Toa Mata/Toa Nuva

The Toa Nuva, comprised of Tahu, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu, Onua, and Kopaka, are the main heroes of LEGO Bionicle franchise. Even when the story focuses on a different team of Toa, the Toa Nuva are always close by in the background.

In their first appearance, these were the only known heroes at the time and were simply referred to as the Toa; it was recently revealed that the team's name at this time was the Toa Mata, in honor of the Great Spirit Mata Nui (see "Notes", below). When they were submersed in energized Protodermis and came out with enhanced powers and abilities, Toa Tahu renamed them the Toa Nuva (though the Matoran language meaning of the word "Nuva" is unclear).

Fictional Character History

Before-Time

The past of the Toa Mata is shrouded in mystery. Order of Mata Nui records indicate that they actually started their lives as Toa, unlike most Toa who were transformed as Matoran. They "first walked" over 90,000 years ago on the Order's headquarter island of Daxia, where they were trained in combat by Hydraxon. After undertaking a series of adventure in Karda Nui, "the world that feeds the world", they were appointed as the guardians of the Great Spirit Mata Nui in case some accident was to befall him.

Sadly, something did happen. The Makuta of Metru Nui attacked Mata Nui with such force that he eventually fell unconscious, triggering the Great Cataclysm. In response, the Toa Mata "descended from the heavens" in Toa canisters that landed in the sea surrounding Mata Nui (though Turaga Dume has suggested that the Toa Mata did not come from the heavens, but were launched into the sky from somewhere on land). The intention was that they would land on the island of Mata Nui, where refugees from the city of Metru Nui had escaped, and begin their task of awakening the Great Spirit. However, the canisters malfunctioned and floated in the ocean for a millennium.

A New Start

Sources: Bionicle Chronicles #1-2, Mata Nui Online Game, and Bionicle DC comics #1-8

A thousand years later, a Matoran on Mata Nui named Takua collected the six Toa Stones and brought them to the Kini-Nui Temple. The Toa Stones shot a beam of light into the air, creating a beacon that finally summoned the Toa's canisters to their destination. When they arrived, the Toa found the island in the grip of Makuta, who had enslaved the Rahi wildlife to do his bidding with Kraata-infected masks. However, the Toa had forgotten much while adrift in the canisters; they remembered only their names and the vaguest IDeaS of their mission. But with the local Turaga elders filling them in, the Toa immediately set out to stop Makuta and free the Matoran, collecting the Kanohi Masks to add to their abilities. Once they each collected a full set of masks, they were each given a Golden Kanohi and a Makoki Stone. The Golden Kanohi had the powers of the other six Kanohi masks combine, while the Makoki Stones where used to unlock the path to Makuta's underground lair, the Mangaia. There, the Toa faced Makuta's guardians, the Manas crabs and the Shadow Toa, before facing the Master of Shadows himself.

However, Makuta was only using a fraction of his power. He first took the appearance of a Matoran with an infected mask, claiming he was one of those the Toa had sowrn to protect. When the Toa Mata where not fooled by this ploy, Makuta transformed himself to a vortex of flying pieces and fought the Toa. After deciding that they were indeed the heroes that they said they were, he retreated with the words "You cannot destroy me, for I am Nothing". But he would not allow the Toa to rest: He awakened the Bohrok, swarms of insectoid creatures whose only mission was to reduce the island to bare rock. The Toa had to act fast to save the Matoran villages, but not all succeeded: Onu-Koro was completely flooded, Po-Koro also had to be evacuated, and almost all of the Le-Matoran - including Lewa - joined the swarm through the Bohrok's mind-controlling Krana. However, the Toa Mata continued to fight and collect the Krana that could unlock the swarm's secret - Onua and the Onu-Matoran were even able to help free Lewa and the Le-Matoran from the swarm's influence.

