Kanohi

​​

	Kanohi contains canon BIONICLE info. This article contains canon information but has fanon info added to it. Therefore, this article shouldn't be deleted, since this article also contains fanon info. The canon version of this page can be viewed here.

Kanohi
Object
Function	Providing specific powers to compatible wearers
Status	In use
Location	Spherus Magna
Pronunciation	kah-NO-hee

Kanohi are masks that grant powers to their wearers. The word "Kanohi" translates to mask. Kanohi are magnetically attached to their wearers. The Matoran have always had need of Kanohi; the first masks were created by the Great Beings for the Matoran; afterwards, Mata-Nui taught them to make masks on their own. On Metru Nui, masks were made from Kanoka. On other islands they were simply made of Protodermis, however, only powerless masks could be created in this fashion

Matoran usually begin their lives with a mask - as Matoran are made by a machine, it is likely the machine makes Powerless Kanohi for the Matoran, or that their Kanohi are pre-made by others. However, if they collect other Kanohi, these can be stored at a Suva. When a Kanohi is stored at a Suva, the Suva's owner can access the Kanohi from almost anywhere.

Properties

Kanohi of certain levels contain a power that the wearer can access, which is done through focus and concentration. If these powered Kanohi are cracked or broken, they do not function properly or at all. The color of Great and Noble masks are decided by their wearers. When Kanohi are made originally, they acquire a silvery-gray color, and stays that way until someone puts it on. Once put on, the respective color that pertains to the wearer fills the mask. Matoran masks, having no power, will not change color at all, making it necessary to color the mask with a special type of paint. There are some special cases for very rare and important masks that have specific colors given to them already. It is not known precisely why only these masks have color from creation.

When a mask-wearer has their Kanohi removed they suffer weakness - Toa and other beings feel weak and dizzy, Turaga suffer extreme weakness, and Matoran lapse into a coma-like state if the mask is not replaced within an extended period of time. Kanohi have a tendency to keep an "imprint" of their owner within themselves for a short time after being removed, so any mask can be infused with great amounts of a life-force to resurrect a mask-wearer. However, after a good while, the imprint will fade away.

Mask Making

Normally, Kanohi masks are made from Kanoka disks. The Kanoka would be melted down and reforged or carved into the desired shape. Masks on Metru Nui would be painted with a coloring additive on the top of the mask after being made to differentiate power level, Silver for powerless, black for noble, and none for great masks. Powerless Kanohi, unable to change color to match their wearer, were fully painted beforehand, with the secondary additive applied later.

Both the combined powers of the Kanoka and their power levels determined the fate of the mask being forged. Typically, common masks worn by most Toa, Turaga, and Matoran had to fulfill three criteria: They could be made from disks of any power level, three or less disks were required, and the power of the forged Kanohi should be applicable enough for most any situation. The first benchmark rarely comes into play for Noble and Great masks as they require level 7 and 8 disks respectively anyways.

What separated an average mask-maker from a skilled one, such as Vakama, was their ability to memorize and successfully create the more uncommon masks. These Kanohi often required upwards of four disks thereby making the forging procedure that much more complex. The Kanoka power levels, too, usually had to be relatively high, making the whole process expensive; This adds more pressure on the mask maker to not blunder. Often, when making a difficult powerless mask, power levels of 5 or 6 were required or the Kanohi simply would not hold itself together.

Contrary to popular belief, Kanohi are not damaged in the process that gives them their shape, rather, impurities and imperfections arise during the Kanoka merging process. After all, any blacksmith can work with metal. The disks have to be evenly combined or both that mask's form and power would be warped which explains why the more disks are used, the harder it is the make a usable Kanohi.

Finally, certain attachments can be added to Kanohi after the mask is made, such as a telescopic eyepiece commonly added to the Akaku or a breathing apparatus as was the case for the Toa Mahri. These additions can also later be removed without damaging the mask.

Classical and Contemporary Mask Making

Kanohi discarded in a Ta-Metru Foundry.

