Pohatu

Pohatu is one of the main characters from BIONICLE. He is a jovial Toa of Stone who is a member of the Toa Mata, and later the Toa Nuva. He and his teammates are destined to reawaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui from a sleep cast upon him by Makuta Teridax. Pohatu wears the Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed. Pohatu has been released as a set six times through 2001, 2002, 2008, 2015, and 2016.
== Description ==
Pohatu originally had a colour scheme of earth orange and brick yellow. He is unique among the other Toa Mata because his torso is upside down and he has gear functions which allow his right leg to kick. Pohatu holds no weapons, but has additions on his feet. He wears the Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed, and has orange eyes. As a Toa Nuva, his overall design is similar but he is outfitted with a silver breast plate and matching shoulder pads, has thicker legs, and his feet additions are recoloured silver. His oversized hands are replaced by a pair of climbing claws, which can combine into a ball to kick, and the new Kakama Nuva is larger and more organic.
As a Phantoka, Pohatu's colours were changed to bright orange and dark stone grey. He wears thick armour and remains stockier than most of the Toa. The adapted Kakama Nuva borrows aspects from both previous versions of the mask, especially the first, though it introduces new aspects such as the top half being a transparent visor. Pohatu's eye colour is altered from orange to light green and his arms end in a pair of claws which can convert into rotors or drills. A Midak Skyblaster which fires silver spheres is mounted on his right shoulder. The Pilot version is modified from the Phantoka one, though it does retain some differences such as a leaner torso assembly, a silver chest, orange armour covering the entirety of his back, his arms ending in regular sized hands, and rudders sprouting from his mask's visor. Neither of these versions have gear functions, since they were phased out some time before 2008.
In 2015, Pohatu's colour changes to dark orange and silver is used heavily. While his mask, chest, thighs, and right arm are orange, the rest of his body is silver. Further, the brown on his legs and right arm are covered by silver attachments with mechanical details. He also utilizes transparent fluorescent green bones in his legs and right arm. His mask is very similar in shape to the original Kakama, but tighter, not as sleek, and with slits for eyes. Pohatu is armed with two overlarge boomerangs tipped with transparent fluorescent green, and also has a dagger hanging from his back as a secondary weapon. A gear on his back allows his right arm to swing, and the boomerangs can also be placed on his feet to be used as attachments for flight.
== Background ==
=== Original history ===
==== Chronicles ====
Pohatu comes out from his Toa canister with a case of amnesia on the island of Mata Nui. Finding his way to the village of Po-Koro, Turaga Onewa explains that Pohatu and his mastery of the element of stone are destined to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui, for which the island is named, along with Toa from five other elements. Onewa sends Pohatu on a quest to collect six Kanohi Masks of Power, including the Mask of Speed he already wears.
In his travels, Pohatu meets Kopaka as he hikes Mount Ihu and accidentally traps the Toa of Ice in a landslide. Pohatu apologizes and offers to free Kopaka, but he uses his own powers to destroy the rocks. Despite treating Pohatu apathetically, Pohatu decides to travel with Kopaka and they find a Mask of Shielding at the top of the mountain, which Kopaka claims for himself. As they descend, they encounter four other similar beings, Tahu, Gali, Onua, and Lewa.
Pohatu's quest is later interrupted when Onewa summoned him back to Po-Koro, a plague having fallen upon Hewkii and many of the other Kolhii players. Takua and Onewa had already discovered that the source of the pandemic were infected Kolhii Balls sold by Ahkmou in the bazaar, and Takua had already headed off to discover the source of the balls. Pohatu catches up with the Matoran as he enters a hidden chamber beneath a giant bust in the quarry and they realize it is a Nui-Jaga's nest. Pohatu challenges the creature, but its venom blinds him. With Takua directing him where to kick the balls, they are able to destroy the nest and safely return to Po-Koro. Using his Kakama, Pohatu quickly takes the remaining balls and casts them out into the sea, but Ahkmou is nowhere to be found.
Returning to his search, Pohatu meets with the other Toa as they decide an alliance would be beneficial in finding their masks, but Makuta's forces attack them as a means of discouragement. During the ensuing barrage, Pohatu rescues Tahu from a pair of Tarakava by kicking a rock towards the Toa of Fire, which Tahu then splits in to two with one half hitting each Rahi. The Toa hold their ground and work together to collect the remaining Kanohi.