Kopaka was eventually able to find the Bohrok's nest, and once the Toa were gathered they entered to stop the swarms once and for all. In the cave for a brief period of time, Tahu went ahead of the group into a chamber filled with Tahnok, where he was briefly controlled by a krana. After Tahu recovered his mask and made the room explode, the six Toa descended into the heart of the nest. Coming across a series of niches, the Toa placed the Krana they collected inside them. This unlocked six doors, behind each of which was a powerful suit of armor called an Exo-Toa. After suiting up, the Toa went in to face the Bohrok Queens, Cahdok and Gahdok. But despite the extra strength that the armor granted, the Toa still struggled; they eventually figured that the Exo-Toa were blocking their elemental powers. They removed the armor and combined their elemental powers into a single blast, which imprisoned Cahdok and Gahdok in a cage of protodermis. The Toa had won, but before they could celebrate the floor gave way beneath them and they fell into energized protodermis, a substance later revealed to Either transformed or destroyed what it came into contact with, depending on its destiny. The Toa Mata were destined to transform and evolved into the Toa Nuva with stronger powers, new tools, and enhanced mask powers.

Coming of the Kal

Sources: Bionicle Chronicles #3, Bionicle comic #9-12

Unfortunately, the Toa Nuva allowed The New power to go to their heads. After having a three-on-three battle with their new abilities, they decided that they could now protect their respective villages single-handedly and chose to split up with Gali being the only one to argue against the decision. However, an elite squad of Bohrok called the Bohrok-Kal were awakened by the Bahrag's defeat and sought to release the swarms once more. Meanwhile, the drawbacks of having become Toa Nuva became apparent: Nuva Symbols had appeared in the villages when the Toa transformed, and when the Bohrok-Kal stole these Symbols the Toa Nuva lost their elemental powers. In addition, the Toa Nuva had also lost all of the Great Kanohi Masks that they had gathered and had to collect the scattered Kanohi Nuva masks to replace them.

The Toa Nuva rallied together against the Bohrok-Kal, but despite their best efforts they could barely slow the Kal down. The Kal eventually discovered the location of the Queens' prison, only to find the Exo-Toa acting on their own to guard the prisoners. The Bohrok-Kal reduced the Exo-Toa to scrap, but were still delayed long enough for the Toa Nuva to catch up to them. As the Kal proceeded to use the Nuva Symbols to unlock the Bahrag's cage, Tahu Nuva attempted to use the Kanohi Vahi, the Great Mask of Time (which he had earlier receive from Turaga Vakama) to slow them to a near-standstill, which would give the other Toa Nuva time to strike. However, as the Bohrok-Kal where so close to completing their mission, their Krana turned silver and began projecting a force-field that rendered the Kal invulnerable from outside attack. Instead, Gali gambled that the Toa Nuva would be able to reach out to their Symbols. The gamble worked, as the Nuva Symbols began feeding the Bohrok-Kal raw energy, supercharging them until the Kal's own powers overloaded and destroyed them. The Toa Nuva were then able to reclaim their Symbols and with them their elemental powers. They then returned to their villages and hid their symbols in places where they could not be stolen again.

The Mask of Light

Sources: Bionicle: Mask of Light moive and its novelization.

The next few weeks were peaceful ones, but the peace was not to last. Takua, the Matoran that had gathered the Toa Stones, discovered the powerful Kanohi Mask of Light within a lava cave, causing he and his friend Jaller to embark on a journey in search of the mask's wearer, the Toa of Light. However, the Toa Nuva had their hands full fighting the "Sons of Makuta," the Rahkshi, whom Makuta had dispatched to intercept the searchers. In the first fight with the Rahkshi, Tahu Nuva was poisoned, causing him to increasingly lose his temper. By the time the Rahkshi reached Onu-Koro, Tahu had given in to mindless rage; only the combined powers of Gali, Lewa, and Kopaka could purge the poison and calm him down. While the Rahkshi searched for the Mask of Light, they also destroyed the village of Ta-Koro and heavily damaged of Onu-Koro.

