Who is your favorite / least favorite Toa in terms of character?

In the story of G1, who is your favorite and/or least favorite Toa?

My personal favorites are Kopaka, Matoro, and Jaller in order.

12 Likes

One of my favorite Toa is Toa Nokama. Nokama was the only Toa to be supportive of Vakama since Day 1; even defending him from rude comments before they were transformed into Toa at the Great Temple. She really felt like the only member of the team to treat everyone with the respect that they deserved. But not only was she kind and compassionate, she was also strong and determined. The Great Discs journey, the Morbuzakh battle, dealing with Krahka… and so much more. She’s definitely a model Toa Hero to me.

In contrast, one of my least favorite Toa is Onewa. Onewa was selfish, brutish, and inappropriate. He didn’t work well with any of the Toa and clashed with Vakama, and Whenua quite often. He also mocked Nuju and Matau without provocation, and it seems like he never took Nokama seriously. Only towards the end of his character arc did he realize working together was their only solution to saving the Matoran. But it always felt to me like he came to this realization out of necessity and not because he particularly enjoyed doing so.

My other favorites are: Lhikan, Vakama, Jaller
My other least favorites are: Tuyet, Nidhiki

8 Likes

I’d say my favorite Toa would be… well, pretty much any Toa of Air, but, more specifically, Toa Matau. I just really like the fun-loving and somewhat reckless attitude the Toa of Air usually have.

My least favorite would probably be Toa Onewa, basically for the same reasons @Hesplo said in the comment above.

5 Likes

I’m going to be that dull predictable fellow and say that Matoro is probably my favourite. He’s got a very well-constructed character arc that flows nicely from his first appearance as a Matoran right up to his sacrifice in 07. But it’s not just because “oh, he got an emotional death” (Lhikan had that too). I really liked the thematic notion that he wasn’t a great, mighty hero - just a quiet friend with some good in his heart. And it was that which truly made him heroic.

And I also just love Toa of Ice. :stuck_out_tongue:

Other close contenders for me would be Vakama (a somewhat anti-sterotype Toa of Fire whoose only weak point was his inconsistency of character) or the Mata (who are easily the most interesting and well-written team as a cohesive unit, but none of them really smash it out of the park all by themselves, either). Takanuva, Lhikan, Varian, and Tuyet also come to mind for various reasons, and some of TYQ Toa were shaping up to be interesting.

Perhaps slightly controversial, but my least favourite, without any doubt, is Kongu. His character underwent a radical and unexplained transformation from the early years (where he was this pretty interesting and awesome Matoran who was something like if Tarzan was an Air Force Captain) to what amounted to a knockoff Lewa once he actually became a Toa. Would have loved him as a character if he stayed consistent, since none of the other Inika seemed to undergo a similar devolution of character (you could argue Hahli was a bit different, but really, her character prior was just “I am ready to start the kolhii match” :stuck_out_tongue:)

It was especially bizarre since Hewkii already comfortably filled the easy-going, comic relief niche (and was quite entertaining at times, too) so why Kongu had to be forced in the same direction I haven’t the slightest idea. Toa of Air are by far the most stereotyped element - at least we got Lesovikk, though.

I get why people are saying Onewa - he was kind of obnoxious - but frankly, after the flawed but still undeniably heroic Mata/Nuva, it was nice to see some novice, less “idealized” Toa. He’s not very likable, but he’s still an interesting character.

10 Likes

Oh I see what you mean when it comes to Onewa and I would agree. The Toa metru are extremely dysfunctional for the most part, and arguably Onewa is the most dysfunctional. I ranked him as one of my least favorite Toa in terms of who he is and what he contributes, but from a story perspective he would not be my least favorite at all. Same goes for Tuyet. I don’t like her the character, but I really love her story.

6 Likes

Yeah that’s fair enough. It’s really just how you define “favourite” - for me, I love narrative and storytelling, so my favourites are naturally thought-provoking and well written characters. But for some people, it’s just the one they personally resonate with the most, and that’s perfectly fine.

