Gender in Bionicle Part 2: Trans and Non Binary Interpretations | BIONICLE Deep Dive

Part 2 of 2 in our analysis on themes of gender in Bionicle. Here we explore the unique ways the transgender and non-binary community have connected with the series, and the many ways people have interpreted the lore around gender in a queer light. If you haven't already, check out Part 1, where we talk about Female Representation in the franchise!
This video was heavily inspired by this article on AutoStraddle that goes in depth on the surprising phenomenon of trans women and non-binary people linking their love of Bionicle to their gender identity: www.autostradd...
Fan Works Used:
Toa Mata of Secondary Elements by Biggums: board.ttvchann...
Trans Tamaru and Non-Binary Takua by beesgav: beesgav.tumblr...
Orde MOC by Bukkey: board.ttvchann...
Orde MOC and photo by Kodiak_KM, Background edited by JamPot: / jampot_decided_to_edit...
BIONICLE is owned by the LEGO Group
The content in this video falls under Fair Use
Official Bionicle clips and images sourced from BioMediaProject and BioSector01

[@turagamaxil]

"you are trans but you are not valid" is even scarier than "you cannot destroy me for I am nothing."

[@heroranuva8295]

For real

[@orbismworldbuilding8428]

Lmfao seriously

[@KeruToL]

I beg to differ

[@chadicus8725]

I'll start using that one then

[@MeanBeanComedy]

​@@chadicus8725Yup! 😎👉🏻👉🏻

[@MatiNuva1724]

"I cannot be Trans, maybe it's Jaller? He'll definitely be better at being Trans" Takua - 2003

[@heroranuva8295]

Lmao right!

[@joesplace2960]

I freakin love this community 😂

[@CyriakHarrisBiggestFan]

as someone who never got into bionicle to this extent despite having seen a couple movies and even owned a couple sets, man, the unbridled love and passion in your videos for these funky creatures is just so lovely love is stored in the special interest

[@heroranuva8295]

Thank you that means a lot 🥹

[@MakutaArty1987]

I also want to add by saying that around 90% of bionicle characters can be interpreted as asexual representations because they don’t have sex or/and sexual reproduction, and as a result lack sexual attraction

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah that's very true! Its a world where asexuality is the norm. And I've heard many fans express how refreshing it was to have a story where sexuality and romantic subplots played no real role in the story. In a sense, they're almost all ace/aro, except for Matau, who somehow figured out how to be horny all on his own XD

[@MakutaArty1987]

@@heroranuva8295 Well there are sex-favorable aces exist so who knows, maybe Matau is one of them

[@heroranuva8295]

@@MakutaArty1987 Very true!

[@NeonRahkshi]

i like the idea that attraction is a bug it would normally be "repaired" out of effected matoran, but karzahni was a failure this combined with the isolation on mata nui, meant that aside from the turaga (and probably other matoran too) thinking it was weird, there would be nothing stopping a bugged out matoran from falling a bit in love though it would still be rare, not the norm even though i get why they did it, still sad they said love is universally non-canon it would have been interesting seeing it as a weird and rare bug kind of like how some people treat asexual/aromantic people, but reverse roles

[@heroranuva8295]

Heheh, they literally caught the "love bug"

[@maxilos3639]

I guess I could be wrong on this one but as a kid I always thought that after they translated the back of the mask of light they were cheering for jaller being the "herald" of the seventh toa, meaning that, I don't think anyone expected him to somehow become the seventh toa, just that he was going to find him.

[@heroranuva8295]

No you're not wrong, that definitely was what was stated in the movie. I should have said so, but I was referencing a theory I had, from this earlier video I made: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnrXlpimisZobLc, that at least some people, mainly Takua, Jaller, the Turaga, and Makuta, all secretly knew or suspected on some level that Takua was meant to be the Toa of Light and that "finding" the 7th Toa was sort of a euphamism for becoming the 7th Toa. Jaller and Takua both definitely knew by the end, given Jaller's dying words of "you know who you are" and Takua immediately putting on the mask after that. The crowd of Matoran, the other Toa, and we the audience were definitely meant understand the Herald role literally, but there's some evidence in the movie that suggests the Turaga knew that the Herald role was some kind of test for the future 7th Toa. That implies that the Turaga may have believed Jaller was going to transform into the Toa. But again, this theory isn't outright confirmed in the movie, though I do believe there's sufficient evidence to suggest that the creators of the movie did intend it. Still, I shouldn't just assume that it's canon, there's other ways to interpret, and I'll make sure to state that its my theory when I reference it in future videos

[@maxilos3639]

@@heroranuva8295 Oh I see... Great videos btw, I thought your analysis on bionicle's female representation was very interesting and quite thorough. This video though was more eye opening for me, I've never really joined any bionicle community even though I've been a big fan for almost 20 years so I had almost no idea what other people's connection to the franchise was or what it meant to them (outside of my friend group). Looking forward to what you'll make next!

[@heroranuva8295]

@@maxilos3639 Thank you so much, I’m glad you liked em 😁 yeah, there’s so many different sides to the community it really is great and eye opening! Looking forward to some of the future stuff too, I’ve got some plans that I’m really proud of!

[@BinderBinate]

The mention of elements potentially being the closest equivalents to gender for members of the Matoran universe has me thinking: what if Bionicles used the "Ta, Ga, Ko," etc. prefixes as pronouns? I feel like that distinction would likely be more important in their society than whether an individual is feminine or masculine. For example: "Who's Jalla? Ta's the captain of the guard!" "Nokama's studying right now; ga asked not to be disturbed." "Matoro was a brave hero. Ko's sacrifice will be remembered always." "Not all of le are airheads - but most are!" The idea's been stuck in my head since watching this so I thought I'd share. 😁

[@heroranuva8295]

Ooo that sounds really cool I like it! 😁 Have you ever heard of Matoric by Outofgloom? Outofgloom is a Bionicle fan and linguist who developed a comprehensive fan language based on Matoran. I don’t think they use elements as pronouns, but they have a bunch of cool linguistic stuff about the Matoran language, if you’re interested in that kind of thing you should check them out!

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

Matoro... *sniff* no...

[@karzanah]

*gasp* The Toa Mata would then be like He-Man and She-Ra!!!

[@PontiusPontiac]

Ngl, one part that you mentioned about how the female characters weren't just secondary characters, I agree. I loved that the characters all had their strengths and weaknesses. Granted, I still find it cool how Hahli was pretty much the most powerful toa during the Toa Mahri arc.

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, Bionicle really did a good job not sidelining its female characters, and giving them at least as much development as any of the others

[@JakeWalters-wu6mo]

one thing though. Bionicle does follow the Smurfette principal with a team consists of all but one female character

[@normanclatcher]

​@@JakeWalters-wu6moSmurfette principle is followed in number only. The 'girl' characters are all defined by a lot more than just being the 'girl.'

[@bobbirdsong6825]

i actually really like the 16 gender idea, lol. especially since it seems like the biological/great beings had their own stereotypes and expectations that the bio-mechs diverged from with their own unique societies. it was always a little weird to me how they had gender at all, but viewing it from that angle makes sense

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, its really interesting, and goes along with the recurring theme that they were built to be a certain thing and nothing more, but through their journey became more than their creators ever dreamed of

[@NeonRahkshi]

i feel like the reason takua is among the ta-matoran specifically, is because of his coloration my thought is that when they were kidnapped by the order of mata nui (from what i know, they were not willing for this), they likely paniced and changed color, leading to a mix. leaving the order memebers to choose what they looked the closest to (takua being mostly red, and "male", just fit with the ta matoran best) another thought is that he may have been purely red when he was first placed there, but in the matoran sphere changed discolored (the other matoran discolored due to UV light damage, but takua is immune to that, being an av-matoran) perhaps a weird side effect for av-matoran specifically this would kind of make sense, as he was "unquestionably" a normal ta-matoran in metru nui, despite them probably all being pretty much the same color, and him randomly being parlty blue but then on mata nui he was red, yellow, and blue and after he was rebuilt by the turaga, he was red and blue perhaps something about the sphere, (along with being rebuilt) caused him to accidentally change color a bit without even noticing?

