Comic 3: Triumph of the Toa

"I am the shape in the shadows. I am the darkness in the heart of Mata Nui. I live in the dread stories told by the Turaga around the village fires. The dark creatures -- the Manas, the Rahi -- are my servants. I am Makuta."

- Makuta

Triumph of the Toa was the third issue of the original BIONICLE comic series and part three of the series' initial storyline. It was originally mailed with the November/December 2001 edition of LEGO Mania Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE: Volume 1 and BIONICLE 1: Rise of the Toa Nuva. The comic's story revolved around the Toa continuing their quest for the Masks of Power and confronting Makuta.

Opening
''The quest for the Masks of Power has grown more dangerous with every day. The amazing feats of the Toa have drawn the attention of Makuta, who is preparing to unleash the power of the Rahi--and the natural forces of the island itself--against the six heroes.''

The fate of Mata Nui and all who dwell upon it may be decided this day...

Plot
Makuta observes as his Rahi close in on the Toa. Gali is surrounded by infected Rahi, and Lewa is plummeting to meet his demise at the hands (or rather mouth) of the Muaka. The Toa of Air manages to save himself for the moment by grabbing onto a vine, swinging to reclaim his lost Kanohi. Despite this, Makuta is confident the Rahi will succeed in its mission of death. Suddenly, Onua intervenes, dragging the animal underground with his claws. Elsewhere, a pair of Nui-Jaga close in on Gali, when a wall of fire cuts them off. Despite the Toa of Fire's warning, Tahu is unable to alert Gali in time for her to avoid a devastating punch from the Tarakava. Unconscious, the Toa of Water plunges into the sea, where she finds herself confronted by a pair of mysterious beings. These two introduce themselves as Akamai and Wairuha, Toa Kaita who represent what the Toa will become after they finish collecting the Masks of Power. After stressing the importance of working together, the visionary Kaita fade away... When Gali awakes, she finds herself on a beach with Tahu protecting her. He explains to her that Onua has called for a meeting of the team. At the gathering, Makuta attempts to eliminate the entire group of heroes at once by detonating a volcano. Thinking quickly, Onua asks Lewa to use his Mask of Speed to carry him to the volcano. Once there, the Toa of Earth digs a trench to catch the lava, keeping it from running across the island.

Back at the clearing, Makuta reveals the volcano to be a distraction, allowing him to pick off the other Toa with more infected Rahi. Despite the power of the wild animals, they prove to be no threat to the teamwork of the Toa. Gali simply throws a Muaka at Kopaka, who coolly freezes the assailant. Similarly, Pohatu notices that a pair of Tarakava are about to ambush Tahu. Without a moment of hesitation, the Toa of Stone kicks a boulder at his ally. The Toa of Fire easily slices it in half with his superheated Fire Sword, sending both halves into the water Rahi. Having earned the ire of Makuta, Tahu finds himself confronted with an on coming wave of sand. With but a fraction of his power, though, Tahu turns the sand into glass. Not to be outdone, Makuta sends a pair of Nui-Rama to smash through the newly-formed wall of glass. They grab the Toa of Fire, pull him high into the air, and drop him to his apparent demise. However, the Toa is not done yet. Even though Tahu has yet to collect his Mask of Levitation, he heats up the air beneath him, generating an updraft which slows his momentum sufficiently enough for Onua to catch him. Makuta is not nearly finished yet, though. Gali and Kopaka find themselves confronted by yet another pair of Rahi, this time a duo of Nui-Jaga. Kopaka wields his Mask of Shielding, but is worried about Gali's safety. The Toa of Water proves that she is more than a match for these attackers, as she commands the underground springs to hurl both of the giant scorpions into the sea. Makuta begins to realize that these Toa are more than he bargained for, though he believes they are unable to counter the aerial assault of his Nui-Rama. After dropping Tahu, the massive insects return to attack Onua. The wise Toa has had enough of the whole series of encounters, and simply hurls a boulder hundreds of feet into the air, smashing all the oncoming Rahi in a single fell swoop. At this point, Makuta has had enough as well, and vows that their next encounter will be different. Confident in their newfound unity, the Toa band together, and Tahu vows that they shall stand together until Mata Nui is free!