Classical mask making revolved around fulfilling the spiritual needs of Matoran at that time, as many wanted to manifest their ideologies and virtues they held up in high regard into a physical object. As such, certain mask powers were developed to reflect, for example, the calm nature of Ga-Matoran, or the down-to-earth composure of an Onu-Matoran.

Classical mask making's main tenet was that when making a mask, the craftsman is not allowed to use two disks of the same power type. The reasoning behind this was to provide a small degree of distinctiveness between Kanohi as each Matoran tribe wanted a unique mask they could affiliate with. There are eight powers in total and as such, the theoretical maximum of classical Kanohi is 256. All elements, save for Light and Shadow, could also be contained in a mask as a power. As such, 14 is added to the total as was the Legendary Disk of Time, as that was also made with Kanoka. This brings the total number of classical Kanohi to 271. However, no mask maker was ever able to use upwards of six Kanoka at once though it is said Artahka has experimented with seven and eight disks but to no avail. 

Contemporary mask making was developed around 4,000 years before the Reformation at the same time the Kanoka disks were re-invented in Ko-Metru. Ko-Matoran scholars saw that Toa were becoming more and more embroiled in battles and some of the more widespread Kanohi, such as the Miru and Kaukau, were not particularly effective in battle, despite their storied histories and connotations. Based on Ko-Metru research, Turaga Dume ordered mask makers in Ta-Metru to experiment with more complex Kanohi recipes, and to attempt using multiples of the same Kanoka type power. 

Elemental Kanohi

Theoretically, a Kanohi can be imbued with any one of the sixteen existing elemental powers. It is very rare for a mask-maker to use a Toa Disk to forge a mask, mainly because these disks were one-of-a-kind, very hard to obtain, and it was even harder to convince the owner of the Toa Disk to part ways with it. Elemental masks are, as such, highly valued due to their scarcity and power.

That being said, these so-called "Elemental Kanohi" are in fact the some of the easiest of masks to make simply due to the fact only one mask is required to create them. The only caveat in the process of making an Elemental Kanohi are their often elegant and complex physical designs.

Masks Without Kanoka

There are other ways to make Kanohi, as Kanohi were around before mask makers were. It is possible to make masks out of purified Protodermis and skip the Disk stage.

These are the steps for a variant of basic Mask Making without the use of Kanoka:

1. Take some Protodermis
2. Pour the Protodermis into a mold the shape of a chosen mask
3. Choose a certain tube of a mask power
4. Load the tube into a special mechanism
5. Fire a ray of the chosen mask power at the mold to give the mask its power
6. Let dry
7. Remove mask from mold

The mask can have a different power than its shape (ex: Hau shape with the power of a Calix), but this is not normally done, as to avoid confusion. This method of mask making was rarely used outside of Metru Nui and perhaps Artahka, mostly due to the lack of the necessary specialized equipment.

Known Kanohi Formulae

Legend:

