Kanohi Masks Kanohi Masks are objects from the LEGO BIONICLE theme and storyline , and the most common of the franchise ' s " collectibles " . Many major characters depicted in Set s wear these masks , specifically Toa , Turaga , and Matoran . General . Kanohi Masks are some of the most well - known items in the BIONICLE universe , being worn by several prominent races and beings including the Matoran ( the world ' s largest race ) , the Toa ( destined heroes ) , the Turaga ( Matoran elders ) , the Makuta ( prominent guardians , now corrupt ) , and Artakha and Karzahni ( famous figures of legend ) . Very rarely are Kanohi seen removed from these and other Kanohi - wearing beings , because if the masks are taken off for an extended period of time , the wearer begins to weaken ; and Matoran will eventually shut down until a Kanohi is placed on their face . Kanohi Masks are connected to their wearers , so much so that when the wearer is physically changed , often the mask changes along with them . For example , if a Matoran gains power and becomes a Toa , then their mask will change from its powerless form into a fully functional Great Mask . Likewise , Toa becoming Turaga will have their masks depowered into Noble Masks . This connection is so strong that for a short time after a wearer ' s death , an imprint of their spirit lingers in their mask ; if enough life energy is infused in this imprint then the wearer can be resurrected from death . There are several ways to create Kanohi Masks , but the only one known is to melt down Kanoka disks and fuse them together . There are four different classes of Kanohi in existence : Appearance . Masks are usually shaped according to their powers , so that a mask ' s power can be known without trying it on first . Apparently , there can be some variation within standard designs ; Lhikan wore a Great Hau that was shaped differently from other known Masks of Shielding , yet could still be quickly recognized as a Hau . Unpowered Matoran masks are made in a shape that represents the power it would have if it were given enough strength . There are only a few known exceptions to this rule : The mask ' s level has a bearing on its colour . Masks are usually silver - gray , and when worn they take on the colour of the wearer ( though for a short time when the Toa Nuva lost their elemental powers , their masks began to slowly fade back to silver - gray ) . Sometimes a mask is metallic - coloured , which indicates either a special mask ( such as the Vahi and Avohkii ) or a special wearer ( like the Toa Hagah ) ; metallic masks are generally not any more powerful than plain - coloured versions . In addition , mechanical enhancements can be built into masks of any level . One fairly common enhancement is a telescoping eyepiece that allows the wearer to see over long distances ; this seems to be a standard addition to Great Akaku masks , and possibly Great Matatu masks as well ( though as there are only two known Great Matatu wearers - Toa Nuju and Kazi - it ' s hard to say whether " all " such masks have eyepieces ) . The Toa Mahri ' s masks have also been altered to allow underwater breathing , and Toa Kopaka ' s Akaku Nuva has adapted to include a laser targeting system instead of the telescoping eye piece . List of Kanohi . Different powers are contained by different masks . Here is a list of the known Kanohi , along with their Matoran name and their power . Noble Kanohi . Technically , any Great - level mask could exist as a weaker , Noble - level version ; but these are the ones seen so far in the storyline : Great Kanohi . Great Masks are the most commonly - seen Kanohi ; worn by Toa and other mentally powerful beings . By being dipped in energized protodermis , they can be upgraded into Kanohi Nuva , whose enhanced powers can be shared with others but can only be used by Toa Nuva ( see under " Variations " , below ) . Although all the Toa Nuva originally had 6 Great Kanohi , Tahu lost the five masks he found when Ta - Koro was destroyed in a Rahkshi attack Legendary Kanohi . Legendary Masks contain fundamental forces of the universe . Any being wishing to use these powers must struggle to keep them from running wild , and if a mask is damaged its power will leak out uncontrollably . For more information , see " Kanohi Histories " below . Kanohi histories . Most masks have unremarkable histories ; they are forged by maskmakers and then worn by their owners for the rest of their lives . However , a few masks have notable histories apart from any wearer : Avohkii . The Avohkii Mask of Light was forged by the residents of Artakha . The mask was intended to be an insurance against darkness should the Brotherhood of Makuta ever rebel . Being creatures of shadow , with the fear that the Avohkii could be used against them , the Brotherhood stole it from Artakha and hid it away in one of their fortresses . Some time later , the Brotherhood ' s bodyguards , the Toa Hagah , discovered how corrupt the Brotherhood had become and rebelled against them . They were caught and mutated into creatures called " Rahaga " , but not before they recovered the Avohkii from the Brotherhood ' s stronghold . One of the mask ' s guards swore revenge on the Rahaga and joined the Dark Hunters in his quest to reclaim the mask ; he was given the codename " Seeker " . When the Rahaga came to Metru Nui some time later , they hid the Avohkii somewhere in the city . After the Brotherhood ' s Visorak armies invaded the city , the Rahaga instructed the Toa Hordika to recover the six Makoki stones ( also in the city ) so they could unlock the mask ' s hiding place and claim it before the Visorak do . The Toa did so , though in the process , Toa Onewa hit the mask with his Rhotuka spinner and encased