What's up with Pohatu?

[Kalija From Indian Lakes]

I'm sure I'm not the only one that's noticed Pohatu's new attitude adjustment. He acts similarly to gen 1 Kopaka.

 

I see why they made this tweak, to make the infamous brown color the "cool and serious" character. I personally don't mind it, but I truly miss the happy, enthusiastic Pohatu. Perhaps that Pohatu belongs in gen 1.

 

What do you guys think?

[McNugget]

Hmm, I think that it seems fitting for how he looks in set and Animation form, Whereas back in 2001 with such Big hips, nobody would take him seriously. 

[Aanchir]

Pohatu has always been characterized as courageous, strong, stubborn and reliable — just look at his original bio. All of these traits are consistent with his new bio as well.
 

The character trait some people seem to take issue with is that in the magazine insert from January, his bio says that "He can be extremely stubborn which sometimes leads him to butt heads with Tahu and Kopaka". A huge change from his classic, kind portrayal, isn't it? Well, not really. Even the classic Pohatu was characterized as stubborn. Look at that first comic. Sure, he's trying to befriend Kopaka. He's also helping out after being repeatedly told Kopaka doesn't want his help, not to mention countering Kopaka's icy rejection with his sharp wit.

"Let me help you out."
"Thank you. I don't need help."
"Let me do it. It'll be faster."
"I said... I can do it myself."
"Yeah, well... you missed one."

 

"Why not team up? It might make things easier."
"I work alone."
"By choice? Or just 'cause no one can stand you?"
"All right, come along. After all, I might need a mountain moved... or the island lifted."

It's not at all implausible that even the old Pohatu might be liable to butt heads with his headstrong teammates, given this stubborn streak. Even though he's not antisocial like G1 Kopaka and has nothing against working as a team, he's firmly committed to getting his way. So the idea that it would take a huge personality change for G2 Pohatu to get in arguments with his teammates is a bit of an exaggeration.

The decision to emphasize his stubbornness over his kindness in the new BIONICLE seems to me like they're just trying to bring him back to his elemental roots. His stubborn, unyielding attitude is his most stony trait, and it seems like a lot of G1 fans barely even noticed this aspect of his character. That indicates to me that the G1 story probably should have emphasized this trait more instead of just characterizing Pohatu as "the friendly one".

Edited March 11, 2015 by Aanchir

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Thanks. The transition between Gen 1 and Gen 2 is difficult, and its nice to see others thinking of it. I'm not sure I want to become full-on the Master of Stone, but I'll try to retain friendliness for as long as a can. Sooner or later, prolly by summer, I'll be the Australian serious deserty guy.

[MrSciFiGuy]

I can't judge too much until I read the books that come out later in the year. But I do see what you mean, and it does seem to be a deviation from his G1 persona.

[Rooster Nui]

Pohatu did appear to have an attitude change, but from what Aanchir stated, I can clearly see that there isn't actually that much of a difference. While it doesn't quite confirm that he's "friendly", what his new bio states about his attitude is very similar to what it stated in Generation 1.

 

I plan to wait for this year's novel to come out before judging his attitude again.

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

Is it obvious...         it's a reboot, everything is not going to be the same (it's like what I said in my reply video to LegoMationStudio Tahu review), some character will be the same or almost the same as there lest Gen and some that are nothing like there last Gen.

[Tuuli]

Thanks. The transition between Gen 1 and Gen 2 is difficult, and its nice to see others thinking of it. I'm not sure I want to become full-on the Master of Stone, but I'll try to retain friendliness for as long as a can. Sooner or later, prolly by summer, I'll be the Australian serious deserty guy.

Then become the N00blet of stone, if you will not accept your destiny!!

Edited March 12, 2015 by Tuuli

[The Hip Historian Iaredios]

Pohatu did appear to have an attitude change, but from what Aanchir stated, I can clearly see that there isn't actually that much of a difference. While it doesn't quite confirm that he's "friendly", what his new bio states about his attitude is very similar to what it stated in Generation 1.

 

I plan to wait for this year's novel to come out before judging his attitude again.

I came to the same conclusion, and like-wise will wait for the books.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

I kind of hope he'll have character development that, while he is initially unfriendly, he learns from his teammates and ends up becoming the Pohatu we know and love, personality-wise. That would be a great take on the character.

 

-NotS

[king_of_the_rabbits]

You really can't take that much from the bio. The only way you will really understand any of the character really, is when you read the books.

[Zidonaro]

He's definetly different, but I don't mind that much. These are new characters after all, and to me, it appears that Onua now has old Pohatu's personality.

[Banana Gunz]

I do feel Pohatu losing his friendliness is a little sad since that's one of the reasons I always liked him. On a team of strong and distinct personalities, his care for others was unmatched even if he had to make them a little uncomfortable for it.

 

Sure, he was always slightly stubborn, but I get the feeling that he's lost some of friendliness too, and though stubbornness is more associated with stone, I'd prefer the nicer and more laid back one which made him more interesting for me. I find that him being able to stay friendly and accepting despite his elemental biome being the most harsh would make him a lot cooler.

 

Plus, his stubbornness was more of persistence and was always there only when he was trying to get across to someone. Gen 2's descriptions of him simply feel written to make him uselessly grumpy and hardened and make him fit the stone stereotype more. I feel the team has enough titans struggling for their way on the team (Tahu and Kopaka), and making half the entire team too stubborn to make a proper decision is a bad idea, because when everyone wants to have their way, no one gets it.