Once he acquires all six masks, Pohatu exchanges them for a golden Kanohi and he and the other Toa Mata congregate at the Kini-Nui at the center of the island to confront Makuta. They descend under the temple where Pohatu, Onua, and Tahu become Akamai, the Toa Kaita of Valor, and Kopaka, Gali, and Lewa, merge into Wairuha, the Toa Kaita of Wisdom. The two Toa Kaita face the Manas together and are able to defeat the fearsome creatures, but are forced to split back into the individual Toa as they approach Makuta. Pohatu and the others face shadow constructs of themselves created by Makuta, and are able to defeat them by absorbing them. They then confront the tyrant himself, but he reveals himself as a rusty Matoran and taunts the heroes that he is what they are sworn to protect. He then transforms into a mass of tentacles and battles the Toa, though they are able to muster their power amid the chaos and all strike Makuta at once, causing him to disappear.
Following their victory, the Toa return to the surface, but they find that the island is now under attack by the Bohrok Swarms. Vakama informs them that they now must collect Krana to stop the swarms. Pohatu returns to Po-Koro to find it under siege by the Bohrok and Hafu bravely sacrificing his sculptures to block off an entrance to the village and save his friends. Pohatu rushes into save him from a Tahnok ready to attack the Matoran, and with a well aimed boulder kicked by Hewkii, Pohatu is able to bring Hafu to safety.
Pohatu then set a trap in Po-Wahi for the Bohrok with help from most of the other Toa. After breaking a seal, the canon is flooded and Gali dives down to collect the Krana from stunned Tahnok. Pohatu worries when she remains in the flood for too long, but she emerges just as he prepares to make a rescue attempt.
With all of the necessary Krana, the Toa Mata enter the Bohrok nest and discover the Exo-Toa. Wearing the armour, they confront the Bahrag. Cahdok creates illusions to keep Pohatu and Onua occupied, but Tahu catches on to their tricks and instructs his teammates to remove the armour so they can properly use their elemental powers. They then strike the queens of the swarms with their powers all at once and trap them in a protodermis seal. The nest begins to crumble and the Toa fall into vats of energized protodermis, transforming them into the Toa Nuva. Along with the others, Pohatu receives more potent powers, improve equipment, and a more advanced Kakama. By using his new ability to share mask powers, Pohatu combines his speed with Lewa's levitation and Tahu's shielding for the Toa Nuva to safely fly out of the cavern.
After experimenting with their powers on each other, the Toa decide that they are now powerful enough to protect their territory alone and disband. However, the Bohrok-Kal steal Pohatu's Nuva Symbol and cut him off from his elemental power. Pohatu confronts Gahlok-Kal to retrieve his symbol, but it magnetizes several Mahi to him. Pohatu continues to hunt the Kal, and encounters Tahu, Takua, and Jaller in his search, finding that a similar fate has befallen the Toa of Fire. They decide to search together, and as they are joined by the other Toa, they realize that they have all lost their powers. After being defeated by the Bohrok-Kal, the Toa decide to search for the Kanohi Nuva to increase their odds against them.
Pohatu and Onua are able to capture Tahnok-Kal's Krana-Kal, but a Bohrok Va replenishes it and the Kal escapes. Nokama, having retrieved another Krana-Kal from a Boxor squad, informs Pohatu and Onua that the Bohrok-Kal are searching the island for the Bahrag, who disappeared when they were imprisoned, so that they can be freed and the swarms will be able to desecrate the island. When the Toa Nuva run out of time and the Bohrok-Kal find the Bahrag in a remaining part of the nest, the Kal attempt to free the Bahrag by using the Nuva Symbols to create a key. Tahu manages to freeze them in time by using the Vahi, but a force field created from the Krana-Kal prevents the Toa from directly interfering. Gali theorizes that if they use the symbols as conductors and willingly feed their power to the Bohrok-Kal, they will be destroyed. The Kal are indeed supercharged and destroy themselves. The symbols are returned to the Toa, and their power returns.