The Toa Nuva then regrouped and made their last stand against the Rahkshi at the Kini-Nui Temple, disabling five of the Rahkshi. However, the sixth, Turahk, was able to get through and kill Jaller. Seeing his friend's sacrifice, Takua accepted his destiny as Takanuva, the Toa of Light and destroyed the Rahkshi, ending the battle.

The next day, Takanuva went to face Makuta, insisting that the Toa Nuva stay behind with the Matoran. When Takanuva summoned the Matoran to Makuta's lair, the Toa Nuva went with them and witnessed Takanuva and Makuta fuse into the entity known as Takutanuva, who resurrected Jaller and reopened the path to Metru Nui that had been closed for a thousand years. In the weeks afterward, while the Matoran were preparing to travel to Metru Nui, the Toa Nuva and Takanuva listened to the Turaga's tales of Metru Nui, the Great Cataclysm, and the Great Rescue. This was the first time that they learned of other Toa, among them the previous incarnations of the Turaga: the Toa Metru.

Ignition

Bionicle Legends #1,2 and 5

Once on Metru Nui, Turaga Dume Delivered the grave news that the Great Spirit Mata Nui was not only asleep, but dying. He told the Toa Nuva of a Mask of Life that could potentially save him and sent them to the island of Voya Nui where it was said to be hidden. Unfortunately, rogue Dark Hunters calling themselves "Piraka" were also in search of the mask. When the Toa Nuva arrived, the two groups quickly engaged in combat which the Toa Nuva ultimately lost, although it was a close battle. The Piraka's leader, Zaktan, then ordered their weapons and masks to be taken and their unconscious bodies thrown into the volcano. However, the volcano erupted, waking the Toa Nuva in time for them to escape from the path of the lava - only to be attacked by the island's few remaining free Matoran, who believed the Toa Nuva might be impostors. Once the fighting stopped and the Matoran accepted the fact that the Nuva really were Toa, the two groups teamed up to INFILTRATE the Piraka's stronghold and reclaim the Toa Nuva's masks and tools. They did so and were about to fight the Piraka again, but Zaktan's ally Brutaka intervened and defeated them all in one hit. While the Matoran soon escaped, the Toa Nuva were imprisoned and their masks taken as trophies.

Later, while the Piraka were later busy searching for the Mask of Life and Brutaka was fighting his ex-partner Axonn, the Matoran rebels reentered the stronghold and searched for the Toa Nuva. They found them chained to the wall and enslaved by the Piraka's antidermis virus, forced to pour out their elemental energy into a bottomless pit. The Matoran freed the Nuva from both chains and enslavement and helped them to their masks, telling them of the Toa Inika that had arrived after they did. The Toa Nuva were surprised to learn these new heroes were their old friends from Mata Nui.

After meeting Axonn and his associate Botar, the Toa Nuva met the Toa Inika, who had reached the Mask of Life only for it to fly away and dive underneath the ocean. The Inika were worried that they would be sent back to Metru Nui while the Nuva continued the mission, but the Nuva recognized that destiny had chosen the Inika for the task of saving the Great Spirit's life and Tahu Nuva told the Inika that the Nuva would be waiting in Metru Nui for their safe return. However, after the Inika left, he admitted to Axonn that he lied; the Nuva are departing on a new mission that the Inika cannot be A Part of.

World Tour

Sources: Bionicle Legends #7 and 8 Epilogues, Bioniclestory.com content for 2007

Though the Toa Nuva still doubted Axonn and Botar's motives, they entered Metru Nui's Great Temple, sneaking in so that they would not start an endless debate with the Turaga. They found the object that the Order members directed them to (a scroll) and were perplexed at the strange, uncarved writing. Their doubts also increased when they saw the list of tasks they were expected to do. Nonetheless, they got to work; beginning with the closest task: freeing the Bahrag and allowing the Bohrok - the swarms that had tried to destroy their home - to run free once more.

