Bohrok
Bohrok | |
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Shields, Krana |
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[List of appearances] |
- “If you wake one...you wake them all.”
- ―Tagline for the Bohrok
The Bohrok are mysterious insectoid creatures from the BIONICLE storyline. They were prominent antagonists in the Chronicles storyline, though parts of their origin remain a mystery.
Overview[edit | edit source]
The Bohrok are mechanical insectoid creatures, controlled by strange parasitic beings that live within their heads, known as Krana. If a Bohrok loses its Krana, it shuts down and can be reprogrammed to do one's bidding; but if a Krana gets on another being's face, it then assimilates its host into the swarm. The Krana, which control the Bohrok, are in turn controlled by the two fearsome Bahrag, twin queens of the swarms.
It has been hinted that the Bohrok are somehow related to the Toa Mata; the Bahrag have referred to these Toa as the Bohrok's "brothers",[1] and series writer Greg Farshtey has confirmed that there is an unrevealed meaning to this statement.[2]
Over a thousand years ago in Metru Nui, Onu-Matoran miners stumbled upon a Bohrok nest and found that the creatures were fully mechanical while the Krana they carried inside were completely organic. They also discovered the creatures' name, "Bohrok", from a carving in the nest's wall. After a quick check, archivists found there was no evidence of assembly. Another Onu-Matoran archivist named Mavrah theorized that the Bohrok were once biomechanical (like every other BIONICLE lifeform), but evolved to a state with no organic parts and without a single independent thought.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
The Bohrok were once Av-Matoran, whose destiny it was to transform into Bohrok to prepare Mata Nui for his awakening. Their purpose is to return the Island of Mata-Nui (in reality the face of Mata Nui's giant robotic body) to the before-time, to clean it (the island appearance is actually created by the face's camouflage system). However, the Bohrok were initially awakened before the time was right by Makuta, in order to defeat the Toa. The Bohrok easily felled large trees, froze lava, melted ice, and leveled mountains in their devastating quest to "clean it all". Relief came only when the Toa Mata defeated the Bohrok Queens, the Bahrag, in a dramatic quest. Without the Bahrag to guide them, the Bohrok became docile, and the Matoran put them to work repairing the damage.
Shortly afterward, six mutated Bohrok called Bohrok-Kal were released. These elite Bohrok were much more powerful and intelligent - and independent - than regular Bohrok. Their mission was to release the Bahrag from where they had been imprisoned by the Toa Mata, thus enabling the Bohrok swarms to resume their invasion.
Immediately after imprisoning the Bahrag, the Toa were transformed by energized protodermis into more powerful Toa Nuva, and each gained a Nuva Symbol that was tied to their elemental powers. The Bohrok-Kal discovered that the Bahrag's prison was locked by a special Nuva Cube, which required the Nuva Symbols to unlock. The Bohrok-Kal had to steal the Symbols and find the sealed entrance to the Bahrag's underground lair and prison before actually releasing the twin queens.
The Kal managed to steal the Symbols easily, find the lair's entrance, clear a way in, and almost finish their devious task. While doing this, they signaled all Bohrok to leave the Matoran and return to their nests. In the lair, a group of Exo-Toa were guarding the prison; the Bohrok-Kal defeated them easily but it gave the Toa Nuva time to catch up to them. Toa Tahu tried to use the Vahi Mask of Time against them, but even slowed to a near-standstill, the Bohrok-Kal were protected by their silver Krana-Kal. In a last-ditch effort, the Toa banked on their ties to their Nuva Symbols and fed their strength to the Bohrok-Kal, giving them power beyond imagining - too much power for them to control. Their bodies were utterly destroyed by their own powers and only their Krana-Kal remained.
In the months following the Bohrok's defeat, the Matoran rediscovered their original home of Metru Nui and relocated there, leaving Mata Nui uninhabited. The Toa Nuva were eventually directed to a list of tasks that needed to be done in preparation of The Great Spirit Mata Nui's awakening. One of which, was freeing the Bohrok. Although reluctant to release such a destructive force, the Toa did as directed, and the Bohrok are now working to clean Mata Nui completely. Some of the Bohrok fought the Kardas Dragon and were destroyed.
