I think the Hordika get too much hate. Personally I prefer them over the Metru, they’ve got a more interesting build and more useful parts.

Whenua's been turned into a Werenua!

Well, that's not really accurate, Toa aren't men and "were" has nothing to do with spiders either, but shut up, that's a decent joke if you know the lore.

Okay fine, it's probably not that good either, I'm just desperate for attention.

My first Hordika. During most of the years Bionicle was out, I collected the black ones.

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

Whenua's eyes are the same as his Turaga version (Not all can say this.) But they are not the proper shade of trans. There should be some more neon in it. Trans Neon Green. Yeah, that would be better. and make that silver white. Now we're talking.

@MCLegoboy said:
"Whenua's been turned into a Werenua!

Well, that's not really accurate, Toa aren't men and "were" has nothing to do with spiders either, but shut up, that's a decent joke if you know the lore.

Okay fine, it's probably not that good either, I'm just desperate for attention."

To be honest, I was expecting a Whynua joke...

@Monopoly said:
"I think the Hordika get too much hate. Personally I prefer them over the Metru, they’ve got a more interesting build and more useful parts."

I entirely agree. Even as a kid, I much preferred the Toa Hordika over the Toa Metru, even though I only had two of each. I always felt the Metru were too gangly, and the darker tones weren't to my taste - but suited the Hordika much better. I also have a lot of nostalgia for the Hordika as they were one of the last waves that I still actually played with - once we got to Voya Nui, I was a young teenager and was buying a few from each wave out of love for the theme, but I stopped playing with them as such.

@MCLegoboy said:
"Whenua's been turned into a Werenua!"

Therenua. There castle.

Five years of RSotD, and the day after is a Bionicle, of course. I feel like someone could've predicted that.

Metru Nui was a glorious sight. The northernmost landmass of the Matoran Universe was a bustling metropolis that served as the "brain" of the Great Spirit Robot.

One of Metru Nui's most impressive features was it's Great Archive. Primarily located underground bellow Onu-Metru, the Archives in their entirety span throughout the whole city's underground. Their complex web of tunnels ran so deep, it was believed portions even linked up with the Maze of Shadows.

The Archives purpose was to store "exhibits" from across the Matoran Universe. While some of these exhibits were simple artifacts, the majority were live specimens of Rahi animals placed into stasis. These stasis systems and cages, however, weren't always up-to-par and escapes were frequent. This made it so not only were the Archives difficult to navigate, but they were full of threats and dangers.

Whenua was once a Matoran and one of the most respected Archivists of the city. For several months, the city's Toa heroes began going missing, until only one was left. Toa Lhikan. Lhikan gave Whenua a mysterious stone and a map to the Great Temple, and then disappeared.

Whenua went to the Great Temple where he met up with five other Matoran. Energy emerged from the Suva at the temple's center, and the six Matoran were transformed into Toa heroes! One of these new Toa, Vakama, revealed to the others that Lhikan had been kidnapped by dark mercenaries known as Dark Hunters. Vakama was also plagued with visions that ordered him to seek out the six Great Disks. Vakama's visions gave him names of six Matoran who knew these disk's locations.

Whenua's quarry was Tehutti, an ambitions Archivist who had long looked up to Whenua. Whenua descended into the Archives and rescued Tehutti from a Rahkshi of Laser Vision. Tehutti lead Whenua to the Great Disk and along the way Whenua had to fight a gigantic crab Rahi.

The Toa used the Great Disks to defeat the Morbuzakh, a giant sentient plant that had been terrorizing the city. The Toa headed to the Coliseum to reveal their Disks and announce their triumph to the Matoran, but along the way were stopped by the Matoran Nuparu. Nuparu revealed to the Toa that a leak had sprung deep in the Archives, and threatened to flood the tunnels.

While Vakama had been leading the Metru up until this point, Whenua took up the mantle for this mission. He lead them deep into the "Fikou Web" of tunnels were no Matoran dared enter in search of the leak.

Along the way the Toa were separated and encountered some strange events, including Rahkshi who had no Kraata pilots and mute Toa with little control of their powers who attacked them. When the group reconvened, Whenua had a theory as to what happened. Long ago the Archives had received a specimen of an endangered Rahi species, who called herself Krahka. Krahka had the ability to shapeshift into any creature she observed. If she watched them long enough she could even replicate their powers and speech.