They have since made their way to the Dark Hunter base of Odina, looking for an artifact called the Staff of Artakha. Caught by the Hunters' leader, the Shadowed One, he informed them that the staff had been traded to the weaponsmiths of Xia, and that he would aid them if they eliminated the treacherous Roodaka. The Toa agreed, but had other plans. Making a deal to help Roodaka if she helped them, they made her turn the Rahaga back into the Toa Hagah. Meanwhile, a Makuta named Icarax had stolen the staff, and the Toa Nuva pursued him to the realm of Karzahni where he handily defeated them. In a last-ditch effort, Gali attempted to stop him with a Nova Blast, but even though it leveled all of Karzahni, Icarax still escaped with the staff, leaving the Toa Nuva with only the mask of Toa Lhikan to show for their quest.

Disheartened, the Toa turned to other the tasks on their list. Tahu and Kopaka teamed up to calm a chain of volcanoes, and Pohatu and Onua left to go after a relic called the "Heart of the Visorak". Lewa slipped away and went off on his own, apparently guided by a mysterious voice to take a sundial from Mata Nui and place it in the Metru Nui Archives. Gali, meanwhile, returned to Mata Nui to take measurements regarding the Red Star, and was startled to find out that something was alive inside. The Order of Mata Nui then gathered the Toa as they used the recovered Staff of Artakha to fix the damage to the world caused by the Great Cataclysm.

Once most of the universe had been restored, the Order teleported the Toa Nuva to the realm of the reclusive craftsman Artakha, who granted them new armor and teleported them to a new location where, he claims, they would find their destiny.

In this new location, the Toa Nuva will fight the Brotherhood of Makuta; and in order to achieve their goals each faction will split into two teams: Kopaka, Lewa, and Pohatu and three Makuta will take to the sky; and as a result they will be designated "Phantoka", or "spirits of the air". Tahu, Gali, and Onua will face the other Makuta in the swamp, giving them a yet-unknown nickname.

Powers

Originally, the Toa had the standard array of Toa powers: strong control over their element, personal tools used mainly for directing their elemental power, and a Kanohi Mask granting an additional ability. (More information on each of these is given in the character profiles below.)

On Mata Nui, the Toa each collected additional Kanohi Masks that allowed them to use the powers that their brother Toa and the island's Turaga have; giving each one access to: the Great powers of Shielding, Water Breathing, Levitation, Speed, Strength, and X-Ray Vision; and the Noble powers of Concealment, Translation, Illusion, Mind Control, Night Vision, and Telekinesis. However, they rarely used the Noble Masks; the Turaga used them instead. The Toa stored these masks in their respective Toa Suva shrines, allowing them to switch masks at will as long as they were within range of the Suva (but this range encompassed the entire island, so there was never any problem). They also later received Golden Kanohi in the shape of their original masks, these were said to have the combined powers of all six Great Masks.

As Toa Nuva, all of these powers were improved: their elemental powers became stronger, their tools gained new forms that offered an alternate mode for transport, and they even gained strong yet lightweight armor made of protodermis. An example of the enhanced powers is that the Nuva can now set elemental "timebombs", allowing affects to go off at a later time. Their masks also became enhanced Kanohi Nuva that not only had stronger powers, but could share those powers with others nearby. However, these new powers had some drawbacks. For one, their elemental powers were tied to new objects called Nuva Symbols, and if the Symbols were in the hands of enemies then the powers would be lost to the Toa. The Toa's collections of Great Kanohi had also disappeared, and the Toa had to scour the island again to find the Kanohi Nuva to replace them.

At current, the Kanohi Masks and Nuva Symbols are stored in Metru Nui; their exact location never specified but likely the Great Temple. Their travels from the city have never affected their elemental powers, but perhaps have taken them out of range of the Temple's Suva so that they cannot switch masks. They now also wear adaptive armor and masks crafted by Artakha, which can alter according to local terrain - for instance, the Phantoka team is in the sky, so their armor has equipped them with propellers and jetpacks.