[@heroranuva8295]

Hm that's an interesting thought. Though I've seen it suggested that before the Time Slip where they were planted on other islands, they didn't routinely change their color, but instead began that afterwards. Plus I did hear that the Order gave at least a little training on how to keep their colors changed. The whole process took 6 months, so it might be that it was at least some what willing, but they just didn't remember due to the mind wiping by Mata Nui. Sometimes I wonder if they put the more masculine Av-Matoran among fire or plasma and maybe the more feminine among lightning, since those might be the closest to light

[@No_Relation_666]

As a trans person I never knew Tamaru was a trans icon, but it makes so much sense!

[@heroranuva8295]

Tamaru is great!

[@HunhowsShadowStalker]

Any Kaita: "Our pronouns aren't they/them because we're non-binary. We use they/them because we're literally multiple people!"

[@heroranuva8295]

Lol

[@sophieprime4669]

Man, Stalker, could you just drop that War BP already?

[@HunhowsShadowStalker]

@@sophieprime4669 No.

[@sophieprime4669]

@@HunhowsShadowStalker NOT THE EPHEMERA AGAIN 😭😭😭

[@GlorifiedShed]

This take on Bionicle is new to me, but it's quite a nice reading. Always love to find more about the franchise and how it's helped so many people.

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, its so fascinating all the ways the story connects with people! Glad you liked it :)

[@HaliOnRepeat]

I'm always worried to watch a trans related video on YT given how the majority of the population sees us, but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. I can't believe how influential these silly toy robots have been on my life. It was a pretty weird experience to get back into Bionicle after changing my name and finding I accidentally named myself after one of its most badass characters.

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

Which name was it?

[@HaliOnRepeat]

@@cathleenmoyle1476 Hali.

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

Oh her!@@HaliOnRepeat

[@tilibro3]

Tbf, LGBT does mean "let's get bionicles today"

[@shinyocelot04archive]

Funnily enough my favorites growing up with Bionicle were the blue characters. (Gali, Nokama, Hahli.) I liked how romantic tension was never the core of the plot, just an adventure into the unkown of this world and you're taken along for the ride. (Yes, I know about Roodaka but I've always seen that as more of her preying on Vakama's anxieties and less of anything sexual, despite her design lol)

[@crabman3144]

Can you drop a link to the infographic you used at 1:50? I have very little about gender identities beyond the physical, and that infographic and the other information sources that go along with it might be a great starting point to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

[@legosam2067]

I kind of liked what bionicle did. Men and women were capable of fighting and getting along.

[@Retr0nOfficial]

As a kid I never thought about it that way (probably because as a kid I had no idea that something like being trans or nonbinary even exist in the first place XD) but now, having some queer friends and more knowledge on this topic, it's not surprise that may queer people finding themselves in Bionicle characters, especially in Takua story arc. Really good video, just discovered your channel and love it!

[@heroranuva8295]

Thank you! Yeah, its so wonderful how the story connected with different people in different ways. Even before I realized I was nb, I knew I connected with the characters in a deep way, and even if it wasn't the intention, I'm glad it happened.

[@jane_gorelove]

NB BONKLE GANG 😎

[@heroranuva8295]

Awww yeah 😎 🟡⚪️🟣⚫️

[@thirdclub4565]

As an nb myself I always viewed Lewa as non binary, or at least the g2 version. Their overall construction and various traits set them apart from most of the other toa, something not really masculine or feminine, just Lewa

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah I can see that!

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Speaking as a transfem genderfluid NB, I am SO HAPPY to see this reading on my top childhood obsession. This is all so incredibly validating and it kinda makes sense now why I was so OK with finding out about transness: it had been instilled in me from my earliest days!!

[@somethingawesome9547]

It had been instilled in you in your “earliest days” but bionicle had nothing to do with it.

[@Yan_Alkovic]

@@somethingawesome9547 the feeling - yes. The positive attitude - not necessarily, I think that perhaps the latent trans people did not receive enough positive reinforcement in their media at a young enough age.

[@somethingawesome9547]

@@Yan_Alkovic There is still debate as to whether there should positive enforcement about such an issue.

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah its so nice to see the ways this series connected with people!

[@heroranuva8295]

Actually there isn't debate about that. It is a widely known and proven fact among the medical and psychiatric communities that when transgender kids are given support and acceptance of their gender, it is extremely positive for them. Being trans is an aspect of a person that they are born as, not being accepting won't change that, it will just make the child feel unloved for who they are. Denying them that support often leads to severe depression and even suicidal thoughts. Being transgender is not harmful to kids, but the hatred of those who hate trans people is.

[@Tyler_Zer0]

I always find the types of hate commenters on these types of videos so dumb, like they say the exact same BS that's just: "WHAT??! TRANS PEOPLE HAVING THE AUDACITY TO LIKE THE SAME THINGS I DID LIKE AS A KID???!!!! (baby crying noises) MY CHILDHOOD IS RUINED UNTIL THE END OF TIME!!!!!1111" Like dude, no one is ruining your childhood, if anything it's great to see people connecting to the same things you liked as a kid, it's not being taken away from you it's becoming more fun and inclusive for others to enjoy. As an LGBTQIA+ ally it's awesome to see so many different people enjoying the same things I love, rather than being one of those who can't enjoy inclusion for what it is and so thrive off of hate instead. (TLDR: Inclusion is great and don't be a jerk to people who connect to the same things you like in a different way.)

[@heroranuva8295]

Exactly! Inclusion is good! No one can take anything away from anybody. One thing that’s really encouraging is that for every hate comment on this video, there’s a dozen positive and encouraging comments. The assholes are loud, but small

[@Tyler_Zer0]

@@heroranuva8295 Exactly.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

That’s actually a great point

[@ninjasr]

If people are saying the same thing over and over, that can be taken as a sign that they're seeing a pattern being repeated. However, people are mad because the LGBT interpretation doesn't even make sense and, in fact, if you look at Takua's situation carefully, you would actually conclude it's anti-trans. They're mad because the connection being made (LGBT/Bonkle) doesn't make sense and it's a repeat of what you see in every other community. At the same time, they're being pushed out if they even suggest that it doesn't make sense. Inclusion and multiple interpretations also aren't automatically good. If you truly believe that then, I guess, you're okay with fascist or fundamentalist islamist interpretations of bonkle as well? Actually, fascism lines up closer with bionicle than trans stuff does, but people don't tend to talk about it.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

@@ninjasr you're just a schizo and nothing will convince me otherwise

[@КрутоусОстап]

Hm... It seems to me, that in some of these character writers did not put just any gender themes specificaly, but more broad theme of "accepting yourself" thing, which still working for members of LGBTQ, so it is like still good I guess!

[@heroranuva8295]

Oh yeah there’s definitely no intentionally LGBT themes in the series, but there are a lot of themes that connect with queer people regardless!

[@Thegreatercheese]

This video is crazy, never even crossed my mind the way you could read into Takua's story through a transgender lens.

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, its really fascinating how many ways there are to relate to these characters!