The Toa continued their descent, Rahi attacks and obstacles dividing their team further. Eventually it came that the only Toa left were Nokama and Whenua. Nokama soon learned the truth. Their guide through the traps had not been Whenua. Krahka had captured Whenua during the first separation, and had inserted herself as someone they would trust to trap them all (haha, Amogus.)

Nokama discovered Krahka's nest and freed the other Toa, including the real Whenua. During the duel the Toa learned how to create a Protodermis seal, but Krahka got away. They soon sealed the leaks, but the fight with Krahka had drained their elemental powers.

The Toa arrived at the Coliseum not to praise, but to accusation. Turaga Dume claimed that merely getting the Great Disks did not prove them Toa, and with their elemental powers drained they couldn't prove him wrong. Vakama spotted something surprising, Dume was being guarded by the Dark Hunters that took Lhikan! Before the Toa could get a word in Dume blamed the Toa for Lhikan's disappearance and declared them enemies of the state. Whenua, Nuju, and Onewa were captur

The Toa arrived at the Coliseum not to praise, but to accusation. Turaga Dume claimed that merely getting the Great Disks did not prove them Toa, and with their elemental powers drained they couldn't prove him wrong. Vakama spotted something surprising, Dume was being guarded by the Dark Hunters that took Lhikan! Before the Toa could get a word in Dume blamed the Toa for Lhikan's disappearance and declared them enemies of the state. Whenua, Nuju, and Onewa were captured, and Vakama, Nokama, and Matau escaped to rescue them.

In prison Whenua and Co. met a mysterious Turaga locked in their cell. This Turaga forced the Toa into strange lessons and activities. Whenua was blindfolded. One by one these lessons lead to the Toa discovering their Kanohi Mask powers, with Whenua's being night vision. The four escaped their cell just as Vakama's team arrived to rescue them. The six Toa united, the Turaga revealed himself to be Lhikan. He had sacrificed his Toa power to turn them into new Toa and to protect future generations.

Lhikan wasn't the only thing in the prison. They also found a pod containing the comatose body of... Turaga Dume!?

But in saving Lhikan, the Toa Metru had failed their true task, to protect the Matoran. The false Dume ordered all Matoran to the Coliseum, where he locked them into pods that put them into comas and wiped their memories. The Toa arrived too late, and the false Dume revealed his true plans. He was actually Makuta Teridax in disguise (haha, Amogus again), and his grand plan to put the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, to sleep had come at last. With a thunderous crash the GSR fell, and a Cataclysm shook the universe.

But the Toa Metru wouldn't give up. Together they stole a boat and sailed for a great crack that had formed in Metru Nui's dome. Along the way Teridax tried to stop them, but using their united powers the Toa trapped him in a protodermis seal.

The Toa Metru sailed through the weaving Maze of Shadows to discover something strange indeed. Far above the underground dome of Metru Nui was a tropical island, which they named Mata Nui in honor of the recently fallen spirit. The Toa hatched a plan to grab all the Matoran pods, haul them to the tropical island, and reawaken the Matoran in a not-so-destroyed-and-pitch-dark city.

When the Toa returned to Metru Nui something was clearly off. The Rahi had escaped the Archives and run rampant, and yet many areas felt dead and quiet. Sickly green webs coated everything. Whenua recognized them, but couldn't put his finger on what it was. While the other five thought they should stay behind and plan ahead, Vakama insisted they keep going and get to the Matoran pods. A few blocks into the webs, Whenua remembered what they were. He shouted their name just as the beasts attacked. Visorak!

An army of giant Visorak spiders had arrived in Metru Nui, under command of King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, expecting to help Makuta build his new kingdom. What they found was their master trapped in a Toa seal. The Visorak wrapped the Toa inside of cocoons high above the Coliseum and injected them with their powerful Hordika venom. This venom transformed the heroes into half-Toa, half-Rahi Beast! The Visorak planned on letting to Toa fall to their death, but they were rescued last minute by six mysterious figures.

