Kopaka (2001)

"Not luck. It's what you do that makes you a hero."

- Kopaka Nuva to Takua, BIONICLE: Mask of Light

Kopaka was the Toa Mata of Ice on the island of Mata Nui, and deputy commander of the Toa Mata. Later, he became the Toa Nuva of Ice.

Toa Mata
Kopaka and the rest of his team were created on the island of Artakha. From there, they were transported to Daxia and awakened. The Toa were immediately told by Helryx, the first Toa of Water, of their destiny to be the guardians of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. The Toa were then trained by Hydraxon in combat. In one exercise, the Toa were made to escape Spinax; Kopaka was the only one who succeeded by freezing Spinax. On another exercise, Hydraxon took the Toa's Kanohi and hid them across Daxia. Kopaka spent all day attempting to retrieve his Kanohi from a volcano. Lewa then realized they were to work together, and thusly did so. Tahu and Kopaka then allowed themselves to be captured by the Order at the fortress so they could get inside. There, they met with Helryx, who agreed to tell them of their mission and their future.

Upon completing their training, the Toa Mata were sent to Karda Nui to protect its Av-Matoran residents from living lightning bolt Rahi, known as the Avohkah. Tahu and Kopaka then led the other Toa to the Codrex. After they entered it, the hatch sealed them inside, and the two Toa were forced to explain their situation to the others. They could not leave the Codrex, because the energy storm that now filled Karda Nui would kill them. They also told them that they had to enter Toa Canisters, since the Codrex could not support life. They remained in their Toa Canisters for thousands of years. They were actually shot up into the sky and fell down into the ocean. They were originally intended to land on Mata Nui, then make their way to Metru Nui and reverse Mata Nui's sleep. However, something went wrong, and the canisters just floated in the ocean for a thousand years. It wasn't until Takua collected the Toa Stones of Mata Nui that the Toa were summoned to Mata Nui's shores.

Quest for the Masks
Kopaka drifted in the ocean for one thousand years, until Takua recovered the six Toa Stones and summoned the Toa to Mata Nui. Arriving on Ko-Wahi Beach, Kopaka regenerated his organics, rebuilt himself and ventured into the icy region of Ko-Wahi. As he travelled through the frozen peaks and slopes, Kopaka soon became aware of a small being watching him, and used his power of Ice to expose the watcher and sent him sliding to the Toa. The small being introduced himself as Matoro, a Ko-Matoran. After concluding that Matoro was a friend rather than a foe, Kopaka allowed the Ko-Matoran to lead him to his village of Ko-Koro. Along the way, the pair of travellers were attacked by an infected Nui-Rama, and Kopaka had to use his power over Ice to rescue his Matoran companion when the Rahi tried to carry him away.

When they eventually reached Ko-Koro, Matoro introduced the Toa of Ice to Turaga Nuju, the village's elder, who told him of the islanders' plight, and of the Toa's mission to find the Great Kanohi. Nuju told him that one of the masks was located atop Mount Ihu, and Kopaka subsequently set out to claim it. Along the way, Kopaka soon met another Toa, a cheerful brown-armored individual named Pohatu when the Toa of Stone accidentally trapped him under a pile of rocks. Rejecting Pohatu's offer to help him out, Kopaka freed himself, but reluctantly agreed to join forces with Pohatu in their quest. Eventually reaching Mount Ihu, Kopaka found his first Great Mask: a Hau, which gave him the power to shield himself when he donned it. Afterward, the two Toa were attacked by a Kane-Ra bull with an infected Kanohi, who had been guarding the mask. Luring the infected Rahi into a chasm, Pohatu sealed the hole with several large boulders. After the Rahi was defeated, Kopaka and Pohatu came across the temple of Kini-Nui, where they discovered the other four Toa.

