Tahu

Tahu is a main protagonist from the BIONICLE theme and the lore which accompanies it. In the context of the stories, he is the arrogant but courageous and goodhearted leader of the Toa Mata and later the Toa Nuva, a team of Toa heroes who are destined to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui from an unnatural sleeping spell he has fallen under. Tahu is a Toa who commands the power of fire and wears the Kanohi Hau, a mask which allows him to shield himself from danger he can see coming. Tahu was released as a set four times throughout BIONICLE's nine year run; first in the debut year of 2001, then in 2002, 2008, and 2010, the last year of the line's original run. When BIONICLE was reintroduced in 2015, rebooted versions of Tahu and the other members of his team were again released as sets. Another iteration of Tahu was released the following year.
== Description ==
Originally, Tahu featured bright red as a primary colour with bright orange being used secondarily. He worse the Kanohi Hau, the Mask of Shielding, and carried a flame sword. When he transformed into a Toa Nuva, his colour scheme remained similar, but silver was used with a new chest plate and shoulder pads. The Hau was upgraded into the Hau Nuva with a more organic appearance, but retains some hallmarks of the original mask such as a similar scowl and a rounded depression in front of the mouth. The flame sword was replaced with a pair of blades which could be held separately, as one, or could be combined and used as a lava surfboard. In both of these versions his eyes are reddish.
As a Mistika, Tahu uses a newer build and lacks many callbacks to the older sets. Dark red has become his primary shade, while silver is used secondarily. The adapted Hau Nuva is also much sleeker and has a dorsal fin on the forehead. Tahu carries a rotating blade, a Nynrah Ghostblaster, and has jet rockets mounted on his back. The Mistika version also alters Tahu's eye colour from red to light green.
The version released with BIONICLE Stars to bookend the theme is heavily inspired by the original version with a similar mask and the same colour scheme, but newer pieces which prevent it from being entirely faithful. He again carries a flame sword. Pieces of armour used to adorn the figure may be replaced with golden versions found in other Stars sets to create a "golden BIONICLE."
The 2015 version of Tahu has silver feet and wide red greaves on his lower legs. Aide from golden pistons and machinery on his thighs, his entire lower body is red. His chest is also golden and adorned with red tribal patterns. His arms are also clad in red and orange, but armoured with golden sleeves of mechanical mechanisms. His hands are silver, and he carries two thin golden swords. He also rides a silver lava board with fire filling an open spot. His eyes are blue, and the classic Hau is redesigned for the brow and jawline to be more pronounced, the vented cheeks to cave in more sharply, and for the "mouth" to be downsized on the bottom. An interchangeable golden version of the new Hau is also included.
== Background ==
=== Original history ===
==== Chronicles ====
Awaking from a sleep lasting millennia, Tahu emerges from a Toa canister on the shores of Mata Nui recalling little other than his name. Wandering through the Charred Forest in Ta-Wahi, Tahu is trapped in a cage set for Rahi, but easily escapes by burning his prison. The Ta-Matoran who set the trap, led by Captain of the Guard Jaller, prepare to attack the Toa, but Turaga Vakama arrives and bows before him. The Matoran follow their elder's lead, realising that Tahu is the answer to an ancient prophecy that six Toa heroes would arrive on the island of Mata Nui to rescue the Great Spirit, also called Mata Nui, from an eternal slumber cast upon him by Makuta so that the Matoran can be free from Makuta's siege once more. Vakama and the Matoran lead Tahu through the forest to Ta-Koro, a village sustained in a volcano. Vakama tasks Tahu with scouring the island for six Great Kanohi masks (including the Mask of Shielding he already wears) so that he can exchange them for a Golden Kanohi and face Makuta.
As he searches the island for Masks of Water Breathing, Speed, Strength, X-Ray Vision, and Levitation, Tahu meets the other five Toa - Gali, Pohatu, Onua, Kopaka, and Lewa - each of who control a different element and wear a different mask. Aside from Kopaka and Lewa, the Toa decide to work together to accomplish their goal, but Makuta sends a storm to intimidate them, convincing them that it might be wiser to work solitarily. Tahu disagrees and is angered by the submissiveness of the other Toa.
Jaller informs Tahu of an Akaku, Mask of X-Ray Vision, in a tunnel in Onu-Koro. Following Jaller's lead, Tahu does indeed find a mask in the tunnel, but is attacked by a horde of Kofo-Jaga which feed off of his heat powers. Noticing infected masks on the creatures, Tahu removes one and finds that it makes the Rahi docile. Noting the experience, he continues on his quest.