 

Just because he was somewhat stubborn on occation before, it never meant he would actually get into outright arguments or conflicts with others because he was too busy trying to help others than have things his way.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Banana Gunz

[Aanchir]

He's definetly different, but I don't mind that much. These are new characters after all, and to me, it appears that Onua now has old Pohatu's personality.

Actually, Onua has old Onua's personality. "Quiet and wise" was always his schtick prior to BIONICLE: Mask of Light, which gave him a more boisterous demeanor.

 

I do feel Pohatu losing his friendliness is a little sad since that's one of the reasons I always liked him. On a team of strong and distinct personalities, his care for others was unmatched even if he had to make them a little uncomfortable for it.

 

Sure, he was always slightly stubborn, but I get the feeling that he's lost some of friendliness too, and though stubbornness is more associated with stone, I'd prefer the nicer and more laid back one which made him more interesting for me. I find that him being able to stay friendly and accepting despite his elemental biome being the most harsh would make him a lot cooler.

 

Plus, his stubbornness was more of persistence and was always there only when he was trying to get across to someone. Gen 2's descriptions of him simply feel written to make him uselessly grumpy and hardened and make him fit the stone stereotype more. I feel the team has enough titans struggling for their way on the team (Tahu and Kopaka), and making half the entire team too stubborn to make a proper decision is a bad idea, because when everyone wants to have their way, no one gets it.

 

Just because he was somewhat stubborn on occation before, it never meant he would actually get into outright arguments or conflicts with others because he was too busy trying to help others than have things his way.

 

Can you point me to any example in the old BIONICLE story where Pohatu didn't get his way? I'm struggling to think of any. The fact that he was friendly doesn't mean he ever had to keep his stubbornness/persistence (it doesn't really matter which you call it; they're effectively the same thing) in check. It just means the G1 story never put him in any situations where his stubbornness actually created any problems... which could teach kids a somewhat questionable lesson by implying there's nothing wrong with always getting things your way.

 

On that note, if Pohatu's stubbornness in G1 never created any problems, then what would you say his chief narrative flaws were? Because a character without any significant flaws usually isn't very well-written, and Pohatu's fear of water, even if that WERE a meaningful personality flaw, never really came up in the story either. His "Abilities and Traits" summary on BS01 doesn't betray any meaningful weaknesses. So not only does making G2 Pohatu's stubbornness actually apparent bring him more in line with his elemental archetype, it also makes him a more realistic and relatable character.

 

No descriptions we've got of G2 Pohatu make him seem "uselessly grumpy and hardened", that's just an assumption people are making because he's not being explicitly described as friendly and he sometimes butts heads with Tahu and Kopaka (because of course, anybody who ever gets into arguments MUST be "uselessly grumpy and hardened"... ). His bio on the website doesn't say a single thing that makes him sound irritable or unfriendly.

 

What's more, we have little reason to assume that stubbornness will be a defining character trait for Tahu or Kopaka the way it is for Pohatu. Kopaka and Tahu do fight over leadership in one of the later episodes that has yet to be released in English, but judging from the bios on the BIONICLE website, it seems like whatever feuds they have will have more to do with Tahu's hot temper, his heroic self-image, and Kopaka's perfectionism than with either of them being stubborn or unfriendly.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Aanchir

[CaT in Rogue]

The new Pohatu is Batman. No-one shall be able to convince me otherwise.

[Banana Gunz]

 

He's definetly different, but I don't mind that much. These are new characters after all, and to me, it appears that Onua now has old Pohatu's personality.

Actually, Onua has old Onua's personality. "Quiet and wise" was always his schtick prior to BIONICLE: Mask of Light, which gave him a more boisterous demeanor.

 

I do feel Pohatu losing his friendliness is a little sad since that's one of the reasons I always liked him. On a team of strong and distinct personalities, his care for others was unmatched even if he had to make them a little uncomfortable for it.

 

Sure, he was always slightly stubborn, but I get the feeling that he's lost some of friendliness too, and though stubbornness is more associated with stone, I'd prefer the nicer and more laid back one which made him more interesting for me. I find that him being able to stay friendly and accepting despite his elemental biome being the most harsh would make him a lot cooler.

 

Plus, his stubbornness was more of persistence and was always there only when he was trying to get across to someone. Gen 2's descriptions of him simply feel written to make him uselessly grumpy and hardened and make him fit the stone stereotype more. I feel the team has enough titans struggling for their way on the team (Tahu and Kopaka), and making half the entire team too stubborn to make a proper decision is a bad idea, because when everyone wants to have their way, no one gets it.

 

Just because he was somewhat stubborn on occation before, it never meant he would actually get into outright arguments or conflicts with others because he was too busy trying to help others than have things his way.

 

Can you point me to any example in the old BIONICLE story where Pohatu didn't get his way? I'm struggling to think of any. The fact that he was friendly doesn't mean he ever had to keep his stubbornness/persistence (it doesn't really matter which you call it; they're effectively the same thing) in check. It just means the G1 story never put him in any situations where his stubbornness actually created any problems... which could teach kids a somewhat questionable lesson by implying there's nothing wrong with always getting things your way.

 

On that note, if Pohatu's stubbornness in G1 never created any problems, then what would you say his chief narrative flaws were? Because a character without any significant flaws usually isn't very well-written, and Pohatu's fear of water, even if that WERE a meaningful personality flaw, never really came up in the story either. His "Abilities and Traits" summary on BS01 doesn't betray any meaningful weaknesses. So not only does making G2 Pohatu's stubbornness actually apparent bring him more in line with his elemental archetype, it also makes him a more realistic and relatable character.

