Matau

Matau was the Toa of Air on Metru Nui. He later became a Turaga of Le-Koro, and later Le-Metru, as an adviser for Turaga Dume.

"If we appear to be Toa-Heros, then we are Toa-Heros!"

- Matau, after becoming a Toa Metru

Matoran
As a Matoran, Matau was known to test numerous transportation device prototypes. Very few of them worked, however. Orkahm always said that Matau was too reckless in his jobs and could've taken them more seriously. One day, as he tested a prototype Moto-Sled, it broke.Toa Lhikan then handed him a green stone. Matau took the stone to the Great Temple, where he met five other Matoran, one from each of the other districts. The Matoran placed their stones in the Suva at the center of the temple, and were immediately covered in beams of light. When the light subsided, they were no longer Matoran — they were Toa.

Toa Metru
"Fine, but no other Toa-hero will want to follow me. How could another ever compare?"

- Toa Matau

After Matau became a Toa Metru, he was concerned more about fame and glamour of being a hero, rather than the work. Once Vakama had the vision of the six Great Disks, Matau was immediately ordered by Vakama to go find the Le-Matoran Orkahm. Matau eventually found Orkahm in a web of transport cords. He managed to get the Matoran out and escaped before the Morbuzakh reached them. Vakama then had the Toa and Matoran split into pairs to find the Great Disks. His partner on this mission was Nokama. Matau rescued the Great Disk from a Force Sphere in The Notch, almost killing himself in the process, and helped Nokama find the Great Disk of Ga-Metru under the Great Temple by providing a distraction for the Vahki that were chasing them. They then entered Ta-Metru to find the Morbuzakh. After nearly being killed by Morbuzakh seedlings and gaining entrance to the Great Furnace with the help of a Matoran Nui, Matau with the other Toa Metru faced off against the king root with the other Toa, killing it with their Great Disks. After defeating the monster plant, Matau and the other Toa where told to go down into the Archives by Nuparu. Then and there, he and the other Toa fought Rahkshi and an intelligent Rahi known as Krahka. They defeated the Rahkshi and the Krahka and headed up, and out of the Archives. Matau and the other Toa were ready to be hailed as Toa by Turaga Dume and the Matoran. Instead, they were branded as impostors. Unbeknownst to the Toa, there really was an impostor — Dume himself. Teridax, under the guise of Dume, planned to place the Matoran into hibernation and then wake them up to serve him — and him alone.

Nuju, Onewa, and Whenua were all trapped under the Coliseum while Vakama, Nokama, and Matau escaped to safety. After many encounters and adventures, Matau and the others were all reunited, along with Turaga Lhikan. Now the Toa had one last mission to accomplish — defeating Teridax. After a long battle on the Great Barrier, the six Toa Metru trapped the Master of Shadows in a Protodermis prison. During the battle, Turaga Lhikan sacrificed himself to save Vakama and the Vahi, Mask of Time. Now the Toa had to find a new home for the Matoran with no guidance — a mission which was filled with many trials.

The Toa Metru managed to make it above ground, to the island which they christened Mata Nui. The island was filled with wild Rahi, several habitats, and was many times larger than Metru Nui. Matau chose a dense jungle for the home of his Matoran, as it reminded him of the Chute systems in Le-Metru. But before the Matoran could come and live here, they would have to be rescued - a mission which would change Matau forever. When he had seen what had happened to Le-Metru after the earthquake, it filled him with grief, especially the destroyed and abandoned Test Track and Moto-Hub.

Toa Hordika
"I just had an urge to nest-make, Nokama."

- Matau, after waking up inside a "nest"

As a Toa Hordika, Matau was the one most eager to seek out Keetongu. His Fang Blades could cut through most substances, and serve to charge his Air Rhotuka. He was willing to do anything to reverse his mutation and become a Toa Metru again. Sickened by the transformation into Hordika, Matau however still retained his funny side. He blamed Vakama for his transformation and often called him "Mask-Melter" or "Smelt-Head". During his time with the others and the incident of the Great Temple, he finally realized what he had done wrong and vowed with the other Toa that they would do whatever it took to rescue Vakama, who, from their point of view, had given in to his Hordika side. At the last battle against the Visorak, Matau finally understood the meaning of Unity, how hard is it to be leader and no matter how he looks, there is always hope. It was also he who saved Vakama from being plunged into the shadows.

Matau was finally returned to his Toa-hero form by the great Rahi Keetongu. He helped load the Matoran onto Airships and take them to Mata Nui.

Matau, along with the other Toa Metru, sacrificed his Toa power to revive the Matoran. This changed him into a Turaga. Fortunately, on their first visit to Mata Nui, the Toa Metru had given a little of their power into Toa Stones and scattered them about the Island.

Turaga
As Turaga of Le-Koro, he was known for his practical jokes, but was always calm in a crisis and never asked the Le-Matoran to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. Like all Le-Matoran, he commonly used "Treespeak" slang. At one point during the Bohrok saga, his mask was replaced by a krana. When faced with a fork in the road, Matau always advised going right (as he had some bad experiences with left forks as a Toa Metru). He carried the Kau Kau Staff (named after the call of Brakas monkeys). When Matau and the Matoran returned to Metru Nui, He and the other Turaga learned that Mata Nui was dying. When at last the news came from Voya Nui that he was saved, Matau and the others joyously celebrated his healing, until they learned that Matoro had sacrificed himself to revive Mata Nui.

Matau