[@Korohpu]

As an ace transfem person, I'm not surprised at all that the BIONICLE always felt so comfortable to me. People there could just be people. It was just cool and full of gravitas, and largely without all that dumb human bullsh*t. ^^ Come to think of it, that may also be why I (and apparently many other trans folks as well) like Pokémon so much. Really great video, once again! :D Should you want to continue the exploration of gender in BIONICLE in future videos, I think an exploration of all the manifold ways in which the Great Beings were flawed would be really interesting. They kinda are Elon-esque tech-bros if you think about it, with all the countless bad takes that come with that. ^^'

[@heroranuva8295]

Nice! I'm glad the series really connected with you. And yeah Pokemon has a lot of similarities like that, gender and romance aren't really the focus. And thanks! Yeah I definitely plan on doing more explorations of the Great Beings, its fascinating how flawed they are. Though honestly I wouldn't even compare them to Elon. At least they actually invented things, Musk just bought the title of founder and is good at marketing himself as a "genius".

[@Korohpu]

@@heroranuva8295 Absolutely fair enough. My comparison was however less with Musk himself and more in the vein of how the GBs very much incorporated their own biases into their creations - particularly with regards to gender - similarly how today AIs are often trained in a manner that reflects the racial and gender biases of their programmers (albeit probably unintentionally). Basically: "Are the GBs the patriarchy?" ^^ But it's also interesting (and lovely) to see how even the GBs own creations often ended up defying these biases themselves (like that famous Chiara quote or 'Hahli the Barbarian', or 'softer' male characters like Takua).

[@nihili4196]

Thanks. Amazing video and all.... But now I can't help but think about Makuta calling Takua an F-slur, then sending homophobic slugs to harass every ally on the island. And i don't know how to feel about that, or about the fact that i both can relate, and find it pretty funny.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

"tldr; eat s###, takua"

[@LeiHart]

This is a really good analysis! As a fellow nonbinary person, I think the aspect of Bionicle that stood out to me the most was not only the in-story concepts of how gender is handled (and ignored lol), but also the fact that the main medium from a selling perspective is the toys. The fact that they're buildable, and that all pieces are compatible with each other, means that you can choose to either build the characters by the instructions or go in your own direction entirely. Today's MOCing scheme encourages builds that go beyond the gender binary, and the fact that it's a custom build, one that wouldn't exist without you, makes it that much more personal!

[@AEtherGhost136]

As a nonbinary trans fem I love BIONICLE and have always connected with its characters. I only recently got back into the fandom as I went thru my old legos and rebuilt as a many as possible but I love these takeaways and perspectives!!!❤

[@MrSkeleton14]

What

[@heroranuva8295]

The Bonkles are Trans

[@MrSkeleton14]

@@heroranuva8295 how tho?

[@heroranuva8295]

@@MrSkeleton14 I explain it pretty thoroughly in the video. The ways gender work in the series appealed to many in the trans community

[@MrSkeleton14]

@@heroranuva8295 imo not really

[@heroranuva8295]

@@MrSkeleton14 the video is about how trans people connected with the series, which isn’t really up to your opinion, it’s an observation from how different communities see the series

[@MintTea2005]

This stuff is really interesting and I'm really glad the lgbt community can find comfort in Bionicle! The only issue I have for Bionicle is the restricting most female matoran to being of the water element, I just think it's way too restrictive since they basically have no biological sex so their element shouldn't dictate anything besides their personality for the most part, but that's just my interpretation Also I'm really impressed with the possible trans allegory people noticed with Takua

[@jeninimas]

I had this thought while watching your Vezon video - is Vezon technically demigender?

[@infebris]

probably more like DID or something along those lines, cus he used to be one guy but then split into two

[@infebris]

or kind of a physical representation of DID

[@Dragon66898]

I’m a born and see myself as male but I can see that I have female like traits so I never really had a problem with characters that where one gender but identity as another or similar like gender esc identity concepts, all I ask is an explanation of why say this obvious female character is calling herself a him or her. (Yes this is me talking about Yamato from One Piece.) I’m just a person that doesn’t care who you are or what you are do long as you don’t get in my face about.

[@kera930]

i dont get it

[@heroranuva8295]

What's got you tripped up? Trans and non-binary people looked at the unusual ways Bionicle handles gender, and felt a sense of kinship

[@Wepospalient]

I grew up a huge bionicle fan as a kid, and eventually fell out of it when the theme was retired in 2010, then a good 13 years later, having grown up and gone through my whole trans and gender queer journey, it's been very heartening coming back to bionicle to learn that the bionicle community is still going strong and is very queer itself. The community has really reignited my love for the series.

[@megantron5331]

"Taking a bionicle element personality test and hoping I get water. Still cis, though." - 12 year old me

[@heroranuva8295]

Haha, yup, totally cis behavior

[@idknemore525]

Another awesome video.

[@heroranuva8295]

Thanks again 😁

[@somethingawesome9547]

LLMMMAAAOOOOO

[@KeruToL]

W h a t

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

Are you on the pipe you weirdo

[@EcosdelZulo]

Oooook, now I understand a LOT of things about my teenage years.

[@misterauctor7353]

Is this right?

[@heroranuva8295]

I mean yeah, I both personally know and know of many trans and non-binary people who connected heavily with the series, and many others who enjoy looking at the way gender works in this world in a queer light. It’s a very fun and interesting side of the larger fandom

[@harrybechtle4333]

“16 genders” Possibly more

[@heroranuva8295]

Lmao XD

[@gianohawks]

thanks for all the effort you put to represent the trans and non binary community

[@rutsugo]

thank u so much for this video, really appreciate it

[@heroranuva8295]

I’m glad you really liked it!

[@oreganue]

I love you

[@npb771]

Trans representation this, nonbinary that, I just wanna build for fucks sake

[@heroranuva8295]

Oh quit whining, trans and non-binary people talking about the ways we enjoy this series does nothing to stop you from building. If this isn’t how you relate to the series then big whoop, not everything the fandom talks about it for you.

[@npb771]

@@heroranuva8295 I was just making a parody of a meme I thought was funny, I'm not bothered by this

[@heroranuva8295]

@@npb771 Ah ok, sorry for the misunderstanding. There have been a lot of not joking comments like that on this video. Be careful to make sure parody is clear, because otherwise it can end up sounding exactly like the thing it is trying to ridicule.

[@Chrisspru]

... turns out you predicted me

[@kroganpopy9206]

I always identified with the Rahkshi action figures (not so much the movie depictions), mostly because of their pretty ungendered and alien appearance. But as far as Matoran are concerned, I definitely favored the air and snow Matoran quite heavily.

[@youraveragegiantrobot9511]

Nah I demand you to take this down at the request of the great spirit robot

[@heroranuva8295]

I will not. Bionicle connected with so many people in the trans and non-binary communities and that is something to be celebrated. And don’t claim to be speaking for Mata Nui when you voice your own biases.

[@youraveragegiantrobot9511]

@@heroranuva8295 correct opinion, the great spirit robot will want to community to connect

[@KeruToL]

If you don’t like what you see then leave. Nobody said you had to listen to what he says.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

With all respect… *NO.*

[@infebris]

@@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903i am confused, in other comments you were saying people who are trans are mentally insane but now you defend them? pick a side bruh

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

While this might seem a little off-topic, I always headcanoned that, similar to Takua being mind wiped and thrown in Ta-Koro, Midak is actually a Matoran of Light and the "Tree Wizard" is actually a Matoran of Plantlife. I always thought it would be cool if the secondary elements were present on Metru Nui, but thanks to the whole Matoran Sphere debacle some of them have lost their identities and need to rediscover them. There's probably a few Matoran of Iron in Po-Koro or a few Matoran of Psionics in Ga-Koro who've felt like something was missing and will find it again one day.