 

No descriptions we've got of G2 Pohatu make him seem "uselessly grumpy and hardened", that's just an assumption people are making because he's not being explicitly described as friendly and he sometimes butts heads with Tahu and Kopaka (because of course, anybody who ever gets into arguments MUST be "uselessly grumpy and hardened"... ). His bio on the website doesn't say a single thing that makes him sound irritable or unfriendly.

 

What's more, we have little reason to assume that stubbornness will be a defining character trait for Tahu or Kopaka the way it is for Pohatu. Kopaka and Tahu do fight over leadership in one of the later episodes that has yet to be released in English, but judging from the bios on the BIONICLE website, it seems like whatever feuds they have will have more to do with Tahu's hot temper, his heroic self-image, and Kopaka's perfectionism than with either of them being stubborn or unfriendly.

 

 

I would say old Pohatu's biggest flaw was that he was too unwilling to let others go their own way. Look at Mask of Light for example, where he is unwilling to accept the circumstances of the other toa moving on from the team. Even Gali has accepted it despite all her banter of unity for she fell to anger against Tahu, whereas Pohatu is like the opposite of Onua in that he can't let others learn by themselves. I'd say that's a pretty important and very interesting character trait. Sure it's basically stubbornness, but it's far more defined than just that, it also has much to do with his love for his friends rather than just being thick headed to be thick headed. For all he tried here, he didn't get his way.

 

I just find it odd that Lego went out of their way to specify that he was stubborn and got into arguments with fellow team members often, where old Bionicle never said or particularly showed him doing. If it was an argument, he was willing and accepting, still trying to work cooperatively with those around him. True, it could be just that I'm taking it too closely, but G1 focused on his kinder aspects while G2 only makes mention of his rougher ones. And it's not an illogical thing to assume that those who are grumpy and hard headed can tend to get into arguments, as it implies a lack of ability to cooperate or too unable to go by others ways, which can cause conflict.

 

And again, from how much his toughness and stubbornness has been advertized so far, as well as that being almost all we've been advertized about this character so far, I don't feel that it is an off assumption that this could be his biggest trait. Lego has no reason to confuse people about the basic personalities of its characters, especially since they've been trying to simplify things.The only other soft side they've hinted at him having is when he's afraid of the dark... these characters are pretty basic and self-explanatory so though I do expect character development, I don't expect them to completely change from the basic impressions we've seen so far.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Banana Gunz

[Kalija From Indian Lakes]

I'm talking about the new Pohatu that we've presently come to know, even with the little info from bios and webisodes.

 

Sure, he could evolve in the future, but that doesn't mean he has yet. And so far, he is undeniably different, no matter how you look at it.

[The Meta Knight]

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

[Kalija From Indian Lakes]

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise.

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

YES! I don't think it's as complex as it's being made.

Pohatu surely has the absolute BASIC traits of his G1 personality, like you said.

[fishers64]

The fact that he was friendly doesn't mean he ever had to keep his stubbornness/persistence (it doesn't really matter which you call it; they're effectively the same thing) in check. 

I dislike nitpicking semantics, but stubbornness and persistence are not the same thing.

 

Persistence is the drive to keep going in the face of obstacles. Stubbornness is the refusal to give up on your position no matter what anyone says. No matter what, you won't move.

 

Persistence is walking along and jumping over the wall - stubbornness is a deep, deep pit of going nowhere. It is the exact opposite of persistence. A persistent person, when they encounter an obstacle, will go through, up, or around it. They will change their approach to combat the obstacle. A stubborn person will not change their approach, will insist that their approach is "the only correct one" and will eventually burn out and fail if they are not forced to change approaches...and if they are forced to change approaches, will complain endlessly about it.

 

*gets off of soapbox*

 

Anyway, I think the biggest issue here is the impression that Pohatu is butting heads with Tahu/Kopaka, when in G1 Pohatu was this lighthearted and jovial friendly kinda guy.

 

But it's not just Pohatu. If you have seen the accidentally released episodes in the wrong language, I think it's hard to escape the impression that all of the Toa are much more jerky than their G1 counterparts. It's like the Captain Kirk in the 2011 version of the movie versus the TOS Captain Kirk. (Not to say that Captain Kirk was ever the pinnacle of moral excellence, but you get what I mean.)

 

 

Tahu and Kopaka fight each other on sight. Lewa laughs at the two of them fighting. Gali calls her team "fools!". Onua picks up Tahu and Kopaka by their necks to break up their fight. There's no sense of any moral character or team chemistry at all.

 

 

Pohatu's change in personality is just a reflection of the abysmal character of all of the rest of them. 

[Aanchir]

I just find it odd that Lego went out of their way to specify that he was stubborn and got into arguments with fellow team members often, where old Bionicle never said or particularly showed him doing. If it was an argument, he was willing and accepting, still trying to work cooperatively with those around him. True, it could be just that I'm taking it too closely, but G1 focused on his kinder aspects while G2 only makes mention of his rougher ones. And it's not an illogical thing to assume that those who are grumpy and hard headed can tend to get into arguments, as it implies a lack of ability to cooperate or too unable to go by others ways, which can cause conflict.

 

And again, from how much his toughness and stubbornness has been advertized so far, as well as that being almost all we've been advertized about this character so far, I don't feel that it is an off assumption that this could be his biggest trait. Lego has no reason to confuse people about the basic personalities of its characters, especially since they've been trying to simplify things.The only other soft side they've hinted at him having is when he's afraid of the dark... these characters are pretty basic and self-explanatory so though I do expect character development, I don't expect them to completely change from the basic impressions we've seen so far.

