Toa Inika

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The Toa Inika are a team of Toa heroes from the Legends story arc of LEGO Bionicle storyline. Unlike most Toa, they have special lightning powers and living Kanohi Masks.

Before the term "Inika" was released, the fan community referred to this team by the names "Toa Voya" and "Toa Igniters". Jaller named the team "Inika" (which means "energy from a star" in the Matoran language) as a reference to how they became Toa.

Contents 1 History 2 Powers 3 The Toa Inika 3.1 Jaller 3.2 Hahli 3.3 Kongu 3.4 Hewkii 3.5 Nuparu 3.6 Matoro 4 Notes 5 References 6 External link

[edit] History

Shortly after the Matoran return to Metru Nui, Jaller becomes upset that the Turaga are once again keeping secrets from the Matoran. Turaga Nokama comes to him in secret and explains that Mata Nui is in danger of dying; this was kept from the Matoran to keep them from worrying about something they could do little about. Refusing to wait helplessly while the Toa Nuva go after the Ignika Mask of Life that could save the Great Spirit, Jaller decides to gather a group of strong Matoran with Toa Takanuva and travel to Voya Nui to aid the Toa Nuva.

On the way, the group travels through a dark tunnel, and Matoro helps what he assumes to be one of his friends, only to be disturbed that not only was the person not part of his group, but it seemed there was nobody there at all. Unfortunately, Takanuva is soon forced to turn back when the group encounters a gateway that no light (or Toa of Light) is allowed through. The rest soon find themselves in the realm ruled by Karzahni, which legends stated was a land of the dead - and while the Matoran living there aren't dead, they are so physically and spiritually broken they might as well be. Karzahni tries to make Jaller's group abandon their old identities, just as he had with the other Matoran in his realm, by taking their masks and making those who rebel see horrific alternate futures. While Hahli, as a Chronicler, tells Karzahni of the world outside his kingdom, the other five search for an escape route. What they find is the realm's true purpose; it wasn't to be a place of punishment for Matoran who worked poorly, but a place of repair. When Karzahni tries to stop their escape, Matoro challenges him to show them the worst future they could think of, and therefore all witness the death of the universe that would occur at Mata Nui's passing. While Karzahni recovers from the shock of what he saw, the Matoran enter a set of Toa canisters they had found and took off. When the canisters arrive on Voya Nui, they are struck by lightning from the mysterious Red Star, turning them into Toa.

In examining their new bodies and tools, each of the new Toa begin instinctively activating their mask powers - which causes some chaos, as Nuparu is airborne, Kongu can't turn his telepathy off, Matoro seems to be dead and Hahli is talking to thin air; but eventually they get things under control.

They soon meet a band of Matoran - Balta, Dalu, Piruk, Velika, Garan, and Kazi - and learn of the situation: six beings calling themselves Piraka have invaded and enslaved most of the Matoran in their quest to claim the Mask of Life for themselves. The Piraka also have an ally, a giant named Brutaka, that has beaten the Toa Nuva and taken them captive. While Jaller, Hahli, Dalu, and Piruk went to free some of the slaves with Zamor Launchers provided by Velika; Balta and Kazi brought Hewkii and Matoro to another giant being named Axonn, only to find him badly beaten; Axonn tells them to stop Brutaka before it is too late. Meanwhile, Kongu, Nuparu, Velika, and Garan raid the Piraka's stronghold looking for the Toa Nuva, but are unable to find them before they are caught. The other Toa Inika arrive just in time to help them fight, but while the Matoran continued to search for the Toa Nuva, two of the Piraka (Hakann and Thok) are able to steal Brutaka's power and they soundly defeat everyone else.

In order to stop them, the Toa form an uneasy alliance with the remaining Piraka to try and return Brutaka's power to him. Axonn also appears and gives Jaller a Zamor Sphere, stating that the Mask of Life needs protection; but he elects to stay behind and watch over the near-unconscious Brutaka. Meanwhile, Hakann and Thok have started fighting each other, and a massive explosion makes the two easy to find. In the ensuing fight, the Inika and Piraka have the upper hand when Hakann and Thok finally agree to work together, but even as they attack, Hewkii uses a specially-prepared Zamor Sphere to take their power and return it to Brutaka. In the end, Zaktan is the only one still standing; Hakann and Thok fainting from the power loss and the rest having been knocked out by their attack.

The Toa Inika wake up to find the six Piraka already gone, and a long underground staircase exposed from the earlier explosion. Figuring that the stairs lead to the Mask of Life and that the Piraka have gone ahead of them, they decide to follow after them immediately, preparing to fight the guardians of the Mask of Life.

To their surprise, inside the tunnel they meet the long-dead legendary hero Toa Lhikan, who warns them to turn back before disappearing. They then encounter a number of enemies they had fought in their lives as Matoran, including a Bohrok, a Bohrok-Kal, a Rahkshi Turahk, and even Makuta. In trying to subdue these enemies, the Toa's powers spiral out of control and accidentally kill them. Adding to their guilt, the dead bodies turn into those of their friends, the Toa Nuva. Despite their fears of losing control again, they press on, though they soon realize that the enemies they fought were merely illusions.

