Lhikan

"Do not rely on your memory. Look beyond your history and see what is."

- Lhikan, Legends of Metru Nui

Lhikan was a Ta-Matoran who became the Toa Mangai of Fire and the leader of his team, and a legendary Toa who guarded the Island City of Metru Nui. After sacrificing his Toa Power to create the Toa Metru, he became the lone Turaga Mangai but was killed soon after by Makuta Teridax, while saving Toa Vakama's life in the process.

Matoran
Around the year 16,500 B.G.C, Lhikan was a simple Matoran craftsman who at one point was rescued from danger by Dume, the Toa Ronai of Fire. Dume later had a hand in Lhikan's transformation into a Toa.

Toa
Lhikan became a Toa about 6,005 Y.B.G.C. and originally guarded the Makoki Stone in the Toa Fortress along with many other Toa. Following a raid by Vezok and Hakann to steal the stone, the fortress was attacked by Frostelus. Lhikan was ordered by his team leader to abandon his post so there would be a survivor to tell what had happened. Being a new, young Toa, he agreed, and became the lone survivor. Ordered to retrieve the Makoki Stone before escaping, Lhikan found that the stone was already gone, stolen by Vezok. Following the crisis, he vowed he would never run from anything again.

Metru Nui
Lhikan eventually went to Metru Nui with ten other Toa to fight off the Kanohi Dragon. After a month long battle the Kanohi Dragon was defeated. The newly formed team decided to transport the Rahi to the Isle of Xia, delivering it to Roodaka when they arrived. The eleven Toa decided to stay in Metru Nui and protect the city, calling themselves the Toa Mangai. After the Kanohi Dragon's defeat, the other Toa left on various missions, leaving only Lhikan and two other Toa on Metru Nui: Toa Nidhiki and Toa Tuyet.

Tuyet's Betrayal
Two-thousand-five hundred years before the Great Catacyslm, several Matoran corpses were found with tablets saying only 'Toa Tuyet'. Tuyet, a Toa Mangai of Water, revealed that she had once been in possession of a powerful artifact called the Nui Stone, sought by the Dark Hunters. Tuyet's home island had been threatened by the Dark Hunters, and Lhikan and Nidhiki believed the deaths were a Dark Hunter 'countdown'. Lhikan and Nidhiki attacked several Dark Hunters, including one shape-shifter resembling a one-eyed yellow titan. After they defeated the Hunters, another Matoran was found dead, proving that the Dark Hunters were not behind the killings. Lhikan then confronted Tuyet, and forced her to admit she had the Nui Stone. The two faced off, and Nidhiki showed up to defeat Tuyet, who was using the Nui Stone. Lhikan and Nidhiki froze and battered down the water flow that Tuyet was sitting on in the air. She lost her grip on the stone, and Lhikan moved to catch her. Nidhiki tried to catch the stone, but a rogue blast of fire from Lhikan shattered it. Tuyet was later taken away by an Order of Mata Nui member named Botar, though Lhikan did not witness this.

Toa/Dark Hunter War
Some time later, Lhikan led an army of three-hundred Toa when the Dark Hunters attacked Metru Nui in what would later be known as the Toa/Dark Hunter War. He patrolled the city and assigned seven of the Toa to protect Turaga Dume. He later sent Nidhiki to patrol Ga-Metru after the Toa slipped out and spoke with him. The next day he sent the Toa of Air to meet "supply" boats, that were actually reinforcements. Lhikan followed Nidhiki to give him a piece of information, and was discovered spying on Nidhiki betraying the Toa to Lariska and the Dark Hunters by Hakann. The Dark Hunter struck a deal with the Toa in exchange of the Makoki Stone which Vezok and he had stolen many years ago: Lhikan would send a messenger to "The Shadowed One" and notify him of the Dark Hunter's defeat. The Dark Hunters would then be allowed to leave the island city safely in exchange for the Makoki Stone. In the end, Lhikan accepted and led over a hundred Toa to the Canyon of Unending Whispers upon Nidhiki's information. There, when the Toa were ambushed, he gave the signal for the reinforcements of over two-hundred additional Toa to show themselves. He also gave Nidhiki two options: leave Metru Nui with the other Dark Hunters or die. Lhikan served as one of the guardians of Metru Nui for hundreds of peaceful years after the war. He continued to protect the Matoran even as the other Toa of Metru Nui were killed when sent on deadly missions ordered by the Makuta Teridax, disguised as Turaga Dume. Lhikan was spared so that the Matoran would not realize that their protectors were nearly gone. When Nidhiki and his partner Krekka showed up hoping to capture him on Teridax's orders, Lhikan was still serving as the protector of Metru Nui. Knowing time was short, Lhikan created six Toa Stones and gave them to six Matoran so they could become the new Toa Metru. He made a close escape from the two Dark Hunters when he was at the Great Temple by jumping off a bridge and using his swords to form a board. Upon delivering a Toa Stone to Vakama, the final Matoran, he was captured by the Dark Hunters when Nidhiki forced him to surrender by threatening Vakama. Despite Nidhiki still carrying, Lhikan managed to save the Matoran before he was taken to the Prison of the Dark Hunters near the Canyon of Unending Whispers. While in prison, he became a Turaga as his power was taken in order for the new Toa to be granted their powers.