Following the defeat of the Bohrok-Kal, the Turaga believe that a time of peace has fallen upon Mata Nui and they decree an island-wide Kohlii tournament. Po-Koro's team of Hewkii and Hafu progress to the championship where they face Ta-Koro and Ga-Koro, and Pohatu attends the match. At its end, he sees the Kanohi Avhokii fall out of Takua's backpack and shine a beam of light onto Jaller. Nokama translates the runes on the back of the mask and announces that it is the Mask of Light, which belongs to a seventh Toa. Pohatu is elated by the news and offers to spread word of the mask and Jaller and Takua's quest to find the new Toa throughout the island. When Pohatu reaches Onu-Koro, he happily shares the news with Onua as they visit, but is confused to see Takua passing through the village without Jaller. Pohatu tries to ask the Chronicler where his companion is, but the Koro is attacked by three Rahkshi. Despite help from the other Toa, they are unable to defeat the Rahkshi and both Onua and Pohatu are trapped in a landslide and believed dead, though Kopaka rescues them. Whenua takes Pohatu and Onua to a cave in Po-Wahi where he explains that much like the Bohrok, the Rahkshi are mechanical but have organic pilots, in this case the slug-like Kraata, parts of Makuta's essence which have showed up on the island before, but are secretly hunted by the Turaga. The Kraata are also responsible for infecting the masks worn by the Rahi who were previously under Makuta's control. Pohatu is disturbed by this secret that the Turaga have hidden from him, and wonders what also they have neglected to tell the Toa. While they are in the chamber, Guurahk causes a cave in, trapping the three of them in it and freeing many of the Kraata from stasis. Pohatu, Onua, and Whenua are freed when a battle between Tahu, Gali, Kopaka, Lewa, and the Rahkshi reopens the cave and Tahu and Kopaka hastily reseal it, trapping most of the Kraata inside, though Pohatu does stop one Shadow Kraata in his claws.
Pohatu and Onua then join the other Toa again at the Kini-Nui where they decide that they must stop the Rahkshi, finding that they already have Jaller and Takua surrounded. As Takua is transformed into Toa Takanuva, they are able to defeat the creatures. Pohatu helps to build the Ussanui from their parts so that Takanuva can confront Makuta. He refuses assistance from Pohatu and the others in his fight, but later sends Hahli to summon the Toa Nuva and Turaga to witness Makuta's defeat and awaken Mata Nui. Though Makuta appears to die, the Toa are not able to save Mata Nui, though they do rediscover Metru Nui, a city hidden underneath the island of Mata Nui. As Pohatu had suspected, the Turaga had been hiding more information from the Toa and reveal that they knew much about this land. Pohatu helps to prepare the Matoran for their return to their forgotten homeland, helping to train Takanuva and listening to the Turaga's tales about how they had been the Toa Metru when they were younger.
==== Ignition ====
On Metru Nui, Turaga Dume informs the Toa and other Turaga that Mata Nui is dying and they will need to find the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, to rescue him. The Toa Nuva set out for Voya Nui where they encounter the Piraka and have their masks and tools stolen. The Toa escape death, but are attacked by a group of Matoran resisting the Piraka who believe that the Toa are more of them. When they realize that the Toa are their allies, they plan a strike on the Piraka Stronghold to retrieve the Toa's masks and tools. They are successful, but Brutaka emerges and defeats all six Toa with one blow. Pohatu is placed in a cell which dampens his elemental power until the Voya Nui Resistance Team returns to rescue him and his teammates. After being introduced to the Toa Inika - Jaller, Hahli, Hewkii, Matoro, Kongu, and Nuparu - the Nuva leave the Inika to retrieve the Mask of Life while they secretly prepare the universe for Mata Nui's reawakening.