[@heroranuva8295]

Ooo yeah that’s very interesting I love that idea! Metru Nui was more open to other lands before Makuta closed the Sea Gates, so there totally might’ve been other Matoran types there. And the idea of subtle other elements could be really cool. Especially if one of them becomes a Toa and realizes they command a totally different element than they thought they did. Midak being an Av-Matoran would be hilarious, I imagine it might’ve been a prank by an Order of Mata Nui member who thought it would be ironic. Who’s the “Tree Wizard” though?

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

@@heroranuva8295 So in Quest for the Toa each village has a Matoran with a purple torso, green feet, and a green Miru. Each of them guards one of the Vuata Maca Trees, although all six of them could also theoretically be the same character thanks to being a duped asset. You collect crystals throughout the game to help them heal the trees. Despite being given a unique design and role in the story, they were never given an actual name. I always knew him as "Vuata Maca Tree Crystal Guy" but apparently an old issue of Nintendo Power called them "Wizards" and that's the closest thing to a canon name we've got.

[@heroranuva8295]

@@heyheyitsjae2475 oh okay cool!

[@NeonRahkshi]

omg i'm not the only one i could ramble about this eternally, but i really love the idea of a vo-matoran showing up in le-metru to deal with a high current issue, that the le-matoran are not qualified to deal with (like somebody else already tried handling it and got injured, so dume himself payed another village to send over an electrician) of course, she gets caught up in the takeover (heck, it might not have even been dume who really summoned her in the first place, it could have been teridax) later, on mata nui a "ga-matoran" with lighter coloring than usual, is struggling to learn to swim, much to the confusion of nokama, leading her to wonder just how much damage the matoran spheres may have done... (how long had she been in there? was she put in early? is she going to be okay?) later, matau meets her, having a proper conversation with her for the first time, and realizes who she is... now he's gotta explain this to the other turaga, he had no idea she was still there, assumed she'd left before it happened, but he knows he should have mentioned it before... what are they even gonna do with her? can they tell her? i love the consept of a couple of other matoran types being hidden mixed in

[@justsomeguy5628]

Of the 11 toa who stayed and formed the Toa Mangai after they defeated the Kanohi Dragon, one was a Toa of Plantlife, and he lived in Ga-Metru, as it was where he felt most aligned with of the 6 metru. He could be seen as gender-nonconforming, or I feel like he mirrors how certain societies struggle to understand the gender identities of other genders, like trying to lump 2-spirit people, fa’afafines and fa’afatamas, sekrata people, hijira people, bissu people, and many more into labels like men, women, nonbinary, gender fluid, trans, etc. because the world is built around separate and grouping people into distinct and discrete categories.

[@atrendlecalledreese443]

Last year, a few power-tripping moderators of the Bionicle subreddit tried to implement a "don't say trans" rule. The subreddit was then immediately flooded with trans-positive posts and the rule was swiftly removed. I think the mods in question were demodded, too.

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah I remember hearing about that, I wasn’t on Reddit at the time, but the story of that incident spilled into other social media. I’m really happy the community was able to rally and stop that, because that kind of dictatorial control over what people can talk about in fandom is awful

[@kstanni87]

Trying to shake balances up, it'll crumble on you.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

@@kstanni87 ??

[@ThumbKnuckle]

In ancient Israeli culture, you were either a man of the fields or man of the tents (a scholar) so I totally see ice as on masculine expression, just not the same as fire and stone. I am definitely a scholar, though I wish I were stronger.

[@tehaisbagus]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but I find it interesting as Takanuva uses male pronouns, but his set form matches only Gali Nuva.

[@kstanni87]

Where there is light, there are shadows too.

[@infebris]

@@kstanni87get you ass outta here

[@Narglepuff]

Lmao, as you were building up to the “each element is a gender” point my brain suddenly lit up with the same conclusion. That’s really awesome to think about. This and the points from the other video about the Great Beings/Glatorian society being crazy sexist has me thinking Bionicle has some wild potential if it ever comes back under writers who care about exploring these themes. I remember there was a lot of stuff towards the end of G1 about the inhabitants of the MU essentially being soulless drones who at some point became self aware. Fuck, that’s so interesting - imagine after they get integrated into Spherus Magna society everyone is shocked by the wildly different ideas Matoran and such have about identity and societal roles. Ah, if only we could get some kind of G1 sequel that sticks around. Awesome vids homie

[@godzilla964]

I find the Bionicle trans allegory more convincing than the Matrix trans allegory.

[@trogglemorphtrystopmotion1887]

Species of Roodaka all look the same for both male and female

[@heroranuva8295]

True, though then again, we don’t really get any good visuals of other members of her species, the only other member was her partner while climbing up the Mountain, and that was just pallet swapped version of her set. A whole island where everyone wear rahkshi boob plate armor, even the men! 😆 Though come to think of it, aside from color scheme the same can be said for pretty much all the Matoran Universe species. Just goes to show how much gender was purely psychological in the MU, and non-physiological.

[@ThumbKnuckle]

Masculinity is not all about strength and abilities, nor about aggression, so I still think that there are only two genders though your expression of yourself is irrelevant to your gender. Tying personal expression to gender or saying that gender is that and not just interchangeable with the word sex is really silly because it makes life about pleasure and not about fulfilling your duty to and for others. As such Keetongu is my guy, because I have an obsession with fulfilling my duties and collecting bionicle so I can share it with my future family.

[@orbismworldbuilding8428]

The 16 genders idea is cool i like it a lot. I have been thinking of alternate gender systems for a while and like to see new stuff. I should look into what the other elements represent (Nonbinary trans woman by the way ^^) I wasn't in as deep with bionicle during my childhood, and missed a lot of it it looks like. I watched 2 of the movies, (and forgot the names of them), and i had some though i played with them much more like i did my other legos. My cousin actually made me curious about the lore, we would build stuff and he would infodump things as i asked about them, sometimes about bionicle lore itself. He read the comics, so he knew more about it than me I found this video from watching your vid on their biology, and then the one about female gender representation in bionicle. Loved the vid ^^💚

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah its a really interesting interpretation of gender! Glad you liked the vid! And if you ever want to dive deeper into Bionicle lore, you can find some great compilations online that put the whole thing together in a convenient reading order. One of my first vids is on it if you ever want to! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnnXf5eXd5mDpaM

[@orbismworldbuilding8428]

@@lindinle he's actually supportive of trans and nonbinary people Even if he didn't think this was accurate to the lore or intended canon, he likely wouldn't call it drivel like you did. People who don't feel strongly negative about something just say innacurate, they don't feel the need to call something drivel.

[@heroranuva8295]

@lindinle You're just mad because you're afraid of being left behind in a world that is changing. I understand that feels scary. But the way to deal with it isn't this hate. Its learning to accept that there are many different types of people in the world, people you could learn to connect with and share your favorite things. You don't have to be afraid or angry, we're just people like you trying to live our lives. It takes work, but you can learn to be accepting. Or, you can fuck off. The choice is yours, but we're not going anywhere.

[@AdmiralOctopus]

In Mask of Light, I love how as soon as Takua changes his name to Takanuva, everyone accepts it, no questions asked. Everyone, that is, except Makuta, who still calls him Takua. The deadnaming bastard.

[@heroranuva8295]

Makuta's such an asshole 🙄

[@heyheyitsjae2475]

@@heroranuva8295 A hypocritical asshole at that. Insisting everyone calls him "THE Makuta" instead of Teridax. At least show Takanuva the same respect!