it in stone in order to protect it . The Toa brought the Mask of Light with them when they relocated to the island of Mata Nui and became Turaga ; Vakama fashioned the stone covering into a totem and hid it in a lava cave , where it remained for a thousand years . Eventually , a Matoran named Takua , who had a tendency to go off exploring , entered the cave and found the totem ; when he dropped the totem into the lava , it melted away and revealed the Avohkii inside . Turaga Nokama was then able to read an inscription on the inside of the mask , which said it belonged to a Toa of Light that must be found . Takua and his friend Jaller set out to find this Toa of Light , evading the Rahkshi that were sent out to claim the mask . During a final confrontation between the Rahkshi and the Toa Nuva at the Kini - Nui Temple , Jaller jumped in the way of a fatal blow meant for Takua . Jaller ' s sacrifice led Takua to accept his destiny ; he put the Avohkii on his face and became Takanuva , the Toa of Light that he had been searching for . The Avohkii also had the ability to transform its destined wearer from a Matoran into a Toa , much like a Toa Stone does . It also seemed to impart knowledge to Takanuva , giving him the know - how to build an Ussanui vehicle . Fans often refer to the Mask of Light with the abbreviated term " MoL " . Ignika . The Ignika Mask of Life was created by the Great Beings to restore the Great Spirit Mata Nui ' s life energies if needed . With Mata Nui near death after Makuta ' s attack , it became the center of several battles between the Toa who wished to save him and groups who wanted its power for their own gain . The Toa Mahri eventually succeeded in rescuing Mata Nui , but soon the mask will follow their example and take the form of a Toa itself . Also the mask of life was made to keep the universe in order . If there was a famine , if the citizens took to war , if all hope was lost , the Ignika would drain the life from every being in the universe , so that it would all be over . Turning from gold ( when Mata Nui was perfectly fine ) , to silver ( dying ) , and when death has occurred , black . Although 2006 ' s story stated that Mata Nui would die if the Ignika was not used , the Kingdom alternate universe shows a civilization that has survived 10 , 000 years after Mata Nui ' s death . Vahi . The possibility of a Mask of Time being made was known far before it was ever forged . The Brotherhood of Makuta created the Voporak mutant capable of detecting the Vahi ' s power in preparation for when such a mask would be made ; Voporak was then given to the Dark Hunters so that he would not be idle in the meantime . Just prior to the Great Cataclysm , Makuta ( unknown to the matoran , possesing turaga Dume ) asked Metru Nui ' s best maskmaker Vakama to try and forge a Vahi , but this request was forgotten when Vakama became a Toa Metru . Vakama would later remember " Dume ' s " request during the Great Cataclysm . By that time , the Toa Metru had collected six powerful Great Kanoka Disks , and he was able to combine them and forge them into a Vahi . He tried to use the mask against Makuta , but his inability to fully control its powers proved little help . In the end , the Vahi fell into the sea . After rescuing the Matoran from the Visorak , Vakama later found the Vahi broken , leaking tons of energy . He was able to repair the damage , only to have it taken by Voporak . He then got caught up between Makuta and the Dark Hunter ' s leader , the Shadowed One , both of whom wanted the Mask of Time themselves . Vakama was able to get away with the mask when the two began to fight amongst themselves , and when Makuta chased him down he threatened to destroy the mask which would destroy all of reality rather than give it up . Makuta reluctantly gave in to the demands Vakama made , and made himself content with knowing where the Vahi was as he knew Vakama would make good on his threat if he tried to take it again . A thousand years later , Vakama gave the Vahi to Toa Tahu , who attempted to use the mask against the Bohrok - Kal . It saved the Toa Nuva during one Bohrok attack , but it proved little help otherwise ; but it did , however , give the Toa Nuva enough time to come up with another strategy . It was not placed with Tahu Nuva ' s Masks of Power in Ta - Kini and therefore survived the destruction of Ta - Koro . Voporak and the Dark Hunter codenamed " Ancient " are currently hunting the Vahi down again after Voporak detected this use . Tahu has since returned the Vahi to Vakama . Voporak succeeded in tracking down and retrieving the Vahi from a well - defended area in Metru Nui after killing all the guards . It remains in his " protection " . The Vahi was originally golden in colour , but later turned orange due to seawater exposure . Extreme care needs to be taken with the Vahi , as even slight damage would cause its power to leak out and cause temporal anomalies in its immediate area . If it were to be destroyed , the entire timestream could collapse . Collectibility . As the first of BIONICLE ' s collectible items and some of the franchise ' s most recognizable icons , there are several Kanohi masks available . To be precise , Kanohi were only truly " collectible " from 2001 to 2003 , as that was when they were available in random assortments : Altogether , there are 48 Great Kanohi , 36 Noble Kanohi , and 42 Kanohi Nuva . The Great and Noble Kanohi also came in various alternate colours , in both Matoran and Rahi sets as well as some misprinted colours , but these colours are not listed . There were also several promotional versions of these masks made : Since then , new masks have only debuted with new characters . Only the first appearance of each mask shape is listed :