If I were to rank by that criteria, I’d probably find myself picking Matoro again (because friends are important to me and because I resonate a lot with the silent “I’m not strong or smart or heroic” internal dialogues he always has) as well as Kopaka (because despite what I literally just said, being a reclusive introvert who doesn’t want to have to work with anyone is also a rather big part of me :stuck_out_tongue:)

And as said above, Toa of Ice are pretty neat. Cool, even. :stuck_out_tongue:

5 Likes

Favorites: Tuyet, Vakama, and Zaria. I love Tuyet because she so well fills the role of the anti-villain - the right goals, but the wrong means; she truly believes what she is doing is right.

I also really enjoy the struggles of Vakama, where he is forced to to take responsibility when he doesn’t necessarily want it. I quite like the way his relationship with Matau shifts from rivals to friends. To be honest, I really love the Metru in general, because they provide a much less idealized team of heroes.

Zaria is just the perfect edgelord.

As far as my least favorites go: I’d have to say Gali (at least in the earlier years) and Pohatu (heresy I know). I just find them vaguely obnoxious. Also Kongu - out of all the Inika, he seemed to be the most “knockoff Mata” to me.

This.

5 Likes

To be fair, Tahu calmed down in the later years, in what was basically the only character development in the entire series (that wasn’t a plot device).

As for the original question: My favourite is definitely Pohatu.

I can’t even really think of any least favourites; obviously there are those like Nidhiki and Tuyet who are bad Toa, but there isn’t really anyone that makes a scene hard to read or anything like that, and all of the Toa that we see have reasonable, consistent actions and thought processes.

Maybe Onewa, with his random aggression towards Vakama?

(Or maybe it’s not so random…

Elaho — Matoran Insults and Discrimination)

7 Likes

I’m glad you shared that tumblr post. It goes so in-depth and it really goes to show how much work is under the hood of this series. It was also how I first learned about the Matoran Civil War, a surprisingly important (yet relatively unspoken) piece of Metru Nui’s history.

4 Likes

I just want to be absolutely clear here, to ensure that I am not accidentally spreading misinformation: this Tumblr post is NOT canon.

However, at the same time, it does not contradict canon, and in fact explains a lot of stuff, fitting neatly into any headcanon.

It definitely would have been cool to get more canon stuff about the War. It would have been the perfect topic for one of those short story canonization contests from ye olden days.

6 Likes

Favorites: Onua (the wise one, also saves everybody all the time), Matoro (everyone likes Matoro), Nuparu (it’s time to rock, he is really cool inventor, and was developed greatly even as Matoran). Lhikan has 4th place, but that’s too much…
Least favorites: Gali (she is the clever one, but we already have Onua, who is cooler in many ather aspects), Nokama (she is super supportive, and that’s it), Onewa (what he does aside from arguing with Vakama at all?)
Seems I like earth and hate water. Good to know about myself.

1 Like

I don’t intend to hold any of the Toa on a character high ground so here’s the ones with the most interesting character to them

Kongu: Toa of Air up to that point were entirely sarcastic, joking pranksters who took advantage of their teammates for a laugh and more often than not got themselves into trouble and needed a helping hand… Not that they’d ever admit it. Kongu breaks the mold in many ways, most notably having the general outlook of a pessimist and only becoming mildly positive in moments of great importance, such as dealing with Vezon and Fenrakk or shattering the cord.

Matoro: All literature in Bionicle points to Matoro as a Matoran being just another Ko-Matoran with very little distinction outside of his position. He was the normal one in comparison; Kopeke was emotionally bland and very straightforward, Ehrye was snappy and selfish, and later on Kazi was quiet and contemplative while still jumping headlong into terrible situations without attempting to consider things. Matoro as a Toa really transformed the character; he had helped protect his village, bravely stood against Kohrak Kal (to no avail, and witnessed the Toa’s greatest deeds, not to mention being the first person to see Kopaka. But as soon as he is thrust into the role, he is indecisive, overly cautios, even scared of being a Toa at all - all the Inika were less than pleased with their new positions. But with a willingness to sacrifice his little old self and working up enough courage to confront and even talk down to Teridax himself, Matoro’s final role as the embodiment of a hero seems undoubtedly the most fitting. Toa, Matoran, legend.

