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Bionicle Lore Page: The Matoran Universe

The Matoran Universe is the primary setting for the Bionicle saga, a world of deep lore and high-tech biomechanical life. The most crucial detail is this: the Matoran Universe is not a planet; it is a colossal, artificial, self-sustaining world contained entirely within the body of a giant robotic being, the Great Spirit Robot, also known as Mata Nui.

I. The Great Spirit Robot (Mata Nui)

I. The Great Spirit Robot (Mata Nui)

Feature

Description

Identity

Mata Nui is the Great Spirit and the colossal robot that contains the entire universe. He is the intelligence (or "AI") that controls the robot.

Purpose

Constructed by beings called the Great Beings on the planet Spherus Magna, his mission was to travel the universe, observe other worlds, and eventually return to Spherus Magna to use his powers to heal the planet after it was shattered by a cataclysm.

The Universe Inside

The Matoran Universe (MU) is the massive, biomechanical civilization inside the robot. Its inhabitants, primarily the Matoran, were designed to be a living, self-sustaining maintenance system, with their islands and cities functioning as the robot's organs and systems (e.g., Metru Nui is the brain).

The Great Cataclysm

Approximately 1,000 years before the main story, the Makuta, led by Teridax, betrayed and poisoned Mata Nui's spirit, causing the robot to fall into a deep, death-like sleep and crash-land on an alien water planet, Aqua Magna.

II. Geography of the Matoran Universe

The Matoran Universe is a series of interconnected, dome-shaped caverns and tunnels within the Great Spirit Robot.

Location

Role in the Robot/Story

Key Details

Island of Mata Nui

Camouflage System (the robot's face)

The setting for the first three years of the Bionicle story. It was an island formed by the robot's camouflage mechanism malfunctioning after the Great Cataclysm, resting on the Great Spirit Robot's face as he lay submerged on Aqua Magna.

Metru Nui

The Brain/Capital City

A massive, six-district city beneath the Island of Mata Nui, within the Great Spirit Robot's head. It was the original home of the Matoran, Toa, and Turaga before the Great Cataclysm.

Northern & Southern Continents

The Robot's Chest/Torso

Two massive landmasses that hold a great deal of the Matoran Universe's population and secrets. Most of the robot's inner workings are in the vast seas of liquid protodermis that surround these continents.

Voya Nui & Mahri Nui

A Volcanic Organ and a Seaward Piece of it

Voya Nui was once part of the Southern Continent that violently ejected from the Great Spirit Robot's body during the Cataclysm, rising to the surface of Aqua Magna. Mahri Nui is the section of Voya Nui that sank into the sea after its ejection.

Karda Nui

The Heart/Core of the Robot

The enormous, cavernous core of the robot's body, where the life-giving Energized Protodermis is contained and where the robot's heartlight pulses.

III. Major Inhabitants and Factions

All intelligent life in the Matoran Universe is biomechanical, a combination of organic and synthetic parts.

The Forces of Light/Order

Faction/Species

Role & Purpose

Key Powers/Traits

Matoran

The Villagers/Workers

Small, weak-in-combat biomechanical laborers. They perform the tasks that keep the Great Spirit Robot functioning (often without knowing the true purpose). They follow the Three Virtues: Unity, Duty, and Destiny. They are divided into tribes based on element (Ta-Matoran of Fire, Ga-Matoran of Water, etc.).

Turaga

Village Elders/Leaders

Former Toa who sacrificed their power to save the Matoran. They lead and guide the Matoran, sharing the wisdom of the past.

Toa

Heroes/Warriors of the Elements

Biomechanical heroes chosen by destiny. They are transformed Matoran and wield powerful elemental abilities (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Stone, etc.). They are often grouped into teams of six. Toa are sworn to never take a life.

The Order of Mata Nui

Secretive Law Enforcers

A clandestine organization founded to enforce Mata Nui's will and protect the Matoran Universe. Their members are often powerful and ancient beings.

The Forces of Shadow/Betrayal

Faction/Species

Role & Purpose

Key Powers/Traits

Makuta

The Shadowy Brotherhood

A race of powerful beings, originally tasked with managing the Matoran Universe, but who ultimately betrayed Mata Nui. Their leader is Makuta Teridax.

Makuta Teridax

The Main Villain

The mastermind who poisoned the Great Spirit Mata Nui and took over the Great Spirit Robot, plunging the universe into the Great Cataclysm. He is referred to simply as "The Makuta" by the Matoran of the Island of Mata Nui.

Rahi

Bio-Organic Wildlife

The various animals of the Matoran Universe. Many Rahi were infected or controlled by the Makuta to terrorize the Matoran.

Bohrok

Mechanical Swarms

A threat designed as a planetary cleaning crew. When unleashed, their sole purpose is to "cleanse" the surface of the universe (i.e., dismantle all civilization) in preparation for Mata Nui's awakening.

IV. Key Concepts

  • Kanohi: The Masks worn by all Matoran, Turaga, and Toa. They grant special powers (e.g., the Hau grants a shield, the Kakama grants super speed).

  • Protodermis: The fundamental building material of the Matoran Universe. Everything is made of it, from the landmasses to the inhabitants.

  • Solid Protodermis: The stable material of the islands and bodies.

  • Liquid Protodermis: The silver "water" that fills the robot's sea domes.

  • Energized Protodermis: A highly unstable, powerful substance at the core of the robot. Touching it can either destroy a being or transform them into a new form.

  • The Great Beings: The mysterious, ultra-advanced creators of the Great Spirit Robot and the Matoran Universe. They are mostly absent from the story, but their technology drives the plot.

  • The Three Virtues (T.D.D.): Unity, Duty, and Destiny. The core moral code of the Matoran people.