Midak Skyblasters

As a function of their adaptive armor, the Phantoka team is equipped with Midak Skyblasters, that can collect ambient light and launch it in spheres. But they need to be careful; as the more they use up light, the more darkness takes over. Lewa, however, doesn't need to worry about this, as his Matoran partner Tanma can supply light energy for him. It is unknown whether the Phantoka's swamp counterparts have similar weapons.

Toa Kaita

The Toa Mata are the only Toa team known so far who has merged into Toa Kaita, in order to fight Makuta's Manas crabs. As Toa Nuva, they also utilized Toa Nuva Kaita forms to battle the Bohrok-Kal:

• Tahu, Pohatu, and Onua combined to form Akamai, Toa Kaita of Valor. Akamai's mask was the Kanohi Aki, the Mask of Valor, which had the powers of Shielding, Speed, and Strength. After they turned into Toa Nuva, they could have formed Akamai Nuva, but never have done so.
• Gali, Lewa, and Kopaka became Wairuha, Toa Kaita of Wisdom. Wairuha's mask was the Kanohi Rua, the Mask of Wisdom, which had the powers of Levitation, Water Breathing and X-Ray Vision. After they turned into Toa Nuva, they merged into Wairuha Nuva to fight the Bohrok-Kal, but the Kal formed a Kaita of their own that defeated Wairuha easily.

The Toa Mata/Nuva

Tahu

Tahu is the Toa of Fire and the leader of all the Toa, and guardian of Ta-Koro. Tahu is the boldest, fiercest, and most courageous of the Toa; however, this trait often manifests itself as hot-headed temper and aggression. But he is fiercely loyal to and protective of his team. He has very little patience.

Tahu's mask is a Hau Mask of Shielding, which can protect him from any physical attack (except ambushes). At first, he carried a flame sword; as a Toa Nuva this became twin Magma Swords that chanelled the power of fire, and can be combined into a lavaboard. As a Toa of Fire, Tahu can emit a stream or a blast of fire towards his enemies or melt rocks into lava. He can also withstand extreme heat. Tahu does not work well in, around, or under water. When Ta-Koro was destroyed, Tahu's Suva and Kanohi Nuva were likely lost with it, limiting him to his Hau Nuva.

Tahu's personality often clashes with Kopaka's, though they ultimately respect each other. Gali has also become frustrated with Tahu at times, particularly when he acts without thinking. After Lewa was freed from the effects of the Krana, Tahu had a hard time trusting him - especially because, unknown to everyone, he had also worn a Krana briefly and therefore knew their power - but this trust was restored when Lewa demonstrated that he would risk anything to save the Matoran from the Bohrok.

Gali

Gali is the Toa of Water, and the only female Toa. Though she personifies the deepest, darkest oceans, there is an aura of warmth and caring surrounding Gali that the other Toa do not possess. She is gentle and kind, and often the only one who keeps the Toa from splitting up or doing battle amongst themselves. Though her preference for peace would make her ill-suited to lead the Toa, she has proven herself many times in battle. Gali is probably the wisest of the Toa.

Gali's mask is a Kaukau Mask of Water Breathing, which lets her breathe underwater. In her original form, her "tools" were her hooked hands; as a Toa Nuva, she carried two Aqua Axes that doubled as swim fins so that she could swim even faster. As a Toa of Water, Gali can control the tides, create floods from the tiniest bit of moisture, summon and disperse tsunamis and rainstorms, and combine forces with Lewa to unleash a powerful thunder storm. She could sense any change connected to the rivers, streams and ocean; and knew immediately when something was wrong in the waters. She also once created a temporary psychic link with Takua, so the latter could witness the Toa's fight with Makuta.

Gali gets along well with the rest of her team, able to even get through Kopaka's icy attitude. However, she has gotten upset with Tahu's carelessness on occasion.

