BIONICLE BIONICLE is a constraction ( construction / action ) theme with a series of sets using modified TECHNIC pieces and ball - and - socket joints to create large , elaborate figures . There were also comic books released during the span of the original run , but after Bionicle was discontinued the comic books were gathered into volumes of graphic novels , with the comic books being discontinued . Novels were also released . The theme was introduced in 2001 and originally discontinued in 2010 , being succeeded by Hero Factory . It is well - known among the LEGO community for the extreme popularity it had when it was in stores , before its hiatus . In 2014 , the return of BIONICLE was announced and new sets were produced for 2015 . It was again discontinued in 2017 . About . BIONICLE is normally attributed to the TECHNIC line , due to the inclusion of TECHNIC specific elements and building - styles , although being a largely independent product series . The set s were tied together by an elaborate original storyline that centred around bio - mechanical characters , such as the Toa , which are generally large , powerful beings that usually serve for good . The primary antagonists are the evil Makuta warriors , who are servants of Makuta Teridax , Miserix , or any of the other head of the Brotherhood of Makuta , though the Makuta were not always evil . The story stresses the Three Virtues : Unity , Duty , and Destiny . BIONICLE is one of the most successful and longest lasting LEGO brand series , having “ saved ” the company in the 1999 through 2001 financial crisis . The name “ BIONICLE ” is short for BIOlogical ChroNICLE . A common misconception is that it stands for Biomechanical Chronicle , or from Bionic with a - le suffix . Origins and initial concepts . The LEGO Company ' s financial state was poor during the late 1990s , and decided that a LEGO theme with a storyline would appeal to children . Their first attempt to do so was the Star Wars line , which became an instant success , but the required royalty payments to Lucasfilm cost LEGO dearly . The company decided that they needed an original story , created by the LEGO group itself and made to appeal mainly to boys aged 8 – 12 . Many ideas were postulated by LEGO design staff . Its final choice was to base a new story on the Throwbot ( or “ " Slizers " ” in Europe ) and RoboRiders themes . They were designed with TECHNIC pieces , but contained innovative ball - and socket joints , never before used by LEGO . More importantly , they hinted at storylines , the RoboRiders especially . The planned line would feature more original pieces , as well as some reused parts from previous lines . The BIONICLE line was originally to be titled “ " Bone - Heads of Voodoo Island " , ” and its first year was intended to end with the Great Spirit awakening . However , the storyline was changed to last seven years without the Great Spirit awakening , and two years following that . A major influence was Bob Thompson , the leader of the BIONICLE story team , who changed the names of the six main protagonists from Axe , Blade , Flame , Kick , Hook , and Claw to Lewa , Kopaka , Tahu , Pohatu , Gali , and Onua . The name was also changed to “ BIONICLE . ” According to Greg Farshtey : " Boneheads of Voodoo Island was a “ working title ” for BIONICLE before a final name was decided upon . " The story eventually began to come together . The six canister set s would be the Toa , who protected the Matoran villagers and Turaga elders from the evil Makuta Teridax and his Rahi minions . To do so , they first had to overcome a series of challenges to retrieve the Kanohi masks , which when collected can release great power . The setting was the island of Mata Nui . A notable fact about the year 2002 is that the Maori people , angered at LEGO ’ s lack of respect for some of their words , sued the LEGO Company and won . As a result , many characters ’ names were changed ( i . e . , " Maku " was changed to " Macku " , " Huki " to " Hewkii " , etc . ) . LEGO used this to bring about the idea of the Naming Day Ceremony , where brave Matoran recieve longer and better names , though they are still pronounced the same . Takua , who had saved all six of the villages , was not renamed , so he had his own private “ ceremony ” where he renamed his Ussal Crab from Puku to Pewku . The villagers , originally referred to as Tohunga - after the Maori word for expert or wise man - were also renamed as Matoran . Release history . 