These figures were the Rahaga. They had once been a Toa team themselves, but a run-in with Roodaka long ago mutated them into tiny and twisted reptilians. They had been spending the last few hundred years searching for Keetongu, a legendary Rahi who's people had been killed by the Visorak and who was rumored to heal any ailment.

The Rahaga and Hordika set out on a serious of quests. The fist was to locate the Kanohi Avohkii, the Mask of Light, which would be needed much later for a prophesized hero.

Next the crew split up in search of airship parts. While searching Whenua and his Rahaga guide Boomanga were ambushed and captured by Kahgarak, a giant breed of Visorak. Kahgarak had the unique ability to open access to a pocked dimension known as the Field

Next the crew split up in search of airship parts. While searching Whenua and his Rahaga guide Boomanga were ambushed and captured by Kahgarak, a giant breed of Visorak. Kahgarak had the unique ability to open access to a pocked dimension known as the Field of Shadows. The Visorak used the Field of Shadows to store particularly troublesome foes, as well as an even greater threat.

This greater threat was the Zivion, a gigantic Rahi that loved to eat Visorak. Despite it's predatory nature the Visorak kept it around, as it would also eat or decimate any armies the Visorak were entangled in. Eventually the Zivion was unleashed, and Whenua and Boomanga managed to escape alongside it. The giant Zivion scorpion was loose in Metru Nui!

But hope soon arrived. Krahka returned, and the Rahaga and Hordika convinced her to help defend their home. Alongside Tahtorak (forgot to mention him earlier, big lizard, part of Vakama's story not Whenua's,) Krahka took the form of kaiju-like Rahi and the two took on the Zivion. In the end, all three giants were sent to the Field of Shadows together.

Soon the Hordika's quest reached its conclusion as they found the lair of the legendary Keetongu. Keetongu agreed to heal them, on the condition that they drive the Visorak from the city. The Toa staged a grand siege on the Coliseum. During these siege, Sidorak was slain, the Visorak army was disbanded and they fled, and the Toa accidently freed Makuta. Maktua and Roodaka fled to fight another day.

Keetongu healed the Hordika and made them Toa once more, however he couldn't help the Rahaga. Keetongu could heal Visorak venom, but only Roodaka could undo her own handiwork. The restored Toa Metru gathered the Matoran pods, loaded them on airships, and set off for Mata Nui.

On the golden beaches of Mata Nui, the six Toa Metru sacrificed their Toa power to become Turaga and reawaken the slumbering Matoran.

Whenua took the Matoran of Earth to establish the underground village of Onu-Koro. Here they would mine resources for the other villages, including the beautiful Lightstones, and dig highways between the villages.

1,000 years later the Toa Mata arrived on the island, and Turaga Whenua informed Onua of his quest to reawaken Mata Nui. During the Bohrok War Whenua was nearly killed when the Bohrok flooded Onu-Koro, but he and Onua teamed up to escape the ruined caves. During the Quest for the Seventh Toa Onu-Koro was attacked by the Rahkshi and destroyed for good.

Whenua wore the Kanohi Ruru, the Mask of Night Vision. As a Turaga his Noble Mask allowed him to see in the dark, but as a Toa his Great Mask let him create a flashlight like beam from his face.

Whenua's Toa tools were a pair of drills. These were transformed into a pair of Thumper pistons when he became a Hordika, but were transformed back by Keetongu. When he became a Turaga these drills fused together into one drill staff.

Whenua always looked back to the past. He was convinced the failures and successes of those who came before could help guide us in the present. His time in the Archives bolstered a great love of Rahi, and much more than the other Toa he felt it was important to protect wildlife from the Visorak horde.

This guy must always be late: people keep calling him and asking, Whenua coming?

@Arnoldos said:
"Do I understand correctly that the 2004-2005 Metru Nui wave was a prequel to the 2001-2003 Mata Nui?"

Yes. The toa Metru/Hordika from the 2004-2005 arc end up becoming the Turaga of the 2001-2003 arc. This is all about how they became so wise (and secretive.)
The whole arc is basically there to explain why there's a ruined city deep underneath the island. (It's Mata Nui's brain far underneath his camouflaged face).

Next article on the site: "Here's how you'll be able to get the Bionicle GWP"
@Huw You still maintain that huwbot picks at random, without insider knowledge of upcoming articles?