After the Toa Mata agreed to split up, Kopaka travelled alone to Ta-Wahi, where one of his Kanohi, a Pakari, was located on a small island of rock in the center of a lake of lava. Freezing a hot spring and using the resulting slab of ice as a makeshift raft, Kopaka paddled across with his Ice Sword and retrieved the mask; however, on the way back to shore, he accidentally sliced a chunk off the raft with his sword, which struck him in the head and briefly rendered him unconscious. After having a vision of the Toa Kaita, Kopaka awoke to discover that his ice raft had melted too much to make it across the remaining lava. Using the augmented strength of his newly acquired Pakari, Kopaka tried to jump across, but failed and would have plunged into the lava had Lewa not arrived just in time and used a strong updraft to carry Kopaka the rest of the way. During one incursion into Ko-Wahi, he found a beleaguered Takua and Matoro, under attack from a Muaka. Engaging the tiger Rahi, he initially used the Huna to land several unseen blows on its hide, drawing it to the edge of a cliff, then used a Mahiki to create two decoy replicas of himself. With the Rahi confused, Kopaka plunged his sword into the cliff, causing the hanging ledge on which the Muaka was perched to break away from the cliff, trapping the Rahi below.

At After he had collected all of his masks, he went to Kini-Nui and joined the other Toa. He received a gold mask, and descended into Mangaia. He joined with Lewa and Gali to become Toa Kaita Wairuha, who then helped to defeat Manas Crabs that were gaurding Makuta's Lair. They then encountered Makuta and defeated him, at least for a time, and returned victorious to Mata Nui's surface.

Bohrok Crisis
During the Bohrok crisis, Kopaka worked to collect eight Krana from Kohrak. He managed to do so, along with the other Toa, and they ventured into the Bahrag's lair.

While Tahu was exploring the Bohrok hive, the other five Toa were trapped in a tunnel, which was then flooded with lava. Kopaka froze the lava, holding it at bay for a few seconds. When Onua and Pohatu couldn't make a scratch on the wall, Lewa realized that it was an illusion, and led Kopaka and the others through the wall to comparative safety.

The Toa entered the Bahrag's lair, and donned suits of Exo-Toa armor. The armor restricted their elemental powers, however, and they had to shed it to defeat the Bahrag. They combined their elemental powers, locking the Bahrag in a Protodermis prison. Even as the Bahrag were locked away, the final defense mechanism activated: plunging the Toa into tubes of Energized Protodermis.

Toa Nuva
When they emerged, they were no longer the Toa Mata. They were the Toa Nuva, with stronger armor, better weapons, and superior elemental control.

As soon as they escaped the Bahrag's lair, the Toa tested their new powers--against each other. Kopaka, along with Tahu, came out on top. They ended with a stalemate. The Toa decided to separate, sacrificing their unity so they could go their own ways. Kopaka returned to Ko-Koro.

Bohrok Kal
"I am not here to be pleased. I am here to find Kanohi Nuva so I can regain my stolen powers and truly be the Toa of Ice again. If you wish to help me, fine. If you wish to talk...seek out Toa Lewa."

- Kopaka to Pohatu, BIONICLE Chronicles 4: Tales of the Masks

Unfortunately, Mata Nui's peace didn't last long. The Bohrok Kal appeared, bent on defeating the Toa Nuva and rescuing the Bahrag. They stole the Toa Nuva's Nuva Symbols, which made the key to the Bahrag's prison. Kopaka, gliding down a bridge of ice, lost his elemental powers, and almost plunged to his doom. Fortunately, Turaga Nuju was there to save him.

He, along with the other Toa Nuva, followed the Bohrok Kal to the Bahrag's prison. There, he channeled his power into his symbol, overloading the Kal's elemental powers and defeating them.

Mask of Light
Kopaka returned to Ko-Wahi, guarding it alone. When Takua and Jaller came searching for the Toa of Light, Kopaka reluctantly let them follow him. When the Rahkshi attacked, however, Kopaka defended them fiercely. He sent them down Mount Ihu's slopes on his shield, then followed them on his Ice Swords. Kopaka then knocked the Rahkshi into a lake with an ice blast, then froze the lake over. He then left the two Matoran, tending to the damaged Ko-Koro.

Kopaka returned to help Takua again, however, in Onu-Koro. He froze the infected Tahu, carrying him to safety. He then combined his Ice powers with the Fire powers in Tahu's sword, partially healing his infection.