Tahu: Wait, the Kopaka fanboy puts Tahu on a list and doesn’t even include Kopaka? And it’s not a negative list?! What is this utter madness!?!? Well truth be told, Kopaka’s morally superior and cold, uncaring demeanor is not exactly a unique character style, even if I do like the way Kopaka is portrayed - not without his shortcomings, but changes enough of himself (and the people around him, too) to channel that calculating reasoning and stubborn refusal to accept anything other than the proper outcome into one of the most effective Toa leaders to ever exist - I’d go so far as to say the most effective. But Tahu is simply a more interesting character in terms of, well, character. He’s stubborn, rude, brash, highly tempermental, despises anyone challenging his authority, and is in a lot of ways the antithesis to Kopaka (or vice versa). Without a doubt the strongest part about Tahu is the way he grows not only over tiime, but retroactively.
If you recall, Tahu and the Mata were made and trained long before their debut on the island of Mata Nui. The way Tahu grows in the present strongly reflects his personality in the past - still blunt and quick tempered, but with a more reserved and contemplative air which reflects Kopaka from the present - who, in the past, is more impatient, less ready to question Tahu’s decisions, but eagerly questions his line of thinking. By the end of 2008, Tahu has proven to be a smart, strong, defensive and above all else fearless leader of his Toa team and undoubtedly the model Toa of Fire. That’s what I consider to be an interesting character; one who goes from where they start to their end point, whether that be for success or for dismal failure - you can still have an interesting character who ultimately fails his goals of character growth and slides back into the worst possible traits.

I’ll get a least interesting character post up later.

6 Likes

ME TOO!

2 Likes

Lesovikk.

2 Likes

My personal favorite (and I’m kind of surprised no one else has said it yet) is takanuva. Ever since I watched the first bionicle movie (please don’t bash me, I was very young when bionicle came out) I have loved Takua, and then Takanuva once he became a toa. Also, now that I know more about his story both as a toa and as a matoran, I love him even more. Of course, you probably could’ve guessed my favorite toa from my username. My second favorite toa is Lesovikk, and after that, toa of air in general. This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but I’ve always found toa of ice and earth to be my least favorite. That’s not to say I don’t like them as characters, but I’m just not a fan of the ice element. I don’t really have one toa in particular that I like the least, because I actually like toa as a concept and think that they are all cool.

4 Likes

You summed up all of the reasons I like Tahu.

I do have a personal favorite Toa, and it’s Pohatu. Not for any particular reason, I just think he’s cool and relatable. But Tahu, I think, is one of the best-written characters in all of Bionicle. It’s just that very real transformation of his demeanor into a better person throughout the whole story. The best part is you can sort of see that growth and the moments in time he learns certain things.

He learns he can’t do everything by himself when he faces Makuta with the other Toa. We see him come to care for the Matoran and his home throughout the Bohrok and Rahkshi sagas. We see him struggle with his identity when his Toa power is stripped away by the Bohrok Kal. We also see him learn to start trusting others outside his team and to quell his hot-headedness when the Inika rescue the Nuva from his brash decision to face the Piraka.

He shows his growing camaraderie with Kopaka when he purposefully and willingly pairs with him to stop a volcano to awaken Mata-Nui, and from Karda-Nui on through Makuta’s takeover we see him adhere to his duty and mold himself into a true leader. The final show of how far he has come is when he refuses to get blinded by rage from Nektann’s taunting.

At the start of the story, Tahu is a hero only in name and power, but his motivations are selfish. By the end of the story, Tahu is a hero in deed, and he’s fueled purely by the selfless care for his team and the people he needs to protect. It’s a darn good character arc.