Turaga
When three of the Toa Metru, Nuju, Whenua, and Onewa, were captured and sent to the Prison of the Dark Hunters, they were surprised to discover that they shared their cell with a Turaga they did not recognize. Lhikan, the Turaga, was wearing a helmet as a disguise, and trained them to use their mask powers. Once Nuju had mastered his Matatu's Telekinesis power and used it to create a hole in the wall of their cell, the three Toa Metru and Lhikan made their escape. During Vakama's journey through Le-Metru, the Toa Metru of Fire was beset with a vision in which Lhikan appeared as a Toa. In the vision, Lhikan warned Vakama to heed the warnings of his visions, or else suffer the consequences of ignoring them. Lhikan and his Toa Metru companions were traveling through an area of the Archives when they ran into Vakama, Nokama, and Matau. Once the Toa Metru were reunited, Lhikan revealed his true identity and asked Vakama if the heart of Metru Nui was safe. Vakama had misunderstood his first vision in which Lhikan commanded to "save the heart of Metru Nui," thinking that this referred to Lhikan himself. Lhikan explained that the heart was, in fact, the city's Matoran population. While Vakama brooded over his misinterpretation, he discovered the real Dume in a Matoran Sphere. Witness to this discovery, the Turaga's suspicion was confirmed that an imposter had taken control of Metru Nui. Turaga Lhikan and the Toa Metru made their way to the Coliseum, where they challenged the false Turaga Dume. Makuta Teridax, the imposter, exposed himself and began absorbing power from the Coliseum's power plant as the Great Cataclysm came into effect. Using a stolen Vahki Transport, the Toa Metru and Lhikan escaped the shadowed and crumbling city. As they reached the Great Barrier, Teridax caught up to them and a battle ensued over the possession of the Vahi, the Great Mask of Time. During the battle, Lhikan threw himself in front of Teridax's Shadow hand, in order to save Vakama. The dying Turaga gave Vakama his mask, and expressed his pride in the new Toa of Fire before he died.

Dreams of Destruction
An alternate timeline shown to Lesovikk by Karzahni using the Kanohi Olisi, had Lhikan and the older Toa eventually meeting up, with Lesovikk and the Toa Vuata Maca saving Lhikan and his original team from the Frostelus. In this substitute reality, Lhikan would have been offered the chance to join Lesovikk's team, had all of Lesovikk's teammates not been killed in battle with Zyglak.

Dark Mirror
In the Toa Empire Alternate Universe, Lhikan was killed by Nidhiki when the traitorous Toa of Air chose to ally with Tuyet instead of Lhikan. This led Tuyet to organizing almost all Toa into an empire, with herself as Empress, and ruling the Matoran Universe by force.

Legacy
Shortly after his death, the Vahki Transport the Toa Metru took to Mata Nui was christened The Lhikan by Vakama. On their return voyage to Metru Nui, the Toa Metru built a second ship, this time christened The Lhikan II. Later, when the Toa Metru had been transformed into the Toa Hordika, Vakama and Onewa found evidence that when Lhikan was choosing the new Toa, the Toa were to be Nuhrii, Vhisola, Ahkmou, Tehutti, Ehrye, and Orkahm. However, Teridax implanted the names of six others, Vakama and the rest who became Toa Metru, into Lhikan's head so he would chose Vakama and company instead of Nuhrii and the others. Lhikan recorded this decision in his journal, which was later found and read by Vakama, influencing the Toa's decision to defect to the side of the Visorak. After the Great Rescue, when Vakama went to find the Vahi, the plant Karzahni told Vakama that he and his team were meant to become Toa after all and that Mata Nui, to ensure that Vakama and his team would become Toa, had planted the names of the true heroes into Teridax's head, who in turn put those names into Lhikan's head. When the Matoran were awakened on Mata Nui, Jaller's mask was found to be broken and Vakama gave him Lhikan's mask as a replacement. It is impossible that part of Lhikan lives on in Jaller, because Lhikan's imprint on the Kanohi faded during the Great Rescue, and eventually vanished when Jaller first wore it. However, coincidentally Jaller and Lhikan do have the same general personality. Lhikan's mask was stolen from Jaller by Karzahni upon entering his realm. Tahu has since recovered Lhikan's mask and it is now with the Order of Mata Nui. While the Toa Inika were on their way to get the Mask of Life, an illusion of Lhikan appeared. He pondered how the Toa Inika turned out to be such strange looking Toa, and warned them to go back. The sight disturbed the Toa Inika, despite them having forgotten memories of the being. They responded to his warning by asking him if he would turn back if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. He agreed he would not, but then reminded them of what happened to him because he hadn't. The deceased Toa then disappeared.