Kopaka left again, this time to rescue Onua and Pohatu, who were trapped in Onu-Wahi. After digging out the Chief Miner and enlisting his help to extricate the two buried Toa, the three of them defended Takua and Jaller at Kini-Nui. There, Kopaka combined his powers with Tahu, Onua, and Pohatu to defeat a trio of Rahkshi.

Kopaka was present when Takanuva defeated Makuta, and when Metru Nui was rediscovered.

Voya Nui
When the Toa Nuva returned to Metru Nui, they learned a terrible truth from Turaga Dume - Mata Nui was dying, and the Toa Nuva had to go to Voya Nui and recover the Mask of Life. Kopaka and the other Toa Nuva journeyed to Voya Nui, where they found the Piraka enslaving the Matoran there. They fought the Piraka, and nearly won, but they were defeated by Brutaka. They were imprisoned, and their masks and weapons taken away.

The Voya Nui Resistance Team managed to rescue them, however, and they returned to Metru Nui. However, Axonn then gave them the task of accomplishing a list of tasks to be done before Mata Nui was to awake. The Toa Nuva then sneaked into the Great Temple and stole a scroll containing a list of things they needed to do to reawaken Mata Nui. First of all, they awakened the Bohrok and restored the island of Mata Nui to its former state.

Secondly, the Toa Nuva attempted to get the Staff of Artakha from the island of Odina, but failed, as The Shadowed One had sold the staff to the island of Xia in exchange for weapons. On the way, the Toa Nuva forced Roodaka to transform the Rahaga back into the Toa Hagah, and continued to Xia. When there, Onua Nuva came across a Makuta named Icarax, who stole the Staff of Artakha, and then pursued him. Later, the Toa Nuva followed Icarax to the realm of Karzahni, where all the Toa but Gali were defeated. After the realm was destroyed by a Nova Blast unleashed by Gali, Kopaka was revived, and journeyed with Tahu to a chain of southern islands, where they needed to stop several active volcanoes. He was then teleported by Botar to Daxia, where he saw the Staff of Arthaka being used to restore the Universe to its former aspect. They later went to Artakha and were given new weapons and adaptive armor.

Karda Nui
Appearing in Karda Nui, the Toa Nuva's armor shifted them into forms that were suited for flight.

In Karda Nui, the six Toa Nuva split into two teams. Tahu, Gali, and Onua went down to the Swamp of Secrets in search of a special item that could help Mata Nui, while Kopaka, Lewa, and Pohatu stayed back to help the Matoran. Kopaka was assigned the position of deputy leader for Lewa's air team. When the three Toa started to battle against the Makuta, Kopaka was defeated by Vamprah, who used his Avsa to drain Kopaka's energies.

Kopaka then flew over to a Shadow Matoran village and took Kirop hostage. The Toa then waited for Kirop to awaken and begin a discussion about a planned attack on the Makuta's Shadow Leech Hive. As expected, Kirop flew to the hive, leading the three Toa straight to it.

After they broke in, Kopaka and Solek confronted Mutran. Solek was knocked unconscious quickly and Kopaka had faked defeat at the hands of Mutran's mental powers. When given the chance he then struck back and froze Mutran. Then Antroz, Chirox, and Vamprah arrived and defeated them. The Makuta held them hostage for a short time, but were rescued by Pohatu and Toa Ignika, who then destroyed the Shadow Leech Hive.

The Makuta, with Icarax now in Karda Nui, then launched an assault on the sole remaining Av-Matoran Village, only to find out that no one was there. By the time they realized it, Kopaka and his team had already taken the third Keystone from their lair and ambushed the Makuta. Antroz almost destroyed Kopaka's armor, but the tide changed when Ignika joined in and defeated Icarax by devolving him back into a biomechanical being. After Antroz's armor was pierced, the Makuta retreated following a Nova blast of Shadow released by Mutran. After following the Makuta, Kopaka and the others arrived in the Swamp of Secrets just in time to freeze Antroz's oncoming Shadow blast. They then joined with the other Toa Nuva for the final battle against the Makuta. He was going to ride the Jetrax T6, but Antroz hijacked it. Soon later, during a battle, Kopaka retrieved back the Jetrax T6. He also helped to calm down an enraged Takanuva.