The Toa Nuva return to the island of Mata Nui where they free the Bahrag and reluctantly allow the Bohrok to desecrate and flatten the abandoned island. They then head to Odina to retrieve the Staff or Arthaka from the Dark Hunters. The Shadowed One informs them that the staff had been sent to Xia. The Shadowed One then asks the Toa to kill Roodaka once they arrive on Xia, in exchange for giving them information. After leaving Odina, Pohatu tells his teammates that he had set a timed blast of his stone power which would cause the Dark Hunters' fortress to collapse. The Toa do not kill Roodaka, but instead force her to revert the Rahaga's transformations. The Toa then head for the realm of Karzahni to find Makuta Icarax and retrieve the staff, but they are unsuccessful. Rather than continue to chase the staff, the Toa decide to split-up to quicker accomplish tasks on their list. Pohatu and Onua are dispatched to find the Heart of the Visorak on the Tren Kron Peninsula. Botar then transported Pohatu and Onua to Daxia so that they could be reunited with the rest of the Toa Nuva and witness the Staff of Arthaka in use, undoing much of the damage caused to the universe when Mata Nui fell asleep. The Toa Nuva are then sent to the Island of Arthaka, ruled by a being named Arthaka, who grants them adaptive armour and sends them to Karda Nui to reawaken Mata Nui at last.
In Karda Nui, the Toa split into two teams with Pohatu, Kopaka, and Lewa defending the Av-Matoran villages from the Brotherhood of Makuta, while Tahu, Gali, and Onua go to the swamps below to search for the Ignika, since it had fallen from Mahri Nui to Karda Nui after Matoro used it. The Toa protecting the villagers capture Kirop and follow him back to the Shadow Leech hive where they are joined by a Toa body that the Ignika has created for itself. Mutran creates illusions to protect the Leeches when the Toa and Av-Matoran enter the hive, and turns Toa Ignika against them. Pohatu realizes who they are fighting and tries to stop the skirmish, but they are attacked by the Makuta Antroz, Chirox, and Vamprah and they awake to find Mutran attempting to drain Lewa's inner light. Pohatu rescues him by causing a quake to disrupt Mutran, and they quickly destroy the Shadow Leeches and escape using the Kakama Nuva.
After the Makuta attempt to get their revenge, Pohatu and the others head for the Swamp to reunite with Tahu, Gali, and Onua. They find their friends in battle with three more Makuta. Gorast defeats Pohatu by using her Mask to make him lose control of his powers, burying Pohatu and his Av-Matoran companion Photok under piles of rocks. Photok awakens Pohatu and they are able to escape to rejoin the battle. Pohatu finds Gali with a hulking white and black being who claims to be Takanuva. The three head off to find the others, but when Takanuva uses shadow powers to destroy a group of Niazesk, Pohatu accuses him of being Teridax, the Makuta which they had faced on Mata Nui, in disguise and threatens to shoot him with his Midak Skyblaster. Gali proves that the Toa is indeed Takanuva, who had grown in size due to Karda Nui's environment strengthening light-based beings and gained shadow powers after a Shadow Leech attack, when she reopens a mental link they had once shared. The three Toa return to battle the Brotherhood, and they retreat into the Codrex, the place where they will restart Mata Nui. Pohatu, Lewa, and Kopaka each discover a battle vehicle, but Kopaka's is stolen by Antroz. Pohatu climbs aboard the Rockoh T3 and Lewa the Axalara T9 with Kopaka following them to stop Antroz while Tahu, Gali, and Onua try to convince Toa Ignika to sacrifice his body to quickly awaken the Great Spirit. When Ignika restarts the energy storms, the seven Toa quickly escape, Takanuva having evacuated the Matoran already, leaving the Makuta to die as Mata Nui begins to rise.
==== Reign of Shadows ====
The Toa return to Metru Nui where they find their friends and allies in a battle with the remaining forces of the Brotherhood of Makuta, which are quickly defeated. The Toa Nuva then join in celebrating their victory, but that night Turaga Dume's speech is interrupted by Teridax' voice. He reveals that he had hijacked Mata Nui's body, which is in reality a robot which encases the entire Matoran Universe, and that Mata Nui's spirit has been placed into the Ignika and banished into Outer Space. Metru Nui is then attacked by hordes of Rahkshi and many of its denizens escape into the Onu-Metru Archives. An ally of the Turaga, Krahka, tells the Toa which tunnels lead out from the city, and the Toa escape to Stelt. There they decide to divide themselves again, so that they can search for more allies and cause trouble for Makuta throughout the rest of the universe. Pohatu and Takanuva wind up on Destral, the former headquarters of the Brotherhood of Makuta, where they find it destroyed and decide to salvage weapons.