It’s just a shame most other Toa don’t have that same depth of arc. Kopaka comes close, in a way he has a bit of an opposite arc to Tahu. Lewa as well has a sort of similar arc, but the flaw he overcomes is his carelessness.

I think it would have been super interesting to see Gali have an arc about a crisis of faith with her power. She’s the only Toa in canon we’ve seen use a Nova blast, and it devastated an entire island. She also nearly drowned Gorast. How cool would it have been to see Gali come close to changing sides, go on a rampage with her power that most believe to be peaceful and calm? All her time spent trying to get the Toa to work together could send her over the edge, drive her to make change herself, even break the Toa code. Meeting or learning about Tuyet could then help to ground her, make her realize how dangerous it is to go down that path. Could have been really cool.

And sadly, as cool as Takanuva is, he was completely wasted past his introduction. Yes, he gets a neat dimension-hopping story, but it does little to service his character. His corruption by the Shadow Leech also never seems to cause major problems, and his involvement in the story is never as important as he was hyped up to be.

On one hand I’m sort of glad he didn’t become uber-important. Bionicle doesn’t need a Llyod Garmadon character. But if they wanted to have a “legendary” Toa’s contributions be ultimately smaller than expected, it could have been handled with more grace. Perhaps Takanuva doesn’t do anything massive with his power, but its his personality and humanity that sways someone to the side of good, or something like that. It would reinforce the message that Takua started that you don’t need to have all the power to be a hero.

7 Likes

Takanuva was saved from being a lowly Uber driver on one of his interdimensional trips to the human universe.

I have to admit, Tahu’s character arc is the most developed throughout the story and I still like him to some degree, but I find the likes of Kopaka and Matoro so much more relatable, as I was never the outgoing and bold person.

Gali becoming corrupt would have been a really cool idea to explore further :stuck_out_tongue:

5 Likes

the toa metru. yes all of them. personally like them because they are all basically a bunch of nerds (minus matau) who all of a sudden become the heroes of their city overnight (well, not really) and they show that toa dont always get it right the first time. I also really like the way the characters work together, like the contrast between nuju and whenua.

6 Likes

I have to be honest, right now I engage with Bionicle mostly at a distance; I pride myself on knowing plenty about the lore and world, but when it comes to a more detailed understanding of the characters as people I’m at at a bit of a loss. For the moment I’d have to say my favorites Pohatu or Matoro. Mainstream, I know, but there’s a reason people like them. Pohatu is cheerful and fun, and Matoro’s kindness and noble acts of sacrifice make him easy to like.

1 Like

uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hmm

my favorite is Onewa, granted that is an unpopular opinion. (you can take your bias elsewhere)
It’s not without reason tho, Onewa is the character that was more less built up as a peacemaker, with his first characterization as a turaga. Then out of nowhere, a different author makes him a unpleasant person.
Now if you take the Matoran Civil War into the mix, a lot of the matoran insults seem to correlate to that event. We know that Ta-Metru, Ga-Metru, and Onu-Metru were allied against the other three. We know that the ta-matorans melted a po-metru warehouse, and that there were causalities to the war.
We also known that even among his peers, Onewa tended to be alone, essentially making him an anti-social matoran who hated Vakama for no reason, despite his earlier canonization of being a fair turaga who was able to judge disputes fairly.
It’s possible that if his story was fleshed out more with consideration for the Matoran Civil War; that we would’ve seen an individual who was friendlier and kinder, have something happen to them that made them a skeptic, cold, anti-social, hateful individual. Taking the Matoran Civil War into consideration again, makes me think it wasn’t Vakama he hated, but that Vakama represented something he hated, Ta-Metru?, himself?, we don’t know, but at some point that individual was able to set aside their hate, became a fair person to the point that they were well known for it, and even befriended those they lashed out on. Onewa had a lot of character development, and unfortunately we weren’t shown much of it. We were shown mainly two points in his life, each with very different characterizations.
(granted my real reason for liking Onewa is just the design of the set :P)

and I don’t really have a least favorite; I like all the toa, I just have some that I wish were fleshed out more.

6 Likes