[@TyrannoNoddy]

With Tamaru, the turquoise colouration, while being common in other Le-Matoran, even Kongu, could be argued as more fuel because turquoise is veering into blue, the primary Ga-Matoran colour. Again it doesn't fully work for reasons stated, but it's an interesting thought. Also the primary character with a noble Rau mask was Nokama, so maybe there's some subconscious association going on there? Anyway, loved this video too. I'm a cishet dude, but I do think looking back there may have been some gender weirdness I felt since I often didn't feel fully in place with my male peers, probably partly from being Autistic but yeah. I did often find myself not being into more conventionally masculine stuff like other toylines, but I also knew I definitely didn't identify with girl stuff, so Bionicle being this genderweird universe where it's mostly irrelevant I think looking back had this appeal to me. Gender was there, but even if out of universe there was a male bias it never felt like being a woman meant you were reduced to a side role. So yeah, this universe where gender arguably didn't matter had an appeal to me as an unconventionally male kid, it appealing to trans kids makes a LOT of sense to me. Also I think the idea of sexuality in Bionicle is very queer too, because the Matoran Universe is arguably almost entirely aroace due to the whole "love isn't canon" debacle. I do kinda still headcanon some romantic stuff in there, but I kind of see it as sort of a deviation from the norm, kind of like how the Matoran were never even supposed to have free will. Sexual attraction probably doesn't even exist, because these beings literally have no reason for it, any reproduction is completely asexual (like from memory even rahi are just created by Makuta to inhabit the world). All the sexy times are for the species native to Spherus Magna I guess. :P

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, that's true, the slight blue coloration, especially in MNOG, might play into it. Honestly sometimes I enjoy thinking of the Le-Matoran as almost genderfluid, so them sometimes being partially blue can tie into that. I have also heard that about the Rau mask having feminine associations too. I guess that would make Ahkmou feminine as well? I'm really glad you liked the video! Yeah, I think its great even for people who are cishet to explore these ideas of gender, because even cis people don't fall strictly into our societal roles, and I'm glad to hear Bionicle connected with you! And oh yeah questions of sexuality and romance are also really interesting. Its a universe where being acearo is the norm, and yet we still see these relationships that sometimes feel romantic. Its very interesting seeing how these ideas are shaped in a world so different from the norms of our own. And headcanons about how the Matoran would react to sex and biological reproduction are HILARIOUS. Imagine the Toa hear about giving birth for the first time!

[@Korohpu]

@@heroranuva8295 The only gender Ahkmou has is 'asshole' lmao

[@heroranuva8295]

@@Korohpu LOL

[@TegukiSix]

My personal interpretation is that, since all Bionicle media is translated from the original -Klingo- Matoran language, the gender issue is a result of Matoran tribal generalisations and pronouns (or lack thereof) having no accurate translations at the time, and being crammed into the closest analogous human ideas. The Ga-matoran are not "all-female" -- the human translators in the 1990s-2000s looked at them and perceived similarities to what they recognised as "femininity". Matoran reading Bionicle would be extremely confused, either questioning why humans lumped five elements under one pronoun (if they had pronoun segregation at all), or questioning why water was separated out (if it turned out that they don't do that).

[@cecillewolters1995]

Never linked gender to them as a kid, they were just cool robots to me ^^'

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, they ARE cool robots, and is was really cool how ungendered they were in generally. You didn't have to think about gender when playing with them which was so cool

[@Guardianlewa]

Yes, you are exactly right.

[@Toa_Va]

Hi Cecille

[@cecillewolters1995]

@@Toa_Va Hello Va :3

[@shawnwarrynn8609]

@@heroranuva8295 Woah, you guys are really taking thing way out of context. Cause Takua's journey is the journey of maturity and of growing up, not a journey of transitioning gender. In fact, the transformation of Matoran to Toa and eventually Turaga designed and made to fits the concept of a person becoming a hero or heroine as well as the cycles of life and age, cause the Matoran who represent the average individual also double as and are like the the Kids and Teens of their Biomechanical species, while the Toa who represent the Heroes are the Young Adults and Adults and the Turaga are the Mentors also double as the Elderly. Cause, let's be logical here, Takanuva is still referred to as a 'he', not once has he been a 'she' or even a 'ze'. Now, you do present some points, especially when it comes to how gender and gender roles are not a big deal in Bionicle. However, what is a big deal is the concept of Heroism in Bionicle, and how those who choose to be heroes and heroines work hard and suffer to protect and keep people safe from danger and corruption. And let's be real here that's a very serious and harrowing task especially when the Villains your going up against are Makuta Teridax, who is basically the Devil, or the closest thing to the Devil of the Bionicle Universe/Multiverse. A Being Hellbent on corrupting, controlling and enslaving others into worshipping him and his interpretation of what is right and wrong, spreading Darkness, as well destroying those who don't obey and submit themselves to his will. Heck, one of the Three Virtues of Bionicles and the one heavily emphasized in the Mask of Light storyline is 'Duty', it's about Takua wrestling with the burden that comes with the duty and responsibility of the new role, purpose and job he's been given, and how he desires and wishes he could just continue to live and do things the way he always has instead of having to be weighed down by the burden of a duty and responsibility he doesn't like or want. Now, I'm not say there can't be any LGBTQ+ characters or representation in Bionicle. In fact, it would be interesting if we had actual more Bionicle who do identify a LGBTQ+ or qualify as LGBTQ+ such as Toa Ignika, whom as you pointed out was referred to as 'it' until eventually chose to be called 'he'. But we have to be respectful not to simply label every story as something that allegorically fits a singular view point that had little to nothing to do with the original views and takes of a story. Also putting a meaning onto the work that was not in the author's intention is not only reckless but can ruin the story.

[@TheZamaron]

Actually for Takua it wasn’t that he didn’t want to BE the Toa Of Light, he didn’t know that he was, he simply didn’t want to be the one LOOKING for the Toa Of Light, but as Destiny would play out he lied about Jaller being the Herald, but Destiny hilariously would still find him by Vakama having Takua follow Jaller the “Herald” in finding the Toa Of Light. From there they went on their journey with Takua doubting it. In the end with Jaller’s death Takua finally realized why he was so different from the other Ta-Matoran and as they’d journeyed and never found the Toa Of Light, that’s when he realized the truth and put on the mask becoming Takanuva Toa Of Light.

[@PhyreSpore]

"You're definitely trans, but you're NOT Valid!!" HAhh!! Another good video. These are fun explorations of these topics. Your point about the different elements effectively being a different take on gender is really interesting!

[@Guardianlewa]

yes

[@heroranuva8295]

Thanks! Yeah its pretty cool to think about

[@fredjones2170]

I’ve really come to like the idea that Takua/Takanuva is non-binary; it makes a lot of sense for him, especially considering his non-gender-specific color scheme as a Matoran, and one could even argue that it enhances his early role as a stand-in for the audience, as someone who’s neither male nor female. (Side note, but I still stand by ace romance being canon; I just don’t think gender plays any role in it, since there’d be no heteronormativity in the MU).

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, Takua being NB honestly makes a lot of sense for him, and you’re right being kinda neutral/ambiguous is good for being an audience stand in especially in the games, kinda like Frisk from Undertale. And oh yeah, I honestly appreciate that all the characters are ace/aro in the series. Mostly because that’s not what the story is about, it’s not a romance about people getting together like that. Besides they still love each other!

[@jdrvargo287]

I've interpreted ace romance as being canon too. They have no biological need to reproduce, but that doesn't mean non-sexual, purely romantic love can't exist. I mean, there are instances in canon material of characters being rather flirty, or what can easily be taken as flirty, with each other. And it goes with the "Unity" aspect of the three virtues in my opinion. Plus I always thought Jaller and Hali were so cute together.

