Toa of Ice

Toa of Ice was a title given to a Toa who wielded the Element of Ice. Toa of Ice were almost always transformed from a Matoran of Ice, although Kopaka was an exception. Should a Toa of Ice fulfill his destiny, he would be given the option of sacrificing his power, becoming a Turaga of Ice.

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 Ice's Elemental power gave them near-perfect command over ice. As such, at a basic level they were able to create, control, and absorb ice, snow and cold energy. Examples of this included creating and stopping snowstorms, forming immense spikes of ice, lowering the temperature of a given object or area, raising a wall of ice, and generating a blast of ice or snow. Additionally, Toa of Ice were naturally resistant to extreme cold, easily withstanding the below-zero temperatures often encountered among the frosty mountain peaks that housed their villages.

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

Toa of Ice were not without their weaknessess however; They could be affected by incredibly low temperatures, eventually succumbing to the hypothermal conditions, and all Toa of Ice were at their weakest in extreme heat. Additionally, Toa of Ice could only create actual ice in places with moisture; Were they to journey into a very dry environment, there would be no water in the air for them to form their frozen namesake, forcing them to rely entirely upon pure cold energy for protection.

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

Personality and Traits
Toa of Ice (with the notable exceptions of Matoro and Kualus) were usually antisocial, preferring to work alone in most cases. Despite this, they could see the value of teamwork, and were willing to put aside their differences to join a Toa Team. They were also highly logical in their approach to most problems.

Toa of Ice usually wore armor that was white, with varying shades of grey or blue acting as a secondary color. They generally possessed light blue eyes.

All Toa of Ice were male.

History
Various Toa of Ice 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 Ice. 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 Kopaka and Kualus.

Toa Kualus
 Kualus, a Toa Hagah of Ice, 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, Kualus 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 Kualus, and his Rahaga-brothers and sister, were returned to their original state. He wore the Great Mask of Rahi Control.

Toa Mangai
During various unpecified time periods, 4 Ko-Matoran were transformed into Toa of Ice, and joined the Toa Mangai under Lhikan's leadership. They fought alongside the other 7 Toa, including Lhikan, Nidhiki, Tuyet and Naho, against the Kanohi Dragon in Metru Nui, taking nearly a month to subdue it. 1000 years later, all 4 of them were also present and active during the Toa\Dark Hunter War, which they survived.

2000 years after the war, they were among the 8 Toa Mangai sent out on false missions by Teridax, in the form of Turaga Dume, and each was later murdered by the Dark Hunter "Eliminator", in unspecified locations.

Toa Nuju
Nuju was once the Toa Metru of Ice, gaining his powers from a Toa Stone created by Lhikan. He defended Ko-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. After finding the legendary rahi, Keetongu, Nuju was returned to his original form, and went on to help lead the Matoran of Metru Nui to a safer place.

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 the Great Mask of Telekinesis as a Toa, and later, the Noble version as a Turaga.

Toa Kopaka
Kopaka, the most well known Toa of Ice, was created by Artakha as a member of the Toa Mata, and he was Deputy to Tahu. 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 BohrokSwarms and the great exodus of Mata Nui, to the conquering of the universe by Makuta Teridax and the reformation of Spherus Magna. He most famously wore the Great Mask of X-Ray Vision, which later transformed alongside him into a Kanohi Nuva.

Toa Matoro
Matoro was a quiet and reserved Ko-Matoran living on the island of Mata Nui, long before he became a Toa. He was a secret-keeper for the Turaga, and Nuju's personal translator during the 1000 year period of time before the discovery of the Kanohi Avohkii. Not long after the Mask of Light was found, Matoro joined the other inhabitants of Mata Nui, as they finally made their return to Metru Nui.

Only a few months after arriving on Metru Nui, he and a team of other Matoran led by Jaller, departed 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 fabled 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.

In the shadowy waters, the Toa Mahri quickly came into conflict with the Barraki, ancient warlords banished for their attempts to overthrow the Great Spirit nearly 80,000 years before, who were also on the hunt for the Ignika. Shortly later, Matoro was captured by Hydraxon (who was actually a Matoran named Dekar, transformed by the Mask of Life into the long dead being), the jailor of the Pit, and brought before the robotic guardian Maxilos, a machine currently inhabited by Teridax himself.

Convinced to aid the Makuta in an unknown task, Matoro went along willingly, for a time. Soon they were confronted by the Barraki Takadox and Pridak, but battles had erupted across the entirety of the Pit, allowing Matoro and Teridax to slip away. In the deepest part of the ocean prison, Teridax brought Matoro to an ancient corpse, and forced him to reanimate it using his new mask. The corpse belonged to Tuyet, a Toa of Water from the time of Lhikan, and Teridax wished to possess what she had; The Nui Stone.

However, unbeknownst to all but the Order of Mata Nui, the being called Botar had actually imprisoned the true Tuyet in an alternate dimension, planting a false version from yet another dimension in the Pit. The shards of the Nui Stone that Teridax wanted so badly were actually fakes created by the Order.

Teridax's plans were foiled by the appearance of Karzahni however, who promtly destroyed the false Tuyet's risen body, and the subsequent arrival of Brutaka. While Teridax fought Brutaka, Matoro escaped the ruined prison undetected, regrouping with the other Toa Mahri.

After a series of battles and preperations that culminated in the breaking of the Cord, and the retrieval of the Ignika, Matoro finally realized his destiny as guardian of the Mask of Life. The Mask led him down past the collapsing Cord, and into the oldest part of the Matoran Universe, Karda Nui. It was here that the Ignika was to be activated, and where Matoro bravely accepted his ultimate duty. Placing the Mask of Life upon his own face, Matoro's lifeforce entwined with the energies of the Mask, thus resurrecting the desceased Great Spirit Mata Nui, nearly 1000 years after the Great Cataclysm had left him in a coma.

Before he died, Matoro transported his team back to Metru Nui, and gave them back their ability to breathe air. Afterwards, his body was broken down into pure energy, and the Toa Mahri of Ice ceased to be. He wore the Great Mask of Spirit as a Toa Inika, and later, the Great Mask of Reanimation as a Toa Mahri. The Tryna was often considered an immoral Kanohi by other Toa, but the Ignika had given it to Matoro as yet another test of his character.

Post-Reformation
After Teridax's death, the few remaining Toa of Ice evacuated onto Spherus Magna, where they aided in the construction effort to build new homes for the many refugees of the Matoran Universe.

Known Toa of Ice
Below is a list of the known Toa of Ice:
 * Kopaka - Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
 * Nuju - Formerly a Toa Metru and briefly a Toa Hordika; currently a Turaga
 * Four unnamed Toa of Ice - Formerly members of the Toa Mangai; now deceased
 * Matoro - Formerly a member of the Toa Inika/Toa Mahri; now deceased
 * Kualus - Teridax's Toa Hagah team