Was it a mistake to kill Matoro off?

[NuparuFan8913]

I’ll admit it, I think it was.

He was my favorite character and I get how important his sacrifice is to the story, I still wish he didn’t die.

Also, if love was canon in Bionicle, I’d totally ship Hahli and Matoro together.

[Master Inika]

It's a tragedy, but the point is for it to be a tragedy. Matoro was the first time a character released as a mainline canister set died, and the story would not have hit the same without it.

[Nato G]

Matoro's sacrifice was the first death in Bionicle to evoke a genuine emotional reaction from me. It was the moment that Bionicle really stepped up and asserted itself as something very different from other Lego themes: a compelling story that wasn't afraid to mature with its audience. 

With so many focal characters in the books every year, I'll admit I had a lot of difficulty connecting with characters for the most part. Everyone got lost in the ensemble, and very few characters got moments to make them stand out. But Matoro was different. He was an established character who'd been around since the beginning. He'd always occupied a somewhat unique place in the story, making him all the more intriguing. He got a lot of additional focus throughout the 2006 and 2007 novels, which made his passing far more impactful. And the 2008 reveal made his death truly tragic.

Up until the point of Matoro's sacrifice, Bionicle had a pretty bad track record of death fakeouts:

• Jaller died in Mask of Light only to come back five minutes later.
• Lhikan's death was unfortunately kind of predictable, due to the passing-the-torch nature of the story, and the fact that 2004 was a prequel. 
• Matoro himself died in 2006 only to get resurrected seconds later. 
• A lot of deaths were robbed of their impact by the Red Star reveal. 

Out of all of that, Matoro's loss stands out. It raised the stakes, and showed that victory comes at a cost. Most importantly, it left a mark - which, based on threads like this one - has never fully healed for some people. 

One thing I always like to ask people who say Matoro should have lived is what they expected him to do if he survived? His Destiny was complete. Was he just going to turn into a Turaga and sit out the rest of the story while his team kept adventuring? Given the way that a lot of characters got sidelined once their story was done (eg. the Turaga Metru, the Voya Nui Resistance team, all of the MNOG Matoran, etc.) death is probably the best ending Matoro could have gotten. As harsh as it sounds, he wouldn't be remembered the way he is today if he hadn't died.

[Mel]

2 hours ago, Nato G said:

Matoro's sacrifice was the first death in Bionicle to evoke a genuine emotional reaction from me. It was the moment that Bionicle really stepped up and asserted itself as something very different from other Lego themes: a compelling story that wasn't afraid to mature with its audience. 

With so many focal characters in the books every year, I'll admit I had a lot of difficulty connecting with characters for the most part. Everyone got lost in the ensemble, and very few characters got moments to make them stand out. But Matoro was different. He was an established character who'd been around since the beginning. He'd always occupied a somewhat unique place in the story, making him all the more intriguing. He got a lot of additional focus throughout the 2006 and 2007 novels, which made his passing far more impactful. And the 2008 reveal made his death truly tragic.

Up until the point of Matoro's sacrifice, Bionicle had a pretty bad track record of death fakeouts:

• Jaller died in Mask of Light only to come back five minutes later.
• Lhikan's death was unfortunately kind of predictable, due to the passing-the-torch nature of the story, and the fact that 2004 was a prequel. 
• Matoro himself died in 2006 only to get resurrected seconds later. 
• A lot of deaths were robbed of their impact by the Red Star reveal. 

Out of all of that, Matoro's loss stands out. It raised the stakes, and showed that victory comes at a cost. Most importantly, it left a mark - which, based on threads like this one - has never fully healed for some people. 

One thing I always like to ask people who say Matoro should have lived is what they expected him to do if he survived? His Destiny was complete. Was he just going to turn into a Turaga and sit out the rest of the story while his team kept adventuring? Given the way that a lot of characters got sidelined once their story was done (eg. the Turaga Metru, the Voya Nui Resistance team, all of the MNOG Matoran, etc.) death is probably the best ending Matoro could have gotten. As harsh as it sounds, he wouldn't be remembered the way he is today if he hadn't died.

Basically all of this.   Also, it might sound harsh and utilitarian, but Matoro was really the best one for the sacrifice--he wasn't a fighter, athlete, or survivor, he was a translator.   I say this as someone who identifies the most with him, and know I would be know better in the same situation.   Heck, I'd probably collaborate with Makuta too.   He translated himself into the universe, and saved his friends in the process--caring for both the macro and micro at the same time.   Couldn't have asked for a better way to go.

And in addition, why is everyone's instinct to ship Hahli with the most story-relevant male character?   I'll admit into falling into this myself, but now I just want the girlie to shine on her own.   Mahri Nui was her year--she's one of the most powerful and effective water toa the story has ever seen, and helmed her own game when she was still a matoran.   She doesn't need to be shoved next to Jaller or Matoro to be an important and effective character.

Edited September 10 by Mel

[Master Inika]

20 hours ago, Mel said:

Basically all of this.   Also, it might sound harsh and utilitarian, but Matoro was really the best one for the sacrifice--he wasn't a fighter, athlete, or survivor, he was a translator.   I say this as someone who identifies the most with him, and know I would be know better in the same situation.   Heck, I'd probably collaborate with Makuta too.   He translated himself into the universe, and saved his friends in the process--caring for both the macro and micro at the same time.   Couldn't have asked for a better way to go.

And in addition, why is everyone's instinct to ship Hahli with the most story-relevant male character?   I'll admit into falling into this myself, but now I just want the girlie to shine on her own.   Mahri Nui was her year--she's one of the most powerful and effective water toa the story has ever seen, and helmed her own game when she was still a matoran.   She doesn't need to be shoved next to Jaller or Matoro to be an important and effective character.

I love that Matoro is a translator of all things. How many fictional translators can you think aside? It's such an obscure and mundane job that would rarely occur to a child, so having him be the hero of the story was really interesting.

I'm pretty sure BIONICLE fans ship Hahli with Matoro because they feel lonely and awkward like Matoro and they want to think they'd get the girl in the end if only the universe realized their world-changing importance. It's not a good reason, but it's a reason. And yes, I am describing myself.

[Nato G]

21 hours ago, Mel said:

Also, it might sound harsh and utilitarian, but Matoro was really the best one for the sacrifice--he wasn't a fighter, athlete, or survivor, he was a translator. 

Not harsh at all. Matoro literally made that exact argument the first time he sacrificed himself: "Please. This is the logical choice. I’m not a warrior, like you, Jaller, or you, Kongu – or an athlete, or an inventor, or even a Chronicler. I am just a translator for a Turaga, and not even that anymore. I won’t save the universe with my fists or my wits, but maybe I can do it this way.” 

[Lenny7092]

I wish I could see the votes, but I say it is a mistake to see Matoro dying. Poor guy. I wish there is a way to revive him (perhaps using the Mask of Life to use a little bit of one’s life force to bring him back somehow, in my theory). Plus, I always wanted the Toa Mahri to form Toa Kaita. Plus, Matoro had been a useful member of the team. It is wrong to sacrifice someone to revive a spirit that kept a giant robot healthy just for the robot to restore Spherus Magna (I should say the same to the Av-Matoran who became Bohrok).

[Keranda]

I totally get that feeling. Matoro’s sacrifice hit hard, and even though it was crucial for the story, it still stings. As for Hahli and Matoro, yeah, if love had been a thing in Bionicle, I could see that ship working—it’s kind of a natural fit.

 

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

I just hate it was a ice character, my favorite element I had a nagging feeling deep in my mind through that the mask of life couldn't be used without a steep sacrifice.