[@heroranuva8295]

Very true! Them having asexual romance is honestly very sweet, and I love the ships about it. And honestly its interesting to think about how ideas of romance, or what we might call romance would develop in a purely asexual society, since so many of the ways we think about romance in our world are shaped by the fact that for so many it is tied to sex. For the Bionicle characters, they could develop romance into something entirely new!

[@fredjones2170]

@@heroranuva8295 Yeah, it absolutely is interesting to think about! It might not even be asexual romance as we understand it. However it manifests, and even if it’s not a super-common occurrence, I think that it also does a good job of tying into the concept of the MU inhabitants becoming more diverse than the Great Beings originally intended - developing the potential to be able to form multiple different types of relationships beyond just friendship.

[@fredjones2170]

Not to say that friendship is any less powerful than romance, of course: I’m just saying I really like the idea of them developing other types of interpersonal bonds too - even ones that the Great Beings might not have a word for.

[@trogglemorphtrystopmotion1887]

What about Av Matoran to Bohrok? Technically change in element but loosing their personality so not a good match

[@heroranuva8295]

Huh, yeah that is kind of interesting to think about 🤔 I do sometimes wonder how the whole element change thing would work, sometimes I think the Av-Matoran to Bohrok concept could've used more time to be fleshed out. But yeah, in a way I guess they are changing their element and changing their gender, in the sense that they're becoming truly genderless!

[@NeonRahkshi]

@@heroranuva8295 it's always been really weird to me that bohrok are canonically only av-matoran, it honestly doesn't make any sense, but it is how it is ig lol

[@Korohpu]

Well, they kind of die when that change occurs, so ... 😕

[@heroranuva8295]

@@Korohpu Yeah...

[@templebeast1324]

It's 5 elemental groups. Water, lightning, psionic, shadow and light. With light and shadow being around 50/50.

[@Bionickpunk]

Interesting that both "7th Toa", Voriki (Toa of Lighting) and Takanuva (Toa of Light), fit under these 5 elemental groups.

[@infebris]

@@Bionickpunkoff topic but they really should have made voriki canon at some point it would have been awesome

[@TheGamechair]

While ive always loved bionicle, learning that the community was largely trans woman, i think, was the first step to cracking my egg. While i never interacted with bionicle in any gendered ways or percieved it as such. All of my MOCs are FIERCELY color mixed. The duplicates would be the same color but would rarely match the other parts. Which i think sums up my own understanding of my gender. While I use She/Her pronouns and want to be viewed as feminine, my internals are unknowable and amorphous. (I primarily made rahi and non toa species)

[@dracosodozir7607]

Holy Gadunka, the description of Tamaru caught me off guard. I'm a Gemini, so my birth element is air. The element of air in Bionicle is commonly associated with playfulness, music and dance, freedom, nature and impulsiveness (like you said), and those are all traits I have myself. BUT. Like Tamaru, I'm also afraid of extreme heights, am fine with being in water (although I don't like rain), and I like to swim. Now, I'm quite certain that I'm a cis-het male, but seeing just how alike Tamaru and I are was quite the eye-opener. A Bionicle character that shares my patron element, a lot of my personality traits and is considered a bit of an oddball by their peers. As natural as a cool breeze.

[@heroranuva8295]

Nice, its so cool you connect with the character so much!

[@Sososux]

I have always loved bionicle but only recently came to terms with being a trans woman. Great video loved it!

[@Kaden10]

Heorora, do you think that if Bionicle gets another shot do you think they should revamp the original storyline and then pick up where it left off? It would also be a great excuse to re-release some classic sets.

[@heroranuva8295]

Honestly I think if Bionicle gets another shot the best would be a kind of "second draft" of the original story, same basic premise but polished a little more to really bring out the characters and world building. With the sets, its tricky, because Lego won't be able to re-release the old sets as they were since they actually destroy parts molds after they've been out of circulation for a few years. They might be able to do new versions of the characters with their current building systems tho, which could be interesting. I actually have a video discussing various ways it could come back and what the future of it might look like, if you wanna see my more in-depth thoughts on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHnbXqaPg5t-fJo

[@Kaden10]

@@heroranuva8295 well they know that there are tons of how to build videos on KZbin and art that they made for publicity so if they wanted Lego could work off of that and make new molds.

[@Kaden10]

@@heroranuva8295 Greg obviously needs to be involved even if he isn't at Lego anymore give the guy a big fat check and move from there.

[@Toa_Va]

As a trans girl, I love how closely tied bionicle is with the trans community. Bionicle is so cool and I love that it helped me figure out I'm trans.

[@heroranuva8295]

Its so amazing how the series has impacted people in so many ways :)

[@googleuser3163]

No offense but that's the single most 'tistic comment I've ever read.

[@heroranuva8295]

Complete offense taken, actually. It sucks how little respect you have for both trans people and autistic people, that you would use one to insult the other. You ought to learn more respect, and frankly I pity you for being so fragile that trans people liking something sets you off.

[@infebris]

@@heroranuva8295agreed, like, if you don’t like it why do you read the comments and watch the video? no one is forcing you to watch it

[@SylviaMoonbeam1127]

I’m a Transwoman and have adored Bionicle since the beginning. I didn’t really get to read comics growing up aside from a bit of Spider-Man, so the Bionicle comics that came in my Lego Magazines WERE my superheroes! The Toa were my Avengers/Justice League, and you can bet your glowstones I collected every issue! Personally, my favorite Toa were Pohatu Mata/G2 Pohatu and Inika Hewkii, but G2 Gali and Nokama Metru have recently become equally fond to me.

[@heroranuva8295]

Nice! The Toa are amazing superheroes, and it was so cool how the story just drew you in right? Its a whole world to explore. And excellent taste in favs! Are they your favorites as far as sets or characters, or is it both?

[@SylviaMoonbeam1127]

@@heroranuva8295 I unfortunately don’t own a Nokama Metru, but for the rest of the ones I mentioned, yes on both the characters and sets. I also got a lot of play out of my Tarakava. It was the only G1 rahi I owned. I also adored my Maxilos set for some reason. Maybe it was the torso articulation or something? I just remember loving how expressive Maxilos’s figure felt

[@raysandrarexxia941]

Bionicle is life ❤ Also I own most of the sets (although no longer built)... Kopaka and Gali are my favorites!

[@candidaserpens]

quizas porque son bio mecanicos, es obvio que se identifican mejor con los personajes

[@heroranuva8295]

Es cierto que definitivamente hay algo en cómo ciertos grupos de personas sienten una sensación de parentesco con personajes no humanos en la ficción. Además, pido disculpas si mi español está oxidado, tuve que usar mucho el traductor de Google.

[@ThumbKnuckle]

Honestly takua being a planted toa of light is a lot like the raimer twins experiment where one of the boys was changed against his will because of an evil man and a botched procedure to appear as a woman and he eventually found out he was born a dude and decided to change back as best he could, but thankfully for Takua he didn't deal with the trauma and experience that happened in this case.

[@ninjasr]

It is honestly quite funny that when these kinds of people point to Takua as a prime example, it resembles this situation far more.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

@@ninjasr how so?

[@ninjasr]

@@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903 If you want to prove you're literate, you should actually read the comments before commenting yourself.

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

@@ninjasr like I said, I can *read.*

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

⁠@@ninjasr I swear, you're such an annoying and warmongering little #### who won't admit defeat

[@Mistawaffle]

I never couldve known about this side of bionicle if this video never were to exist

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

The only difference between Le-Matoran and Faeries (the kind from old European folk tales and fairy tales who you don't want to upset) is 1. Le-Matoran are biomechanical while Fair Folk are more spiritual/physical 2. Le-Matoran are not hostile, unlike the Good Neighbors 3. The Le-Matoran (except Toa, and I guess Turaga) don't have magical powers like the Faeries do 4. The majority of Faeries are female, though there definitely plenty of males. Le-Matoran are basically the male and biomechanical equivalent to fairies.

