The Piraka was the name adopted by a group of six Skakdi4 ex-Dark Hunters which broke away from that organization and attempted to steal the Kanohi Ignika. They were Zaktan, Hakann, Avak, Reidak, Thok, and Vezok. Vezon was unofficially considered a seventh member.2
Notes
Piraka was a Matoran term that was rarely used. Loosely translated, it meant "thief and murderer," and it was so vile a term that the Matoran considered it an obscenity.1
With their devastating eyebeams and zamor sphere launchers, the Piraka were a serious threat. The Piraka were once members of a shadowy organization called the Dark Hunters. The Piraka's zamor spheres contained the antidermis virus, which could enslave others. There was a mysterious seventh Piraka named Vezon.5
In the Matoran language, the word Piraka meant "thief," among other things, although it meant much more than that as well. A common thief might sneak into a village to steal something of value; a Piraka would set the whole village ablaze to cover up his theft. A robber would normally make an effort to slip in and out unnoticed; a Piraka would destroy whatever or whoever was in sight, purely out of spite. Piraka were criminals, looked down upon even by other criminals, as scum. Calling someone by that name had the potential to start a violent, centuries-long feud. There were few words more vile that an intelligent being could utter.3
The Piraka were Skakdi from Zakaz. According to the Order of Mata Nui, they were the six most infamous examples of the negative, violent tendencies of their race.6
Piraka was a Matoran term meaning "thief and murderer."2
The Piraka used Zamor spheres filled with antidermis, a virus used to enslave the Matoran (and, unknown to all, the very essence of Makuta).7
The Piraka wanted the Mask of Life for their own personal power.8
The Piraka were manipulative, ruthless, and destructive, but not mindless for the most part. They acted to further their plans more than anything else.9
The Piraka spoke Matoran.10
The Piraka were equivalent in strength to the Toa Nuva.11
The Piraka were not necessarily stronger than the Toa Nuva, but they had the advantage of surprise and Brutaka on their side.12
Each Piraka had five methods of fighting: elemental powers, eye-based attacks, Zamor sphere launchers, weapons, and an additional power.13
The Piraka were very fast; strength and agility varied between them.14
The Piraka worked together because they had to in order to achieve their goals, but none of them liked or trusted each other. Some had alliances, but they knew those would not last long after the Mask of Life was found.15
The Piraka worked together for profit. They knew they couldn't have gotten the Mask of Life alone, so they worked together until they could betray the rest and get the mask.16
The Piraka were probably a little taller than Toa.17
Some of the Piraka were augmented by the Brotherhood of Makuta because that organization often hired Dark Hunters and it was in their best interest to improve their operatives.18
The Piraka's vision powers were likely natural.19
Most of the powers possessed by the Piraka were natural.20
Some of the Piraka's powers were natural, but some likely weren't.21
The Piraka were violent, brutal, vicious beings who did not achieve the inner discipline necessary to use masks.22
None of the Piraka, including Vezon, had the mental discipline to use Kanohi.23
There were more Piraka than just the seven on Voya Nui.24
None of the Piraka were friendly with each other, they viewed it as a way to lay the groundwork for betrayal.25
The Piraka all came from the same island.26
The Piraka feared Irnakk because they believed he would kill them.27
The Piraka lied all the time, so they figured everyone else did as well.28
"Piraka" was a job title, not a species name. Other members of the Piraka's species existed.29
A single Manas could defeat one of the Piraka.30
The Piraka were powerful, but they weren't good at strategy and tactics.31
The Piraka learned to understand, speak, read, and write in Matoran because it was essentially a universal language for the universe.32
The Piraka had killed scores of Toa in their lifetimes prior to arriving on Voya Nui and would not have hesitated to kill the Inika.33
The Piraka would have the edge in a battle between them and the Barraki as they had more powers and better ranged abilities. Zaktan and Reidak in particular would be difficult to sneak up on or ambush. The Barraki had an edge in an underwater conflict, but the Piraka would be more likely to win a one on one fight.34, 35
The Piraka wanted the Ignika for blackmail.36
Other Information
- The Piraka were loosely based on pirates.37
- The Piraka's nicknames weren't their codenames.38 They existed solely to give kids another way to remember the characters, they weren't part of the storyline.39
- The Piraka's promotional nicknames were not English translations of their names.40
- The Piraka's promotional nicknames were not their Dark Hunter codenames. The nicknames were purely used for branding purposes and did not appear in the storyline.41
- The Piraka were some of Greg Farshtey's favorite characters by 2006.42
- Greg Farshtey didn't think much about the Piraka's voices. He considered voices in terms of '40s movies.43