Back in July 2021, I made my version of Toa Tuyet in anticipation of the upcoming canon contest. You can see my entry for her here. After that, I figured I would make a Nidhiki in case I decide to enter his contest later down the line. After that, I revamped Lhikan to complete the power trio. And over the next few weeks, I put a bunch of my time into creating my versions of the remaining Toa Mangai. I’m still ironing out who they are as characters, but I couldn’t be happier with their MOCs. Without further ado, let’s meet the team!
Lhikan, Toa of Fire
Lhikan is a noble Toa of Fire and was appointed by Turaga Dume to be the leader of the Toa Mangai. Fierce, loyal, and determined, if a bit rash, Lhikan is known for his legendary precision when controlling the element of Fire and his care for the Matoran under his watch.
He wears a Great Kanohi Hau, the Mask of Shielding that has been reforged into the shape of a Noble Hau and wields the Dual Fire Greatswords.
Fun Fact: Toa Lhikan is one of my last MOCs to use Skrall armor pieces in dark red. A particularly annoying experience gathering the parts for Annona has made me never want to use that part in that color again.
Tuyet, First Toa of Water
Tuyet joined the Toa Mangai with noble intentions, seeking to protect the Matoran in her care from threats such as the Kanohi Dragon and the Dark Hunters. After the Dragon’s defeat, she secretly came to realize that the cost of keeping them safe during the Dark Hunter war was a price Lhikan was not always willing to pay and, with the Nui Stone in hand, conspired to make him “see the light.”
She wears a Great Kanohi Tagio, the Mask of Intangibility and wields the Barbed Broadsword. This MOC uses a Noble Huna as a stand-in for the Mask of Intangibility until a canon design is decided.
Fun Fact: Tuyet is the first of the Toa Mangai I had designed–followed by Nidhiki, Lhikan, Naho, and the rest–and is the second MOC ever that I’d made in Studio that I’ve since built in real life, the first being an MOV of the scrapped Star Wars character Tor Valum.
Nidhiki, Toa of Air
Nidhiki comes from a land where Toa of “certain virtues” need not apply. Even after arriving in the relatively peaceful Metru Nui, Nidhiki continued to favor pragmatism over honor, a trait that bothered Lhikan. Despite his shortcomings, Nidhiki was still a valued member of the team who knew when he could kick back and when he had to put his game face on. Too bad his selfish desires and inability to think ahead got the better of him…
He wears a Great Kanohi Volitak, the Mask of Stealth that has been reforged into the shape of a Great Kualsi and wields the Air Scythe. If Nidhiki’s upcoming canon contest requires a default-shaped Volitak, then this MOC will wear a Volitak for the purposes of the contest only. This version of the character in my headcanon will have had it reforged regardless of the results.
Fun Fact: Some people are really antsy (for lack of a better word) over whether or not Nidhiki should have any silver armor on him. This has absolutely nothing to do with why mine has no silver and I’m actually fine if silver is featured on the winner unless there is a quote that states otherwise that I’ve missed.
Naho, Second Toa of Water
Naho is the youngest member of the team and carries with her nearly undying optimism. Some on the team criticize her for being naive, but she prefers to see the bright side of things, believing that no situation is truly hopeless and lost. It was only at the moment of her death at the hands of the Dark Hunter Nidhiki that she finally understood that anybody had the potential to be truly evil.
She wears a Great Kanohi Akaku, the Mask of X-Ray Vision and wields the Hammer of the Tides.
Since all the information from here on out is basically pure fanon, I’m going to start providing characters from other franchises who’d I personally compare the respective Toa to–be it because of personality, character traits, or otherwise–if a good comparison exists. For Naho, I imagine her being the Omega of the Toa Mangai.
Fun Fact: I gave Naho a hammer as a “tip of the hat” to Lewa Krom, a fan who infamously asked Greg Farshtey to canonize that as her weapon. This fan also requested her to have a Huna, but I didn’t want two of the same mask on the team since Tuyet already wears one (even if it’s only a stand-in).
Eiramil, First Toa of Ice
(EER-uh-mil)
In his own words, Eiramil is “a soldier first and a Toa second.” While not one to break the Toa Code, he has a reputation for being especially cold and unfriendly, even for a being of Ice, rarely offering himself luxuries and almost never speaking unless to receive orders from a commanding officer or to pass said orders along to others. He has good enough chemistry with the other Mangai to have a great professional relationship with them, but only just good enough. Except with one.
He wears a Great Kanohi Kaukau, the Mask of Water Breathing and wields the Blizzard Bayonette and an unnamed shield.
For comparisions, I think of him as the Crosshair of the Toa Mangai.
Fun Fact: Eiramil is the only one of the Toa of Ice on the team that can be constructed completely by purists. All of the others require painting and/or modifying their masks.
Kitea, Second Toa of Ice
(kih-TAY-ah)
Although more than able to hold his own, Kitea doesn’t consider himself a warrior and generally stays away from the action whenever possible. His primary contribution to the team is his intelligence. Lhikan has praised Kitea as being the best tactician and quick-thinker on the team and has credited him with coming up with the plan that successfully took down the Kanohi Dragon. After Nidhiki turncoated, he specifically ordered Eliminator to target Kitea first, for his chessmaster skills were paramount to a significant number of the Mangai’s victories in the Dark Hunter war.
He wears a Great Kanohi Aithris, the Mask of Conjuring that has been reforged into another shape and wields the Shiverburn Shortsword.