[@heroranuva8295]

That's true, there's definitely a few interesting parallels between the Le-Matoran and fairies, especially just in terms of vibes

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

@@heroranuva8295 Vibes? Oh no... now I'm starting to see Onu-Matoran as the biomechanical equivalent to the Underground folk, dwarves, and all fairies who live underground, and Ga-Matoran as the biomechanical equivalent to mermaids and water nymphs...

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

@@heroranuva8295 Also the whole "Mask of Light" trans allegory interpretation makes Jaller dying so much funnier yet tragic.

[@Vyhox2000]

One thing I've always loved about Bionicles is how it promotes the importance of religious faith, and adherence to proper morals and principles. Especially nowadays where religions like Islam and Christianity have so little positive representation in media, and are portrayed as evil most of the time, it's good to know that a franchise that represents these religions so well is so beloved by so many different people.

[@heroranuva8295]

Bionicle does do a lot of very interesting things with faith, and their fictional religion

[@Vyhox2000]

@@heroranuva8295 So true! The use of fiction to explain the importance of things in real life is one of the greatest tools that story writers have. It gives people the opportunity to learn more about something valuable, who would otherwise be unwilling to

[@tlsarchive]

Pohatu and Onua feel pretty gender non conforming imo as well

[@heroranuva8295]

Honestly yeah they do kinda. Gender norms just aren't that important to them, so its so easy to see them in any light

[@infebris]

i always saw them as kinda like the big truckers with like the super deep manly voice and a southern accent though 😭

[@VestedUTuber]

I'm an ace/aro individual who felt that a setting without any of the romantic themes that pop up literally everywhere else was refreshing. I guess that's also why I never liked Roodaka's characterization as a kid, even though I did like her sleek design. And I was also bothered by Gali's design in The Mask of Light, since it was obvious that they tried to "female-code" her, or arguably even "sexy-code" her in that movie.

[@thefernofrommarsgaming4204]

Very interesting take on everything

[@heroranuva8295]

Thanks!

[@VortexKiller2]

I am trans. Trans neon green borok eye😂

[@heroranuva8295]

Trans pieces, trans people, here in Bionicle fandom we love em both

[@VortexKiller2]

@@heroranuva8295 trans pieces are the energy that flows through us. We are the Unity that works for the Duty of our Destinies.

[@infebris]

@@VortexKiller2Hail Denmark

[@VortexKiller2]

​@@infebrishail denmark

[@tacitus7698]

I like the idea of elements being the genders of the Matoran universe the most, but outright equating the two wouldn't work imo. That'd be forcing the concepts of us humans onto loads of different species that could hardly be more different, not just from us, but also from each other. As you mentioned, since the MU inhabitants are biomechanical beings that don't reproduce sexually, there is no point to them having gender at all. The concept of gender, as we humans understand it, is built on biological sex, meaning sexual reproduction. Without a binary, there can be no trans or non-binary. You could just say that gender is something we, the audience, assign to these beings to make it easier for us to navigate and because of how pronouns work in English (Finnish would describe MU inhabitants better, since it doesn't have grammatical gender at all). So the best way to put it would probably be: "Elements are the CLOSEST THING MU inhabitants have to gender, but NOT an analogy." I imagine they would be just as confused about our elemental status as we would be about their genders. This could lead to some interesting interactions with the more biological inhabitants of Bara Magna. I'm not too familiar with those, but since they're more bio, less mechanical as far as I know, they might actually have genders like us. Never realized Bionicle could be interpreted this way. I can certainly see it be great for asexual and aromantic people on account of being one of the few places safe from shoehorned-in romantic subplots.... now that I think of it, that's a win for EVERYONE! Edit: Another reason why Bionicle elements should not be equated to gender identity is that this would encourage people to directly equate the various elements to specific identities. One might say Fire = male, Water = female, Light = gender fluid. But this would cause division over who gets the privilege of being among the 6 primary elements and who has to be a secondary and it would undermine a very important point you made. The possibility for anyone of any gender identity to identify with any character, regardless of element or forget about gender entirely if you so choose. That might be one of Bionicle's greatest strengths in this area and what truly sets it apart from other worlds.

[@Alicat0314]

Interesting topics in the video! I’d have watch the whole thing properly but I haven’t read all the Bionicle chapter books yet so I avoided some spoilers about Takua and light Matoran I think lol. Anyways I myself am a trans woman in her 20s and LOVED Bionicle as a kid and got back into it in my later teen years and I’d love to share some thoughts I’ve personally had with Bionicle and gender. I definitely agree and love the ideas you have about Takua and how elements relate more to gender and also how in some ways he has his own trans like experience. I also find it very interesting how without meaning to in some ways Bionicle really breaks the idea of gender sometimes and really it doesn’t matter if their male or female it’s usually just their personality and element that makes them different. Though I would argue that the characters assign male and ones assign female in pronouns and gender do seem to have typical personality traits associated with those genders socially but I like to disregard this and think of them as just who they are in the story. Although I will say it’s hard to ignore the strange and sexy weird way they made Rodakas character as a sexy low key over sexualized woman especially in the movie with her finger tracing down Vakama like wtf😂I mean girls the only set with BOOBS what’s that about?? Who got horny making the bonkle??🤣but regardless I like seeing bionicles as just people with preferred gender that has typical out comes like most people who identify female are just Ga-Matoran. I also like to mention that though they give gender and even mention sexes in the transformers franchise I like to see those characters as all just non binary or just genderless since usually transformers have no real reason to have sexes or weird social gender norms in their universe. Sorry for the long comment just love talking about queerness Bionicle and such and I also like to say I personally relate to Vakama not in any queer related way but just how I understand and relate to his character I love that cross wired boi. I’ll be sure to watch your videos after I’ve enjoyed the entire Bionicle story like I plan too Thanks for reading all this if anyone did lol

[@ZeldaGirl799]

Trans femme here, I’ve loved Bionicle since I first got Onua Nuva, Bionicle has always been a huge part of my life and it’s kinda funny looking back at how much I used to relate to Takua.

[@heroranuva8295]

I'm glad to hear it connected with you! The series is honestly so great!

[@Chrisspru]

in bionicle, asigned gender, ethnicity and elemental power are the same thing. sexes do not exist. human anatomy and behavior standards are not applicable.

[@Aevasrealm]

I found my fav channel.

[@heroranuva8295]

Thanks! 😁

[@Aevasrealm]

@HeroraNuva you are always welcome! I LOVE the gender takes and the cuteness your vids include. As a trans woman who always liked bionicle this makes me so happy

[@spicethea3258]

lol I never thought about it that way. I can defenitely see how the gears make gender irrelevant, it felt that way to me discovering the old 01 Tahu and Lewa and so on in 2008 (born 01), especially because they rarely spoke in media (just imagine Bionicle legend of mata nui voices, xD). Takua kinda qould be read that way I suppose "finding oneself" is a popular trope but with transformation it has a point, a funny one tho. I was never clever enough to rule out gender in bionicle when I played Tahu (the only 01 handed down from my brother) thou, But later realised I am a girl, despite being amab/mtf, (I have literal behavour proof however while still being a tomboyish girl... or... boy, back then at least). But I did enjoy the simple ways Bionicle deviated from our dumb society (although the blue=girl was wierd to me even back then)

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah, the series was always very interesting like that! Even if the trans themes weren't put there intentionally, its fun the ways people can find ways to connect with stories!