It's not illogical to assume that grumpy and hard-headed people tend to get into arguments, but it IS illogical to assume that people who occasionally get into arguments tend to be grumpy and hard-headed. Even people with bright, sunny dispositions can get into arguments, and even with their good friends, if they feel like their voice is not being heard. Friendship doesn't mean always getting along or never getting into fights, especially when the group of friends in question have personalities as different as the six Toa.

 

I'm not denying that G2 Pohatu's biggest traits are his toughness and stubbornness. That much is obvious. But you seem to think that those traits mean his character has been fundamentally altered, when in fact toughness and stubbornness were core traits of Pohatu's personality from the beginning, and neither of them even so much as implies that he's now unfriendly, grumpy, or serious. Certainly your statements that he "acts more like G1 Kopaka" or that he is now "the cool and serious character" have no grounds whatsoever.

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

But G1 Pohatu didn't do everything with a smile on his face. In Comic #6 he was anything but cheerful, first somberly lamenting the way the Bohrok had driven all the life from the canyons of Po-Wahi, then striking back against the Bohrok with vengeful fury. When traveling through the tunnel to the Bohrok hive, he also comments on the tunnel walls with grim apprehension. Pohatu was cheerful when he needed to be, but he was definitely not some happy-go-lucky "free spirit".

 

What's more, we've seen nothing to suggest G2 Pohatu is grim or serious compared to his predecessor. This seems to be an assumption people are arriving at based on his deep, gruff voice in his character video (hence the pretty much completely unfounded Batman comparisons), but a deep, gruff voice says nothing about a character's attitude. Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies had a deep voice, and when he had something serious to say he would sound serious about it, but his personality was downright ebullient. Not to mention, that voice clip was of Pohatu reciting a mantra. Should he not have sounded serious as he did so?

 

 

The fact that he was friendly doesn't mean he ever had to keep his stubbornness/persistence (it doesn't really matter which you call it; they're effectively the same thing) in check.

I dislike nitpicking semantics, but stubbornness and persistence are not the same thing.

 

Persistence is the drive to keep going in the face of obstacles. Stubbornness is the refusal to give up on your position no matter what anyone says. No matter what, you won't move.

 

Persistence is walking along and jumping over the wall - stubbornness is a deep, deep pit of going nowhere. It is the exact opposite of persistence. A persistent person, when they encounter an obstacle, will go through, up, or around it. They will change their approach to combat the obstacle. A stubborn person will not change their approach, will insist that their approach is "the only correct one" and will eventually burn out and fail if they are not forced to change approaches...and if they are forced to change approaches, will complain endlessly about it.

 

*gets off of soapbox*

 

Anyway, I think the biggest issue here is the impression that Pohatu is butting heads with Tahu/Kopaka, when in G1 Pohatu was this lighthearted and jovial friendly kinda guy.

 

But it's not just Pohatu. If you have seen the accidentally released episodes in the wrong language, I think it's hard to escape the impression that all of the Toa are much more jerky than their G1 counterparts. It's like the Captain Kirk in the 2011 version of the movie versus the TOS Captain Kirk. (Not to say that Captain Kirk was ever the pinnacle of moral excellence, but you get what I mean.)

 

 

Tahu and Kopaka fight each other on sight. Lewa laughs at the two of them fighting. Gali calls her team "fools!". Onua picks up Tahu and Kopaka by their necks to break up their fight. There's no sense of any moral character or team chemistry at all.

 

 

Pohatu's change in personality is just a reflection of the abysmal character of all of the rest of them.

 

I strongly disagree with this entire post.

 

First of all, your descriptions of stubbornness and persistence are EXTREMELY subjective. The actual definitions are more flexible and not nearly so particular about what a stubborn or persistent person would or would not do. And anyway, as you describe them, it sounds like both would describe the G1 and G2 versions of Pohatu in pretty much equal measure. That's why I said they're effectively the same thing. In some other context, you might have more of an argument about them being different, especially if a stubborn character is being presented as a foil to a persistent character or vice-versa. But as G1 Pohatu's original bio said, "when he makes a decision to do something, he stands firm until the end--so DON'T get in his way!" That sounds equal parts stubborn and persistent to me.

 

Granted, I haven't watched the episodes that haven't been released in English, but nothing about anything you described makes the Toa sound more like jerks than their G1 incarnations to me. The G1 Toa said very harsh things to each other even when they were ostensibly getting along. And anyway, people don't have to be jerks to not get along. It also sounds like in that scene which supposedly epitomized how disagreeable the new Toa are, you couldn't find any example of Pohatu acting like a jerk, which kind of undermines the idea that he's more of a jerk than his G1 incarnation.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Aanchir

[Petewa]

The new Pohatu is Batman. No-one shall be able to convince me otherwise.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well either way, Brohatu, RIP if you're dead, if not, arise from the ashes, cheer everyone up, and get them to stahp calling you Batman.

[Kalija From Indian Lakes]

 

I just find it odd that Lego went out of their way to specify that he was stubborn and got into arguments with fellow team members often, where old Bionicle never said or particularly showed him doing. If it was an argument, he was willing and accepting, still trying to work cooperatively with those around him. True, it could be just that I'm taking it too closely, but G1 focused on his kinder aspects while G2 only makes mention of his rougher ones. And it's not an illogical thing to assume that those who are grumpy and hard headed can tend to get into arguments, as it implies a lack of ability to cooperate or too unable to go by others ways, which can cause conflict.