2001 . In early 2001 , the R a h i , creatures of the BIONICLE saga , were released . Each of them came in boxes and had one or more easily removable Kanohi masks . Each set included two Rahi . They were able to knock off the mask of the other Rahi by using one of its attacks , such as 8549 Tarakava boxing with its long arms or 8538 Muaka & Kane - Ra launching their heads forward . Also available were the Turaga , the village elders of the Island of Mata Nui and leaders of the Matoran . The Turaga were available in small boxes . Their right arm held a staff and could swing by pressing down a lever on their back . They were also available in Japan as Kabaya promotions , packed with sweets . The McDonald ' s fast - food restaurant released sets of the inhabitants of the island , called Matoran , originally called " Tohunga " . They were small and each had a total of eight pieces . They could launch a Bamboo Disk with their arms , similar to the Slizers or Throwbots . The Matoran came in Polybag s . The last release of the year was the Toa , later called Toa Mata , which were larger , with gear - movement and big weapons . The main feature introduced in this year were the Masks , which granted special abilities to the Toa , such as water - breathing or extra strength . The masks were collectible , having various colours and shapes . Special masks packs included gold and silver Kanohi . The Kanohi masks were attached to the face by an irregular knob , making them easy to take off . In this way , the characters could aim to hit the mask off their opponent . The canister lids of the Toa Mata had axle holes to hold the Toa faces , holding a maximum of six Kanohi plus one in the center . 2002 . The first releases of 2002 were the Bohrok , insectoid creatures controlled by the rubber brain - like Krana . By pressing down a lever at the back of each Bohrok , its head could snap out . The headplate could be opened to reveal its Krana by pressing on its eyes . By leaving the headplate open and pressing the lever , the Bohrok could launch its Krana at an opponent . The Krana could be fitted on a figure ’ s head in the same way as a Kanohi . The Bohrok were also capable of rolling into a ball , and with the help of a special peg , each Bohrok could be hung up inside its oval canister . The label on the canister would then be peeled off to reveal the hanging Bohrok inside . The Bohrok were accompanied by the smaller Bohrok Va , similar in size to the Turaga , and packed in boxes . They carried dormant forms of the Krana . At the end of the year , the Toa Nuva , transformed forms of the Toa Mata , were introduced . They wore silver armour and larger , more organic - looking masks , which did not come off the Toa ’ s faces as easily . They wielded silver modifications of their former weapons ; for example , Toa Mata Gali ’ s hooks transformed into water axes . Their canister lids had new designs and could be stacked . They also had axle holes in the lid , as they did in 2001 . 2003 . In spring 2003 , the Bohrok - Kal were released . They wore Krana - Kal , which looked like shinier , metallic versions of Krana . The Bohrok - Kal were the same size and shape of Bohrok , with slightly different weapons and some silver components , with their heads showing the symbol of their elemental Bohrok group . Their canisters were mainly the same design as that of the Bohrok as well , having a peg from which to hang the Bohrok - Kal . In the second half of 2003 the Rahkshi were introduced , a group of six warriors of Makuta controlled by collectible slug - like creatures called Kraata . Each of these Rahkshi came in one of the six standard colours and wielded a unique staff with the power of their Kraata . Their spine plate could be flipped open to reveal the Kraata inside . The Kraata were also available in packs . They had different powers and power levels , depending on their colour and their pattern . The Rahkshi containers were triangular and could be stacked . The lids featured niches and holes to fit all six types of one Kraata in it . There were up to forty - two Kraata variations . In 2003 , four non - canister , or “ titan , ” sets were released . 8593 Makuta included the primary antagonist , Makuta , in one of his various forms , carrying a shadow staff . He wears black , gunmetal , and red armour . 8594 Jaller and Gukko and 8595 Takua and Pewku each included a Matoran with a rebuilt design ( some of these rebuilt Matoran were released as standalone sets ) with a tame Rahi . 8596 Takanuva Included a special , Toa Nuva - shaped figure with copper armor and a copper Mask of Light , plus his vehicle , the Ussanui . 