Lewa

Lewa is the Toa of Air and acts as if he was the youngest of the Toa. Lewa is an especially playful and mischievous spirit who thinks nothing of pulling innocent pranks on his villagers and fellow Toa; some have argued that this will be his undoing unless he learns when he's taken a joke too far. Lewa is highly energetic, and during the early Toa meetings he would often do cartwheels and handstands. After arriving on the island, he quickly picked up the "treespeak" slang of the local Le-Matoran. He often tends to the jungle Rahi; with a special fondness for the mighty ash bears, particularly one named Graalok. Towards the end of the quest for the Kanohi, Lewa was captured by a Nui-Rama swarm and wore an infected mask, enslaving him to Makuta. He was saved, however, by timely intervention by Toa Onua. Shortly after, Lewa was again enslaved, this time by a Bohrok Krana, but Onua came to his aid again. After this second enslavement, Lewa kept a lingering telepathic connection to the Bohrok swarms; though since the Bohrok are now dormant again, "the point is moot".

Lewa's mask is a Miru Mask of Levitation, allowing him to levitate in the air. Lewa Nuva's Miru Nuva allows him greater power, and he can combine this power with his wind manipulation in order to glide. He originally carried an axe; and his Nuva tools are a pair of Air Katana that can be tucked under his arms to make glider wings. One of these Katana was snapped in half by Reidak, but the Matoran of Voya Nui have since offered to craft a replacement. Lewa’s abilities as a Toa of Air include the power to control the wind, summon air currents, create windstorms and twisters, unleash gusts of air, and combine his powers with Gali’s to form a storm. It was said that the storms on Mata Nui were caused by them, and the sound of thunder was when their weapons made contact. In his Phantoka form, Lewa wields a serrated sword, and his partner Tanma can charge his Midak Skyblaster with light energy.

Lewa's immature attitude and talkative nature tends to annoy some of his more serious teammates, mostly Tahu and Kopaka, on the other hand Lewa in his more quiet moments has proven to be quite wise. He may have a special bond with Onua, as it was the Toa of Earth who helped free him both times he was enslaved.

Pohatu

Pohatu is the Toa of Stone, and as the friendliest of the Toa, he is the binding force that ties the other Toa together. The witty, chivalrous Toa is above all things a people person, and he maintains friendships with each of the other Toa even when they can't agree with each other. He is very like the element he represents: sturdy, down to earth, and always strong. Unlike the other Toa, Pohatu's strength is mainly in his lower body, which explains why his village is skilled in the sports of kolhii and its predecessor koli.

Pohatu's mask is a Kakama Mask of Speed, allowing him to move extremely fast; with the Nuva version he could vibrate his molecules quickly enough to phase through solid objects. In both original and Nuva forms, his main "tools" are his large feet which he can use in devastating kicks. As a Toa Nuva, he also has two sets of Climbing Claws that allow him to scale mountains and cliffs easily, and can be combined into a Kodan Ball to kick as a projectile weapon. As a Toa of Stone, Pohatu can create stone, detect any weaknesses in a stone, make structures from stone, create and hurl stone projectiles, heal cracks in boulders and statues, and command rock with his will. The only thing he fears is water; he can't swim, and he's much too heavy to float. Pohatu's Phantoka equipment includes claws that can act as propellers, and his partner Photok's ability outdoes his Mask of Speed in that it allows him to move at the speed of light.

Pohatu is well-liked by all the other Toa; even Kopaka has grown fond of him (though he would never admit it).

Onua

Onua is the Toa of Earth and the most mysterious of the Toa. Little is known about this Toa, who spends most of his time underground in his subterranean realm of Onu-Koro. While this wise Toa has much to contribute to the group, he often shies away from drawing attention to himself. Still, Onua has a combination of down-to-earth sense, powerful natural instinct, and sheer brute strength which makes him more than useful. Perhaps the most intelligent, and by far the wisest of the Toa, Onua is also one of the strongest, and he also sees well in the dark, but not so good in bright light. Onua is the most silent of the group, but that is because he only brings up what is worthwhile. Despite that, Onua is friendly for a Toa; he taught Takua all about the world below the surface of Mata Nui, and about mining, which the Toa of Earth thinks is a "real job".