For their next trial, a mysterious voice tells the Toa that they had entered the Chamber of Death, and to proceed to the Chamber of Life they must sacrifice one of their own. The Toa realize they have no other options, and Jaller is about to volunteer himself when he remembered how he had died once before at the hands of a Turahk. The memory causes him to hesitate just long enough for Matoro to volunteer himself; reasoning that he is only a translator, not a warrior or athlete or anything as suited to a Toa as the others are. The voice accepts Matoro's sacrifice and his body dissolves - only to re-form seconds later, as the voice says that the death itself was not important, only the willingness to do so for the greater cause.

The Toa next encounter a group of creatures that Kongu identifies as giant protodites (called protodax), but they are all wiped out by a guardian named Umbra, who wanted to slay the Inika himself. Though Umbra's amazing speed poses a challenge, Matoro uses it against him by covering the cave with ice, causing him to slip and crash. Unfortunately, Umbra then changes into an even faster laser-like beam of light; but Matoro creates more mirror-like ice and Nuparu lures Umbra into running into it, causing him to reflect wildly until he reverts to his normal form, stunned.

Emerging into a large cavern, the Toa Inika find the Piraka setting an ambush on a bridge over the lava flow. The Inika confront them and gain the upper hand, but Kongu's and Nuparu's use of their powers cause the bridge to collapse on top of them, allowing the Piraka to reach the Chamber of Life first.

By the time the Inika arrive in the Chamber of Life, the Piraka have been beaten by the mask's guardians, Vezon and Fenrakk. Unfortunately, their ability to absorb kinetic energy was almost too much to handle; even when the Inika learned to weaken the two without using physical attacks, Fenrakk just pounded his leg to regain his full strength. Even so, Jaller was able to drive Vezon and Fenrakk towards the lava; and surprisingly Vezon urged Fenrakk to dive in!

Just as Jaller was about to follow them to get the Ignika (which was fused to Vezon's head), they reemerged, with Fenrakk evolved into a new dragonlike form that Vezon called Kardas. Kardas quickly started overpowering the Toa, but Jaller asked Kongu to use his mask's telepathy in a new way - read the mind of the Mask of Life itself. Surprisingly, it worked; Kongu found that the Ignika hated Vezon, and wanted to leave him in favor of Matoro, who had proven himself a compassionate, self-sacrificing person - the being that Matoro had helped on the way to Karzahni was none other than a manifestation of the Mask of Life itself.

Learning of the Ignika's opinion of him, Vezon became furious, and Jaller took the opportunity to fire Axonn's Zamor Sphere at him, freezing him in space and time and allowing Matoro to remove the mask safely. Unfortunately, the Piraka were lying in wait for them wishing to take the mask, but Kardas got one last shot in; causing Matoro to lose his grip on the Ignika. It began to fly away, seeming to lead the Inika somewhere. The Toa followed it back to the surface and saw it dive into the bay; Hahli tried to swim after it but the water pressure soon became too much for her. As she was about to drown, a Matoran swam up from below and returned her to the others, begging for help for an underwater city before he died.

Reuniting with the Toa Nuva, the Inika are tasked with recovering the Mask of Life, as it is decided that before the Nuva can awaken Mata Nui, the Inika must first save him. Axonn then opens a portal so that they can travel to the undersea city.

[edit] Powers

The Toa Inika essentially have the normal range of Toa powers: control over an element, a Kanohi Mask giving an additional power, and a personal weapon. However, due to their transformation by lightning from the Red Star, some of the details of these powers are a little different:

• Their masks are organic instead of metallic; these living masks can move and tend to recoil when touched by anyone other than their owners. The masks activate their own powers when they sense the Toa want to use them; so the Toa Inika do not need the learning process that other Toa (like the Toa Metru) have had to go through (in fact, Kongu and Nuparu have had trouble turning their mask powers off).
• Their unmasked faces glow with energy; so brightly that their features cannot be seen.
• Hewkii is colored gunmetal grey and yellow, instead of brown and tan like most Toa of Stone are.
• Their weapons are energized and the elemental attacks they create are charged with lightning (though if they manipulate already-existing elements, those will not have lightning involved).^[1]
• Due to the electricity coursing through their bodies, the Toa Inika are unaffected by the Piraka's antidermis virus

In addition to their personal weapons, each Toa Inika has a Zamor Launcher built by Velika; an improved model over the Piraka's launchers in that they can hold four rounds of Zamor Spheres instead of just one. Their Zamor Spheres hold energized protodermis, which is known to transform those who are destined for transformation and destroy all others. As the destiny of the Voya Nui Matoran is being blocked by the Piraka's antidermis virus, the energized protodermis cures the Matoran of this virus. The Toa will only use these spheres on infected Matoran, as no Toa would willingly use a deadly weapon against a living being.

