Why were some Onu Matoran Tan?

[Takanuinuva]

Something that has always bugged me when watching MNOG and MNOG II. Why were some Onu-Matoran like Taipu mostly tan? Isn't tan a Po-Matoran colorscheme. I thought the Onu-Matoran colorscheme was black orange and purple.

[CommanderKumo]

I have pondered this question thought a lot before and still can't find a satisfying answers, maybe it was just a mistake?

[Tarix819]

Yeah it's a good question.

 

It still bugs me that Taipu and Hafu have the same colour schemes despite being different types of matoran.

[Valendale]

That's just how it is sometimes.

[Lyichir]

Oh my god Karen, you can't just ask people why they're tan.

[Bfahome]

Some of them like to go out and get some sun occasionally.

[CyclonatorZ]

Yeah it's a good question.

 

It still bugs me that Taipu and Hafu have the same colour schemes despite being different types of matoran.

 

Perhaps that's why Templar Studios got them confused and gave them each other's masks.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Zarkan: Master of Storms

[ToaTImeLord]

Are you assuming my Koro?

 

I think it's just artistic freedom on the set designers part.

[Wrinkledlion X]

It's an earth tone, makes sense. I kind of like that there's overlap considering they're related elements. Like how some Ko-Matoran have shades of blue. 

[Master Inika]

Onu-Matoran just seem to have the most erratic color schemes, including orange and purple. I think the implication is that their koro is the most chromatically varied, since all the gems that you could find underground can be included in their colors.

 

You could make the same argument for Le-Koro or Ga-Koro, with vibrantly colored plants, but whatever. Tan in particular is probably the color they went with, in spite of the Hafu/Taipu confusion (which they lampshaded in MNOG II), because Earth and Stone are the most similar elements. In fact, it's often argued that they might as well be the same element, which this color confusion only adds to.

[Tarix819]

I always thought: 

 

Ta = Red, Orange, Dark Red, Black

Ga = Blue, Light Blue, Teal

Le = Green, Dark Green, Teal, Lime Green

Po = Brown, Tan, Orange, Copper, Keetorange/Tan Yellow, Black

Ko = White, Light Blue, Sand Blue, Dark Grey, Light Grey

Onu = Black, Dark Grey, Purple, Orange

 

Each colour represents something:

 

-Ta represents fire, lava and igneous rock for the black (Basically volcanoes)

-Ga represents water (Since teal and blue are both similar shades that can be found in the sea)

-Le despite being the element of air, represents the jungle more (Which links heavily to air through photosynthesis) and green, teal, etc. can all be found in jungle-like environments

-Po represents deserts and grand-canyon type environments with the orange, sandy colours (although not sure why black is a popular colour here... maybe to represent caves or something?)

-Ko represents snow (white) and ice (light blue) as well as the rocky sides of mountains (light and dark grey)

-Onu represents dark caves with the black and dark grey. IMO the orange on Nuparu and purple on Onepu could be a few things; it could represent minerals and crystals, or it could just be to stop the onu-matoran from looking evil, or it could just be to distinguish individual characters.

 

If this is the case, then Taipu with his Black/Tan colour scheme would be classified as a Po-Matoran, despite canonically being an Onu-Matoran, which makes no sense but if everything in Bionicle made sense I don't think it would be as popular as it is.         

[Wiriamu]

Dosne, Mamru, and a couple unnamed Onu-Matoran had some tan to them as well, though the first two had orange masks to help differentiate things. I have half wondered whether or not Taipu might not have been a Po-Matoran mistakenly identified as a Po-Matoran due to the whole amnesia thing.

[Master Inika]

Dosne, Mamru, and a couple unnamed Onu-Matoran had some tan to them as well, though the first two had orange masks to help differentiate things. I have half wondered whether or not Taipu might not have been a Po-Matoran mistakenly identified as a Po-Matoran due to the whole amnesia thing.

But remember, Taipu excelled at mining, which was a quintessential Onu-Matoran activity. Plus, all Onu-Matoran had night vision and had trouble seeing above-ground, so an Onu-Matoran would have a hard time living above-ground, and vice versa.

[Wiriamu]

 

Dosne, Mamru, and a couple unnamed Onu-Matoran had some tan to them as well, though the first two had orange masks to help differentiate things. I have half wondered whether or not Taipu might not have been a Po-Matoran mistakenly identified as a Po-Matoran due to the whole amnesia thing.

But remember, Taipu excelled at mining, which was a quintessential Onu-Matoran activity. Plus, all Onu-Matoran had night vision and had trouble seeing above-ground, so an Onu-Matoran would have a hard time living above-ground, and vice versa.

 

Could always see him having been a Po-Matoran who carved Rahi replica statues in the Archives and thus adjusted to being underground. Plus, he seemed awfully happy hanging out in Le-Koro.

[Miru577]

Something that has always bugged me when watching MNOG and MNOG II. Why were some Onu-Matoran like Taipu mostly tan? Isn't tan a Po-Matoran colorscheme. I thought the Onu-Matoran colorscheme was black orange and purple.

wot? are you racist?

[chuckschwa]

I don't believe this theory, but: maybe the tan-chested matoran we see in Onu-Koro are actually Po-Matoran contracted to do slag work in the great mines?

Or perhaps the Onu and Po matoran are all from the same greater elemental tribe (Earth/Stone) and one faction decided they liked living underground? Onua and Pohatu got along pretty well in the MOL movie, share the same music theme in the GBA game, and both elemental powers deal with things beneath their feet/claws.