Toa of Fire

Toa of Fire was a title given to a Toa who wielded the Element of Fire. Toa of Fire typically transformed from a Ta-Matoran, although Tahu was an exception. Should a Toa of Fire fulfill his destiny, he would be given the option of sacrificing his power, becoming a Turaga of Fire. If a Toa of any element were to lose their Kanohi, their elemental powers would be halved, and their overall strength greatly weakened.

Powers
A Toa of Fire's Elemental power gave them near-perfect command over heat and flame. As such, at a basic level they could create, control, and absorb high heat and open flames. Examples of this included creating fireballs, causing a rain of fire, absorbing the heat in an area, putting out wildfires and superheating the air. Additionally, Toa of Fire were naturally resistant to intense heat, easily withstanding the blistering conditions of their often volcanic dwellings.

As a Toa Nuva of Fire, Tahu wielded all these same powers on an even greater level than that of a standard Toa of Fire, and boasted a unique ability; He could set up a delayed Elemental Fire attack.

Toa of Fire were not without their weaknesses however; They could be defeated by supremely hot temperatures or substances, such as lava, plasma or lightning, and all Toa of Fire were at their weakest in the cold. Surprisingly enough however, Toa of Fire did not seem to mind the water as much as Toa of Air.

They possessed all these abilities on a vastly greater level than a Turaga of Fire or a Ta-Matoran.

Personality and Traits
Toa of Fire were often the leaders of their respective Toa Teams, although this was not always the case. They were generally known for being impulsive and somewhat hot-headed, often rushing into danger. They were also exceedingly courageous; rarely, if ever, did they retreat from combat, even when this might have been the most strategically sound option. Ultimately, Toa of Fire were capable leaders, especially once they matured into their role.

Toa of Fire usually wore armor that was red, with various shades of orange, gold and yellow also being common primary and secondary colors. It was also (albeit rarely) possible for black to be among their color palettes. They generally possessed pink or magenta eyes.

All Toa of Fire were male.

History
Various Toa of Fire came into being using Toa Stones throughout the history of the Matoran Universe, and at one point there were hundreds of Toa in the universe simultaneously, many of them Toa of Fire. But after the Great Cataclysm, their numbers began to dwindle, and only a handful were still alive by the time of the Battle of Bara Magna, including Tahu, Jaller and Norik.

Toa Cordak
Very early in the Matoran Universe's history, an unnamed Toa of Fire, who started life as a Ta-Matoran, was a member of the Toa Cordak, the original Toa Team. He wore an unknown Kanohi, and died in battle against a horde of Zyglak, alongside the majority of his allies.

Dume
Over 17,000 years before the Toa Inika were created by the Red Star, a Ta-Matoran named Dume became a Toa of Fire. He primarily fought against dangerous Rahi and Dark Hunters, but later became a Turaga of Fire, and leader of Metru Nui. He wore the Great Mask of Regeneration as a Toa, and later, the Noble version as a Turaga.

"Prototype"
At one point, an unnamed Toa of Fire was permanently fused together with a Toa of Earth by the Spear of Fusion, becoming the Dark Hunter "Prototype".

Norik
Norik, a Toa Hagah of Fire, was part of the Toa team set to protect Makuta Teridax early in the Matoran Universe's history. He was one of the first Toa to realize Teridax's treachery, after discovering that the Makuta had stolen the Kanohi Avohkii, alongside his Toa Hagah allies. Shortly after, Norik and his entire team were transformed into the Rahaga by Ex-Dark Hunter, Roodaka.

Over 1000 years later, Roodaka was coerced by the Toa Nuva into undoing her actions against the Hagah, and thus Norik, and his Rahaga-brothers and sister, were returned to their original state. He wore the Great Mask of Diminishment.

Lhikan
Lhikan, a Ta-Matoran crafter, was transformed into a Toa of Fire at an unspecified time. 7000 years before the Great Cataclysm, the rookie Toa Lhikan served on an island fortress, working to hold off a Frostelus invasion. However, the fortress was eventually overrun, with Lhikan being the only survivor, and the fortress' great treasure, the Makoki Stone, being stolen by the Piraka Dark Hunter, Hakann.

3000 years later, Lhikan travelled to Metru Nui as the leader of the Toa Mangai, a team of 11 Toa, including Nidhiki, Tuyet, Naho, 4 Toa of Ice, a Toa of Earth, a Toa of Stone and a Toa of Plantlife. They had been called to stop the rampaging Kanohi Dragon freed by the Dark Hunters, in response to Turaga Dume's dismissal of their request to create a base in the city.

After a month of combat, the Toa Mangai subdued the dragon, and had it deported from the shores of Metru Nui, sending it to live on the island of Xia, home of the Vortixx. Having fought for the great city, the 11 Mangai decided to remain as Metru Nui's permanent defenders. Only a short time later however, Matoran began to show up dead, each corpse holding a carving etched with a name: Tuyet.

