Can’t remember exactly where I read this, but somewhere it was said that Rahkshi of Heat Vision only were the most numerous kind of Rahkshi around during the battle of Bara Magna. So there actually were other Rahkshi kinds around, too.
And the Rahkshi’s staffs only enhance their power - much like a Kanohi does a Toa’s. The staffs aren’t the source of a Rahkshi’s power (rather it’s the Kraata, I’d say). Rahkshi without a staff are greatly weakened, but can still use their powers.
Okay that’s fair. Still, it seems like having that much power begs corruption.
Which actually could make for a neat storyline, Tahu slowly being corrupted by his new found powers, eventually battling all of his friends.
Ok but honestly does anyone think every single type of Rahkshi/Kraata were in that battle? All 42 of them? Lol I doubt it. Teridax: “OK guys I want one of every type of kraata in this battle! So get to it!” I’m positive the main Rahkshi/Kraata type was laser vision and a few other types in that battle and other forces like Skakdi etc. Tahu DOES NOT have all 42 Kraata and Rahkshi powers.
Greg has been asked something along these lines, but he says he doesn’t know. Tahu has at least 2 though:
However: (From Journey’s End)
“As combatants on both sides watched, the Rahkshi’s armor
disintegrated and the kraata slugs inside them exploded into shards of shadow.
Tahu was still screaming as the energies of hundreds of Rahkshi threatened to overwhelm him.
Then, abruptly, the nimbus of power around him disappeared and he dropped like a stone”
There were “hundreds” of Rahkshi. This could mean anything from 200 to the low thousands. It doesn’t seem impossible that there could be one of each type in there.
However, it is not known for sure.
Yeah he has at least a couple, the bulk of the Rahkshi forces were Kraata of heat vision. I would assume that there would be squadrons of one of the same type and perhaps several other types in large numbers but not all 42 types, if he had all 42 Kraata powers Farshtey would have just flat out said it “he has all of them” or “he has 42 Kraata/Rahkshi powers” instead of needing to calculate it, which to me indicates he did not plan on him having all 42 from the start.
I can’t find it right now, but I seem to remember Greg addressing the balance, and he said that, even though the Rahkshi were depicted as mostly Heat Vision in the comics and other story, Heat Vision wasn’t actually a majority.
EDIT: I’m going through Greg quotes, and there are multiple times where he specifically states that Tahu doesn’t necessarily have all 42 powers:
I can see that being the case, I just still don’t think if Greg had intended him to have all of the Kraata powers he would even need to calculate it, he would just say all 42 or all of them. So I would gather from that, he doesn’t have them all.
Okay, I found this quote:
While this is not technically canon, since it is just Greg talking about ideas, it seems fairly clear that Greg did not want Tahu to have all 42 powers.
So, while we cannot definitively say that Tahu did not have all 42, it seems likely that he didn’t.
I think that, if the story continued, Tahu’s Rahkshi powers would have just been whatever was convenient for the story at the time. Greg has admitted that he likes to write himself into a corner, and that’s where these powers would probably have come in.
EDIT: I’m also pretty sure that Greg didn’t want Tahu having ‘evil’ powers like Fear, or Anger.
Wow good find! That makes sense. It would be pretty unbalanced, I always liked the idea that the Toa were outmatched by the Makuta and that the stakes were higher and had to find clever ways to defeat them. Even if the Makuta I guess intended to lose battles lol
It is likely that Teridax simply “recruited” all the wild Rahkshi lurking around in the MU in addition to the ones he specifically had created. As such there is the possibility of all kinds of Rahkshi having been present for Tahu to destroy.
So we can’t really say which powers Tahu got, but neither can we completely exclude the possibility of him gaining all of them. That’d ultimately be left to personal preferences.
i will argue and maintain till the day i die that tahu getting that power was such a mistake on the part of the writers and it should have been clear that that role should have went to takanuva
I kind of agree. However, I feel that, had the story continued, Greg would have limited the number of powers that Tahu got, to maybe 20, tops.
Didn’t we just say that this was too much power? Why is it okay to give it to Takanuva, but not Tahu?
because takanuva was at least a special case; a singular toa with a special destiny. tahu was of the mata team and getting those powers made it seem like he’s better than the rest of his team. In the past, bionicle was pretty consistent with, outside of betrayal or tragedy, toa teams being all together as equals.
i staunchly didnt agree with tahu being elevated to such a ridiculous degree over the other toa mata/nuva
Takanuva was also of the Mata team.
eeeeh, honorary i’d say, and it always felt like he had a different path to walk from them, despite it crossing over at pivotal points. i feel if he had received the golden armor, which made the difference in defeating makuta, which he was prophesized to do, it would have been more fulfilling and appropriate. that just me of course
I will agree that it would have been more fitting for Takanuva to be the one to do it.
