Makuta powers?

So I am curious everyones thoughts on what Powers makuta can use often, as they have 42 different abilities, does that mean they can use multiple overly powerful abilities in a single fight or are there limits?

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Let’s face it, a being with so many powers is OP-er than the OP. Who even came with this idea?

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Yeah lol they are basically Gods.

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I’m pretty sure it was an offshoot of the fact that a Makuta can produce Kraata of all these abilities. It seems logical that a Kraata could only have such powers if its creator also possessed them. I do agree that it makes the Makuta very overpowered, though. I don’t think this is canon, but I do think it makes sense to limit them by stipulating that they can only use one power at a time. It doesn’t do much to make them less powerful, though…

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Makuta have three limits in terms of power:
a) They can only use one power at a time - although they can switch rapidly between powers
b) Like a Toa they have some kind of “elemental” pool that fuels their powers. So a Makuta will run out of power eventually. It’s also my belief that the bigger they are (since they’re shapeshifters), the bigger their “elemental” pool.
c) Makuta powers are inferior to true elemental powers, meaning a Toa of Gravity for example can do more than a Makuta with his element, like absorbing it to regenerate his elemental pool or doing a Nova Blast. The exception to this is Shadow, which the Makuta use as an elemental power. They might be able to absorb shadow energy, but they’re definitely capable of doing a weaker kind of Nova Blast using it.

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Good point. I think it even said in the books that the makuta in karda Nui were holding back, on the note about cannon powers, they were using Powers quite often in the books, Vamprah plunged the cavern into darkness, Antroz used his power of magnetism to smash kopaka from floor to ceiling and Chirox used his shattering power to open a crevasse in the floor, knocking them off their feet. Mutran used chain lightning, Icarax used gravity. It all those powers used in one book. So I think the powers might be cannon.

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Oh, the powers are canon, definitely…I was more or less questioning if they could be used simultaneously, which @Gilahu seems to have cleared up for us.

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Ah I see, it would have been crazy if they could!

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Unfortunately, it is.

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One thing to keep in mind is that, while the Makuta in Karda Nui and the swamps below were definitely holding back, the usage of their power should be seen as literal. They were also essentially juggernauts in combat, and if they were actually trying the Toa would be dead in a minute. Plus, the Makuta have far more deadly combinations of Rahkshi powers they could have used instead of the rather non-violent tripping them with the ground and then throwing them around the room. For instance, none of the Makuta used poison during that time.

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I think we only ever saw Makuta using their powers/capabilities to full extend a couple times:

  1. When Icarax defeated the Toa Nuva in Karzahni with what seemed like hardly any effort and then tanked a Nova Blast.
  2. When Teridax as Maxilos defeated the six Barraki to buy time for the Toa Mahri.
  3. When Alternate Teridax turned three Shadow Takanuva into scrap metal.

If you ask me all other instances of seeing Makuta fight are a little inauthentic to say the least. I’m by no means suggesting that they’re undefeatable, but what we saw stinks to high heaven of plot armor most of the time.

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I believe what determines strength etc. is mostly the size/shape of a Makuta, so it depends on that.

However, I think Icarax is probably the most skilled Makuta in terms of martial arts. In a 1 on 1 without any form of trickery he’d probably be capable of beating everyone else.

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Makes sense, I was curious because in one quote he says “the strength of my limbs” he is the only makuta to ever mention their physical strength, so I thought he would not have such a crush your enemies beneath your feet and strength of limbs mentality if he were not a strong individual even compared to the other makuta.

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The thing with Makuta of course is that strength is the least of their assets. They don’t need strength to annihilate their foes. So it could mean that unlike other Makuta Icarax simply enjoys physically crushing his enemies.

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Actually just stumbled over this again - some answer from Greg from the LMBs:

Question: I understand that the swamp Makuta were weakened by their mutations, but why didn’t they seem to use ANY of their remaining powers?

Answer: You answered your own question. I set it up so that the Makuta could not use their other powers, otherwise the Toa would have been dead in 45 seconds and the story would be over.

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I’ve never really liked this answer because there was already a reason for the Makuta to not use their other powers: they needed the Toa alive.

The fact that the Makuta don’t use their powers should be a mystery that foreshadows their true plan; it doesn’t need some “because I said so” excuse from Greg.

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I agree, it would have been better to just make them have no limitations but what they limit for themselves. It would have made sense to what he was trying to convey regardless.

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Now that I reread the quote for the umpteenth time over the years, that might actually be what he was saying; all he said is that they “could not use their other powers”. It’s implied that it’s a physical limitation, but it could just as easily be read to mean that they are simply forbidden from using them; they couldn’t use their powers because Teridax would have had them punished (and/or The Plan would fail, for those of them who cared about that).

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It could certainly be read that way, it would even make sense without changing the already written story in any way. Honestly may even be what he was intending originally anyway.

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