2004 . In 2004 , the form and shape of the Toa and Matoran changed entirely . The Toa Metru were larger , used almost entirely different pieces , and had new weapons and new masks . One of the most notable changes was a new head with a ball - joint , that could attach to any masks except those from before the Toa Nuva ( and the later Toa Inika ) . Adapting the Rahkshi ' s leg design with its poseable knees , the Toa Metru ' s whole leg was built upon ball - and - socket design , with a new double - sided upper - limb element . In addition to poseable knees , the Toa Metru had poseable elbows as well . The canisters of the Toa were round , having screw lids . By combining two lids a " Matoran Sphere " could be created , used in the storyline to transport Matoran . The Matoran came in small boxes . They wore remakes of the 2001 Turaga masks , but with new colors , and had larger bodies . They were the first BIONICLE set wave to have a uniform weapon , called the Kanoka Disk Launcher , which fired Kanoka Disks , similar to the Bamboo Disks of the 2001 Matoran and the Disks of the Slizers ( or Throwbots ) . The Kanoka Disks , which came in an ammunition pack called 8613 Kanoka Disk Launcher Pack , had a three - digit code printed on them which indicated the origin , the ability and the power level of each disk . In the summer of 2004 , the Vahki were released . These security robots could fire Kanoka Disks from their mouths and could transform from a bipedal walking mode to a 4 - legged hunt mode . Their secondary weapons were staffs with special powers they could inflict on their targets . The arms could rotate with a wheel on their backs similar to the Rahkshi . The Vahki sets also included Kanoka Club codes to enter on BIONICLE . com , printed on a cardboard piece . Their canisters were triangular , with a transparent lid in their respective colour . 2005 . In 2005 the Toa Hordika were released , along with the Visorak . The Toa Hordika were the first Toa to have uniform weapons , which were called Rhotuka Spinners . They could be launched by pulling a ripcord from a launcher on which the spinners were mounted . The Rhotuka spinners had a code consisting of Matoran letters and numbers to enter on BIONICLE . com as a Kanoka Club code . The canisters of the Toa Hordika were nearly round , having the appearance rivets on the side . The lid was screwed onto the top of the canister , and had space to hold two Rhotuka . The spider - like Visorak also used the Rhotuka Spinners , mounted on their backs . Additionally , by pressing the backs of the Visorak down , their pincers would open and close . Their canisters were similar to those of the Toa Hordika . The lids had a transparent plastic dome which could be opened to remove a Rhotuka Spinner . These also had a code printed on them . 2005 was also the first year of playsets , models of large buildings and vehicles of the BIONICLE universe , with a combination of both System and TECHNIC elements . The figures included in these sets didn ’ t have any articulation points and consisted of two parts : the figure and its weapon . 2006 . During spring 2006 the Piraka were introduced . They featured light - up eyes , glow - in - the - dark faces , rubber spines , and a new weapon called the Zamor sphere launcher , which fired plastic balls called Zamor Spheres . The secondary weapon of the Piraka was a double - sided weapon which could be flipped in the character ' s hand . 8903 Zaktan , for an example , featured a weapon with a three - bladed scissor on one side and pincers on the other . Each Piraka ’ s canister was bullet - grey with a screwable lid . The lid contained the light - up eyepiece , which had to be removed before it could be put into the model There was also a plastic mold of the respective Piraka head , which in turn could also be removed from the lid , although it wasn ’ t compatible with any TECHNIC piece . Notably , these were the first large BIONICLE figures not to use gears to move their arms . The Toa Inika , which were released in summer 2006 , carried a modified version of the Zamor Launcher : it had an additional piece that allowed it to hold four Zamor Spheres at once . The Zamor Spheres included with the Toa Inika came in the colours yellow - orange , blue and green . Each Toa Inika ' s primary weapon was a strobe - light tool which glowed either red , blue or green and could be activated by pressing a small black button on the side . Each set came with removable batteries for the tool . The head of Toa was designed with a rubber mask , and could not accept any other mask . The lids of the Inika canisters were two - piece : the bottom piece could hold the four Zamor spheres and the strobe - light weapon , while the top piece fastened everything into place . Five titans were also released in 2006 , all of whom guarded the Mask of Life . Two of them were Axonn and Brutaka , friends who had turned enemies . Axonn was dark red and silver and carried a double - bladed axe . Brutaka was dark blue and gold and carries a double - ended sword . Three of the titans guarded the cave to the Mask of Life . One was Umbra , based on the Latin word for shadow . Another extremely rare titan , named Irnakk , and had a golden spine with golden Zamor Spheres . Another titan set included Vezon and Fenrakk . Vezon wore a Piraka - like mask with a version of the Mask of Life fused to the back of it and carried the Staff of Fusion . The Vezon and Kardas set , including pieces from Axonn , Brutaka , and Vezon and Fenrakk , made up one of the largest BIONICLE characters yet seen , the 14 - inch - tall Kardas Dragon . Also sold at this time were six Voya Nui Matoran , packaged in small boxes , and Zamor packs filled with bronze , silver and gold Zamor Spheres . Additionally , this year there were four Playsets , and many promotional sets . 2007 . Up until this time , each series of canister sets had the same type of body ( legs , arms , feet , torso ) , and the only major differences were in the masks , colors , and weapons . In 2007 , although the series had some uniform characteristics , each wave had variation in each character ’ s arms , legs , torso , and armor . In early 2007 , the Barraki were released . The Barraki carried squid launchers , which launch orange and blue Sea Squids , and a secondary weapon like claws or swords . Each Barraki had pincers on its mouth , giving it a water creature - like appearance . These canisters had the lid on the bottom resembling a rock , and a transparent canister part representing air bubbles . The canisters were also slanted to the right . The Toa Mahri were released in the third quarter of 2007 . They carried Cordak Blaster s which fired red Cordak missiles . The Cordak Blaster was based upon a pump system ; by pushing the back of the blaster , the Cordak missile came flying out . The Toa also carried a secondary weapon , like a shield or a talon , except for 8910 Kongu , who wielded another Cordak Blaster . Their containers were not canisters in the traditional sense , but rather a large plastic frame around a transparent plastic window . Behind this , there was a cardboard piece with the image of the set and plastic bags containing the pieces . The canister / box was sealed with another cardboard piece on the back , showing the set from another view . The Matoran and Hydruka of Mahri Nui came in small boxes . There were two Matoran and two Hydruka available . The titans were also packaged in boxes . The sides of the boxes were decorated with the image of a rusted , metal frame . These titans also featured the first appearance of a mask with a removable axle ; until then , all axles of the masks were part of the mask . This year also marked the end of the playsets , with 8925 Barraki Deepsea Patrol , 8926 Toa Undersea Attack , and 8927 Toa Terrain Crawler being the last playsets released . 2008 . In January 2008 , the Phantoka and Av - Matoran were introduced . The three Toa Nuva of this wave were armed with Midak Skyblaster s , which could fire Midak Sky Spheres , silver - coloured Zamor spheres . The first half of the year concentrated on battle in the skies , so the Toa , Makuta and Matoran all had means of flight . The three Phantoka Makuta carried Tridax Pods , which were orange transparent spheres that could break open , releasing Shadow Leeches , creatures capable of draining the light from an individual . The Phantoka canister design featured a plastic box with a lid and a plastic frame , representing rock columns , fitted to the side . These canisters could not be stacked . The only box set of this first wave was 8697 Toa Ignika , the first set to include the Ignika , the Mask of Life , although it was silver rather than its usual gold . In summer 2008 , the Mistika were released . Like the Phantoka , this line featured three Toa and three Makuta . The Toa , as well as the Makuta , carried Nynrah Ghost Blasters , which shot rubber projectiles in either lime green or silver . The Makuta were released as a mutated form of their original selves , but they too wore Kanohi masks , although mutated into insectoid forms . The canisters of the six Mistika featured a lid with a Kanohi Ignika on the side . The Ignika had two sides : one smooth , representing the mask when it was created , and the other scarred and pitted , representing the damage the mask received over time . The canisters had a notch in the bottom so they could be stacked . The Matoran were the largest Matoran to be released , but also the ones with the least pieces , all of them having 14 pieces , except for 8947 Radiak . They did not have uniform weapons or even uniform means of flight ; the Av - Matoran , or Matoran of Light , had jetpacks , while the Shadow Matoran had black bat - like wings . Their canisters were a mix of box and canister : the top and bottom part was a plastic piece , shaped like rocks . The middle part , however , was made out of cardboard with an image of the set printed on it . 