Yeah. Forty-two powers is way too over powered.
And it could probably be explained away by the fact that one of a Makuta’s only weakness is his or her arrogance, which leads their species to underestimate their opponents, (a way that a good many forces of evil have met their end in both fiction and real-world history) combined with the fact that Teridax was sure that the Metru were not truly destined to become Toa, and thus, would be unable to rise to the occasion of putting up a good fight against him (this makes the whole convoluted storyline about the Order of Mata Nui rewriting the stars even more important).
Just because Tahu has more physical power than his teammates, it does not make him less equal. I think it would be a good test of his growth as a character to have him still faithfully lead his team despite being more powerful than any individual member, hammering home how much he’s grown since '01 when he’d of just gone off and done his own thing.
I get your point, but I think it’s actually an opportunity for a character moment, not a problem. I won’t argue that Takanuva wouldn’t have been an appropriate pick, though - you’re certainly right there, and it would line up with his destiny of “defeating Makuta” in a sort of roundabout way that’s kind of nice.
Well, let’s try and figure out which ones he could possibly have vs. hopefully not have obtained:
Fear: Has the power to bring fear to the hearts of even the Toa Nuva. - Considered immoral by Toa
Disintegration: Has the power to reduce even Protodermis to dust. - Too OP, and probably considered immoral by Toa
Poison: Dangerously toxic even to a Toa Nuva. - Probably considered immoral by Toa
Fragmentation: Has the power to create explosions in the immediate area. - Probably considered immoral by Toa
Hunger: Has enough strength to drain the energy of a Toa Nuva. - Considered immoral by Toa
Anger: Has the power to turn even the Toa Nuva against one another in total rage. - Considered immoral by Toa
Weather Control: Can manifest powerful, dangerous thunderstorms and blizzards at will. - Too OP
Elasticity: Can stretch incredible lengths in the blink of an eye to infect a faraway mask. - Too OP/weird
Heat Vision: Powerful long-range heat vision can ignite any object within sight. - This one stays, as it is not only obviously canon, but also goes really well with his fire powers
Illusion: Can create and control multiple realistic illusions anywhere within sight. - Already obtained this power from Noble Kanohi in ’01
Teleportation: Has the power to teleport itself through any wall or other structure except the shields of Karda Nui. - Too OP
Quick Healing: Almost indestructible; if captured, can be used to heal the injuries of others. - You know, the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy has convinced me that this is actually the best idea ever Sorry folks, but even though it’s too OP, Greg himself has stated that this is one of the powers Tahu has (Maybe there’s still some way it can be nerfed or worked-around)
Laser Vision: Fires powerful eye-beams that can burn through solid Protodermis. - Jury’s still out on this one. Tahu already has heat-vision, and one might consider it too OP to make him able to just up and burn through solid Protodermis
Gravity: Uses gravity control to crush any object in visual range. - Too OP
Electricity: Powerful electrical field can be controlled to surround or stun distant objects or creatures. - This one might be too OP due to its range, and the fact that we don’t want him able to cancel-out the opportunities for cool fight scenes by simply instantly and non-violently detaining everyone. Maybe the power of Chain Lightning, or more-likely, Sonics, (both of which are discussed below) is a better fit for Tahu, instead
Sonics: Blasts distant objects with powerful waves of sonic force. - Might be a good fit: recognizable as a power he wouldn’t normally have, but possibly similar enough to the way his existing powers work (firing elemental blasts that can damage stuff). Might also make for interesting moments where he could use the power to shatter crystalline or glass-like materials (And no, this clearly not motivated by missing the days of Krakua’s Kanohi being considered to be Hau-shaped). Maybe the modifier “distant” gives this power too OP of a range, though (although it’s still probably not as OP as Electricity or Chain Lightning)
Vacuum: Has the power to create gale-force winds or instantly reverse their flow. - Too similar to Lewa’s Air powers, and I don’t want Lewa to be obsolete
Plasma: Has the power to instantly melt any object into vapor. - If this was merely akin to giving him elemental Plasma powers, I might’ve been okay with it, but if it’s at such a powerful level that it lets him just melt anything instantly, then it’s too OP
Magnetism: Possesses magnetic powers strong enough to tear a slab of Protodermis in two. - Too OP (We’ve already got Zaria, we don’t need an additional Magneto, let-alone one who can also control Fire and numerous other powers)
Fire Resistance: Strong enough to withstand the heat of Tahu Nuva’s magma swords. - I say we keep this one, since it makes sense as an upgraded extension of Tahu’s powers
Ice Resistance: Impervious even to the cold of Kopaka Nuva’s ice blade. - Jury’s kinda still out on this, but my personal opinion says no. I don’t wanna make Tahu immune to his biggest physical weakness, and I don’t want him to automatically win any possible future arguments he could get into with Kopaka or Gali (Yeah, I know they’ve all matured since ’03, but there’s still a chance that at least some more drama of the potentially comedic sort could arise to at least some degree, given the right circumstances)
Mind Reading: Powerful enough to invade the mind of a Turaga or Toa Nuva. - Seems too OP, and we don’t want to make Orde obsolete right after he’s been introduced.