• Uncommon: *
• Unique Mask: **
• Immoral Mask: †
• Legendary Mask: ‡

Kanohi	Power	Kanoka Required
Hau	Shielding	Growth, Regeneration
Kaukau	Water Breathing	Shrink, Regeneration, Remove Poison
Miru	Levitation	Teleport, Weaken
Kakama	Speed	Teleport, Reconstitute at Random
Pakari	Strength	Regeneration, Enlarge, Remove Poison
Akaku	X-Ray Vision	Regeneration, Teleport
Huna	Concealment	Shrink, Enlarge, Freeze
Rau	Translation	Remove Poison, Enlarge
Mahiki	Illusion	Reconstitute at Random, Weaken
Komau	Mind Control	Freeze, Weaken, Remove Poison
Ruru	Night Vision	Enlarge, Teleport
Matatu	Telekinesis	Teleport, Shrink
Kiril	Regeneration	Regeneration
Pehkui	Diminishment	Shrink
Kualsi	Quick Travel	Teleport
Mask of Growth	Growth	Growth
Mask of Mutation	Mutation	Reconstitute at Random, Unknown
Arthron	Sonar	Poison Removal, Teleport, Reconstitute at Random
Faxon	Kindred	Reconstitute at Random, Enlarge
Garai *	Gravity	Toa Disk of Gravity
Volitak	Stealth	Unknown
Zatth	Summoning	Regeneration, Shrink, Reconstitute at Random
Tryna†	Reanimation	Weaken, Unknown
Calix	Fate	Teleport, Reconstitute at Random, Weaken
Elda *	Detection	Regeneration, Teleport, Removes Poison
Iden	Spirit/Astral Projection	Unknown
Suletu	Telepathy	Unknown
Kadin	Flight	Teleport, Reconstitute at Random, Shrink
Sanok	Accuracy	Unknown
Rode	Truth	Regeneration, Weaken, Enlarge
Olmak	Dimensional Gates	Unknown
Olisi	Alternate Futures	Unknown
Jutlin†	Corruption	Weaken
Avsa†	Hunger	Unknown
Shelek†	Silence	Unknown
Felnas†	Disruption	Reconstitute at Random, Freeze
Mohtrek†	Time Duplication	Unknown
Crast†	Repulsion	Growth, Shrink
Avohkii **	Light	None
Kraahkan **†	Shadow	None
Mask of Emulation	Emulation	Reconstitute at Random, Removes Poison, Weaken
Mask of Psychometry	Psychometry	Unknown
Mask of Rahi Control	Rahi Control	Unknown
Mask of Fusion	Fusion	Unknown
Vahi ‡	Time	Disk of Time (forged from the six Great Disks)
Ignika ‡	Life	None

Additionally, there are Kanohi of every elemental power, emotional power, Rahkshi power, Bohrok power, and, so it is believed, every Rahi power. It has been theorized by certain Ko-Matoran scholars that it is possible to replicate any non-legendary power in the form of a general Kanohi; however, because there is no limit on the imagination, Kanohi innovation has yet to catch up.

Forms

Power Levels

There are known forms for a Kanohi:

• The most common kind is the powerless masks worn by Matoran, and are made from level 1-6 Kanoka. The process used to make the mask causes the energy to leak out, which is why these masks have no powers. However, they are needed for Matoran to live and function properly. Matoran can customize their masks, doing such things as adding a scope. Matoran or Noble masks can become Great Masks when they come in contact with Toa Energy. This happens whenever a Toa is created from a Matoran.

  

  The Kanohi Vahi, legendary Mask of Time.

• Turaga wear Noble masks made from level 7 Kanoka, and have access to the mask's power. Although Matoran can feel the power in a Great or Noble Mask, they lack the mental discipline needed to access its powers.
• Toa and other beings wear Great Masks, which offer a stronger mask power, and are made from level 8 Kanoka disks.
  • Kanohi Nuva are a special type of Great Masks that are created when a Kanohi comes into contact with Energized Protodermis. They have greatly enhanced powers.
• Fused or mutated Kanohi also exist. Sometimes, bearers of a Kanohi undergo changes and their masks fuse to their faces. In some cases, the wearer loses access to the mask powers. 
• Miscellaneous Kanohi, include any masks that do not fit under any other category. These include Golden Kanohi, Copper Victory masks, Infected Kanohi, and many others.

There is also a powerful group of extraordinary Kanohi, known as Legendary Masks, that possess powers far beyond a normal mask. Only 16 are known so far, but often no more than three to six exist at one time in a single given universe:

• The Kanohi Ignika, the Legendary Mask of Life
• The Kanohi Vahi, the Legendary Mask of Time
• The Kanohi Mask of Space
• The Kanohi Gebuk, the Legendary Mask of Desire
• The Kanohi Ekimu, the Legendary Mask of Creation
• The Kanohi Vaskata, the Legendary Mask of Matter
• The unnamed Mask of Reality
• The Kanohi Zutekhae, the Legendary Mask of Victory
• The Kanohi Gnihton, the Legendary Mask of Nothing
• The Kanohi Ruva, the Mask of Destiny

Additionally, accounts of several different masks of "Universe," "Matter," "Death," and others have emerged, all said to be of legendary power. It is unknown whether each of these have any connection to each other or if they are, in fact, real.