Pohatu and Takanuva later receive word from Tahu to move south so that they can attempt to destroy the remaining Rahkshi at once. Instead they find themselves exiting the Matoran Universe and on the desert planet of Bara Magna. Mata Nui has found a prototype of the Matoran Universe and is using it to battle Makuta. Meanwhile, Makuta's servants, the Rahkshi and Skakdi, are joined by the Skrall in attacking the local Glatorian and Agori. Pohatu and the other Toa join in the battle. There Pohatu reunites with Gali and together they destroy half a legion of Skakdi. Meanwhile, Tahu collects armour created by the Ignika and uses it to destroy the Rahkshi. Makuta feels their loss, and Mata Nui takes the opportunity to destroy his archenemy. The Great Spirit then uses the last bit of his robot's power to meld Bara Magna into its moons (one of which had held the Matoran Universe when its robot was downed) and reform the paradise of Spherus Magna. He then transfers his spirit back into the Ignika, and urges that the Matoran and other species which emerge from the Matoran Universe form a new society with the Agori and Glatorian, but that he will become dormant for the time being.
==== Spherus Magna ====
Pohatu and Kopaka help the villagers with their work by using their powers to create shelter and cool them off. A perturbed Toa of Air, Lesovikk, approaches them that the being Karzahni has escaped. Kopaka promises that they will search for him, but Lesovikk does not believe it is enough and goes to look for the tyrant himself. Pohatu and Kopaka go looking for Lesovikk the next day, and find that Karzahni has been murdered and Lesovikk's discarded air sword is nearby. The two are then attacked by a cyclone. Pohatu uses his mask power to stop the twister, which Kopaka suspects was a natural phenomenon and not created by a Toa. They take Karzahni's corpse back to their camp where they meet with Tahu and Gali, who say that they had seen Lesovikk in their search to find a place to build a city.
Pohatu and Kopaka continue to search for Lesovikk, following descriptions that Tahu had given them. They find that another would-be tyrant, Tren Krom, has also been killed. Near Tren Krom's remains, they meet Gaardus, a mutated Matoran, who mentions that he had once been inside of the Red Star. Curious, Kopaka asks Gaardus to take Pohatu and himself there. In the star, they encounter a group of hostile operators called Kestora who attack them, but are defeated. They realize that they have been abandoned by Gaardus and search for an escape route. They then find a Matoran named Mavrah who takes them to a safer part of the star. Mavrah had been a friend of Whenua before Mata Nui had been put to sleep, and the Matoran's death had been witnessed by the Toa Metru.
=== Rebooted history ===
Pohatu is the Toa of Stone. He lands on the island of Okoto, fulfilling a prophecy by the comatose mask maker Ekimu. Joined by the Protector of Stone, Pohatu battles Skull Spiders and retrieves the Golden Mask of Stone, becoming the Master of Stone, before meeting the other five Toa to enter the ancient city and reawaken Ekimu.
== Notes ==
* BIONICLEstory.com was taken down before Pohatu and Kopaka's adventure could be resolved, but Greg Farshtey has since confirmed that one of the purposes of the Red Star is to resurrect Matoran Universe inhabitants who still have a body intact (meaning that Matoro and the deceased Makuta were not resuscitated), but the function designed to return the revived beings had broken at some point, trapping most of them there. Velika has also been revealed as the actual murderer of Karzahni and Tren Krom.
* In BIONICLE: Mask of Light, voices Pohatu, the same actor as Nuju and Iruini in the prequel movies.
* While BIONICLE was still in its conceptual phase, Pohatu was known as Kick.
* Pohatu is the Māori word for stone.
== Appearances ==
* 8531 Pohatu 
* 8568 Pohatu Nuva 
* 8687 Toa Pohatu 
* 8941 Rockoh T3 
* 70785 Pohatu - Master of Stone 
* 71306 Pohatu - Uniter of Stone
;Other
* Bk1 Pohatu Nuva 
== Gallery of variants ==
== BIONICLE.com biography ==
== Gallery ==
Pohatu 2008 Prototype.png|A prototype of 8687 Toa Pohatu
== External links ==
Category:BIONICLE