2009 . In Spring 2009 the Glatorian were released , along with six Agori and two titan sets , 8990 Fero and Skirmix and 8991 Tuma . The Glatorian all wielded Thornax Launcher s with rubber Thornax fruits as projectiles . They also all had secondary ( and sometimes tertiary ) weapons . Rather than having masks attached onto the face , these figures had helmets that were attached from the top . The lids of their canisters wore an unknown pattern , which could be stacked using the bottom of another canister . In summer 2009 , the Glatorian Legends were released , with 8989 Mata Nui wearing a yellow Ignika . These sets also had Thornax launchers and secondary weapons . Their canisters had a different lid pattern but could also be stacked . The Agori sets bore a large resemblance to the 2008 Matoran sets , having nearly the same design , piece count and price . Their canisters weren ' t different from those Matoran canisters except for the color . The spring titan and summer vehicle sets were packed in boxes . The piece count and price increased with the number of the vehicle : V1 , V3 , V7 , V5 , V9 and XV1 . The vehicles also had all one Thornax Launcher , 8995 Thornatus V9 and 8996 Skopio XV - 1 having additional “ " Force Blasters " ” which were the same weapon as the 2008 Midak Skyblaster s . In summer 2009 a titan Mata Nui set was also released , wearing a golden Ignika . This set was bigger , but in the storyline it represents Mata Nui in his original size , not as large as the set was . As a tie - in to the release of the fourth film , a BrickMaster promotion was released : 20012 Click , the Scarabax beetle that befriended Mata Nui . 2010 . The 2010 saga only featured six set releases due to the end of BIONICLE : The BIONICLE Stars . The sets ’ piece count varied from 15 to 21 pieces . The sets used the same system as the 2008 Matoran and the 2009 Agori , but with armor on the chest and shoulders . Each set included a piece of the Golden Armour , which in - storyline was worn by Tahu . This set line didn ' t have uniform ranged weapons , like the 2004 Kanoka Disk launchers or the 2006 Zamor launchers . Instead they had different weapons , similar to the 2001 - 2003 saga . Each set included a character from somewhere in the storyline previously . Stars brought the renewal of Tahu , Takanuva , Gresh , and Skrall and introduced the Skakdi Nektann and the yellow Rahkshi of Heat Vision . The canisters were smaller than previously released canisters . The lid featured a Skrall shield symbol , the map of the " Valley of the Maze " . The bottom of the canisters had a notch to stack them . The End of the original run . The BIONICLE story ended in 2010 , with the final sets being that of the BIONICLE Stars , stated by Jan Faltum , Global BIONICLE Director in his letter . According to him , a newer , more flexible buildable figure property , created by the same people who were responsible for BIONICLE , would be created to replace BIONICLE , that system being Hero Factory . Although BIONICLE stopped making products , Greg Farshtey still continued the story on BIONICLEstory . com until 2013 when the site ( currently accessible here ) was taken down . This left many questions unanswered and some story serials unfinished . Hiatus 2011 - 2014 . Hero Factory was generally considered BIONICLE ’ s replacement and although at first was thought to be the replacement of BIONICLE . Hero Factory was released in August of 2010 and features factory - made robot heroes , which at first were made mainly of the same construction style as the BIONICLE Stars sub - theme characters ( the final toy - line and story for BIONICLE ) , so they were much simpler to build and the canisters are similar to the BIONICLE 2010 set canisters , too , with the exception of different lids . The Hero Factory characters included new leg , torso , foot , and armor molds . The villains had the bending leg design from the Toa Metru , but usually with only 2008 Matoran limbs as arms . In 2011 , Hero Factory 2 . 