Fanon Kanohi

Known Kanohi Formulae

Fanon Kanohi formulae; click "Expand" to reveal. For a full list, click here.

Legend:

• Uncommon: *
• Unique Mask: **
• Immoral Mask: †
• Legendary Mask: ‡

Kanohi	Power	Kanoka Required
Aernis	Transmutation	Weaken, Removes Poison, Teleport
Aeterna**	Desire	Reconstitute at Random, Growth, Teleport, three Remove Poison (high level)
Aganu	Projection	Unknown
Agnoka‡	Elements	Unknown
Akbar	Adaptation	Unknown
Alchemus	Alchemy	Reconstitute at Random, Shrink, Growth, Removes Poison
Althi†	Possession	Teleport, Freeze, Removes Poison
Animus*	Healing	Two Regeneration, two Remove Poison (all high level)
Aranu	Blizzards	Freeze, Growth
Aspara	Lunarmorphosis	None
Athyk**	Exploration	Unknown
Atza	Body Swapping	Unknown
Auvel	Perfection	Teleport, Reconstitute at Random, two Weaken
Avaaki†	Torment	Unknown
Avalos	War	Reconstitute at Random, three Growth
Avato	Imprisonment	Unknown
Avkeirane**	Radiance	Unknown
Banex**	Order	Unknown
Bendis	Night Hunting	Growth, Teleport, Regeneration
Benkhem	Deviation	Two Weaken, Removes Poison, Reconstitute at Random
Bozok	Density	Growth, Shrink, Teleport
Bursuit**	Substitution	None
Canera	Tracking	Three Teleport, Growth
Carmak**	Durability	Unknown
Cathartes	Scavenging	Unknown
Chizz*	Targeted Analysis	Unknown
Creless	Robotic Imperceptibility	Unknown
Crinis†	Hormone Disruption	Unknown
Cyros	Freezing	Freeze
Danuu**	Perception	Unknown
Deuskar**	Salvation	None
Dihloje**	Peace	Unknown
Drade	Duplication	Teleport, Regeneration, Reconstitute at Random
Dyadis**	Duality	Unknown
Dynexa†‡	Necromancy	Unknown
Ewini‡	Kinetic Energy	None
Evelk	Vengeance	Unknown
Exina	Moving Shields	Regeneration, Weaken
Falye	Tunneling	Two Teleport, Weaken, Freeze
Felan	Sensory Aptitude	Freeze, Growth, Teleport
Feru	Intangibility	Shrink, Growth, Reconstitute at Random
Fexan†‡	Fear	None
Fifton	Radiation	Disk of Radiation
Freya*	Conjuring	Freeze, two Teleport (high level)
Fryry**	Detection	Unknown
Fyntazma	Apparition	Unknown (Iden/Zatth)
Ganeth	Energy Manipulation	Reconstitute at Random, Regeneration
Gebuk‡	Wishes	None
Gnihton‡	Nothing	None
Golioth**	Endless Power	Great Disks of Voya Nui
Gorgoh	Petrification	Four Freeze
Guerrero**	Strategy	None
Hafin†	Fatigue	Reconstitute at Random, Freeze
Halcyon	Tranquility	Regeneration, two Freeze
Hastrah**†	Scathing	Unknown
Hazmat	Hazard Protection	Unknown
Hekrah	Aura	Unknown
Hsifarbez*	Tetrachromacy	Unknown
Hukuu	Pyrokinetics	Unknown
Hyseel	Symbiosis	Reconstitute at Random, Unknown
Ihlimini	Lycanthropy	Reconstitute at Random, Regeneration
Ihonak‡	"Mask of Negatives"	Does not exist
Ilyla†	Memory Theft	Unknown
Imperia†‡	Mass Enslavement	None
Inkari**	Memories	None
Iunifix†	Shared Pain	Unknown
Ixplykato	Environmental Analysis	Unknown
Jaatuh**	Evasion	Unknown
Jadenak**	Foresight	None
Jamok†	Kanohi Absorption	None
Jemena†	Binary Fission	Two Reconstitute at Random, Teleport
Jora	Inorganic Transmutation	Unknown
Joru	Oragnic Transmutation	Unknown
Kakan†	Shadowcasting	Unknown
Kalju	Mutation Reversal	Unknown
Kalkan†‡	Apocolypse	None
