Piraka

Piraka are the main villains in 2006 storyline.

History
Shortly after Makuta was defeated by Toa Takanuva, some Dark Hunters heard rumors of his death. They decided to run off and investigate on their own, so they wouldn't have to give up whatever they find to the Dark Hunters. They discovered Makuta's uninhabited armor and mysteriously gained knowledge of the powerful Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, hidden somewhere on the island of Voya Nui. With this, they abandoned the Dark Hunters entirely, instead calling themselves "Piraka", and they agreed to work together to find this mask. However, each planned to betray the others and claim the mask for himself. One, Vezon, abandoned the team and left for Voya Nui earlier then the others; he has not been seen since.

Upon arrival on Voya Nui, the Piraka pretended to be Toa to gain the help of the native Matoran; having them build their stronghold and begin draining the volcano, Mount Valmai, where the mask is supposed to be hidden. In the meantime, Zaktan used the knowledge he gained near Makuta's armor to build a device that collected a kind of virus known as antidermis. The Piraka then used Zamor Spheres filled with this virus to fully enslave the Matoran (however, six of them managed to escape and began to work against the Piraka).

When the Toa Nuva showed up on Voya Nui, the two groups immediately got in a fight. Though it was a fierce battle, the Piraka won; Zaktan ordered the Toa's masks and tools taken and the Toa themselves thrown into the volcano. But when the volcano erupted, the Piraka didn't want to risk their lives and instead left the Toa in the lava's path, the Toa were able to come to in time to escape with their lives (and their tools).

Relations between the Piraka - which weren't that good in the first place - rapidly began to deteriorate. Hakann caught Zaktan secretly making deals with a giant stranger, Brutaka, who wanted the virus; Hakann then decided to take the Zamor Spheres so he could gain the giant's help for himself. Thok and Avak began to suspect that the Mask of Life was actually in the island's "green belt" that strangely thrived in the island's harsh terrain, and they turned on Zaktan. Eventually, it became an all-out brawl between the Piraka (minus Vezok); which only looked worse when the Toa Nuva and rebel Matoran invaded their stronghold, reclaimed their masks, and, as Toa Kopaka put it, "We heard you were trying to kill each other. We are here to offer our help in that long overdue endeavor. Zaktan then offered all of the Zamor Spheres to Brutaka in exchange for stopping the Toa Nuva, which he accepted. While the Toa Nuva were taken captive by Brutaka, the Piraka began to interrogate the Matoran.

The Piraka then began to plot against each other. Vezok interrogated the captured Matoran, but Garan escaped. Hakann, Thok, Avak, and Reidak make a plan to absorb Brutaka's power when the Toa Inika come onto the shores of Voya Nui. Vezok is the first to encounter them, who is defeated by the novice Toa, but not before absorbing Jaller and Matoro's fire/ice lightning blasts. He uses them to escape. A fierce battle erupts between the Piraka and the Toa in their stronghold. Nuparu flies into Zaktan when he is dissolving his form and flies straight into the Voya Nui Bay. Hakann shoots a Zamor sphere at Brutaka to absorb his power. But, at the last minute, Thok grabs him, and gets half of the power. They use their enhanced powers to subdue their 'allies' and the Toa. Nuparu returns and frees the Toa. Axonn makes a special Zamor to reverse the effect.

Meanwhile, the two ultimate Piraka have started fighting. Hakann creates a blast with his heat vision which allows the Toa and Piraka to track him. The other Piraka attack Hakann, while the Inika engage Thok. The Piraka are defeated, except for Zaktan, who shifts out of the way as Hewkii fires the Zamor at Hakann and Thok. The Toa collapse as a result of the Piraka's blast, but the sphere does it's job. When the Inika wake up, the Piraka have headed down the tunnel to the Mask of Life. On the path to the Mask of Life, the Piraka are horrified to discover monster of myth Irnakk (see below), who quickly stops each Piraka with their worst fear brought to life - except for Zaktan, who is briefly absorbed into Irnakk's own mind. When Zaktan stands up to Irnakk, citing all the horrors he has had to endure from being a mass of protodites instead of a whole being, Irnakk is satisfied that he has conquered fear and uses it as a weapon, and allows the Piraka to pass.

For the Piraka's next trial, they are each trapped in a cylinder with a latch, with a mysterious voice telling them there are only two ways out: they can all raise the latch at once and go on safely, or one can raise the latch and be free while the others are destroyed. While most agree to work together, wanting the others around to act as targets for future threats, Reidak raises his latch early. But the voice lied, and all six are dumped into a pool of water that's slowly being brought to a boil. They find an underwater tunnel and make their escape, but fail to notice that exposure to the water began to slightly alter them. Getting out of the water, they decide to wait in ambush on a nearby bridge for the Toa Inika that could be right behind them. The Toa did arrive and get an early edge in the battle, but ended up collapsing the bridge on top of them, allowing the Piraka to enter the Mask of Life chamber first.

Entering the chamber, they are surprised to find Vezon, who had reached the mask but is now cursed to be its guardian. Avak easily imprisons Vezon, only to find that the mask was imprisoned with him, fused to the back of Vezon's head. Vezon offers to negotiate on the condition that Vezok is killed - something the other Piraka are only too happy to do, but Vezok realizes that Vezon couldn't give up the mask even if he wanted to. Vezon then uses the Spear of Fusion to merge Vezok and Reidak into one being, commanding it to attack the others. By the time the Toa Inika arrive in the chamber, the merged being has soundly defeated the others, and when Vezon splits it apart into Vezok and Reidak again, they pass out as well.

While the Toa Inika fight Vezon, the Piraka recover but decide to stay out of the battle. Once the Toa win, the Piraka attempt to take the mask from them, but it flies away and quick action by the Toa allows them to get a head start in following it. Racing back to the island's surface, the Piraka plan to ambush the Toa Inika, only to see them joined by both the freed Toa Nuva and their ally, Brutaka's ex-partner Axonn. Not wanting to pick a fight with twelve Toa and Brutaka's equal, they decide to lay low and wait for an opportune moment to strike.

While all this is happening, the leader of the Dark Hunters, the Shadowed One, is displeased with their betrayal, and thanks to Hakann (who betrayed the Piraka to him) he knows where they are. He has already sent Sentrakh to find and capture or kill the Piraka; and another team of Hunters, including Kraata-Kal, is being assembled. The Shadowed One has also sent Amphibax to monitor events from the seas surrounding the island. The Dark Hunters are currently off shore of Voya Nui.

Behind the sets
The Piraka were an obvious attempt by LEGO to appeal to a newer generation of children; in a day and age of rap music and more African American influences, the Piraka were advertised as a gang in urban settings. This approach was non-canon, but elements of it remained in the storyline. This change angered many fans, who thought it took away the spirit and mystical mood of Bionicle.