A small group of Bohrok were awakened by Krakua via a Sonic Signal in order to have them fight the Rakshi (which were in the way to getting to the face of Mata Nui).
Powers[edit | edit source]
All Bohrok share the abilities of curling up into a ball and ejecting their Krana onto an opponent, forcing them to become part of the swarm. Each Bohrok is also equipped with shields on their hands that allow them to fire their element (the exceptions being Pahrak, who simply had to hit their shields on something seismic wave, and Nuhvok, who has to hit their shields on something to damage it). In addition, the Bohrok's Krana gives it an additional power, one unique to each krana, and a Bohrok can switch these powers by having a Bohrok Va exchange its Krana for another. If a Bohrok does not have a Krana, then it is immobile, as the Krana control the Bohrok movements
Bohrok Va have none of these powers (except for launching Krana), but, unlike normal Bohrok, they can operate independently without Krana (though they still require direction from the Bahrag). They also use simple handheld tools and weapons.
The Bohrok-Kal have the same basic range of powers as normal Bohrok, although they can use their element in two ways (offensively and defensively), whereas normal Bohrok can only use their powers to attack. The Kal also use a set of enhanced Krana called Krana-Kal that have slightly different powers; and when the Kal are in the final moments before completing their mission, their Krana-Kal turn silver and project a shield that protects them from all outside attack.
The Bohrok-Kal have also shown the ability to merge into Kaita beings (taking the name of whichever Krana is dominant), which combine and amplify the powers of those who take part in the fusion. Normal Bohrok and Bohrok Va can also do this.[4]
Bohrok Breeds[edit | edit source]
Main Breeds[edit | edit source]
Tahnok, Bohrok of Fire: Tahnok are quick, industrious, methodical, and know the value of teamwork. If another Tahnok is incapacitated, all other members of the swarm will make sure it is safe before they continue with their mission (despite this, they are the most brash and impulsive of the Bohrok). Tahnok are the most aggressive of the swarms, but even though they are not naturally violent, they anger easily if threatened, and will usually strike first, and as a group.
Gahlok, Bohrok of Water: Gahlok are astonishingly difficult to catch, as they can change their methods in the blink of an eye (in fact, Turaga Nokama once said, "Catching a Gahlok is like trying to hold onto an eel with one wet hand. So think carefully before you interrupt their work."). Gahlok will never react in the same way more than once, will never strike the same place twice, and are masters of ambush. At one point, they even attacked Onu-Koro, forcing the resident matoran to evacuate. However, some good came of this, as the matoran Nuparu used a Kranaless Gahlok body to build the first Boxor machine, and save the village.
Lehvak, Bohrok of Acid: Lehvak are the most individualy motivated and free-thinking of the Bohrok, because although they do work in swarms, they definitely work best in smaller groups, and are even perfectly capable of working and thinking alone. As they are the only Bohrok with any free thought, they are the swarm's most dangerous tacticians. They are unpredictable, and never strike in one place for long, and it is next to impossible to predict where they will appear next. In addition to their abilities of free thought, Lehvak heve the most dangerous of all the Bohrok's shields, as theirs gives them the power to fight with an incredibly corrosive acid, melting anything in their path. The Lehvak are also responsible for the attack on Le-Koro, the most successful attack in the entire Bohrok uprising, as they burnt the village to the ground, and infected all its members with krana, indoctrinating them into the swarm. When Toa Lewa came to assist his villagers, the Lehvak defeated him as well, and replaced his mask with a krana. The only possible way to defeat a Lehvak is to corner a single one, and take it by surprise.
Pahrak, Bohrok of Stone: Pahrak are generally placid and slow, and generally ignore attackers, unless they absolutely must defend themselves. But if they do get angry, they won't stop until the problem confronting them is solved. After attacking successfully, they will put it out of their minds, and return to the mission at hand. The only way to stop a group of Pahrak is to wear them down slowly, as there is practically nothing forceful enough to move them. Pahrak carry shields with sonic crumbling power.
Nuhvok, Bohrok of Earth: Nuhvok are generally cave dwellers, and specialize in undermining the very foundations of Mata Nui. They are, unlike other Bohrok, quite solitary, and can usually only be found alone. They have excellent night vision, and, as they spend almost all their time underground, this more than makes up for the fact that they become highly dazzled in sunlight (meaning the best strategy for fighting a Nuhvok is to lure it aboveground). Like Pahrak, they will not defend themselves immediately, and generally only when backed into a corner. However, when they do fight, they are highly dangerous, as their hammer shields can smash nearly anything.
