The Shadowed One was the legendary leader of the Dark Hunters.1, 2 The Shadowed One lived on the island of Odina, from which he directed the actions of his mercenaries. His power was rumored to be second only to that of the Brotherhood of Makuta. His staff could create solid, crystalline protodermis. His Rhotuka spinner induced temporary madness. He possessed highly destructive eyebeams.2
Notes
The Shadowed One was the founder and leader of the Dark Hunters, a villainous group of bounty hunters and thieves. Ruthless and powerful, he even dared to declare war on Makuta, a conflict that raged for over 1,000 years. His eyes shot destructive beams, and his staff was able to create crystalline protodermis strong enough to hold even a Toa.3
The Shadowed One's true name was lost to history and was a guarded secret. The Shadowed One originally came from a land of shadows and ice, one seemingly overlooked by the care of Mata Nui. While the Matoran were elevated to special status and the Makuta came to serve Mata Nui's will, the people of his land were ignored and abandoned. The Shadowed One became determined to carve out an empire for himself, and he began taking on tasks Matoran were too timid to do and the Brotherhood saw as beneath it. Eventually, the Shadowed One led hundreds of Dark Hunters scattered throughout the known Matoran universe. From his fortress, he assigned their missions, housed the treasure they collected, and enforced their laws.4
The Shadowed One had formidable strength. He also had eyebeams capable of disintegrating virtually any substance. His staff could create solid protodermis strong enough to imprison a Toa. The Shadowed One's only defeat in combat was his fight with Makuta, for which he promised vengeance. As a result of this battle, the Shadowed One had unnaturally advanced age, although this hardly impaired his ability to govern the Dark Hunters. The Shadowed One remained in firm control of the Dark Hunters, and only the Piraka dared to challenge his rule.4
Ancient was a native of the same home island as the Shadowed One.5
The Shadowed One sat on a throne, high above which was perched Darkness, who kept constant vigilance for his first sign of weakness. Darkness followed the Shadowed One when he traveled.6
The Shadowed One found virtues such as honesty and fairness contemptible.7 He had disdain for friendship and the vulnerability it created.8
The Shadowed One's most loyal servant was Sentrakh, who was the one being in all the universe he believed he could trust. He acknowledged that he truly owed Sentrakh his life, after Sentrakh had saved him following his battle with Makuta. The Shadowed One considered one day repaying him by freeing him from his empty existence and ending his life.9
The Shadowed One's eye beams destroyed a target's bonds of molecular cohesion, causing its atoms to shoot off in different directions, effectively disintegrating it.10
The Shadowed One was master of the Dark Hunters, mortal enemy of the Makuta, thief, assassin, and conqueror. He had told enough lies himself that he could easily tell when someone else was lying.11
The Shadowed One considered Ancient his loyal lieutenant.12
The Shadowed One could control the shape of the crystaline protodermis made by his staff.13
The Shadowed One did not approve of Dark Hunters leaving the organization.14
When the Shadowed One was aged by Voporak, his appearance did not noticeably change.15
The Shadowed One's strength most likely diminished when he was aged.16
The Shadowed One was just as powerful after he was aged as he was prior.17, 18
The Shadowed One's reduced lifespan after his encounter with Voporak was not a big issue for him because of the extremely long lifespans of biomechanical beings.19
The madness induced by the Shadowed One's Rhotuka would take a different form for every individual.20
Axonn and Brutaka were more powerful than the Shadowed One.21
The Shadowed One had a real name.22
The Shadowed One was weaker than Teridax.23
The Shadowed One was a mammal, as evidenced by his ability to breathe air.24
The appendage sprouting from the Shadowed One's lower back was probably a tail.25
The Shadowed One used the wealth he obtained through the Dark Hunters to buy power and influence.26
The Shadowed One's disintegration blasts destroyed the entirety of a structure he tried to destroy, not just the part he was looking at.27
The Shadowed One might have come from a culture where it was believed that knowing a being's true name gave one power over that being. In addition, if no one knew who he really was, they could not strike at him through his friends or other people from his past.28
When sitting on his throne, the Shadowed One accommodated his tail the same way a cat would.29
At the end of the story, the Shadowed One was on Spherus Magna, forming a new army around the remnants of the Dark Hunters and the scum of his new world. They were all in deep cover until the moment was right to strike. They included beings from Spherus Magna such as bone hunters and Skrall, as well as other kinds of beings [not seen yet] from other regions of Spherus Magna. The Shadowed One continued to keep the viruses he took as a secret weapon.30 The new organization was not called the Dark Hunters.31
Other Information
- The character of the Shadowed One was not planned until his combiner set was designed.32
- Greg Farshtey stated he knew the Shadowed One's real name in July 2006.33
- By Fall 2006 Greg Farshtey hadn't bothered to make up a true name for the Shadowed One because he couldn't get Legal to clear something he didn't plan on putting in the story.34
- In March 2007, Greg Farshtey stated he didn't plan to reveal the Shadowed One's true name because it wasn't important to the story.35
- Greg Farshtey claimed to know the Shadowed One's real name in April 2007.36
- Greg Farshtey knew the Shadowed One's name since the Dark Hunter guide.37