*uses the mask of growth to fucking grab you with my big strong

He's around for an extremely short time, and while he has the very impactful revival of Jaller in his corner, the fact that Takanuva gets brought back from the dead two minutes later by means of some completely unexplained nonsense dents that a bit. His only other contribution is opening the gate, which could've been achieved several ways, including not having a gate at all and making Makuta the only obstacle to getting back to Metru Nui.

His characterisation is also a mess because it's so heavily tied to Bob Thompson's version of Makuta. Bob's Makuta is more misguided than pure evil, and merging with Takanuva gives him clarity, represented by the grime and dirt being cleaned off of his armour. He realises that Mata Nui needs to be awakened and they use their merged strength to open the way back to Metru Nui.

Except Bob's Makuta disappears after 2004. Greg's version is characterised very differently, to the extent that Makuta's role feels almost absent, and you just have to kinda conclude that Terry was thinking "Yeah okay, Mata Nui's probably dying by now, time to let 'em back into the robot to save him" and relied on his labyrinthine mind to conceal that from Takanuva.

What if I was a regular white guy and I went on a date with HOt Anime Babe and she got really into MY nerdy thing and she defends me against bullies with how much Epic Lore she knows & she had her boobies out

The stories of Toa Lhikan make him larger than life. A legendary hero, with statues built in his honour, a leader of armies, a symbol and shining example of everything it means to be a Toa.

Toa Jaller, if you were to ask him, is just a soldier. All the other Toa of Fire he has known are much grander figures than him.

Norik is an elite warrior, handpicked as one of the best of his age, who threw aside all his status and glory to stand up in the face of evil, and succeeded in spiriting away the Mask of Light itself from the clutches of Makuta, and then carried on the good fight even while stripped of his power, becoming one of the wisest people Jaller has ever met in the process.

Vakama is the one who carried on Lhikan's legacy. Lhikan himself chose Vakama as his successor, and he went on to avenge Lhikan's death and successfully complete his mission of saving all the Matoran of Metru Nui, including Jaller himself. Not to mention forging the Mask of Time. Monumental feats for someone who was only a Toa for such a brief period.

And Tahu is a mythic figure in his own right, practically an elemental demigod, and the spitting image of Lhikan to boot. Hau wearing, sword-wielding, Rahkshi-slaying leader of all Toa.

Toa Jaller's red armour is not decorated with metallic silver or royal gold. Just plain orange. He doesn't carry a flying splitting shield or a flame-shaped legendary sword as a Toa Tool. Just a simple and efficient well-balanced blade. He doesn't even wear the Hau most of the time. By his own estimation, he is just the kind of Toa who gets the job done, doing the dirty work out of sight.

He sees only the things that make him different from Lhikan, and none of the things they have in common. The tragedy of losing teammates, the unflinching dedication to duty, the courage and integrity that makes others want to follow them and put their trust in them, leading by example.

I think if Lhikan ever met Toa Jaller, he would agree, Jaller is not just like him. They lived in different times, faced different dangers, stood alongside different allies. But Jaller is the sort of Toa that Lhikan would have admired. Where Jaller sees plainness or inadequacy in himself, Lhikan would see practicality and humility. He would see wisdom and experience in Jaller that Jaller himself can only see as scars. A young Toa Lhikan especially would see Toa Jaller as the kind of Toa he wants to be. One who fights the good fight not for the spotlight, but because it's right, and someone has to do it.

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VEZOK the beast

In my heart, at least IMEAN—Character redesign/interpretation for Vezok, a Skakdi member of the Piraka gang from the Bionicle franchise.