eventually attacked. An inexperienced Toa, Lhikan, was ordered to take the stone and run. However, when he went to retrieve the stone, he found it to be gone, stolen by two Skakdi who later joined the Dark Hunters.

Several Makuta hired elite teams of Toa for protection, who were named the Toa Hagah. The Toa Hagah defended the Makuta for many years, though they also eventually began to mistrust the Brotherhood. One group, led by Toa Norik, discovered proof of the Makuta's treachery, and led a rebellion. All other teams of Toa Hagah were assassinated or corrupted by the Brotherhood following this event.

When the Dark Hunters declared war on Metru Nui, numerous Toa from all over the universe rallied under Lhikan's command to defend it. The war ended when one of the Toa Mangai, Nidhiki, tried to gain rule of the city by betraying his brothers and sisters to the Hunters. However, Lhikan learned of the betrayal, and agreed to permit the Hunters to leave at the request of Hakann in exchange for the Makoki Stone. The Toa then ambushed the Dark Hunters, forcing them to leave and to take Nidhiki with them.

Several thousand years later, the Toa Mangai began mysteriously disappearing after being sent out on missions. Lhikan grew suspicious of Turaga Dume, who was actually Makuta Teridax in disguise. To ensure that new Toa would arise to stop him, he gave Toa Stones to six chosen Matoran, following the stars (which Teridax tried to defy, but the Order of Mata Nui ensured their existence). Together, these new Toa sealed Teridax in a cage of Protodermis and brought the Matoran to the island of Mata Nui for safety, becoming Turaga in the process.

In wake of the Great Cataclysm, Toa everywhere became aware of the Brotherhood's treachery. From the Codrex, six Toa Canisters carrying the Toa Mata were sent to the island of Mata Nui to begin Mata Nui's reawakening.

A thousand years later, the Matoran Takua gathered up all six of the Toa Stones which the Toa Metru had hidden on the island. Using the Toa Stones, he summoned the Toa Canisters of the Toa Mata, which had malfunctioned and lain floating in the Endless Ocean after the Great Cataclysm had occurred. The Toa arrived on the island, and began to undo the attacks and damages done to the island and its inhabitants by Teridax. They became the Toa Nuva, and Takua consequently became Takanuva, Toa of Light, and together, they temporarily defeated Makuta Teridax, allowing the Matoran to return to the island of Metru Nui.

Shortly after, a new team of Toa, the Toa Inika, was created from six Matoran who were transformed by the energies of the Red Star whilst searching for the missing Toa Nuva, who had gone to the island of Voya Nui to find the Ignika, Mask of Life, in an attempt to save the life of Mata Nui. They were successful in their search, becoming the Toa Mahri along the way, and the Toa Nuva embarked on a quest to prepare the universe for Mata Nui's reawakening, who had been casted into slumber by Teridax.

They were successful, and were sent to the universe's core, Karda Nui. Equipped with new armor and weapons from Artakha, the Toa Nuva embarked on a final confrontation against the Brotherhood of Makuta. They succeeded in waking Mata Nui and returned to Metru Nui. There, they learned that Teridax had taken over Mata Nui's body the entire universe. The Toa rallied against the oppressive regime of Teridax, and began fighting against his forces.