Onua unites the Toa by calling for congregation at the Mangai Volcano, but Makuta again tries to attack their unity. This time, the Toa are able to use their abilities together and battle the threats Makuta presents. Following this, they join together to collect the remaining Kanohi. While in the jungle of Le-Wahi, Tahu tries to use his fire to burn a tree to quickly retrieve a Mask of Speed. This angers Gali and she reprimands him for the harm which could have been done to the plants and wildlife. After collecting all six Masks, Tahu trades them for the Golden Kanohi and the Toa rally to enter Makuta's lair from the Kini-Nui. Tahu worries that they will never return to the surface, but decides that it is their duty to descend anyway. Takua the Chronicler leads a small company of Matoran to defend them as they enter.
In Makuta's lair, Tahu merges with Onua and Pohatu into Akamai, the Toa Kaita of Valor, while Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa merge into Wairuha, the Toa Kaita of Wisdom. The two Toa Kaita face the monstrous Manas before they are forced to revert to the six Toa when they draw too close to Makuta. They face shadow versions of themselves and defeat them by absorbing them before they find Makuta in the form a Matoran with a rusty mask. Makuta torments them by pointing out the irony that he is exactly what the Toa are sworn to protect before he turns into a mass of tentacles. By striking Makuta with their powers, Tahu and the others are able to repel him temporarily.
The Toa Mata return to the surface believing they are victorious, but a traumatised Kapura attempts to warn them of the Bohrok. The Toa return to Ta-Koro where they find it under attack by mechanical insectoid creatures intent on crossing through the lava which surrounds the village. Lewa and Gali combine their powers to create a thunderstorm to drive them away and Vakama explains that the creatures are indeed Bohrok, and to defeat them, the Toa will need to collect eight Krana brains in six varieties from the creatures.
Kopaka finds the swarm's nest after tracking a Bohrok Va and shows it to Tahu, who wants to enter promptly, but Kopaka insists that they wait for the others. When the others arrive, they travel through the tunnel and pass a horde of Bohrok traveling to the surface. Tahu finds himself separated from the others when a door closes behind him, cutting off the others, but reunites with them after blowing off a wall by heating it. The Toa then find suits of armour called the Exo-Toa and don them before the queens of the Bohrok, the Bahrag attack. Finding that the Exo-Toa tamper their elemental powers, the Toa shed them and strike the Bahrag with beams of raw elemental energy, forming a protodermis seal around them. Directly following the Bahrag's defeat, an earthquake is triggered and the Toa fall into a vat of energised protodermis, transforming into the more powerful Toa Nuva with new weapons, equipment, and Kanohi. As they escape from the collapsing hive, the Toa realise that they can now share their mask powers with those in close proximity to them, combining Tahu, Lewa, and Pohatu's mask powers to quickly and safely fly through the tunnel.
Tahu returns to Ta-Koro, Vakama tells Tahu that his power is now tied to a Nuva Symbol, which is placed on his shrine, and that he may collect new Kanohi Nuva if he wishes. Vakama also presents Tahu with the Vahi, the Mask of Time. The Toa meet again to discuss what they have learned from their Turaga, but the conference turns into a competition with each Toa trying to prove him or herself as the most powerful, which Gali has to stop when Tahu and Kopaka keep attempting to best the other. Afterwards, they decide to disband their team, since they should have sufficient power to protect their domain individually, though Gali warns that this is unwise.
Gali is proven correct when Tahu returns to Ta-Koro for a Bohrok-Kal to steal his Nuva Symbol, stealing his elemental power away from him. Tahu attempts to defeat the creature with his swords and mask, but is unable to. Joined by Jaller and Takua, Tahu tries to track down the Bohrok-Kal, meeting the other Toa along the way and finding that they have fallen victim to similar circumstances. Encountering the Bohrok in the desert, the Toa attempt to defeat them and retrieve their symbols, but are defeated and only saved by Tahu's mask. After the attack, they decide to collect the Kanohi Nuva before the Bohrok-Kal can liberate the Bahrag.
After collecting the Kanohi Nuva and failing to stop the Bohrok-Kal's quest through other means, the Toa Nuva have no choice but to follow them to the Bahrag's nest. The Bohrok-Kal attempt to use the symbols to break the protodermis seal, but Tahu uses the Vahi to slow them down so that they are practically frozen, but a shield forms around them preventing the Toa from taking their symbols. Gali suggests that they feed their power to the Bohrok-Kal voluntarily, using the symbols as a conductor, which supercharges the Bohrok-Kal and they are destroyed when they are unable to control their power. The Toa retrieve their Nuva Symbols and hide them in safer spots, while Tahu also returns the Vahi to Vakama, since he found it difficult to control the mask's power.