For comparisons, personality-wise I consider him closer to Tech while his role in the team is a bit of a mix between Tech and Kururu.
Fun Fact: The one and only reason Kitea does not have a default-shaped Mask of Conjuring is because I don’t like the look of it. It’s a bit silly to me.
Bhiastoa, Third Toa of Ice
(bih-STO-uh)
During his time as a Matoran, Bhiastoa bonded with a fellow Ko-Matoran named Kualus over their love of Rahi; while Kualus studied the creatures of the air, Bhiastoa gravitated toward those of the land, his favorite being the Yeti Magna of Ko-Deko. After transforming into a Toa, Bhiastoa modeled his armor and weapons after the Yeti Magna and fought against all threats with animalistic fervor.
He wears a Great Kanohi Calix, the Mask of Fate and wields the Yeti Claws.
I tried thinking of a comparison for Bhiastoa, but I’ve got nothing. Maybe you reading this can think of something.
Fun Fact: Bhiastoa is probably the Mangai I least looked forward to designing, but he ended up being one of my favorites design-wise.
Mentari, Fourth Toa of Ice
(men-TAR-ree)
Mentari values one thing above all else in this universe: the truth. A philosophy he’s held since youth–that all evil stems from someone willing to lie about themselves or others–has led him to have a somewhat naive, black-and-white interpretation of justice; one that has been challenged many times since joining the Toa Mangai.
He wears a Great Kanohi Rode, the Mask of Truth and wields currently-unnamed tricep-mounted blades.
For comparisons, I’d say he is to the Toa Mangai what Dogma is to the 501st Legion.
Fun Fact: Mentari is probably my least favorite of all of the Toa Mangai. I decided to tackle all 4 Ice Toa first since I knew coming up with 4 distinct primarily white-armored Metru/Hagah-style characters would be tough and I’d felt burnt out by the time I reached him.
Cyhatu, Toa of Stone
(kee-HAH-too)
Cyhatu is the Toa Mangai’s gentle giant. When not in combat, he has the most lax and jovial personality of any of the Toa Mangai, even joking that he specifically chose the mask with the smile to match his attitude. When the going gets tough, it’s usually Cyhatu who’s able to calm everybody’s nerves. Cyhatu’s personal goal beyond his duties as a Toa is to make each one of his teammates fall over laughing at least once. To date, he’s succeeded with everyone except Eiramil, who has yet to even smile.
He wears a Great Kanohi Miru, the Mask of Levitation and wields the Chambersite Crooks.
I honestly can’t think of any great comparisons for Cyhatu here, but I suppose he’s kind of a mix of Pohatu’s, Lewa’s, and Keroro’s personalities.
Fun Fact: The main reason Cyhatu’s Metru torso is inverted is because none of the Hagah entries that I am aware of (i.e. made it to round 2) attempted it. It results in him having the broadest shoulders of the Mangai but I believe the result is absolutely worth it.
Soleagh, Toa of Earth
(so-LEEG)
Many of the Toa who originate from Soleagh’s homeland were trained by the Zya Mercenaries and as such are more willing to bend the Toa Code for the right cause. While not quite the soldier Eiramil is, this nevertheless made Soleagh a solid candidate to fight in the Dark Hunter war. Under that dark shell lies love for his brother and sister Toa, whom he fought for and alongside regularly. Regrettably, he was the first casualty of the Mangai, having lost his life in a battle alone against a large number of Dark Hunters, managing to take most if not all of them with him.
He wears a Great Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed and wields the Seismic Spear.
His character is inspired by Vandham and Sitka, up to and including his death.
Fun Fact: Soleagh is the one Mangai Eiramil truly considered a friend due to their similar backgrounds as merc/soldier and it was him who ensured that the Earth Toa’s funeral was held properly in according to Zya Merc customs, including burying him where he died.
Jerere, Toa of Plantlife
(zheh-RAIR)
Jerere was always a rather self-conscious person; as a Matoran, he rarely drew attention to himself and in fact actively attempted to avoid doing so. This troubled the Turaga of Bo-Koro, Reva, who took him under his wing and raised him like a son, hoping to ease whatever bothered the Matoran. Though still rather timid after becoming a Toa, Jerere accepted Reva’s blessing and traveled to Metru Nui to join the Toa Mangai, almost immediately befriending Kitea, who–whether intentionally or not–did wonders in building Jerere’s confidence. Beyond his duties as a Toa, he aspires to return to Bo-Koro to show Reva how far he’s come.
He wears a Great Kanohi Kaora, the Mask of Healing that has been reforged into the shape of a Noble Rau in honor of Turaga Reva and wields the Mancinella Trident.
I have no good character comparisons to bring up for Jerere, so let’s round off this section by saying that, if the pronunciation guide above is confusing, Jerere’s name is pronounced like “Javert” but the V is swapped for an R.
Fun Fact: The main reason Jerere uses a Nuva chest plate is because I wanted to see if I could improve upon Toa Kualus’s chest (i.e. keep the gear function but use a completely legal connection). I believe I succeeded and would probably use this method myself if I’d ever built Kualus.
Kodan the Chronicler
Last but not least, what Toa Team is complete without its Chronicler? Enter Kodan. Unfortunately, I don’t have a much of a character headcanoned for this little bugger as of yet, so this part isn’t going to follow the same formula as the team proper. His mask was originally going to be an Arthron but I decided it looked weird for a Metrutoran so I settled for a Ruru, which actually does come in tan (albeit without the silver stripe, which is kind of optional tbh).