 

And again, from how much his toughness and stubbornness has been advertized so far, as well as that being almost all we've been advertized about this character so far, I don't feel that it is an off assumption that this could be his biggest trait. Lego has no reason to confuse people about the basic personalities of its characters, especially since they've been trying to simplify things.The only other soft side they've hinted at him having is when he's afraid of the dark... these characters are pretty basic and self-explanatory so though I do expect character development, I don't expect them to completely change from the basic impressions we've seen so far.

It's not illogical to assume that grumpy and hard-headed people tend to get into arguments, but it IS illogical to assume that people who occasionally get into arguments tend to be grumpy and hard-headed. Even people with bright, sunny dispositions can get into arguments, and even with their good friends, if they feel like their voice is not being heard. Friendship doesn't mean always getting along or never getting into fights, especially when the group of friends in question have personalities as different as the six Toa.

 

I'm not denying that G2 Pohatu's biggest traits are his toughness and stubbornness. That much is obvious. But you seem to think that those traits mean his character has been fundamentally altered, when in fact toughness and stubbornness were core traits of Pohatu's personality from the beginning, and neither of them even so much as implies that he's now unfriendly, grumpy, or serious. Certainly your statements that he "acts more like G1 Kopaka" or that he is now "the cool and serious character" have no grounds whatsoever.

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise.

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

But G1 Pohatu didn't do everything with a smile on his face. In Comic #6 he was anything but cheerful, first somberly lamenting the way the Bohrok had driven all the life from the canyons of Po-Wahi, then striking back against the Bohrok with vengeful fury. When traveling through the tunnel to the Bohrok hive, he also comments on the tunnel walls with grim apprehension. Pohatu was cheerful when he needed to be, but he was definitely not some happy-go-lucky "free spirit".

 

What's more, we've seen nothing to suggest G2 Pohatu is grim or serious compared to his predecessor. This seems to be an assumption people are arriving at based on his deep, gruff voice in his character video (hence the pretty much completely unfounded Batman comparisons), but a deep, gruff voice says nothing about a character's attitude. Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies had a deep voice, and when he had something serious to say he would sound serious about it, but his personality was downright ebullient. Not to mention, that voice clip was of Pohatu reciting a mantra. Should he not have sounded serious as he did so?

 

The fact that he was friendly doesn't mean he ever had to keep his stubbornness/persistence (it doesn't really matter which you call it; they're effectively the same thing) in check.

I dislike nitpicking semantics, but stubbornness and persistence are not the same thing.

 

Persistence is the drive to keep going in the face of obstacles. Stubbornness is the refusal to give up on your position no matter what anyone says. No matter what, you won't move.

 

Persistence is walking along and jumping over the wall - stubbornness is a deep, deep pit of going nowhere. It is the exact opposite of persistence. A persistent person, when they encounter an obstacle, will go through, up, or around it. They will change their approach to combat the obstacle. A stubborn person will not change their approach, will insist that their approach is "the only correct one" and will eventually burn out and fail if they are not forced to change approaches...and if they are forced to change approaches, will complain endlessly about it.

 

*gets off of soapbox*

 

Anyway, I think the biggest issue here is the impression that Pohatu is butting heads with Tahu/Kopaka, when in G1 Pohatu was this lighthearted and jovial friendly kinda guy.

 

But it's not just Pohatu. If you have seen the accidentally released episodes in the wrong language, I think it's hard to escape the impression that all of the Toa are much more jerky than their G1 counterparts. It's like the Captain Kirk in the 2011 version of the movie versus the TOS Captain Kirk. (Not to say that Captain Kirk was ever the pinnacle of moral excellence, but you get what I mean.)

 

 

Tahu and Kopaka fight each other on sight. Lewa laughs at the two of them fighting. Gali calls her team "fools!". Onua picks up Tahu and Kopaka by their necks to break up their fight. There's no sense of any moral character or team chemistry at all.

 

 

Pohatu's change in personality is just a reflection of the abysmal character of all of the rest of them.

I strongly disagree with this entire post.

 

First of all, your descriptions of stubbornness and persistence are EXTREMELY subjective. The actual definitions are more flexible and not nearly so particular about what a stubborn or persistent person would or would not do. And anyway, as you describe them, it sounds like both would describe the G1 and G2 versions of Pohatu in pretty much equal measure. That's why I said they're effectively the same thing. In some other context, you might have more of an argument about them being different, especially if a stubborn character is being presented as a foil to a persistent character or vice-versa. But as G1 Pohatu's original bio said, "when he makes a decision to do something, he stands firm until the end--so DON'T get in his way!" That sounds equal parts stubborn and persistent to me.

 

Granted, I haven't watched the episodes that haven't been released in English, but nothing about anything you described makes the Toa sound more like jerks than their G1 incarnations to me. The G1 Toa said very harsh things to each other even when they were ostensibly getting along. And anyway, people don't have to be jerks to not get along. It also sounds like in that scene which supposedly epitomized how disagreeable the new Toa are, you couldn't find any example of Pohatu acting like a jerk, which kind of undermines the idea that he's more of a jerk than his G1 incarnation.

Aanchir I think you are the G2 Pohatu

[The Meta Knight]

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

But G1 Pohatu didn't do everything with a smile on his face. In Comic #6 he was anything but cheerful, first somberly lamenting the way the Bohrok had driven all the life from the canyons of Po-Wahi, then striking back against the Bohrok with vengeful fury. When traveling through the tunnel to the Bohrok hive, he also comments on the tunnel walls with grim apprehension. Pohatu was cheerful when he needed to be, but he was definitely not some happy-go-lucky "free spirit".