Following the defeat of the Bohrok-Kal, the Turaga believe a time of peace has fallen upon Mata Nui and decide to celebrate it with a Kohlii tournament. Before the championship match, Tahu finds Ta-Koro's representatives, Takua and Jaller, below the village where they have found a new mask. After rescuing Takua, he tells them to show the mask to Vakama after the match. Tahu takes his seat in the stadium between Pohatu and Gali. After Ta-Koro is defeated embarrassingly, the mask falls from Takua's backpack and the entire audience witness it cast a beam of light onto Jaller. Turaga Nokama translates the language written on the back of the mask and identifies it as the Avohkii, the Mask of Light, and that it belongs to a seventh Toa, news which takes Tahu aback. Jaller and Takua leave Ta-Koro to find the new Toa. Tahu remains the village, and Gali soon arrives to warn him that the "sons" of Makuta, the Rahkshi are headed for the village. Tahu and Gali evacuate the village, but are unable to save it from destruction as the three Rahkshi cause it to sink into the pool of lava. His inability to protect Ta-Koro deeply bothers Tahu, and he is so disturbed by his failure that he pays no thought to the poison he received in a strike from Lerahk.
Tahu rallies with most of the other Toa Nuva when all six Rahkshi attack Onu-Koro, where he is inflicted by Kurahk. After the battle, the combined effects of the poison and anger cause Tahu to attack Gali and Lewa, but Kopaka freezes him in place. Tahu is healed and participates with the others in defending Jaller and Takua from the Rahkshi at Kini-Nui. Joined by Takua, who transformed into Toa Takanuva when he realises his destiny to wear the Avohkii, the Toa are victorious over the Rahkshi, but Jaller is lost while defending his friend from Turahk. Tahu helps Takanuva to construct the Ussanui, a vehicle which will be guided by the Rahkshi's Kraata pilots and bring him to Makuta. Though Takanuva refuses any help from the Toa Nuva in facing Makuta, he does send Hahli to summon the Toa and Turaga to witness Makuta's defeat and then awaken Mata Nui. Though Makuta does seem to perish and Jaller is revived, the Toa are unable to awaken Mata Nui at this time, but they do rediscover Metru Nui, a hidden city beneath the island where the Turaga explain they had been the Toa Metru and the Matoran had once lived before Makuta forced them to evacuate and erased the memories of everyone except the Turaga.
==== Ignition ====
The Toa Nuva prepare for the Matoran's return to Metru Nui by helping them to build boats, spending their other time listening to the Turaga's revelations of the past and helping Takanuva to master his powers. After moving to the city and beginning to rebuild it, Turaga Dume informs them that he has learned that Mata Nui is not only in deep slumber, but also slowly dying. To prevent this, the Toa must find the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life. The six Toa Nuva head for Voya Nui to complete this new quest where they are defeated by the Piraka and have their masks and tools stolen, dampening their powers. The Toa are placed in the path of lava pouring from Mount Valmai and left to die, but manage to escape. They encounter a group of Matoran where are resisting the Piraka's rule of the island. The Matoran attack the Toa, but soon realise that they are on the same side and plan a strike on the Piraka Stronghold to retrieve the Toa's masks and weapons. They are able to do so, but the Toa are defeated by Brutaka with one hit and imprisoned in the stronghold, this time in special cages which drain their powers. They are later liberated by the Matoran and taken by Axonn and Botar to meet the Toa Inika, six Matoran from Metru Nui - Jaller, Hahli, Matoro, Kongu, Nuparu, and Hewkii - who had come to rescue them and were transformed into Toa along the way. While the Toa Inika are sent after the Ignika, the Toa Nuva are given a new mission by the Order of Mata Nui: Completing a list of tasks to prepare for Mata Nui's reawakening.
First, the Toa return to Mata Nui to free the Bahrag. Tahu is unable to make himself command to queens to unleash their swarms onto the island, causing Onua to take the responsibility. The Toa Nuva then try to track down the Staff of Arthaka, Tahu agreeing that they will kill Roodaka to gain The Shadowed One's cooperation in their search. Rather than kill Roodaka, they force her to revert the Rahaga back into the Toa Hagah. They then trace the staff to the possession of a different Makuta, Icarax, and fail to take it from him. The Toa decide to move on to other tasks in the meantime, and split up to complete them more swiftly. Tahu and Kopaka head to a chain of islands in the south of the universe to seal several volcanoes before Botar brings them to Daxia to witness the Staff of Arthaka (the Order having retrieved it through other means) in use. The staff heals the damage done to the universe when Mata Nui was put to sleep. Afterwards, the Toa Nuva meet the staff's namesake, a skilled creator called Arthaka, who gifts them with adaptive armour and teleports the Toa to Karda Nui, the heart of the universe and where they will at last awaken Mata Nui.