[@joeyjojojuniorshabadoo6990]

I’m so happily surprised by the trans and enby community in the Bionicle fanbase. I remember so much homophobia on BZPower and other fan sites from sheltered Christian kids, and I used to argue with them all the time. In the last few years the fanbase has had a resurgence and we’ve all grown up, so the queer people are more open and that’s fantastic! P.S I’m also NB

[@heroranuva8295]

Its great how the fanbase has grown up!

[@KeruToL]

“But what does it change?” “Nothing!”

[@heroranuva8295]

"We return to the Coliseum, we rescue the Matoran, we leave!" "or get pulverized..."

[@BasilPots]

I can't believe that I wasn't the only one who saw Tamaru as a girl too. Even as a kid, I for sure knew that le matoran were male but there was something than made me think of them as a girl

[@heroranuva8295]

Yeah its very common! It was especially very big on tumblr! Its funny because there are so many characters that can be seen or written as a different gender, and their story still works well!

[@cathleenmoyle1476]

The only difference between Le-Matoran and Faeries (the kind from old European folk tales and fairy tales who you don't want to upset) is 1. Le-Matoran are biomechanical while Fair Folk are more spiritual/physical 2. Le-Matoran are not hostile, unlike the Good Neighbors 3. The Le-Matoran (except Toa, and I guess Turaga) don't have magical powers like the Faeries do 4. The majority of Faeries are female, though there definitely plenty of males. Le-Matoran are basically the male and biomechanical equivalent to fairies.

[@harrybechtle4333]

@cathleenmoyle1476 I actually made fae-matoran(named after faeries) who were matoran of fauna

[@littlecocogoat]

Bionicle is proof you can write an LGBTQ story without shoehorning in politics.

[@bellonablack690]

I just recently got back into bionicle after figuring out that I'm trans and I must say I appreciate this video. I couldnt peg why Mask of Light appealed to me more than other movies, but now I think I know. Huge thanks for making this video and discussing the topic!

[@sacrodude]

g2 gali

[@KeruToL]

What about her

[@JakeWalters-wu6mo]

@@KeruToL she represents a trans woman

[@ericschuller908]

I honestly related a lot to Takua's journey of self-acceptance due to my autism. I was basically told when I was a kid that my autism was wrong and I was punished for not masking 24/7 when I was in school. Any time that I showed strong interest in anything I was punished for it because people feared I would become obsessed, and so I often deleted my browser history when I would look at things like poetry, Bionicle, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and fantasy novel series like The Inheritance Cycle. It took years to learn to accept myself because I was bullied and harassed for my autistic nature. More than just bullied, I experienced hate crimes on the regular. In just two years of junior high, I was stabbed thirteen times: 3 times in the back in eighth grade and then nine times in the back and once in the face in ninth grade. And much like Takua, I also had experienced memory loss. In my case it was dissociative amnesia brought on by PTSD. But yeah, learning to accept myself when everyone wanted me to mask all the time for their own short-term comfort was horrible to deal with knowing that being who I really was would get me further ostracized and frequently physically assaulted was a lot for a kid to deal with. It's the main reason why I've always been drawn to characters in physical masks in the first place. A little Jungian, I know, but still, Bionicle and Takua/Takanuva brought me a lot of comfort, giving me a character I could see myself in.

[@heroranuva8295]

I'm so sorry to hear you went through all that, you didn't deserve any of that. I'm glad you were able to find comfort in these stories.

[@ezustsilver]

No offense, but am I the only one, who don't give an F about the Bionicle characters or the fans gender identity? There are trans people, who love this franchise, I get that, but I'm sure there are a lot of trans people who DON'T like Bionicle, the same two things goes for bisexual peoples, gay peoples, straight peoples, etc. When you said "The Matoran universe just don't follow the rules of the real world" that's the point: this isn't the real world, it's a really good fantasy fairy tail, for everyone in the real world. And I'm sure when we were kids back then no one fell in love with Bionicle because you thought "Air is my favourite gender" but "Wow, this green bonkle is so cool!!!" Yes, you can explain why do we have "Trans and Non Binary Interpretations" in Bionicle, but this whole thing is just an afterthought, nothing else. It's a really well maid kids toy line first and foremost, with a great story. If you guys wanna explain why is gender or "Trans and Non Binary Interpretations" so important in Bionicle, sure thing, go a head if you are into it. But until than I'm going back to try build some sick Bionicle Mocs in LEGO Studio and watch the 9 hour lore video again from DuckBricks :)

[@heroranuva8295]

Why you gettin so bothered by people talking about and enjoying the series in a way that you don't? This doesn't interest you go somewhere else, no need to make an unnecessary paragraph. This matters to a lot of people, and if you're not one of them big whoop. Not everything is for you

[@ezustsilver]

@@heroranuva8295 Easy bro, It's just my opinion :D You have all the rights to say yours, I have the rights to say mine. Don't be upset, I didn't mean to offend you or anyone else, I just shared my thoughts like everyone else here

[@infebris]

@@heroranuva8295i don’t think they’re bothered, just moreso stating they don’t really care about the genders they just think its cool

[@hewkiithetiscytofficialcha8903]

…Ok.

[@ThatTarkur]

When it comes to Takanuva and the trans allegory I think its also important to consider the toys design as well. Because of how intentional the design mirrors Gali Nuva. We know from Brian Ellis videos on the bionicle toys he designed that they weren't to restricted by the story when developing new toys. The story came afterwards. Which leaves room for some intepretation of why Takanuva was designed the way he was. Maybe the ussanui was designed first and it was built to fit Gali Nuva so that design was the only option for Takanuva. Or the less likely scenario that Takanuva was designed to be trans on some level. If we also go back to the story side of Bionicle it shouldn't be any news that matoran transform into their ideal version of a toa and for Takanuva that's Gali Nuva apparently. This however assumes the Avohkii transformation functions like a toa stone and not a red star lightning blast but I digress. Whether or not it was meant to be a direct allegory or not. The theory has very much evidence and credence to it. Even if an outright attempt wasn't made to make that happen maybe somethings were sprinkled along the way to hint towards something. Or maybe Takanuva is just a criticism on the futile nature of assigning genders to robots in the first place. Who knows😅

[@cryo1195]

If I had a nickel for everytime a fictional setting/story was also commonly loved by trans people I'd have at least 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but its weird it happened twice.

[@heroranuva8295]

Nice! What’s the other nickel?

[@cryo1195]

@@heroranuva8295 bna

[@ezustsilver]

@@cryo1195 British Newspaper Archive?

[@cryo1195]

@@ezustsilver Brand New Animal

[@picnicgrove8896]

I am a transwoman who grow up with biological but Gen. 2

[@heroranuva8295]

Oh cool!

[@infebris]

you said trans and non-binary identities have existed since ancient times, i’m not hating but just asking where you found that information?

[@infebris]

also on a completely unrelated note, the thing with takua he was actually made to be a matoran of light, not a matoran of fire, which is why he didn’t feel like he fit in, but he was raised as a matoran of fire, so there is a difference from him being a matoran of fire then becoming a toa of light and being a matoran of light that was raised as a matoran of fire and then turned into a toa of light, i don’t really think imo that that represents being trans, his true element was just hidden from him by others, not just purely discovering it on his own, it would be equvalent to a cisgendered girl being raised as a male, and then discovering she was born female

[@ArAsDeCos]

Ancient Sumaria. Worshippers of Inanna, for starters.

[@sumguy4700]

this is so based

[@heroranuva8295]

Thanks!

[@UraniumCoffee]

shout out to Ice gotta be one of my favorite genders

[@heroranuva8295]

Coolest gender there is