0 was introduced , with a new system based on new limb elements , furthering Hero Factory ’ s style from BIONICLE . Hero Factory continued until 2014 , with BIONICLE eventually coming back in 2015 partially due to overwhelming support from LEGO fans around the world . Return . BIONICLE was re - released in 2015 . The story is a reboot rather than a continuation of the original story . The sets feature the Toa , the Protectors , the Mask Maker , and the evil Skull Spiders . The sets currently use the " CCBS " system , used from the previous Hero Factory theme . The story takes place on the island of Okoto where they will be searching for masks ; mainly the Mask of Creation , the Mask of Control , and the Mask of Ultimate Power . Makuta is now the evil brother of the noble Mask Maker Ekimu , who - though his body is comatose - seeks to dominate the island . In his efforts he is assisted by the Skull Spiders , the Skull Creatures and their leader Kulta . After the defeat of the Skull enemies , the Toa were gifted new weapons and armor by Ekimu and set out to find and destroy Makuta ' s Mask of Control . To do this , they searched for the Elemental Creatures Release History of the Second Line . 2015 . On January 1st , the Protectors were released . They were the elders of each village , similar to the Turaga . They were sold in canister - like carton boxes that can be stacked above the Masters ' boxes . Each came with a Skull Spider , a unique melee weapon , a special mask with joints that are now where the figure ' s ' ears ' would be , and a rapid - fire stud shooter that was previously used in the Star Wars line . At the same time , the Toa or Masters were released in larger boxes . They also each came with a Skull Spider and a golden version of their elemental mask . They have the size of the XL Hero Factory figures and 2 - in - 1 weapons , like the Toa Nuva had . Also , Tahu , Pohatu , and Kopaka have alternative melee weapons , since their weapon ' s secondary function is a mode of transportation . One of the major antagonists , the Lord of Skull Spiders was released as well . It isn ' t humanoid like the rest , and includes an exclusive Golden Skull Spider mask . In August , the Skull Creatures were released . There were 4 of them and they were sold in boxes . They have unique armor , limbs , masks and weapons . They come with half gold , half transparent variations of the Toa masks , symbolic of the fact that they can drain the elemental powers from even the uniquely powerful Golden Masks . Also , a large boxed set was released , 70795 Mask Maker vs . Skull Grinder . It included the Mask of Creation , the mask the Toa searched for , Ekimu the Mask Maker and Kulta the Skull Grinder . 2016 . In the second year , new versions of the Toa were released , similar to the original line , along with the Elemenetal Creatures . Five of each Uniter and Creature sets came in separate boxes , while Kopaka and Melum were in a single pack . A play feature of this line involved the Elemental Creatures being able to attach to their respective Toa , each of whom also came with standard and gold versions of their new masks ; the Creatures also came with Shadow Traps enemies . This line also featured a set for the shadow hunter Umarak , who came with a Shadow Trap and a unique mask as well as the Mask of Control . Also , the pieces are completely redesigned and a new gear function found in the Toa and Umarak allows them to turn the waist , something that was impossible in previous BIONICLE sets . The summer line featured five boxed sets of varied sizes . The sets depict Ekimu and Umarak in new , larger forms ; Ekimu comes with a new version of the Mask of Creation as well as a differently colored version of Umarak ' s mask from the winter wave . The other three sets depict the Lava Beast , Quake Beast , and Storm Beast , who each come with recolored versions of masks from three Toa : Tahu , Onua , and Kopaka , respectively . This would be the last wave released in the second generation of BIONICLE . Online Games . " This section mentions only the major online games of BIONICLE . " Mata Nui Online Game : In the " Mata Nui Online Game " , players could explore and play themselves through takua ' s on the island Mata Nui with the Matoran character Takua . The game was released in 2001 . Minifigures . From 2005 to 2007 , several BIONICLE Playsets were released . These were built like normal LEGO models , and contained minifigure versions of various BIONICLE characters . The original figures were not posable , but in 2006 the minifigures were redesigned so they had 6 points of posability . BIONICLE minifigures did not last long likely due to popularity . 2005 : 2006 : 2007 :