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Carlos D'Anda - Penciller
 * Randy Elliott - Inker
 * Peter Pantazis - Colorist

Characters

 * Akamai - Vision only; first appearance
 * Gali
 * Kopaka
 * Lewa
 * Makuta - Voice only; first appearance
 * Onua
 * Pohatu
 * Tahu
 * Wairuha - Vision only; first appearance

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Mangai Volcano
 * Onu-Wahi

Objects

 * Kanohi
 * Great Aki - In vision; first appearance
 * Golden Kanohi - In vision; first appearance
 * Great Akaku
 * Great Hau
 * Great Kakama
 * Great Kaukau
 * Great Miru
 * Great Pakari
 * Great Rua - In vision; first appearance
 * Infected Kanohi
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Axe
 * Earth Claws
 * Feet Additions
 * Fire Sword
 * Ice Sword
 * Ice Shield
 * Water Hooks

Organizations

 * Great Beings - Mentioned only
 * Makuta
 * Rahi
 * Kane-Ra - First appearance
 * Muaka
 * Nui-Jaga
 * Nui-Rama
 * Tarakava
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Earth
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Ice
 * Toa of Stone
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Kaita - In vision; first appearance
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva

Miscellanea

 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Ice
 * Stone
 * Water

Quotes
"Those who dare to challenge me...as the Toa have done...will be defeated. Lewa's safety is an illusion. One the jaws of Muaka will dispel. Lewa will be the first to fall, and then--but what is this?? No! Rahi cannot be defeated!"

- Makuta underestimates his foes

"Welcome, Toa of Water. Do not be afraid-- your body is safe in the ocean's embrace. Only your mind has journeyed here to behold your future. [...] We are what you and the other Toa shall become. When each of you has found all the Great Masks of Power, then shall you be ready to join together and defeat Makuta."

- Toa Kaita Wairuha and Akamai

"We need to learn to work together. Our future depends on it." "I don't know. I'm still not much for teaming up." BARRUMMMBLE "Then again, there's nothing like a little togetherness."

- Gali and Lewa

"Then let Makuta tremble this day-- We stand together, until Mata Nui is free!"

- Tahu

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Challenge the Might of the Manas! section discusses the Manas set.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for BIONICLE.com, Collect the Ultimate Kanohi! section discusses special Kanohi, such as the Vahi, Gold Masks, an Infected Mask, and the Copper Mask of Victory.
 * Rear cover: Teaser for the upcoming Bohrok sets.

Continuity

 * Makuta makes his first appearance here, albeit in voice-over. He won't go on to make his first full appearance until Comic 12: Absolute Power, some two years later.
 * This issue also sees the Kane-Ra and the Manas make their comic debut, after earlier appearances in other media like the Mata Nui Online Game.
 * After last issue's Gali and Lewa-centric story, Tahu, Kopaka, Pohatu, and Onua all reappear. And their return is suitably grand, resolving the cliffhanger from the previous comic.
 * This issue sees the first appearance of the Toa Kaita Akamai and Wairuha. Apart from a quick shot in the mini-comic Tale of the Toa, this issue marks their only appearance in the main comic series. The two would reappear in other media, however, such as the Mata Nui Online Game and BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa. Of note is that the duo appears here without their gold and silver Kaita masks, respectively.
 * Onua asks Lewa to use his Mask of Speed, which the Toa of Air retrieved last issue.
 * Kopaka also uses his Mask of Shielding, which he retrieved in the first issue of the series.
 * While this issue doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does leave the central conflict of Toa vs. Makuta unresolved. The showdown between the Toa and Makuta would be explored in Mata Nui Online Game, and later revisited in 2003's BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa.