Comic 14: At Last -- Takanuva!

"Already, I know he waits...Waits for the one who will finally defeat him and free Mata Nui from his shadow. But to end Makuta's reign, both of us must become more than what we are."

- Toa Takanuva

At Last -- Takanuva! was the fourteenth issue of the original BIONICLE comic series, and continued the Seventh Toa storyline. It was originally mailed with the September/October 2003 edition of LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected BIONICLE: Volume 1, BIONICLE: The Saga of Takanuva!, and BIONICLE 2: Challenge of the Rahkshi. This comic saw the introduction of Takanuva, the Toa of Light.

Opening
''Lewa, Tahu, and Gali buried under tons of rubble... Pohatu, Onua, and Turaga Whenua trapped in a cave with thousands of kraata... the Toa's first encounters with the Rahkshi have led to crushing defeat. Now only Kopaka stands between the Rahkshi and their goal: stopping the Seventh Toa from saving Mata Nui.''

As Takua and Jaller search for the missing Toa, the heroes of Mata Nui wage a desperate struggle to protect them from the Rahkshi--enemies of limitless power, who will stop at nothing to serve Makuta's will.

''The shadows are closing in on Mata Nui... and there seems to be no Toa of Light in sight.''

Note: This story takes place during the events of BIONICLE: MASK OF LIGHT .

Plot
Kopaka faces the six Rahkshi, alone. Lerahk attacks first, but is frozen by the Toa of Ice's power. Turahk attempts to overwhelm Kopaka with fear. Gathering his courage, the Toa freezes the Rahkshi of Fear as well. However, Kopaka cannot withstand the drain of Vorahk's hunger power. Before the killing blow lands, Tahu, Gali, and Lewa appear. Thanks to the Mask of Shielding, the Toa survived and followed the Rahkshi. Kurahk attempts to create infighting among the heroes with its anger power, but is quickly disarmed by a cyclone from Lewa. Gali rescues Kopaka, and the two are in turn rescued by Tahu and Lewa. Onua and Pohatu make an explosive entrance, with Tahu and Kopaka sealing the Kraata Cave behind them. A Shadow Kraata escapes the cave as well, but Pohatu catches it before it can infect any masks. The Toa continue to fight the Rahkshi across the entire island, ending at the Kini-Nui. There, Takanuva, the Toa of Light reveals himself and helps defeat the sons of Makuta. The team builds a vehicle--the Ussanui. Takanuva uses the Shadow Kraata caught by Pohatu to animate the transport, knowing that it will return to Makuta. The Toa Nuva attempt to convince Takanuva to let them come as well, but he refuses. The battle which lies ahead is his burden alone, and alone he travels into the darkness below.

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Randy Elliott - Artist
 * Peter Pantazis - Colorist and Separator
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Jaye Gardner - Editor
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Layout and Design

Characters

 * Ahkmou - Questionable
 * Gali Nuva
 * Guurahk
 * Kopaka Nuva
 * Kurahk
 * Lerahk
 * Lewa Nuva
 * Makuta - In vision
 * Nokama - Questionable
 * Nuhrii - Questionable
 * Onua Nuva
 * Panrahk
 * Pohatu Nuva
 * Tahu Nuva
 * Takanuva - First appearance
 * Takutanuva - In vision; first appearance
 * Tarakava - Mentioned only
 * Turahk
 * Vorahk
 * Whenua

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Ko-Wahi
 * Mount Ihu
 * Kini-Nui
 * Po-Wahi
 * Kraata Cave
 * Mangaia
 * Onu-Wahi
 * Onu-Koro

Objects

 * Badge of Office
 * Drill of Onua
 * Kanohi
 * Great Avohkii - First appearance
 * Great Kraahkan
 * Great Mask of Light and Shadow - In vision; first appearance
 * Powerless Rau
 * Powerless Ruru
 * Noble Rau - Questionable
 * Noble Ruru
 * Kanohi Nuva
 * Akaku Nuva
 * Hau Nuva
 * Kakama Nuva
 * Kaukau Nuva
 * Miru Nuva
 * Pakari Nuva
 * Kraata
 * Shadow Kraata - First appearance
 * Rahkshi Staffs of Power
 * Staff of Absorption
 * Staff of Anger
 * Staff of Disintegration
 * Staff of Fear
 * Staff of Fragmentation
 * Staff of Poison
 * Staff of Shadows
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Katana
 * Aqua Axes
 * Climbing Claws
 * Feet Additions
 * Ice Blade
 * Ice Shield
 * Magma Swords
 * Mizuni Rotors
 * Staff of Light - First appearance
 * Quake Breakers
 * Ussanui - First appearance

Organizations

 * Makuta (Species) - In vision
 * Matoran - Questionable
 * Po-Matoran - Questionable
 * Ta-Matoran - Questionable
 * Rahkshi
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Earth
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Ice
 * Toa of Light - First appearance
 * Toa of Stone
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
 * Turaga

Miscellanea

 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Ice
 * Light
 * Shadow
 * Stone
 * Water
 * Energized Protodermis - In vision
 * Rahkshi Powers
 * Treespeak

Quotes
"Kopaka Nuva came here to meet with the other Toa and plan strategy against the Rahkshi. The Rahkshi have just cancelled that meeting."

- Narration

"Two of the most powerful Toa stand together. Though they have their differences, when there is danger, they move as one...they act as one...and nothing can stand in their way!"

- Narration

"Have a care, Pohatu--this kraata has reached the ultimate stage of its evolution. Of all the kraata, only such as these can infect masks from a distance. Only your grip keeps it from using its power. But where there is one, there may be more..."

- Turaga Whenua

"'''I am TAKANUVA, the Toa of Light!"

- Takanuva makes his grand entrance

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: A New Hero Is Born to Face the Ultimate Villain! section discusses sets 8596 Takanuva, 8593 Makuta, 8595 Takua and Pewku, and 8594 Jaller and Gukko.
 * Comic end: BIONICLE: The Game advertisement; Manga-inspired Rahkshi combination model; Nike Rahkshi shoes advertisement.
 * Rear cover: BIONICLE: Mask of Light--The Movie advertisement.

Continuity

 * This issue picks up immediately after the previous comic, and takes place during the events of BIONICLE: Mask of Light.
 * This issue possibly marks the first comic appearance of the Matoran Nuhrii and Ahkmou, as visions of them are seen mocking Kopaka in his fear-induced hallucination. In-context, though, it makes little sense as to why Kopaka would be worried about two random villagers mocking him. A more likely alternative is that the faces seen are meant to represent Turaga Whenua and Nokama.
 * Speaking of first appearances, this issue marks the comic debut of Takanuva, the Seventh Toa and the Toa of Light. In BIONICLE: Mask of Light, Takanuva was revealed to be none other than Takua, the central character from the Mata Nui Online Game.
 * This issue also marks the sole comic appearances of the Ussanui and Takutanuva (the combined form of Takanuva and Makuta).
 * The events of the search for the Seventh Toa are covered more in-depth in the movie BIONICLE: Mask of Light

Trivia

 * This comic released with a holo-foil cover, one of only two issues to receive this treatment.