Kohrak, Bohrok of Ice, like Nuhvok and Pahrak, will never fight unless forced to. However, they consider themselves invincible and are dismissive of danger, and have, when roused, formidable fighting skills. When one Kohrak responds to an attack, the entire group does, but they will not attack as a unified force, instead fighting their opponents one-on-one. The ice shields they carry can freeze anything, even open flame.
Bohrok-Kal[edit | edit source]
One of each Bohrok breed were mutated by an unknown energy into Bohrok-Kal. This energy is guessed, but not confirmed, to have been distilled from some kind of mutagenic substance such as Visorak venom. They were six elite Bohroks that were sent to free the Bahrag. Unlike all the other Bohrok, the Bohrok-Kal (or rather, their Krana-Kal) are capable of independent thought without the Bahrag's help. In addition, the Krana-Kal, unlike regular Krana, were able to speak. The Bohrok-Kal's purpose was to help the Bahrag if they should become unable to guide the swarms somehow. Their bodies were destroyed when the Toa Nuva, through their Nuva Symbols, fed the Kal more power than they were able to control, causing an energy overload, but their Krana-Kal are known to have escaped.
Bohrok Va[edit | edit source]
Bohrok Va serve as scouts for the Bohrok, as well as carrying extra Krana for when a Bohrok loses its own. Unlike the Bohrok, Bohrok Va aren't controlled by Krana. Because of this, they were able to ally themselves with the Bohrok-Kal in secret, after the defeat of the Bahrag. Each of the six breeds of Bohrok has its own Va counterpart.
The Bahrag[edit | edit source]
Cahdok and Gahdok are the twin Queens of the Bohrok swarms, together known as the Bahrag. They each have all the powers of the main six Bohrok breeds, plus the ability to cast illusions that seem real and solid until one stops believing in them.[5] The Bahrag's powers grow stronger the closer they physically are to each other.
The Bahrag are driven by a single goal, to take the island of Mata Nui and "clean it all". They care little for anything else, unless it gets in the way of their mission. When Makuta woke them, they assumed it was time for "cleaning" and immediately sent out the swarms, regardless of the fact that there were still people living on the island. The Toa Mata tried to fight the Bahrag with their new Exo-Toa armor, but the armor proved little help as it blocked the Toa's use of their elemental powers. The Toa instead removed the armor and combined their elemental powers, encasing the Bahrag in a protodermic cage and ending their control over the swarms.
The Bohrok-Kal were soon released to try and free the Bahrag, but they ultimately failed. The Toa (now Toa Nuva) eventually returned after the island had become uninhabited, freeing the Bahrag so they could accomplish their goal.
Kaita[edit | edit source]
The Bohrok Kaita are large creatures created by three Bohrok merging their essences. Only two are known to exist, the Bohrok Kaita Ja, and the Bohrok Kaita Za. Neither of them have ever appeared in the BIONICLE storyline.
Bohrok-Kal and Va also have the ability to form Kaita, and the Bahrag's parts can be combined to create the Bahrag Spider, although it is unknown if this creature is actually related to the Bohrok.
Imposters[edit | edit source]
Fake Bohrok - The Brotherhood of Makuta once ordered the construction of completely mechanical Bohrok to serve their corrupt purposes. When the Matoran laborers behind the project found out, they risked their lives by sabotaging these false Bohrok. After they went on a rampage, the Toa Hagah were dispatched to eliminate them, and the Matoran were put to death for their disobedience. Fans refer to these false Bohrok as Faux-rok or Fohrok (Fake Bohrok).
Some Bohrok appeared in the Maze of Shadows video game, which took place well before the swarms were awakened. It turns out that these Bohrok were not controlled by Krana, but rather by hive-minded worm creatures that had escaped a Brotherhood of Makuta lair. They found their way into a Bohrok nest, took over some Bohrok shells and learned how to use them to defend themselves.[6]
Krana[edit | edit source]
The Krana are the parasitic creatures that pilot the bio-mechanical Bohrok bodies. They come in six different varieties, all of which have different roles, and grant thier Bohrok different powers. Each Bohrok has a colour of krana unique to it, and each of these turns a different colour when it is inactive (not controlling anything). The inactive krana are only seen on Bohrok Va, who carry them for their masters. In addition to the six basic breeds of krana, their are also six specialized breeds, the Krana-Kal, used exclusively by the Bohrok-Kal, which look the same as the original krana (although they are metallic in colour), but are smarter, and give the wearer different abilities.