 

What's more, we've seen nothing to suggest G2 Pohatu is grim or serious compared to his predecessor. This seems to be an assumption people are arriving at based on his deep, gruff voice in his character video (hence the pretty much completely unfounded Batman comparisons), but a deep, gruff voice says nothing about a character's attitude. Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies had a deep voice, and when he had something serious to say he would sound serious about it, but his personality was downright ebullient. Not to mention, that voice clip was of Pohatu reciting a mantra. Should he not have sounded serious as he did so?

 

Of course he didn't do everything with a smile on his face. You take what I said far too literally. Of course no relatable character will have a smile twenty-four/seven. 

 

My point was, given what we've seen of Pohatu thus far, he is far more serious about what he does in gen 2 than he was in gen 1. Get it?

 

EDIT: And, coming to myself, I was trying to commend Pohatu's character more than anything else really. Like I said, Pohatu is among my favorite characters, and from what we've seen thus far, it appears he will be largely changed... But that's only what we've seen of him.

 

 

The new Pohatu is Batman. No-one shall be able to convince me otherwise.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

Well either way, Brohatu, RIP if you're dead, if not, arise from the ashes, cheer everyone up, and get them to stahp calling you Batman.

 

I'd say everything is fan speculation at this point; we've seen too little of Pohatu to effectively assume anything. He might end up just as kindhearted as his former self in the later media. 

 

And what is cool/serious about boomerangs? When I first saw the Gen 2 Toa sets, I couldn't stop thinking to myself how goofy he looks.

 

Onua's warhammer was a good move, though.

Edited March 16, 2015 by The Meta Knight

[fishers64]

First of all, your descriptions of stubbornness and persistence are EXTREMELY subjective. The actual definitions are more flexible and not nearly so particular about what a stubborn or persistent person would or would not do.

Let's fix that.

 

stubborn

[stuhb-ern]

 

adjective

1.unreasonably obstinate; obstinately unmoving:

a stubborn child.

 

2.fixed or set in purpose or opinion; resolute:

a stubborn opponent of foreign aid.

 

3.obstinately maintained, as a course of action:

a stubborn resistance.

 

4.difficult to manage or suppress:

a stubborn horse; a stubborn pain.

 

5.hard, tough, or stiff, as stone or wood; difficult to shape or work.

 

Source

 

persistence

[per-sis-tuh ns, -zis-]

noun

1.the act or fact of persisting.

 

2.the quality of being persistent:

You have persistence, I'll say that for you.

 

3.continued existence or occurrence:

the persistence of smallpox.

 

4.the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.

 

persistent

[per-sis-tuh nt, -zis-]

 

adjective

1.persisting, especially in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.; persevering:

a most annoyingly persistent young man.

 

2.lasting or enduring tenaciously:

the persistent aroma of verbena; a persistent cough.

 

3.constantly repeated; continued:

persistent noise.

 

persist

verb (used without object)

1.to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc.:

to persist in working for world peace; to persist in unpopular political activities.

 

2.to last or endure tenaciously:

The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.

 

3.to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

None of these definitions contradict what I just said, which is how those words are used in practice. In any case, they are two different things, if and only if persistence is a quality of one's attitude toward events and obstacles whereas stubbornness is someone's attitude toward other people.

 

And the definitions not being particular to my example actually wasn't my point; the point was to show how those qualities exist in others so whether Pohatu had them could be determined.  

 

And anyway, as you describe them, it sounds like both would describe the G1 and G2 versions of Pohatu in pretty much equal measure. That's why I said they're effectively the same thing. In some other context, you might have more of an argument about them being different, especially if a stubborn character is being presented as a foil to a persistent character or vice-versa. But as G1 Pohatu's original bio said, "when he makes a decision to do something, he stands firm until the end--so DON'T get in his way!" That sounds equal parts stubborn and persistent to me.

 

Granted, I haven't watched the episodes that haven't been released in English, but nothing about anything you described makes the Toa sound more like jerks than their G1 incarnations to me. The G1 Toa said very harsh things to each other even when they were ostensibly getting along. And anyway, people don't have to be jerks to not get along. It also sounds like in that scene which supposedly epitomized how disagreeable the new Toa are, you couldn't find any example of Pohatu acting like a jerk, which kind of undermines the idea that he's more of a jerk than his G1 incarnation.

Okay, first off I'm not taking a hard stance on this issue just yet. G1 Pohatu does not bring either stubbornness or persistence immediately to mind, although his attitude toward Kopaka shows a good deal of stubbornness. I haven't met G2 Pohatu well, so I can't make any good conclusions - I didn't hear Pohatu's G2 dialogue in a language I could understand, so I really don't know who he is. The tone of his lines though was just as jib-y as the rest of them though. I think he's snarky. 

 

Second off, if Pohatu G2 is more jerky, so is everyone else - it just shows a G2 trend, not that the storytellers purposely gave Pohatu the short end of the stormrang.

[MarkSurge9411]

I don't know, but I like it!

[Regitnui]

he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely,

Bingo! Ding-ding! Have a cookie! These characters are not their G1 counterparts. Tahu Okoto is not Tahu Nuva, nor is Pohatu Okoto Pohatu Nuva. Of course the team doesn't get along. They haven't had three years of character development.

 

Or wait, let's talk about how LoSS is such a departure from the Kagarahk, because it's obviously meant to be a CCBS visorak. And what about Skull Scorpio not being a Nui-Jaga? I mean, what scandal. And why is Two-kua not wearing a blue Protector mask like he should be?

 

This is generation 2. These are not the same characters. Comparing them to their G1 counterparts will only give you a depressing sense of nostalgia and *inappropriate content censored*, if male, or *again* if female.