In Karda Nui, the Toa split up again with Kopaka, Lewa, and Pohatu remaining in the villages to protect the Av-Matoran from the Brotherhood of Makuta, while Tahu, Gali, and Onua would head for the swamp below to find the Ignika, since it had fallen from Mahri Nui to Karda Nui after Matoro used it to resuscitate the Great Spirit. Tahu, Gali, and Onua divide themselves to search the swamps independently. Tahu discovers the Codrex and is blasted back by its shield when he tries to investigate it. He is then attacked by the Makuta Krika. Tahu escapes Krika and regroups with Gali and Onua, who are each fleeing another Makuta. After they manage to evade the villains, the Toa renew their attack but find Krika, Gorast, and Bitil have been joined by Chirox, Antroz, Vamprah, Kirop, Radiak, and Gavla. Kopaka, Lewa, Pohatu and three Av-Matoran arrive to assist them, but the Toa are still hopelessly outmatched. Takanuva arrives in the swamps and manages to turn the tides against the Makuta. The Toa then enter the Codrex using keystones they had collected and believe they are safe from the Makuta there for now, though unbeknownst to them, Antroz had followed them in. The Toa Nuva realise that the Codrex is where their canisters had been situated before they were launched into the ocean around the island of Mata Nui, and discover three vehicles, one of which is hijacked by Antroz. While Kopaka, Lewa, and Pohatu give chase to the Makuta and Takanuva cures Matoran who have been damaged by Shadow Leeches, Tahu, Gali, and Onua attempt to convince a Toa body that the Ignika has created for itself to destroy its body to quickly provide enough energy to awaken Mata Nui. Though initially it dislikes the idea, the Ignika eventually agrees. The Toa Nuva and Takanuva escape Karda Nui as energy storms begin and safely return to Metru Nui. There they find their friends and the Order of Mata Nui in battle with the remaining forces of the Brotherhood of Makuta and quickly defeat them.
==== Reign of Shadows ====
With Mata Nui awake again, the Toa, Matoran, and Turaga celebrate their victory until Dume's speech is cut off by the voice of Makuta Teridax, the same Makuta who had harassed them on the island of Mata Nui. He reveals that the Matoran Universe is in reality a giant robot which he has usurped. Mata Nui's spirit has been trapped in the Ignika, and the Ignika has been sent into outer space. Tahu boldly declares that he, the Toa Nuva, the Toa Mahri, the Toa Hagah and all other heroes will oppose Teridax' reign, but Teridax is unmoved. Legions of Rahkshi then attack Metru Nui and the city's inhabitants hide themselves in the Onu-Metru Archives. There they find an old ally of the Turaga, a Rahi called Krahka, who informs them which tunnels lead out of the city into the rest of the universe. Tahu proposes that the Toa divide to find more allies and cause trouble for Teridax throughout the universe, hoping to overwhelm the Makuta while he is unused to his massive power.
Tahu eventually ends up in the remains of Karzahni with Kopeke, Krahka, Lariska, Johmak, and Guardian. Guardian is displeased to learn that there is nothing more to Tahu's plan than to cause destruction, and is killed when he tries to leave the group, falling into a chasm formed by Exo-Toa which have arrived to attack the rebels. Tahu plans to falsely surrender to the Exo-Toa, which demand that the group returns to Metru Nui, but Onua arrives and rescues them. Onua believes that the Exo-Toa and Rahkshi are being used as a police force to help Teridax monitor the universe while he adjusts to being in control of it and they plan to destroy the last place in the universe where Makuta could make Rahkshi, a pool of energised protodermis on Daxia, former headquarters of the Order of Mata Nui. Tahu and Onua's group is successful, and despite the Toa Nuva having disbanded, Tahu continues to work with the Toa of Earth. They are trying to ambush a group of Rahkshi when a winged Order of Mata Nui agent informs them that many Rahkshi are headed to the south of the Matoran Universe. Tahu requests that the agent find him reinforcements so that they can meet the Rahkshi there and destroy them in one effort.