Onua's mask is a Pakari Mask of Strength. His original "tools" were his clawed hands; as a Toa Nuva he carried two chainsaw-like Quake Breakers which could cut right through rock, and he could strap them to his feet like rollerblades to travel over rough ground. As a Toa of Earth, he can cause or end earthquakes or tremors, open fissures in the ground, manipulate the landscape, and bring forth tremendous structures of earth.

Onua generally gets along with his team, as he rarely does anything that upsets the others. He may be closer friends with Lewa than the rest, as he has come to the Toa of Air's rescue both times he was enslaved.

Kopaka

Kopaka is the Toa of Ice. Kopaka's intelligence and cunning are matched only by emotionlessness: he almost never shows any passion or loses his cool, preferring to hide his feelings behind a layer of silence as thick and impenetrable as the ice sheets covering the mountains of his homeland, Ko-Wahi.

Kopaka's mask is an Akaku Mask of X-Ray Vision, letting him see through solid objects; it is also equipped with a telescoping eyepiece that lets him see over long distances. When he arrived on Mata Nui, he carried a sword and shield; upon becoming a Toa Nuva, his shield was enlarged and his sword became a double-ended Ice Blade, which could be split into a pair of ice skates so that he could move fast over frozen ponds and snowdrifts. Kopaka's Ice powers include the ability to start and stop avalanches and ice storms, survive in extremely cold temperatures, unleash blasts of ice and snow, and create structures from ice. As a Phantoka, Kopaka has an Ice Bayonet blade attached to his Midak Skyblaster, and his partner Solek can create objects of solid light.

Kopaka rarely gets along well with the other Toa, being the least social of them; he barely tolerated Tahu and Lewa at first but has come to respect both. He also seems to have a friendship with Pohatu - the only time he openly showed emotion was when he believed Pohatu to be dead.

Marketing

The Toa Mata sets (although at the time they were only considered "Toa") were the first Bionicle sets ever, released in 2001. The Toa Nuva sets were later released in the second half of 2002.

Notes

• Once these Toa became the Toa Nuva, fans created nicknames to differentiate their original forms from other kinds of Toa. "Toa Olda" was made to contrast with "Toa Nuva" (as in "old" and "new", respectively), while "Toa Mata" compares to "Toa Metru" (as the teams protected Mata Nui and Metru Nui, respectively). "Toa Mata" was recently made the official name of the team; its first canonical use was in the Bionicle World guide (six years after the characters were originally introduced).
• It is a common misconception that Toa Takanuva is a member of the Toa Nuva, due to the similarity in his name and style of armor, and to Lego promoting him as a "Seventh Toa". He is in truth not an official part of the team; he does not have the enhanced Nuva powers and does not share the Toa Nuva's destiny of waking Mata Nui, and canon materials always describe Takanuva as just a "Toa", never a "Toa Nuva". Regardless, the Toa Nuva do consider Takanuva to be a close ally and friend.
• The first syllable in each Toa's name is the same as the Matoran prefix for their element: "Ta-" means "Fire", "Ga-" means "Water", "Le-" means "Air", "Po-" means "Stone", "Onu-" means "Earth", "Ko-" means "Ice", and "Av-" means "Light". If there is a storyline reason for this, it is not known (though Onua did briefly note a possible connection after arriving on Mata Nui).
• The Toa Mata and Nuva series of figurines both depict Onua and Pohatu as hunchback-like characters, but in Bionicle: Mask of Light, they both look straight like all the other Toa. This might be so as to uniform the height of all of the Toa and not make Onua and Pohatu look like the odd men out amongst the group.

References