[Petewa]

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

But G1 Pohatu didn't do everything with a smile on his face. In Comic #6 he was anything but cheerful, first somberly lamenting the way the Bohrok had driven all the life from the canyons of Po-Wahi, then striking back against the Bohrok with vengeful fury. When traveling through the tunnel to the Bohrok hive, he also comments on the tunnel walls with grim apprehension. Pohatu was cheerful when he needed to be, but he was definitely not some happy-go-lucky "free spirit".

 

What's more, we've seen nothing to suggest G2 Pohatu is grim or serious compared to his predecessor. This seems to be an assumption people are arriving at based on his deep, gruff voice in his character video (hence the pretty much completely unfounded Batman comparisons), but a deep, gruff voice says nothing about a character's attitude. Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies had a deep voice, and when he had something serious to say he would sound serious about it, but his personality was downright ebullient. Not to mention, that voice clip was of Pohatu reciting a mantra. Should he not have sounded serious as he did so?

 

Of course he didn't do everything with a smile on his face. You take what I said far too literally. Of course no relatable character will have a smile twenty-four/seven. 

 

My point was, given what we've seen of Pohatu thus far, he is far more serious about what he does in gen 2 than he was in gen 1. Get it?

 

EDIT: And, coming to myself, I was trying to commend Pohatu's character more than anything else really. Like I said, Pohatu is among my favorite characters, and from what we've seen thus far, it appears he will be largely changed... But that's only what we've seen of him.

 

 

The new Pohatu is Batman. No-one shall be able to convince me otherwise.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

Well either way, Brohatu, RIP if you're dead, if not, arise from the ashes, cheer everyone up, and get them to stahp calling you Batman.

 

I'd say everything is fan speculation at this point; we've seen too little of Pohatu to effectively assume anything. He might end up just as kindhearted as his former self in the later media. 

 

And what is cool/serious about boomerangs? When I first saw the Gen 2 Toa sets, I couldn't stop thinking to myself how goofy he looks.

 

Onua's warhammer was a good move, though.

 

Batman has boomerangs,

[Lyichir]

Frankly, I just find it laughable that ANYONE seems to think we've seen enough of G2 Pohatu to form a conclusive profile of him. As my brother pointed out, his bio is near identical to his original bio save for the addition of more info, and other than that we've only seen an animation of him obtaining his golden mask (which has the exact same structure as the other Toa's animations, granting no insight into his character whatsoever), and episodes that aren't supposed to be released yet in foreign languages that provide little insight into Pohatu's attitude or character.

 

It wouldn't bother me even if Pohatu's characterization DID change, since that change seems from all indications to just return him to his original character concept before other media changed his characterization completely. But for all we know, the new Bionicle could do the exact same thing. 2016 Pohatu could well become the amicable bro Pohatu appeared as in Mask of Light. So why view the new Pohatu's personality as absolute and unchanging, particularly when the original Pohatu was pretty much never consistent in his characterization?

[Lego-of.me]

 

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

But G1 Pohatu didn't do everything with a smile on his face. In Comic #6 he was anything but cheerful, first somberly lamenting the way the Bohrok had driven all the life from the canyons of Po-Wahi, then striking back against the Bohrok with vengeful fury. When traveling through the tunnel to the Bohrok hive, he also comments on the tunnel walls with grim apprehension. Pohatu was cheerful when he needed to be, but he was definitely not some happy-go-lucky "free spirit".

 

What's more, we've seen nothing to suggest G2 Pohatu is grim or serious compared to his predecessor. This seems to be an assumption people are arriving at based on his deep, gruff voice in his character video (hence the pretty much completely unfounded Batman comparisons), but a deep, gruff voice says nothing about a character's attitude. Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies had a deep voice, and when he had something serious to say he would sound serious about it, but his personality was downright ebullient. Not to mention, that voice clip was of Pohatu reciting a mantra. Should he not have sounded serious as he did so?

 

Of course he didn't do everything with a smile on his face. You take what I said far too literally. Of course no relatable character will have a smile twenty-four/seven. 

 

My point was, given what we've seen of Pohatu thus far, he is far more serious about what he does in gen 2 than he was in gen 1. Get it?

 

EDIT: And, coming to myself, I was trying to commend Pohatu's character more than anything else really. Like I said, Pohatu is among my favorite characters, and from what we've seen thus far, it appears he will be largely changed... But that's only what we've seen of him.

 

 

The new Pohatu is Batman. No-one shall be able to convince me otherwise.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

I'm not really all that comfortable with the change they made to Pohatu. I think all of his basic identity is there, but he seems to have a completely different tone to him to the point where he seems like a different character entirely, at least as far as I view him. Sure he's still dependable/brave/headstrong/strong-willed and all, but he does everything (at least as far as can be seen) with such a harsh tone compared to his original incarnations happy-to-help attitude.

 

To me, that's what made the character. It's not the fact that he did everything with a kind attitude that made him, it was the fact that he could be as courageous, stubborn, and strong-willed as he was and yet still be able to do everything with a smile on his face; that's what made him to me. That is true Chivalry for you; believe me. That is why he is one of my favorite characters in the whole franchise. 

 

All in all, I would say this is the change I was disappointed by most. (If there were any other changes I was disappointed by... ) I will certainly miss Pohatu's old attitude. His personality reflects what every human should strive for; he's perhaps the greatest role model in first gen Bionicle's story.

 

As for his new attitude, I don't think it's necessary at all. We definitely have enough serious Batman-type characters in modern media. WAY too many of them for that matter. Serious bad-A s are commonplace in the world of today. But Pohatu? Gen 1 Pohatu was a Diamond among Coals.