Karai	Various	Unknown
Karhi‡	Elemental Power	None
Kazeh**	Combat	Unknown
Keelahu†	Torture	Unknown
Kideli	Heat Vision	Unknown
Killphi	Vacuum	Unknown
Knorm	Poison Immunity	Removes Poison
Kolak‡	Transformation	Unknown
Kowa**	Mask of the Kowa Mountains	None
Krahikii†‡	Void	None
Krazek**†	Destruction	Unknown
Kromi	Recollection	Unknown
Kruuduu†	Kidnapping	Unknown
Lekma	Resurgence	Unknown
Lumex**	Weapon Effects	Unknown
Lyk*†	Zombification	Unknown
Maion*	Elemental Embodiment	Teleport, Reconstitute at Random, Shrink, Growth (all high level)
Mask of Atomic Vision	Atomic Vision	Unknown
Mask of Blue Energy	Blue Energy Manipulation	Unknown
Mask of Courage	Aspiration	Unknown
Mask of Deceit	Deceit	Unknown
Mask of Destinies*	Destiny	Reconstitute at Random, Teleport, Weaken
Mask of Disguise	Disguise	Two Reconstitute at Random, two Weaken
Mask of Durability	Inorganic Durability	Unknown
Mask of Emotion†	Emotion	Unknown
Mask of Empathy*	Empathy	Reconstitute at Random, Remove Poison
Mask of Focus	Mental Focus	Growth, Remove Poison
Mask of Insomnia	Insomnia Curing	Unknown
Mask of Invulnerability**†	Invulnerability	Unknown
Mask of Jokes	Practical Jokes	None
Mask of Laser	Lasers	Unknown
Mask of No Powers**	Power Nullification	None
Mask of Psionics	Psionics	Toa Disk of Psionics
Mask of Protodermis	Protodermis Manipulation	Unknown
Mask of Putrefaction	Organic Decay	Unknown
Mask of Protodermis	Protodermis Manipulation	Unknown
Mask of Reality‡	Reality Manipulation	None
Mask of Reincarnate Adaptation	Reincarnation	Unknown
Mask of Rewinding	Directional Rewinding	Unknown
Mask of Sight	Telescopic Vision	Unknown
Mask of Slumber†	Sleep	Unknown
Mask of Stillkeeping	Kinetic Theft	Unknown
Mask of Strategy	Tactical Inspiration	Unknown
Mask of Strengthening	Elemental Channeling	Unknown
Mask of Telepathy	Telepathy	Freeze, Teleport
Mask of Torment	Misery Infliction	Unknown
Mask of Vows*†	Unbreakable Oath	Unknown
Mavan	Kinetic Absorption	Unknown
Mimica‡	Power Duplication	All Legendary Disks + Energized Protodermis
Mordakti	Infiltration	Unknown
Niria†	Alientation	Unknown
Novus	Clarity	Growth, Remove Poison, two Regeneration
Omarix	Substance Imitation	Unknown
Omniskar**	Infinite Dread	None
Orohro	Weather Control	Growth, Shrink, Regenerate, Reconstitute at Random
Otmena (Chalkaverse-1)	Targeted Power Dampening	Five Weaken
Ovaki	Tactical Adaptation	Regeneration, Reconstitute at Random, Growth
Paracelsus	Poison Manipulation	Freeze, Weaken, Removes Poison
Pepmem**	Bad Decisions	Five Reconstitute at Random
Phiki**	Arcane Power	Unknown
Plia	Elasticity	Unknown
Pyra	Fire	Toa Disk of Fire
Radius**	Radar	Growth, Removes Poison
Rado	Mental Cloaking	Two Shrink, Reconstitute at Random, Growth
Raho	Reaction	Unknown
Rakaut	Substance Mimicry	Reconstitute at Random, Regeneration
Ranok	Rage	Unknown
Rorim	Deflection	Growth, Regeneration, Unknown
Salaan	Purification	None
Salek†	Dread	Unknown
San†	Foresight	Unknown
Severtum†	Vanquishing	Unknown
Shardin	Stasis	Unknown
Shelta*	Agility	Unknown
Sia	Aerokinetics	Unknown
