Toa Nuva (Earth-4001)

The Toa Mata were the group of Toa who first saved the island of Mata Nui from Makuta. These Toa later transformed into the Toa Nuva when they emerged from Energized Protodermis after defeating the Bohrok Queens, Cahdok and Gahdok. It was their destiny to awaken the Great Spirit after he was put to sleep by Makuta Teridax.

History
The history of the Toa Mata/Nuva prior to 2553 is the same as their mainstream counterparts.

Powers
The Toa Mata had the standard level Kanohi, tools, and powers most other Toa possessed.

As Toa Nuva, all of these traits were improved: their elemental powers became stronger, their tools gained new forms that offered an alternate mode for transport, and they even gained strong yet lightweight armor made of protodermis. Their masks also became enhanced Kanohi Nuva that not only had stronger powers, but could share those powers with others nearby. However, these new powers had some drawbacks. For one, their elemental powers were tied to new objects called Nuva Symbols, and if the Symbols were in the hands of enemies then the powers would be lost to the Toa. The Toa's collections of Great Kanohi had also disappeared, and the Toa had to scour the island again to find the Kanohi Nuva to replace them. The Toa Nuva could set "timed" uses of power, such as a delayed fireball.

Equipment
These were the tools and Kanohi the Toa Mata carried:
 * Tahu carried a Fire Sword and wore a Hau.
 * Gali carried Water Hooks and wore a Kaukau.
 * Lewa carried an Axe and wore a Miru.
 * Kopaka carried an Ice Sword and an Ice Shield, and wore an Akaku.
 * Pohatu wore Feet Additions and wore a Kakama.
 * Onua carried Earth Claws and wore a Pakari.

After their transformation into Toa Nuva their masks became stronger and received the ability to share their powers with other beings around them. They also received new Toa Tools which could be also used for transport. When they received their Adaptive Armor, all of the Toa Nuva gained different tools that were made of Protosteel. These were the weapons the Toa Nuva received:
 * Tahu received two Magma Swords which could also be used as a lava board. He later got the High-speed Rotating Blade and a Nynrah Ghostblaster. On March 2553, he used his Fire Sword again and was equipped with Golden Armor.
 * Gali received two Aqua Axes which could also be used as fins for faster swimming. She later got an Aqua Focus Target and a Nynrah Ghostblaster.
 * Lewa received two Air Katanas which could be used as wings. In 2008, he received an Air Saber and a Midak Skyblaster.
 * Kopaka received two Ice Blades and a bigger Ice Shield. The Ice Blades could also be used as skis. In 2008, he received a Midak Skyblaster with a Blizzard Blade.
 * Pohatu received two Climbing Claws and stronger Feet Additions. The Climbing Claws could also be put together to make a Kodan Ball. In 2008, he received two Twin Propellers and a Midak Skyblaster.
 * Onua received two Quake Breakers. They could also be used as all-terrain treads. He later got a Multi-Resistance Shield along with a Nynrah Ghostblaster with Laser System.
 * Takanuva carried the Staff of Light, rode the Ussanui, and wore the Kanohi Avohkii. In 2008 he used a Midak Skyblaster and a Power Lance. In 2010 he used Twin Light Staffs.
 * Ignika carried a Lifeblade and rode a Skyboard. "He" wore/was the Kanohi Ignika.

Trivia

 * When wearing Adaptive Armor, the Toa Nuva's eye colors all changed to a yellow-green color because of an eye-filter system that protected them from damage at high speeds.
 * Though he was not a Toa Nuva himself, Takanuva was considered an honorary member of the team. The "Toa" Ignika was as well, before he saved Mata Nui and lost his body.
 * The Toa Nuva were the most powerful Toa team since they they could share their mask powers with close allies, and have better control over their elemental powers than average Toa.
 * The legends of the Toa Mata and their mission were common knowledge in the Matoran Universe even before their awakening on Mata Nui, as the Turaga, the Makuta, and the Av-Matoran knew much about them.
 * In early drafts of the storyline, the six primary Mata were named after their weapons: Tahu was Flame, Kopaka was Sword, Lewa was Axe, Gali was Hook, Pohatu was Kick, and Onua was Claw. There were also originally only going to be four, based on the classical quartet of elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.