Shapeshifting: Has total control over its own shape, although its mass cannot change. - This one MIGHT be okay to keep (there’s a big qualifier there). It depends on whether this ability is seen as him having access to a Great Mahiki instead of a Noble one, or him being a too OP Skrull
Darkness: Has the power to consume all light in a large area; only Takanuva’s light is stronger. - Probably considered immoral by Toa
Plant Control: Has total control over any plants in the area. - Let’s not give him Jungle powers, please.
Molecular Disruption: Has the power to utterly disintegrate any inorganic object with a touch. - Likely considered immoral by Toa
Chain Lightning: Controls devastating bolts of chain lightning that leap between multiple targets. - Might be a good fit: recognizable as a power he wouldn’t normally have, but possibly similar enough to the way his existing powers work (firing elemental blasts that can fry stuff), as well as the fact that I believe that (unless I’m mistaken) in a series called Avatar, if someone with fire powers unlocks his true potential, he gets lightning powers, as well. That being said, it might be too OP, especially if it makes him able to electrocute every enemy in his vicinity, making every battle for him be less difficult than the Battle of Wakanda to a Stormbreaker-wielding Chris Hemsworth
Cyclone: Has the power to create and control powerful cyclones at will. - Too similar to Lewa’s Air powers, and I don’t want Lewa to be obsolete
Density Control: Complete control over own density and that of any object in physical contact. - This one MIGHT be able to be kept, if it’s used in a way that doesn’t make him too OP, but used in a way that’s much more like how he would’ve used his Kanohi Hau Nuva and Kanohi Miru Nuva
Chameleon: Has the ability to become completely invisible in any environment. This one MIGHT be okay to keep (there’s a big qualifier there). This might be seen as him having access to an upgraded version of a Great Huna instead of a regular version of a Noble one, but it probably makes him too OP
Accuracy: Can strike the smallest target at a great distance or in any environment or condition. - Too OP
Rahi Control: Has absolute control over every living Rahi in the near area. - Too OP
Insect Control: Powerful enough to control and command an entire hive of Nui-Rama. (what’s even the point, insect Rahi are still Rahi, why bother with the distinction?) - Too OP
Stasis Field: Has the power to freeze a creature in near-permanent stasis through eye contact. - Too OP
Limited Invulnerability: Absolutely invulnerable to physical harm of any kind. (yeah, very limited) - Renders Kanohi Hau basically obsolete
Power Scream: Power scream shatters stone and can be heard all across an island. - Too OP
Dodge: Impossible to physically strike, no matter how swiftly or powerfully. - Too OP and Renders Kanohi Hau basically obsolete
Silence: Aura of silence is powerful enough to temporarily deafen a Toa Nuva. - The jury’s still out on this one. Might be considered immoral by Toa because of it being the power of a Makuta’s Kanohi, might not be considered immoral by Toa since Toa of Sonics can do it without the Kanohi. Either way, it probably makes Tahu too OP
Adaptation: Instantly adapts to take maximum advantage of any condition or situation. - Depends. It could be seen as an upgrade that nicely compliments his Kanohi and armor, him having a Mask of Adaption, or as too OP, which it may well be.
Slow: Able to rob even a Toa Nuva of all speed as long as it remains nearby. -Most-likely too OP
Confusion: Extended proximity can reduce even a Toa Nuva to mindless babbling. - Considered immoral by Toa
Sleep: Has the power to instantly put an entire village into deep sleep. - Too OP and Makuta-esque