Is that the deep voice and boomerangs talking?

 

Well either way, Brohatu, RIP if you're dead, if not, arise from the ashes, cheer everyone up, and get them to stahp calling you Batman.

 

I'd say everything is fan speculation at this point; we've seen too little of Pohatu to effectively assume anything. He might end up just as kindhearted as his former self in the later media. 

 

And what is cool/serious about boomerangs? When I first saw the Gen 2 Toa sets, I couldn't stop thinking to myself how goofy he looks.

 

Onua's warhammer was a good move, though.

 

Batman has boomerangs,

 

 

 

I think that both sides of this argument are unfounded as of yet, and that the reason for the wierd voice problem is caused by having a single voice actor who is already saying everything in a gravely voice.

[Nato G]

Gen2 Pohatu seems like a weird, super-serious Aussie/Batman type character, and I'm not sure I like it, to be honest. 

[Cwog]

I think that all the characters have a lot of room to grow and develop, so I'm really looking forward to the books.

[Regitnui]

I would also like to point out that this isn't Pohatu-Mata, but a completely new character that shares the name. We're not expecting Makuta to appear as a bunch of whirling parts, so why would we expect any other Gen2 character to be their namesake?

[ToaKapura1234]

I would also like to point out that this isn't Pohatu-Mata, but a completely new character that shares the name. We're not expecting Makuta to appear as a bunch of whirling parts, so why would we expect any other Gen2 character to be their namesake?

If the characters are not at all the same why share names except as a marketing ploy? They shouldn't be the same but should be similar. Like 2009 Star Trek.

[Sharnak the Bohrok Lord]

 

I would also like to point out that this isn't Pohatu-Mata, but a completely new character that shares the name. We're not expecting Makuta to appear as a bunch of whirling parts, so why would we expect any other Gen2 character to be their namesake?

If the characters are not at all the same why share names except as a marketing ploy? They shouldn't be the same but should be similar. Like 2009 Star Trek.

 

As someone part of the Transformers fandom, which has many incarnations, this is more common than you would think.

 

In G1, for example, Wheeljack was an eccentric inventor, always making new things that may or may not work. His new incarnation in Transformers Prime, however, is an lone-wolf soldier who likes to fight with swords and blows things up.

 

Even TMNT does this too. In Mirage Comics and the 2003 cartoon, Baxter Stockman was a successful scientist who, although already rich and powerful, misused his inventions out of greed and was overall an egomaniac. His 80's and 2012 cartoon incarnations? A naive loser who only turned evil because he was mistreated by the turtles and mutated into a fly by the Shredder. Oh, and the 80's cartoon made him white. For some reason.

 

Keep in mind that a reboot is also a reimagining of a story and characters and is free to change things up. Call G2 Pohatu Batman all you want, just remember that even Batman has been reimagined many times, too. He may be grim and gritty now but at one point he was played by Adam West.

[Cwog]

 

 

I would also like to point out that this isn't Pohatu-Mata, but a completely new character that shares the name. We're not expecting Makuta to appear as a bunch of whirling parts, so why would we expect any other Gen2 character to be their namesake?

If the characters are not at all the same why share names except as a marketing ploy? They shouldn't be the same but should be similar. Like 2009 Star Trek.

 

As someone part of the Transformers fandom, which has many incarnations, this is more common than you would think.

 

In G1, for example, Wheeljack was an eccentric inventor, always making new things that may or may not work. His new incarnation in Transformers Prime, however, is an lone-wolf soldier who likes to fight with swords and blows things up.

 

Even TMNT does this too. In Mirage Comics and the 2003 cartoon, Baxter Stockman was a successful scientist who, although already rich and powerful, misused his inventions out of greed and was overall an egomaniac. His 80's and 2012 cartoon incarnations? A naive loser who only turned evil because he was mistreated by the turtles and mutated into a fly by the Shredder. Oh, and the 80's cartoon made him white. For some reason.

 

Keep in mind that a reboot is also a reimagining of a story and characters and is free to change things up. Call G2 Pohatu Batman all you want, just remember that even Batman has been reimagined many times, too. He may be grim and gritty now but at one point he was played by Adam West.

 

That bit about Batman is spot on! I like to think of all the characters the same way. Heck, I didn't identify with gen1 Kopaka at all. Seemed like a bit of a jerk to me. Then his gen2 bio came out, and it sounds exactly like me.

 

Kopaka is noble and reserved. Upholding his own strict moral code he strives to be perfect and always "do the right thing". A fact that often makes him appear formal and even cold in the eyes of others. Luckily Kopaka's clumsiness and his not too solid direction sense help the other heroes remember that, after all, Kopaka is just a Toa like them.

That just fits me so much, though. At school, I'm a bit of an outcast because I can't seem to take a joke, and I act all weird and formal around people I kinda know (you know, those classmates you don't really know, but are obligated to talk to anyway?) Also, the clumsiness is on point. Like, I trip over my snow boots even when it's not icy or snowy outside (and I'm just wearing the boots because I'm cold). Not to mention my horrible sense of direction, like when I thought I knew where my friend lived, but I ended up wandering around town for a few hours. That last bit predates my ownership of a cellphone, fyi.

 

What I'm trying to get at is that new takes on the same character aren't always bad. I could go on about how New52 Green Arrow is better than his past generations, or how Christopher Nolan's Batman doesn't capture Batman's true character as it appears in the comics (that's an example of a bad reimagining in my mind), but really, it all comes down to keeping an open mind. I, for one, welcome our new Gen2 overlords.