Balta

"Sometimes you can't do what your heart tells you to ... sometimes you have a duty to something greater than yourself."

- Balta, Power Play

Balta is a Ta-Matoran from Voya Nui and a member of the Voya Nui Resistance Team. He is Garan's best friend and right hand Matoran and is also close friends with Dalu.

Biography
Balta, like the other Voya Nui Matoran, long ago had an unknown problem with his ability to work and was sent to Karzahni to be repaired. He was rebuilt, but in a new, weakened form. To compensate for this, he received a pair of Repellers. He was then sent to the Southern Continent to spend the rest of his days. However, during the Great Cataclysm, the region of the Mainland where he was living broke off into what became the Isle of Voya Nui, carrying Balta and many other Matoran through the roof of the continent's dome and onto the surface of Aqua Magna, while several others, including their Turaga, Jovan, were killed.

Voya Nui
After about one thousand years of life on the island, Balta was scouting for food, when he found an open, empty Toa Canister and footprints in the ground that led to one of the six Piraka named Hakann who claimed to be a Toa. While Balta returned to the village with him, the Piraka blasted a herd of Kikanalo, to the Matoran's startled shock. Sometime later, Balta was watching Avak work on what he thought would be a solution to Voya Nui's water problem, but was really the construction of Zamor Launchers that would be used to enslave the Matoran. Balta interrupted his work, asking what they were, and Avak, annoyed, encased the Matoran in a prison. The Piraka later had Piruk and Balta oversee teams assigned to dig vast reservoirs to collect lava from Mount Valmai. Afterwards, Garan, Kazi, Velika, Piruk, and Balta all met up in a cave, while Dalu watched outside for the Piraka. Balta and Velika examined a stolen Zamor Launcher from Avak and concluded that it was a launching apparatus and a weapon to be used, which led them all to believe these six beings were not Toa. Garan sent Balta to find Dalu, only to return to inform them that he had found Dalu collapsed from an earlier fight with Avak. While Dalu recovered, a monster created of lava and stone attacked the workers and the Piraka fought it off. However, Garan and Balta followed Avak and Hakann, and overheard them discussing that the monster they defeated was actually manufactured by the Piraka to convince that the Matoran that they were "Toa". When the Voya Nui Resistance Team next gathered, Piruk reported that another Ta-Matoran, Dezalk, had gathered all of the Matoran in the Matoran Cliff Village. The team decided to follow, but by the time they arrived all the Matoran were hard at work draining the lava from Mount Valmai, enslaved by the Piraka to look for something under the lava pools. The team decided that it was time to strike back, and Balta went on his own to steal Vezok's Zamor Sphere to look at its' contents. However, Vezok caught him and pursued Balta as he fled. On Zaktan's orders, Thok also joined the pursuit. Balta managed to pass the Sphere onto the other members off the team while he drove Thok and Vezok away from the site. Balta ran into a cave after sending Thok sprawling from the attack of his Repellers. Vezok then placed a large rock in front of the cave entrance, trapping Balta inside. Balta began to lose consciousness, but then was freed by Axonn who told him to return to the other Matoran and prevent them from attacking the Toa Nuva, who they believed to be more Piraka. Balta managed to arrive in time, but not before Gali had her sight enhanced to the point she was driven mad. Balta did, however, manage to convince Garan that these were real Toa and Axonn cured Gali elsewhere, where the Toa of Water had run in her madness. The Toa Nuva related all the information about why the Piraka were on Voya Nui, to steal the legendary Kanohi Ignika, Mask of Life. The Toa Nuva and the Voya Nui Resistance Team decided to raid the Piraka Stronghold to retrieve their Kanohi Nuva and Toa Tools. They succeeded, and then proceeded to the center off the stronghold, where the Piraka were fighting amongst themselves. The Toa Nuva and Matoran attempted to enter the fray and stop the Piraka, but were all struck down by a single blow from Brutaka. Balta, Piruk, Velika and Kazi were all dumped outside the Piraka Stronghold by Brutaka, while Dalu escaped and Garan was kept for interrogation by Vezok. When Balta regained consciousness, he noticed a Doom Viper slithering towards him and his friends. Just then, Brutaka used his Olmak to send the Rahi to the lava of Mount Valmai, saving the Matoran out of force of habit. Balta and the others managed to escape and re-group without Dalu, the resistance also met up with the new Toa Inika who have just arrived and turned into Toa after escaping from Karzahni and battling Vezok, who quickly escaped after being captured. The resistance related all that was told by the Toa Nuva about the Mask of Life and the possible fate of the Toa Nuva. Balta traveled with Kazi, Matoro, and Hewkii to where Axonn was staying, only to find him battered and badly injured by Brutaka. Axonn told them to go before Brutaka could reveal the location of the Mask of Life to the Piraka. The individual groups united at the Stronghold where the Inika confronted the Piraka and instructed the Matoran to search for the imprisoned Toa Nuva meanwhile. Balta found an open door in the lower levels of the Piraka Stronghold, where the Toa Nuva were imprisoned. Once inside, they realized that the Toa Nuva had been enslaved by Antidermis, and were being drained of their Elemental Energy. They managed to free the Toa using Energized Protodermis-filled Zamor Spheres to cure them of the effects of Antidermis. As they all ventured to the higher levels of the stronghold to retrieve the Toa's Kanohi, the resistance team informed them of the arrival of the Toa Inika. Upon arriving, the Toa Nuva and the Matoran discovered that most of the stronghold had been destroyed. Axonn then took charge of watching over the Matoran out of fear of the Piraka, who were free on the island. Sometime afterward, Axonn summoned the entire Matoran population of Voya Nui, leading them into the Nui Caves in preparation for the descent of Voya Nui to the Southern Continentafter the Toa Mahri destroyed "The Cord". Balta is now currently with the other Matoran of Voya Nui, on the Southern Continent, renewing their lives there.

The Kingdom
In The Kingdom Alternate Universe, Balta was transformed into a Toa by Takanuva.

Abilities & Traits
Balta is a brave Matoran, brave enough to risk his life to steal a Zamor Sphere from Vezok and fight back against him and Thok. He is skilled with technology, but is more apt to make small, practical devices. He is able to improvise with whatever is at hand - he can take any pile of discarded equipment and turn it into a device or weapon with ease.

Tools
Balta carries twin Repellers. When crossed, his twin Repellers can repel any attack made against him, causing the attacker to be hit with an equal force. He used them on Thok once, when cornered by the Piraka. He also did the same with Hakann.

Quotes
"We haven't survived this long just to give up."

- Balta, Island of Doom

"We already have a battle on our hands, one that has been thrust upon us. We don't need to go looking for another."

- Balta, Dark Destiny

Appearances

 * BIONICLE Legends 1: Island of Doom
 * Comic 1: If a Universe Ends
 * BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny
 * BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play
 * BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno
 * The Kingdom (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated (Mentioned Only)
 * Matoran Escape (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * Voya Nui Online Game (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * Piraka Online Animations (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * Inika Island Assault (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * BIONICLE Heroes (Non-canonical Appearance)