The different types of Krana and Krana-Kal are as follows:
Name | Regular Title | Regular Power | Kal Title | Kal Power(s) |
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Xa | Swarm Commander | Swarm Commander | Liberator | Liberator of the Bahrag |
Za | Squad Leader | Telepathy | Overseer | Telepathy, limited mind and emotion reading |
Vu | Surveyor | Flight | Transporter | Speed, Flight |
Ca | Clearance | Heavy defensive shields | Seeker | Can sense the Bahrag (withing a limited range) |
Yo | Mole | Tunneling | Excavator | Sensing stress points in the earth, detecting underground movement |
Ja | Scout | Radar | Tracker | Senses distant obstacles, improves the senses of all Kal nearby, especially hearing and smell |
Su | Worker | Strength | Demolisher | Strength, resistance to heat and cold |
Bo | Sentinel | Night vision | Visionary | Can see in the dark, and through all solid objects except the ground |
The following chart lists all krana by their colour relative to the breed of Bohrok they represent.
Active/Bohrok | Inactive/Bohrok Va | Bohrok-Kal | |
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Tahnok | Blue | Yellow | Bronze |
Gahlok | Orange | Purple | Steel Blue |
Lehvak | Red | Grey | Metallic Green |
Pahrak | Green | Tan | Iron Grey |
Nuhvok | Lime Green | Black | Copper |
Kohrak | Light Blue | White | Pearl |
Notes[edit | edit source]
- All six main breeds of Bohrok were featured as enemies in the non-canon video game BIONICLE Heroes; however, they were mistakenly given the names and descriptions of the Bohrok-Kal.
- In addition to the regular colours of Krana, there were also limited-edition white metal and sterling silver versions included in randomized packs of Bohrok-Kal.
Sets which include Bohrok[edit | edit source]
Bohrok:
- 8563 Tahnok
- 8562 Gahlok
- 8564 Lehvak
- 8560 Pahrak
- 8561 Nuhvok
- 8565 Kohrak
- K8563 Bohrok Swarm Kit
- 65127 Bohrok Co-Pack
Bohrok Va:
- 8554 Tahnok Va
- 8550 Gahlok Va
- 8552 Lehvak Va
- 8553 Pahrak Va
- 8555 Nuhvok Va
- 8551 Kohrak Va
- BIONICLE Kabaya Va Collection
(all the Bohrok Va were also released in identical sets with different numbers, as promotions from Kabaya sweets.)
Bohrok-Kal:
Bahrag:
LEGO.com Descriptions[edit | edit source]
Tahnok:
Gahlok:
Lehvak:
Pahrak:
Nuhvok:
Kohrak:
Tahnok Va:
Lehvak Va:
Kohrak Va:
Nuhvak Va:
Pahrak Va:
Gahlok Va:
Tahnok-Kal:
Gahlok-Kal:
Gahlok-Kal:
Pahrak-Kal:
Nuhvok-Kal:
Kohrak-Kal:
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Gallery[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
General information comes from the BIONICLE Chronicles book series; see List of BIONICLE media.
- ↑ BIONICLE comic #8
- ↑ Official Greg Discussion p. 233 at BZPower forums post #6968
- ↑ "Bohrok" entry, BIONICLE Encyclopedia
- ↑ Kaita instructions were included with the Bohrok and Bohrok Va toy sets, but these were never seen in the storyline, but Bohrok Kaita were confirmed to be canonical in Official Greg Discussion p. 215, post #6431
- ↑ The Toa Nuva]] later attributed this power solely to Makuta in BIONICLE Chronicles #4: Tales of the Masks, but the illusions in the Bohrok nest were confirmed to be by the Bahrag in the Official Greg Discussion p. 198, post #5931
- ↑ Results: Bohrok in Maze of Shadows Mini Contest at BZPower forums, post #1