[edit] The Toa Inika

[edit] Jaller

"Leader of the Toa Inika, Toa Jaller is determined not to repeat the mistakes of past Toa of Fire. While he is a veteran of many battles and a good tactician, he makes sure to consult the other Toa before taking them into danger. He knows he has a difficult job - leading a team of new Toa who are still learning about their powers - but he also knows there is no room for mistakes on this mission."^[2]

Jaller is a Toa of Fire and his weapon is an Energized Flame Sword. His mask is the Kanohi Calix, the Mask of Fate, allowing him to beat the odds and accomplish incredible leaps, dodges, etc. As a Matoran, Jaller was the courageous Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard. The mask he wore as a Matoran had previously belonged to Toa Lhikan, but was taken from him when in Karzahni's realm; Jaller has vowed to get it back as soon as he gets the chance.

[edit] Hahli

"Hahli understands how vital the mission of the Toa Inika is, but has a hard time adjusting to the constant combat that makes up her new life. The evil and brutality of the Piraka shocks her, even as she wrestles with her own power and how much damage she could do if she ever lost control. She is also puzzled and concerned about her Kanohi mask, which seems to be trying to communicate with her using sudden jolts of pain."

Hahli is a Toa of Water and wields a Laser Harpoon. She wears the Kanohi Elda, the Mask of Detection, which lets her see hidden things including Toa Matoro's spirit form; the mask also gives her headaches as she gets closer to the Ignika Mask of Life. As a Matoran, Hahli was the Chronicler, recording the Turaga's tales of Metru Nui. She is thought to have a soft spot for Jaller.

[edit] Kongu

"Toa Kongu just can't believe it - here he is, a powerful Toa-hero and a veteran Gukko bird rider, and Nuparu gets the Mask of Flight! Worse, thanks to his new mask, he now knows what everyone around him is thinking all the time, especially about him. It leads to a lot of griping on his part, but when battle starts, he is always in the thick of it. He has begun training Nuparu in flying techniques to make sure, he says, that Nuparu doesn't go and break the Mask of Flight."

Kongu is a Toa of Air and uses an Energy Crossbow. His mask is the Suletu, the Mask of Telepathy, which lets him read thoughts, sense strong emotions, and project his own thoughts to others. Unfortunately, though, he has not yet learned how to switch his mask off. The Suletu appears to be broken around the left eye and replaced with a scaly reptilian growth, but that may just be how a Suletu is supposed to look. As a Matoran, Kongu was the Captain of Le-Koro's Gukko Force.

[edit] Hewkii

"Even when he was a Matoran, Hewkii was a team player, and that hasn't changed. The word 'lose' is not part of his vocabulary and the best strategy, in his mind, is to charge the enemy and start fighting. Although he respects Jaller and the others, he has little patience for sitting around and making plans. To him, it's all very simple - beat the Piraka, get the Mask of Life, and get back to Metru Nui once the mission is over."

Hewkii is a Toa of Stone. He has a Laser Axe and a Climbing Chain. He wears the Kanohi Sanok, the Mask of Accuracy, allowing him to use any object as a weapon and have it hit what he wants it to. Upon transforming, he was a little annoyed that nobody seemed to notice the strange color of his armor. As a Matoran, Hewkii was an athlete famous for his skill in the sport of kolhii.

[edit] Nuparu

"Of all the Toa Inika, Nuparu has had his view of the world changed the most - because he now sees it from up among the birds! Having spent almost his whole life underground, he now has the power of flight and loves it. He has joined Matoro as the most effective scouts on the team, even if he isn't quite sure how to handle updrafts, downdrafts, and other hazards of flying. His inventive mind allows him to think of new ways to use his powers to stop the Piraka."

Nuparu is a Toa of Earth. His tools are Great Claws and a Laser Drill, and his Zamor Launcher is shoulder-mounted instead of handheld. His mask is the Kanohi Kadin, the Mask of Flight. As a Matoran, Nuparu invented various machines including the Vahki robots, their failed predecessors the Kralhi, and the Boxor vehicle.

[edit] Matoro

"Matoro is sometimes unsure just what he is doing as a Toa - after all, he is not an athlete or a warrior or an inventor, he is a translator. Strange things have been happening to him ever since he left Metru Nui to go to Voya Nui, leading him to think some unknown destiny is waiting for him here. In the meantime, he is testing the limits of his powers and slowly gaining confidence in his new role."

Matoro is a Toa of Ice and uses a Energized Ice Sword. He wears the Kanohi Iden, the Mask of Spirit, allowing him to have his spirit leave his body temporarily, fly at great heights and speed and go through walls; but his spirit form is invisible and cannot interact with the physical world except to communicate with Hahli and Axonn, who have masks that can see him. Unlike various other Ice Toa, Matoro's mask has no visible mechanical eyepiece as well as that he has a seemingly more warmer attitude. Matoro is the one to carry the Mask Of Life, and will not be cursed by it. Indeed, as he removed it easily from Vezon's face, he said that it seemed like the mask wanted him to have it. As a Matoran, Matoro served as translator for Turaga Nuju.

[edit] Notes

It was vaugely hinted that Matoro may become a Toa in the 6th Bionicle Adventures book (Maze of Shadows), as Nuju is thinking: Matoro bears such a heavy burden with his knowledge of our past, and the inability to tell anyone. He carries a Toa's burden in that way.

[edit] References

[edit] External link

• Toa Inika article at Bionicle Sector 01 Wiki