Toa

Toa were heroes who served the Great Spirit Mata Nui, defended the Matoran and other innocent beings, and honored the Three Virtues: Unity, Duty, and Destiny. Traits which all Toa shared in common were the ability to use Great Kanohi Masks of Power, control of a single elemental power, and possession of a tool to focus that power. Toa commonly operated in groups of six, although smaller and larger groups were known to exist according to different circumstances. Certain Toa were known to have begun their lives as Matoran, while others were Toa for the entirety of their existence. Known means for Matoran to transform into Toa included the power of Toa stones (Toa Metru), donning the Mask of Light (Takanuva), and being struck by lightning from the Red Star (Toa Inika). It was unknown if there were additional means as well.³

Notes

A Toa's power came from within himself or herself, but it was focused through his or her mask.⁴

When the Toa [Mata] combined their elemental powers to defeat the Bahrag, the energies condensed into gel-like protodermis and formed a barrier around the queens, imprisoning them within.⁵

Some Matoran, even on Metru Nui, had never met a Toa before. For example, the transport manager that Matau once met in Le-Metru had seen Toa a long time before but had never met one in person. Still, he had heard legends that Toa were meant to protect the Matoran and keep them safe, which encouraged him to trust Matau.⁶

With extensive practice, Toa could learn to control and ration their elemental energies more efficiently. Otherwise, they could quickly begin to tire.⁷

As far as Vakama knew, the legends said nothing about a Toa turning back into a Matoran. A Toa was a Toa until he fulfilled his destiny, but Vakama did not know what happened after that.⁸

It was said that Toa were very wise and always had good advice to give.⁹

To become a Turaga, a Toa had to fulfill his or her destiny and then willingly sacrifice his or her Toa power.¹⁰

Toa were said to have a destiny to fulfill. Once a Toa fulfilled this destiny, he or she would at some point be presented with a great choice. If he decided to sacrifice his Toa power for the greater good, then he would be transformed into a Turaga, a respected leader of Matoran. If he chose to retain his power, he could remain as a Toa indefinitely. Toa were active on Metru Nui, on Mata Nui, and in numerous other lands. They faced numerous foes, and their greatest and most persistent enemies were the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters.³

As a general rule, Toa were not good at sneaking. It went against their image of being proud and very public heroes.¹¹

Toa were bio-mechanical.^{12, 13}

Toa were able to teleport their Kanohi masks directly from suva to their faces.¹⁴

Gali Nuva once remarked that it was against a Toa's nature to sneak, but rather to work in plain sight and inspire the trust of Matoran.¹⁵

Toa operated by a code, one that said they did not kill their enemies. To do so would have made them no better than they were.¹⁶

At the end of story year 2008, Tahu Nuva was in overall command of all surviving Toa in the universe.¹⁷

The most important part of the Toa's code was never to kill their enemies.¹⁸

Jerbraz once remarked that Matoran who had the calling to become Toa were sometimes a bit eccentric, as if their brain knew something it was not telling them.¹⁹

The maximum number of Toa ever in existence in the universe at one time was 3,000. As of late story year 2006, there were fewer than 50 left, due to the hazards of the job.²⁰ This number would have included the six Toa Nuva, Takanuva, the six Toa Inika, Lesovikk, Helryx, Chiara, Orde, Zaria, and Varian. It may have included Krakua. This means that the maximum number of Toa not encountered in the story at this time was 49 - 6 - 1 - 6 - 6 = 49 - 19 = 30.

As of story year 2008, there were only 50+ Toa left, a fact which Mazeka was aware of.¹⁹

According to Mazeka, a Toa would risk everything to save the helpless, even if it allowed a villain to escape and put more lives at risk in the long run. Mazeka supposed that this was why there were so few Toa left.¹⁹

A Toa's powers were tied to his spirit; a spirit inhabiting a Toa's body would not have access to those powers.²¹

"Toa" meant "hero." A Toa turned evil would no longer be considered a Toa.²²

A corrupt Toa would no longer be considered a Toa by the rest of the organization.²³