Lhikan and Nidhiki went on to confront their teammate about the murders, only to discover that it had been the Toa of Water's doing all along, in an attempt to throw the Dark Hunters and the other Toa off her trail. As a Matoran, she had discovered the fabled Nui Stone, which the Dark Hunters had intended to steal, but Tuyet had taken it with her when she was transformed into a Toa. Planning to create a great Toa Empire, built upon the ashes of the Brotherhood of Makuta and Dark Hunters alike, Tuyet confessed to having kept the stone in her possession.

Although she tried to use the Nui Stone against her comrades, together Lhikan and Nidhiki defeated her. Finally, when Lhikan saw the Stone seemingly beginning to corrupt the Toa of Air as well, he destroyed it with a blast of fire, which caused dozens of tiny shards to become embedded in Tuyet's armor.

1000 years after Tuyet's arrest, a war broke out between the Toa and the Dark Hunters. Having shown himself to be a great leader among his kind, Lhikan led the Toa Mangai, as well as countless others from surrounding lands, into battle against the "Shadowed One's" forces. This conflict came to an end when a deal was struck between the Piraka Hakann, and Toa Lhikan himself. It involved the Makoki Stone, the same artifact stolen by Hakann from the island fortress of Lhikan's early Toa days, and the expulsion of the now traitorous Toa Nidhiki from Metru Nui.

This deal was accepted by both parties, and thus the war came to an end, with the Dark Hunters nearly surreounded by over 300 Toa. They left with their lives, and took Nidhiki with them. Over the course of the next few centuries, Metru Nui knew a time of peace and security.

2000 years after the Toa\Dark Hunter War, the remaining members of the Toa Mangai, minus Lhikan, were sent out on false missions by Makuta Teridax, who had taken on the form of Turaga Dume. This resulted in the deaths of all the remaining Mangai at the hands of the Dark Hunter, "Eliminator". Becoming suspicious of the ancient Turaga, Lhikan decided to preemptively safeguard Metru Nui's future by stealing a set of 6 Toa stones from the Great Temple.

But shortly after he had finished handing off the now-charged stones to 6 Matoran, one from each of the districts, he was captured by Makuta's Dark Hunters, Krekka, and Lhikan's old ally Nidhiki, who was now a hideously mutated insectoid creature. The Toa of Fire was imprisoned, with only enough time to warn the Ta-Matoran Vakama, to "Save the heart of Metru Nui".

Later, after those same Matoran had all become Toa, and Lhikan a Turaga, he went in secret to support Vakama in his fight against Teridax. Although the battle resulted in Teridax's imprisonment within a Protodermis cage, it cost Lhikan his life, as he had jumped in the way of a deadly attack meant for the new Toa of Fire.

He wore an exotic version of a Great Mask of Shielding as a Toa, and later, a Noble version as a Turaga.

Vakama
Vakama was once the Toa Metru of Fire, gaining his powers from a Toa Stone created by Lhikan. He defended Ta-Metru from the Morbuzahk, fought against the Vahki, and was mutated by the Visorak into a half-beast Hordika, alongside his Toa-brothers and sister. For a time he betrayed the others, joining with Roodaka and Sidorak, believing himself the only one capable of rescuing the sleeping Matoran of Metru Nui.

He was eventually convinced by Matau to suppress his bestial side, and together the Hordika, Rahaga and Keetongu, defeated the King of the Visorak and his ever-scheming Viceroy, while disbanding the Visorak hordes and inadvertently freeing Teridax in the process. Not long after Keetongu had reversed the effects of the hordika venom, Vakama found himself in a desperate quest to retrieve the legendary Mask of Time.

After witnessing a vision of the future, and a warning from Krakua, a future Toa of Sonics, Vakama was put through a harrowing illusory trap, orchestrated by Teridax. After breaking the illusion, and making a deal with the Makuta to retrieve the stolen Vahi, Vakama faced off against further Dark Hunter foes, eventually finding himself and Teridax face-to-face with the "Shadowed One", who was in possession of the Vahi.

Pitting them against one another, Vakama took the Vahi from the Dark Hunter's leader, and attempted to escape his battling enemies. He had nearly made it, but was stopped short when Teridax caught up with him. With all other options exhausted, Vakama threatened to destroy the Mask of Time, an act that would cause irreparable damage to the entire Matoran Universe.

Once Vakama had convinced the Makuta that he was fully prepared to destroy the mask, Teridax agreed to a set of demands and conditions, with a solemn promise that he would return to finish what he had started in 1 year's time. Taking this hard-earned chance to save the Matoran, the Toa Metru of Fire returned to his allies, and led them all to a new, safer land.

Upon reaching the island of Mata Nui, he, alongside the other Toa Metru, sacrificed his Toa power in order to awaken the slumbering Matoran, becoming a Turaga in the process.

He wore a Great Mask of Concealment as a Toa, and later, a Noble version as a Turaga.