Sophicia	Infinite Wisdom	None
Strixtor†	Deception	Weaken, Shrink, three Reconstitute at Random
Taer†	Nightmares	Unknown
Taiku†	Poison	Unknown
Terrinek	Scanning	Unknown
Thrailkin	Power Boosting	Growth, Weaken, Regeneration, Removes Poison
Tikalus	Tickling	None
Tilira**†	Life Force Manipulation	Unknown
Trankerkokiskorniahk‡	Chaos	None
Trezket	Awareness	Unknown
Tyr	Adrenaline	Weaken, Removes Poison, Growth
Uaun	Sublimation	Reconstitute at Random, Freeze, Weaken
Ultima‡	Elemental and Kanohi Power	None
Uriav	Self Power Augmentation	Enlarge, Removes Poison, Teleport
Vahkya†	Slavery	Unknown
Vakron	Random Travel	Teleport
Varox	Chaos Influence	None
Vaskata‡	Matter Manipulation	None
Vehere	Transmission	Weaken, Removes Poison, two Growth
Vehlt	Binding	Reconstitute at Random, Freeze, and Removes Poison
Veneron**	Infinity	None
Veyr	Mechanical Animation	Two Growth, two Teleport
Vhisnok	Vampirism	None
[[Vio	Precision	Unknown
Vir**	Lightning Enhancement	Unknown
Visciro	Potential	Unknown
Voltak†	Interdimensional Summoning	Unknown
Vorpin	Stress	Teleport, Regeneration, Reconstitute at Random
Vortus‡	Manipulation of Death	Unknown
Waiya**	Attraction	Three Teleport, Weaken
Xaax†	Confusion	None
Xakar†	Hallucination	Two Weaken, Freeze
Xeriga	Advantages	Two Teleport, Weaken, Growth, Regeneration
Xihius†	Sinister Thoughts	Unknown
Yksvehserehs	Synesthesia	Unknown
Zan	Accelerated Learning	Unknown
Zaverek†	Madness	Unknown
Zeltiek	Temporary Augmentation	Unknown
Zetoc	Physical Projectiles	Unknown
Zevak‡	Manipulation of Death	Unknown
Ziiest†	Soul Stealing	Unknown
Zinn	Scoping	Two Freeze, Teleport, Regenerate
Zopak	Extrasensory Perception	None
Zutekhae‡	Victory	None
Zuuku	Energy Channeling	Unknown
Zyrlakpe	Infrared Perception	Unknown

Cursed Kanohi

Cursed Kanohi are any Kanohi which have been infected with a Makuta's shadow energy. It causes a "Shadow Plague" to spread on Matoran around the wearer, turning them into Shadow Matoran. The plague is spread into several stages;

Cursed Noble Kakama

• Stage 1: The surrounding Matoran develop a hatred of the wearer of the cursed Matoran and shun them. Few progress past this stage.
• Stage 2: The surrounding Matoran begin performing evil acts.
• Stage 3: The surrounding Matoran become Shadow Matoran physically.
• Stage 4: The surrounding Matoran completely transform into Shadow Matoran.

Cursed Kanohi can be any Kanohi - even legendary ones - as long as they are worn by a member of the Matoran species. The only known Cursed Kanohi is a Noble Kakama, worn by Avramus as an Av-Matoran. The effects of this kind of Kanohi are so devastating that the wearer's personality begins to change into a self-hating and depressed one. The only Makuta known to have been able to place a Makuta Curse was killed shortly after doing so, though whether or not this was because of the curse's placement.

Trivia

• The number and initial idea of the 256 classical masks was calculated and developed by Chondrya.
• The spiritual values of certain Kanohi were developed by BobTheDoctor27.