As he travels south, Tahu is reunited with Takanuva and they realise that quakes they are experiencing are someone else attacking Teridax on the outside. Reaching the Southern Islands, Tahu leads an army of all the Toa he could find in stepping out of the Matoran Universe into the desert world of Bara Magna where Makuta's robot is parked while in battle with another robot controlled by Mata Nui. Tahu and Takanuva are attacked by Gresh, a native of the planet, but they soon realise that they are both allies of Mata Nui and the Glatorian join the Toa in fighting against the Rahkshi and Skakdi led by Nektann in the name of Teridax. During the battle, the Ignika places Tahu in a trance and transforms him back into a Toa Mata so that he can wear the Golden Armour and help Mata Nui to win. As Tahu awakes, he and Takanuva collect the pieces which are materialised before them, but a blast from Makuta's robot sends four of the six pieces scattered through the battlefield. While Gresh finds one, the others fall into the hands of their enemies and the three each face them. Tahu engages Nektann in battle, who discourages him from using his powers against the Skakdi. However, Tahu is unwilling to waste time fighting Nektann and melts his armour. Despite this, Nektann relishes in seemingly forcing Tahu to kill him, but soon realises that he will remain alive, but immobile. Takanuva and Gresh retrieve the other two pieces, and Tahu puts the armour on. Using the armour, he unleashes a single blast of raw power which incinerates the Kraata of every Rahkshi on the battlefield. The Kraata being made from his essence, Makuta feels the loss and pauses briefly, giving Mata Nui enough time to kill him. Finding that he has absorbed the abilities of all the Kraata he destroyed, Tahu uses his new found heat vision to burn the symbol of the three virtues - unity, duty, and destiny - into the sand to commemorate the defeat of Makuta at last. As both robots crumble, Mata Nui calls on the power of the Ignika to reform the shattered world of Spherus Magna. He returns his essence into the mask and encourages the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe to build a new home and a new society on Spherus Magna with the Glatorian and Agori, but not him.
==== Spherus Magna ====
Tahu finds that leading the Matoran Universe residents into integrating with the Agori is difficult, and he works closely with Mata Nui's friends Ackar and Kiina to negotiate while he and Gali also search out a site for New Atero, a city they wish to found. Meanwhile, Tahu also commissions a team of the Toa Orde, Zaria, and Chiara and the Glatorian Gelu to search out the Great Beings, which had been Mata Nui's only request of them before becoming inactive. After the being called Karzahni's dead body is found, Tahu tries to cover up the murder fearing that it will complicate the already shaky Matoran/Agori relations and sends Kopaka to investigate Lesovikk, the prime suspect.
=== Rebooted history ===
Tahu is a Toa of Fire who crash lands on the island of Okoto. He is recruited by the local villagers, along with five other Toa, to find a hidden golden mask that corresponds with their element and increases their abilities so that they may protect the island from a looming threat.
== Notes ==
* BIONICLEstory.com was taken offline before plot lines regarding Tahu and his new difficulties with integrating the Matoran and Agori could be resolved.
* Scott McNeil voices Tahu Nuva, Onua Nuva, and Graalok the Ash Bear in BIONICLE: Mask of Light. McNeil also does the voice work for Keetongu and Rahaga Bomonga in BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows as well as the Overlord and Stone Warrior in Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu.
* While BIONICLE was still in its conceptual phase, Tahu was known as Flame.
* The differences between Tahu's Toa Mata and Stars appearances are explained as being because he continues to wear the adaptive armour after the Ignika devolves him, resulting in a different look than previously.
* Tahu is the Māori word for burn.
* A Hau Nuva with green streaks, representing the effects it had after being poisoned by Lerahk, was released with a boxed collection of all four BIONICLE Chronicles books.
== Appearances ==
* 8534 Tahu 
* 8572 Tahu Nuva 
* 8689 Toa Tahu 
* 7116 Tahu 
* 70787 Tahu - Master of Fire 
* 71308 Tahu - Uniter of Fire
;Other
* Bk4 Tahu Nuva 
* McDBioK4 Toa Tahu 
== Gallery of variants ==
== BIONICLE.com biography ==
== Gallery ==
Tahu protodermis.png|Tahu Nuva rising from the pool of energised protodermis
Tahu v Nektann.png|Tahu fights with Nektann for part of the Golden Armour
Tahunuva.jpg|Tahu Nuva lavaboarding
Water is for wimps.png|Wallpaper reading "Water is for wimps"
Mol tahu.jpg|Tahu as he appears in BIONICLE: Mask of Light
Mol tahu concept.jpg|Concept art of Tahu from Mask of Light
Tahu 2001 concept.png|2001 concept art depicts Tahu facing an entity of flame
TahuExpressions.jpg|Animated Tahu's expressions
TahuConceptCollage.jpg|A collage of 2015 concept art
2015TahuConceptArt.png|Preliminary artwork of 70787 Tahu - Master of Fire
== External links ==