Lhii
On the Isle of Mata Nui, Vakama created stories of Lhii, a fictional Matoran based on Lhikan. He was said to wear entirely yellow armor and a Kanohi Pakari. Lhii was the Turaga's way of remembering Lhikan without revealing the truth about Metru Nui to the Matoran. According to the legends, Lhii was the greatest Lava Surfer in Ta-Koro, second only to Tahu himself. He was supposedly the leader of Jaller's clan of warriors within the village. This is homage to the fact that Jaller wore Lhikan's mask. However, one day he was involved in a terrible accident while surfing, and died. He was fondly remembered by all Ta-Matoran. But, after hearing the tales of Metru Nui, the Matoran now know that Lhii never existed.

Abilities & Traits
Lhikan had command over the Element of Fire. During the time of the Morbuzakh, he was known to have very fine control over his powers, being skilled enough to burn tiny symbols onto Toa stones, while many Toa of Fire have far less precise control of their Element. Lhikan was shown to be a very wise and selfless hero, sacrificing himself to save Vakama. He was known for his patience -- demonstrated when he had to train three novice Toa within the Prison of the Dark Hunters. His caution is remarked upon by Nidhiki, when Nidhiki reminds him of how Lhikan once thought that smoke coming from something meant the return of the Kanohi Dragon. He also assigned several of his Toa to guard the Turaga during the Toa/Dark Hunter War instead of attacking the Dark Hunters directly. Lhikan was known for his big-brother attitude towards the Matoran of Metru Nui. When he was not protecting the City of Legends from evil, he could be found settling disputes and listening to the problems of ordinary Matoran. When Teridax took Dume's guise and became more reclusive, Lhikan began to manage the day-to-day affairs of the city.

Mask & Tools
As a Toa, he carried two Fire Greatswords, which could be joined together to form a hoverboard. He used this to fly high above Metru Nui on the lookout for trouble. His Great Kanohi Hau allowed him to protect himself from foreseen attacks, but not from ambush. As a Turaga, he carried a smaller version of his Greatswords, which he used as a Shield. Also, like all Turaga, he carried a small ceremonial staff that he used as a walking stick and as his Badge of Office. He also wore the Noble Mask of Shielding, which protected him from attacks, but was not nearly as strong as the Great.

Quotes
"You lost the right to call me brother long ago."

- Toa Lhikan to Nidhiki, Legends of Metru Nui

"You are misguided, Toa Vakama. I am not Metru Nui's heart. The Matoran are."

- Turaga Lhikan to Vakama, Legends of Metru Nui

"No ... this is my lifetime's journey. Yours lies beyond. I am proud to ... have called you brother ... Toa Vakama."

- Turaga Lhikan to Vakama, Legends of Metru Nui

Trivia
Lhikan's voice performance was provided by Michael Dobson in Legends of Metru Nui.

Appearances

 * The Many Deaths of Toa Tuyet
 * Birth of a Dark Hunter
 * BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil (In a Flashback)
 * Comic 19: Enemies of Metru Nui (Mentioned Only)
 * Comic 20: Struggle in the Sky (Mentioned Only)
 * Comic 21: Dreams of Darkness (In a Vision)
 * BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui
 * BIONICLE Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui (First Appearance)
 * The Mutran Chronicles (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Adventures 5: Voyage of Fear (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Adventures 9: Web of Shadows (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap (As an Illusion)
 * Comic 22.5 (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno (As an Illusion)
 * Into the Darkness (Mentioned Only)
 * Dreams of Destruction (In a Vision)
 * Dark Mirror (Mentioned Only)
 * Shadows in the Reflection (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle (Mentioned Only)
 * Takanuva's Blog (Mentioned Only)
 * Reign of Shadows (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Metru Nui - City of Legends
 * BIONICLE: Rahi Beasts (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Dark Hunters (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe
 * Metru Nui Explorer