Nobua has been there all along

[GoodGuy2006]

the bs01 page says ‘neon genesis evangelion’
why

[Senit]

Humor. Nothing else. Its because he’s in a Boxor and thats a mech suit.
(Unless the question was not serious)

[ToaKebaka]

I see the Nobua page has been updated with potential appearances mentioned here. Neat!
Only the online animations are missing now.

[Willess12]

I take back what I said, in light of the early animations and games being so consistent with the Matoran that showed up, it’s almost certain that “Matoran with a purple Hau” was meant to be Nobua, at least in MNOG and the animations.

The comics are dubious at best. The first scene is a group of Matoran defending Ta-Koro, and he even shouts “for Ta-Koro” (and for some reason replaces Unity with his village), so it’s far more likely that it’s a Ta-Matoran. The second seems to just be random Matoran. Also, the comics are notably not consistent with the games and animations – I point to Kapura Nuhrii as evidence – so why would they be here?

Conclusion: MNOG and BOA is definitely Nobua. Comics could be literally anybody, and the Boxor Matoran is probably a Ta-Matoran.

[ToaKebaka]

The interesting thing is that even the comic Nobua does fit in the timeline of events if you read all the materials carefully - though one has to piece it together.
I made a shot at it here:

@ToaKebaka

Actually, I think the short comic with Nokama takes place on an evening before Ga-Koro siege. The Toa just decended and Nokama tells Matoran prophecies about their progress. This does not necessarily take place in Ga-Koro.
Chronologically it makes sense. The following day Nobua joins the Boxor defense of Ta-Koro with some other Matoran. We know Takua was bringing Boxor squads to other villages, as he does so in Ga-Koro.
Seeing as he and Onu-Matoran travelled there with Jaller and his guardsmen, they probably made a stop at Ta-Koro first, at which point Nobua takes lead of his squad and they start preparing those traps. Takua then brings the rest of the Boxors to Ga-Koro along with Jaller’s guard.

As for the comic consistency, you’re right, but I would also point out that the 2004 comics were drawn by a different illustrator than the ones Nobua appears in. Those seem at least slightly more consistent with their Matoran.
Ultimately I agree that the comic versions are more ambiguous - they can work quite well, but the reader has to make concerted effort toward consistency. If the comic Matoran wasn’t meant to be Nobua, he sure does fit the role

EDIT: @Willess12 some additional realizations and evidence I have noticed. Take note of the conversation between the presumed Onu-Matoran piloting the Boxors: they talk about preparing traps by digging the pits and setting up rock falls - something Onu-Matoran would be quite skilled at.
Even more importantly, as Nobua shouts “For Ta-Koro! For Duty! For Destiny!”
As I explained earlier, the Ta-Koro shout is simply Onu-Koro Boxor pilots being tasked with defending other villages. But the choice of the two specific virtues is very telling - Duty and Destiny are the two virtues specifically favored by the Onu-Matoran and they derive the principle of Prosperity from them.
https://biosector01.com/wiki/Principles