The Awakening
The Toa Nuva made it back to the Coliseum and were with the Turaga when they announced that Mata Nui was finally awake. But they found out that after Matoro put on the Mask of Life and saved Mata nui, Teridax slipped into Mata Nui's body and put Mata Nui's soul into the Mask of Life. Gali later went missing in the confusion of a chase with some Rahkshi that Teridax sent. Kopaka found her with the help of Lewa. Kopaka then hid in the Archives with the other Toa Nuva.

Spherus Magna
He later evacuated the Matoran Universe along with all the other Toa and Matoran to the newly formed Spherus Magna, and started investigating the enslavement of the Mahri and their "new leader".

Afterward, he came back to the Mata Nui robot, where he found Gaaki, helping to evacuate sea creatures. He explained the situation to her, then gave the Toa Hagah permission to help.

While assisting other teams by doing odd jobs, he found Pohatu. The two eventually built a cooling shelter when they came across Toa Lesovikk, who told them Karzahni had escaped his prison. Pohatu and Kopaka then agreed to follow the Toa of Air later.

The Toa of Ice and Stone then set off on their quest to find Lesovikk. On their way, Pohatu found and showed Kopaka the dead corpse of Karzahni. They investigated the scene of the murder and found a curved blade, the one that Lesovikk carried. They then noticed a cyclone was going in their direction after agreeing to stop Lesovikk. Pohatu then sped them away with his Kakama and, Kopaka, trying to stop it the hard way, created a barrier of ice. Pohatu, however, sped around the cyclone opposite its direction of spin, cancelling out the cyclone's winds. They then thought about what had created the cyclone, but Kopaka thought that it was just a regular cyclone, for a Toa-created cyclone would have just jumped over the wall at the Toa's request. Karzahni's corpse was then taken back to an Agori/Matoran camp.

Tahu and Gali then came back to the camp from their failed expedition north. Kopaka then told them about what happened. Tahu and Gali then told Kopaka and Pohatu that they saw Lesovikk on their expedition and how he wasn't carrying a blade with him.

The next day, Pohatu and Kopaka headed north on mounts, some time into their journey discussing how they would handle Lesovikk, as there have been other rogue Toa that had been stopped, though now there weren't many Toa left. Kopaka says that if Lesovikk did kill him, then they would be forced to bring him down.

Three days later, they heard something in the bushes, a mental scream, and then their minds filled with images of various things. They then found pieces of Tren Krom's body all over the ground. They thought about what could have done it to him and that Lesovikk could have done this as well, but Kopaka had one image in mind that pointed away from Lesovikk: an image of a red star. They then discussed what they should do when Pohatu heard some noises in the trees. Pohatu wanted to take care of it, but Kopaka decided to freeze its wings, causing it to fall to the ground. The creature then told them that he did not know who killed Tren Krom. Kopaka and Pohatu learned that this creature's name was Gaardus; he was once a Matoran, but experiments by the Nynrah Ghosts turned him into what he is now. The group then talked about their visions and how they could get to the Red Star and Gaardus told them that he could teleport to places he had been before.

After using this power, they found themselves on the inside of the Red Star, where they encountered three Kestora who knew Gaardus. The Kestora discussed Gaardus's actions last time he was on the Star, and began debating on what to do with the three. Pohatu quickly disarmed the Kestora, and Kopaka eventually froze them. When Gaardus disappeared, they decided to look for another way out. They were then surrounded by more hostile inhabitants, before being saved by the Matoran Mavrah.

Personality and Traits
Kopaka was serious, cold and analytical. He was a loner, preferring to go solo instead of teaming up. He would often be in rivalry with Tahu, their elements reflecting their different and conflicting natures.