Tahu
Tahu, the most well-known Toa of Fire, was created by Artakha as the leader of the Toa Mata. He was later transformed into a Toa Nuva, and he was present during many of the most important events in the more recent history of the Matoran Universe, from the awakening of the Bohrok swarms and the great exodus of Mata Nui, to the conquering of the universe by Makuta Teridax.

When Teridax realized that Mata Nui still lived, he rose the Great Spirit Robot body he had stolen from his brother from the surface of Aqua Magna, and flew it to Bara Magna, where he sensed the Great Spirit's presence. There, Tahu and Takanuva were able to exit the immense robot, becoming the first natives of the Matoran Universe to step foot on a different planet.

It was during these events, later named the Battle of Bara Magna, that Tahu worked with Takanuva and a Glatorian named Gresh, to gather a powerful collection of armor designed specifically for him to use. This "Golden Armor" had been stored inside the Mask of Life, to be used at the right time, but became scattered during the chaos of the battle. After a quick scavenger hunt of sorts, that involved defeating enemies both old and new, Tahu and his allies reunited the 6 pieces of armor, at which point Tahu donned the complete set.

Activating the incredible energies of the armor, Tahu turned to the oncoming army of innumerable Rahkshi, and subsequently destroyed them all by absorbing the energy within each Kraata. Not only did this kill the Kraata, but the armor had absorbed the abilities of each Rahkshi sub-type, granting Tahu all 42 of those powers. This sudden, rapid destruction of his progeny caused Teridax to stagger in shock while fighting Mata Nui, allowing the Great Spirit to push the reeling Makuta into the oncoming path of Aqua Magna, finally killing him once and for all.

After the battle, Mata Nui used the last of his strength to restore Spherus Magna to it's former glory, and in the process, he went dormant within the Ignika. Reassuring the beings gathering around the Mask of Life that Mata Nui was not truly gone, Tahu became the de facto leader of the remaining Toa, and helped the people of both the Matoran Universe and Bara Magna rebuild their homes on the newly restored world.

Tahu most famously wore a Great Mask of Shielding, which later transformed alongside him, into a Kanohi Nuva, but when Mata Nui reverted him back into a Toa Mata, his mask reverted as well. His original red Hau was then replaced with a golden colored version. However this mask was actually a part of the Golden Armor, it was not Tahu's lost Golden Kanohi.

Jaller
Jaller was a brave Ta-Matoran living on the island of Mata Nui, long before he became a Toa. He was Captain of the Ta-Koro guard for 1000 years, and a good friend of Takua and Hahli. His responsibilities were multiplied tenfold however, when he and Takua discovered the fabled Mask of Light. When Takua refused to carry the Mask, Jaller took up the mantle of Herald.

When the Mask led them to the Kini-Nui, Jaller sacrificed himself to save Takua's life from the attack of the Rahkshi Turahk. Shortly before dying, he handed the Mask to his friend, who realized in that moment, that he was the destined Seventh Toa all along. This sparked a series of events that led to the temporary defeat of Teridax, the revival of Jaller, and a long-awaited return to Metru Nui.

Only a few months after arriving on Metru Nui, he led a team of Matoran to find and rescue the Toa Nuva, who had been imprisoned on Voya Nui by the Piraka, during their search for the Mask of Life. During the voyage, he and his team were transformed by the Red Star into the Toa Inika, the heroes destined to retrieve the legendary Kanohi.

They succeeded in freeing the Toa Nuva from the Piraka, as well as the Mask of Life from Vezon's clutches, however it fell into the ocean, sinking deep into the darkness of the Pit. Following, the Mask of Life transformed the Inika into the Toa Mahri, allowing them to survive the crushing depths.

After much conflict, Jaller and his team retrieved the Kanohi Ignika, and he was present to acknowledge that it was Matoro's destiny to save Mata Nui's life. Shortly before his death, Matoro transported Jaller and his team back to Metru Nui, returning their ability to breath air in the process. There he witnessed the ascension of Teridax alongside many of his allies.

He wore an organic Great Mask of Fate as a Toa Inika, and later, a Great Mask of Sonar as a Toa Mahri.

Post-Reformation
After Teridax's death, the few remaining Toa of Fire evacuated onto Spherus Magna. They are currently living with the Ta-Matoran and the Fire Tribe inside the Great Volcano.

Known Toa of Fire

 * Tahu - Leader of the Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
 * Vakama - Former leader of the Toa Metru, briefly a Toa Hordika; currently a Turaga
 * Lhikan - Former leader of the Toa Mangai; later a Turaga and currently on the Red Star
 * Dume - Currently a Turaga
 * Norik - Leader of Makuta Teridax's Toa Hagah team
 * "Prototype" - Half Toa of Fire fusion; currently a Dark Hunter
 * Jaller - Leader of the Toa Inika/Toa Mahri
 * Unnamed Toa of Fire - Former member of the Toa Cordak; deceased