After the move to Spherus Magna, it was still possible for new Toa to be created. If a Matoran was destined to become a Toa, then it was still possible for other Toa to invest power in Toa stones to trigger it. In Lhikan's case, he created multiple stones at once, which is why it affected his power. That was not normally how it was done.²⁴

A Mask of Light was not required to make a Toa of Light.²⁵

The artificial intelligence of a Matoran played a role in his or her transformation into a Toa, since it had to change in certain ways, as well as to enable the Toa to control Great Masks, wield elemental powers, and so on. If the artificial intelligence was switched out, as in Velika's case, then transformation into a Toa was not possible.²⁶

A Toa who lost his mask would become extremely sluggish and weak.²⁷

Toa functioned better than Matoran without masks. It took more than a few minutes for the negative effects to set in, but once past that point, it did not matter how much they went without a mask, since the effects did not get much worse with time.²⁸

Toa whose masks got removed were weakened but didn't lapse into comas like Matoran did.²⁹

Even when in the possession of multiple masks, Toa tended to have one in particular they were most comfortable using.³⁰

It was possible for only two Toa to merge into one.³¹

Toa armor was removable, but there weren't smithys to build new armor for them.³²

Toa would not hire Dark Hunters.³³

A combination of six Toa would have been called a Toa Nui, but the possibility of such a being was theoretical.³⁴

A Toa Nui's powers were unknown because it had never existed.³⁵

Use of Toa tools weakened Toa because it drained their elemental powers.³⁶

Toa couldn't channel powers through their eyes.³⁷

Toa couldn't use their powers on a molecular level.³⁸

A Toa would be capable of taking themselves apart.³⁹

Not every Toa looked like the Toa Metru or the Toa Mata; they could have different armor, differently shaped masks, or other differing characteristics.⁴⁰

There were probably other Toa who looked like the Toa Mata.⁴¹

Toa couldn't have multiple elements.⁴²

Toa could suspend their elements in the air, such as when Onua Nuva did so when defeating the Rahkshi.⁴³

Absorbing elements didn't give Toa the properties of those elements.⁴⁴

Toa couldn't absorb just part of a power. For example, a Toa of Fire couldn't absorb the heat from another being's laser vision while a Toa of Light absorbed the light.⁴⁵

Toa tended to carry things in canvas sacks.⁴⁶

Toa had lifespans exceeding 100,000 years, but very few lived out their natural lifespans.⁴⁷

Toa could likely be affected by old age, but they had very long lifespans.⁴⁸

Toa had heightened resistance to their elements, but not immunity. For example, a Toa of Fire could survive in lava for two or three seconds longer than a Toa of any other primary element.⁴⁹

The official title of a Toa was their Toa Team name followed by their individual name.⁵⁰

Toa had greater physical strength, stamina, and endurance than Matoran. Nokama could hold her breath underwater longer than a Matoran.⁵¹

Toa did not kill Rahi.⁵²

Toa Transformation

The Great Beings created Toa and Mata Nui set the destiny of Matoran who would become Toa.⁵³

Kanohi reshaped during the process of becoming a Toa because of the size difference between a Matoran and a Toa.⁵⁴

If a maskless Matoran transformed into a Toa, they would likely remain maskless.⁵⁵

Only Matoran could become Toa.⁵⁶

A Matoran became their image of a Toa. Outside of their mask, it didn't matter how they looked or how they were built as Matoran.⁵⁷

Even if a Matoran's previsualization of a Toa was massive, there was a limited amount of mass they could gain from the transformation.⁵⁸

Matoran likely couldn't transform into a Toa with a non-humanoid shape. It was possible that a humanoid Toa could be mutated into a non-humanoid and remain a Toa.⁵⁹

Supposing a Matoran believed a Skakdi was a Toa before becoming a Toa themselves, they would not look identical to a Skakdi. One main difference would be the presence of a mask. They are were also completely different species, which means the transformation may have limitations that would not allow the Matoran to become a Skakdi.⁶⁰

Toa could not be created spontaneously; the Matoran could only become Toa when it was their destiny to do so.⁶¹

It was impossible for a Toa to go back to being a Matoran.⁶²

Matoran couldn't become Toa unless they were destined to do so. Even the Inika, who transformed through unorthodox means, were destined to be Toa.⁶³

Turaga Transformation and Destiny

Becoming a Turaga involved making a sacrifice and giving up one's Toa power. When faced with a circumstance that called for such a sacrifice, one had to make a choice between power and wisdom.^{64, 65}

To become a Turaga, a Toa needed to achieve their destiny and then be presented with an opportunity to sacrifice their Toa power. If the Toa sacrificed their power without achieving their destiny, they would not become a Turaga.⁶⁶

A Toa's ability to sacrifice their power before completing their destiny would depend on whether their destiny involved losing their Toa power.⁶⁷

If a Toa team failed to achieve their destiny before their deaths, that destiny would not be accomplished by someone else. Every Toa had a destiny that was theirs and nobody else could do it in their place.⁶⁸

If a Toa sacrificed all their power before fulfilling their destiny, they could not become a Turaga and would likely remain a powerless Toa.⁶⁹

Once a Toa fulfilled their destiny, they came to a point where they could choose whether or not to give up their Toa power for the greater good. If they chose not to, they remained Toa.^{70, 71}

In order to become a Turaga, a Toa had to sacrifice his or her power for the greater good. He only got one opportunity to do this, and if he chose not to, he would remain a Toa forever.⁷²

In some cases, the universe benefitted more if Toa chose not to sacrifice their powers. In other cases, the reasons to sacrifice Toa power outweigh the future good the Toa could do with it.⁷³

As a rule, Toa had nobler destinies than to cause the death of another being, even one as evil as Makuta Teridax.⁷⁴

Toa could not be assigned new destinies even after they completed their original destinies. They could have further adventures, but it would not be in pursuit of a new destiny.⁷⁵

Every Toa had a destiny. Dying before completing their destiny was a problem.⁷⁶

Toa tools didn't disappear when a Toa became a Turaga, they transformed.⁷⁷

A Toa's ability to complete their destiny without their team depended on what their destiny was. Takanuva fought alongside the Toa Nuva, but had a different destiny from them. Part of Norik and Iruini's destinies was to save the other Rahaga, so their destinies were different from their team's.⁷⁸

The destinies of Matoran who became Toa were generally set by Mata Nui.⁷⁹

Matoran could only transform into Toa at a certain time. This is evidenced by Takua using Toa stones to summon the Toa Mata without transforming even though he was destined to become a Toa eventually.⁸⁰

Toa didn't have hair.⁸¹

Attributes

Toa averaged 1.6 bio in height (7.2 feet or 2.19 meters).^{82, 83}

A Toa was 1.6 bio tall.⁸⁴

A Toa was about 1.6 bio tall.⁸⁵

Other Information

• Size differences among Toa were usually due to additional pieces required for more articulation.⁸⁶
• Greg Farshtey decided that there was a maximum of 3000 Toa and less than 50 remaining by story year 2006 on the day he posted that information on BZPower.⁸⁷
• Greg Farshtey saw Toa as being avatars of the fundamental forces of the universe. Powers like stasis field, elasticity, and the like were not fundamental forces, but more like superpowers. He saw them as the type of power a mask would have rather than a Toa element.⁸⁸

List of Toa

• Tahu
• Pohatu
• Onua
• Lewa
• Kopaka
• Gali
• Takanuva
• Vakama
• Onewa
• Whenua
• Matau
• Nuju
• Nokama
• Lhikan
• Norik
• Pouks
• Bomonga
• Iruini
• Kualus
• Gaaki
• Nidhiki
• Dume
• Jaller
• Hewkii
• Nuparu
• Kongu
• Matoro
• Hahli
• Jovan
• Toa of Fire merged into Prototype
• Toa of Earth merged into Prototype
• Savage
• Spinner
• Lesovikk
• Nikila
• Tuyet
• Naho
• Helryx
• Chiara
• Orde
• Zaria
• Varian

List of Toa Teams

• Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
• Toa Metru/Toa Hordika
• Toa Hagah
• Toa Inika/Toa Mahri
• Toa Mangai
• Toa Cordak
• Jovan's Toa team
• Savage's Toa team
• Spinner's Toa team