Kopaka often displayed his cold side, and to many it seemed like it was all there was in him. But if one would take the time to look a little deeper into his character, they would find a loyal guardian with a caring heart who was willing to risk everything to protect his home, Matoran, Turaga, and his brother and sister Toa. He was very protective of the Matoran, thinking that exposing them to danger was not the deed of a responsible Toa.

Pohatu was possibly Kopaka's closest friend; he was the first of the Toa to encounter Kopaka, and when Pohatu was later thought dead, it was the only time Kopaka openly showed emotions. Kopaka also considers Lewa a good friend, as he worried about the Toa of Air when there was no sign of him on Bara Magna and swore to find his brother.

Unlike some of the other Toa Nuva, Kopaka had changed very little. He still prefered to fight alone, given the opportunity, though he knew it was not a wise tactic against the Makuta. He and Tahu had settled many of their differences and Kopaka filled the role of deputy leader of the team.

Powers and Equipment
Kopaka controlled the element of Ice. He wore the Kanohi Akaku, the Mask of X-Ray Vision, and wielded an Ice Sword and an Ice Shield.

When Kopaka became a Toa Nuva, he gained a greater control over his element. He also wore the Akaku Nuva, which was stronger than the normal Akaku. He wielded two Ice Blades, normally doubled up as one long blade (unusual, as the other Toa Nuva held one weapon in each hand), and an enhanced version of the Ice Shield. His swords also functioned as skis. At one point, Takua and Jaller used Kopaka Nuva's shield as a sled. Kopaka was later given adaptive armor by Artakha. This armor allowed his body to shift into a state that suited the bearer's current environment. As a Phantoka, he was still technically a Toa Nuva. He was equipped with a Midak Skyblaster with a Blizzard Blade on it, and wore an adapted version of the Akaku Nuva, the Mask of X-Ray Vision.

Kopaka (2001)

 * The set contains 33 pieces.
 * The set number is 8536.
 * Was released in 2001

Kopaka Nuva (2002)

 * His new power has, if anything, made Kopaka Nuva even colder and more remote than the mountain upon which he lives. His ice blade can be split in two to form power ice skates that let him rip through the ice and snow. He wears Akaku Nuva, using its power to keep watch on all of Ko-wahi from the top of Mount Ihu.


 * Kopaka Nuva was released in late 2002 as one of the six Toa Nuva canister sets. His set number was 8571, and consisted of 42 pieces. He could be combined with the Lewa Nuva and Gali Nuva sets to form Wairuha Nuva.

Toa Kopaka (2008)

 * Kopaka's piece count as a Phantoka is 54.
 * Kopaka's set number as a Phantoka is 8685.

Trivia

 * During the prototype stages of BIONICLE, Kopaka was named "Blade."
 * Kopaka was the first of the Toa Mata to recover a Kanohi.
 * BIONICILE author Greg Farshtey has stated that he personally likes Kopaka the most. He finds him the best character to write about.
 * According to Solek, Kopaka once fought and defeated three dozen Zyglak on his own.
 * In BIONICLE: Mask of Light, Kopaka was voiced by Michael Dobson, who also voiced Hewkii during the same movie and Lhikan and Krekka in BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui.

Appearances

 * Comic 1: The Coming of the Toa - First appearance
 * BIONICLE: The Legend of Mata Nui - Cancelled
 * Mata Nui Online Game
 * Challenge of the Rahi
 * Comic 3: Triumph of the Toa
 * ''Comic 4: The Bohrok Awake
 * Comic 5: To Trap a Tahnok
 * Comic 6: Into the Nest
 * Comic 7: What Lurks Below
 * Comic 8: The End of the Toa? - First appearance as Kopaka Nuva
 * Toa Nuva (Mini-comic)
 * Comic 9: Divided We Fall
 * Comic 10: Powerless!
 * Comic 11: A Matter of Time...
 * Bohrok-Kal Online Animations
 * Comic 12: Absolute Power
 * Comic 13: Rise of the Rahkshi!
 * Comic 14: At Last -- Takanuva!
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light (movie)
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light (book)
 * Comic 15: Secrets and Shadows
 * Comic 17: Disks of Danger - In present