Why Do Rahi Exist?

[jimmybob83]

What purpose do they serve?It seems as if, for the majority of history, a large percentage of a Toa's job was to protect Matoran from crazed and dangerous beasts. Why create them in the first place?I can understand creating certain creatures for certain tasks; big beasts of burden to haul things, etc. But for me, that doesn't explain the vast variety of creatures, it doesn't explain why predators exist since there is no biological reproduction, it doesn't explain why these things are just left to roam around the countryside if they were intended by the Great Beings for specific purposes, and it doesn't explain why the Makuta were tasked with continually making more and more of them.

[Vandenreich]

Well possibly Rahi created by the GBs were meant to be domesticated and used by the Matoran.And remember that the Makuta made a majority of the Rahi so as the Makuta grew corrupted they created Rahi to suit there own needs, like conquering, killing, guarding and what not.

[BBBBalta]

Yes, keep in mind that the Makuta were scientists. They were simply curious to see what they could make, and did so for no other purpose than to express creativity. (Until they became corrupt, of course).Also, I don't think it would be accurate to say that a Toa's main job was to protect Matoran from Rahi. Most Rahi are like real-world animals; for the most part, they avoid us if they can. Some powerful Rahi may occasionally become crazed due to disease or what have you, but from what I understand that's not a very common occurrence, and there are also other measures in place (i.e. Vahki) to prevent that from happening.

[Paleo]

As others have said, the Makuta were scientists. The original Rahi were most likely experiments to populate the Matoran Universe. As far as I can tell from the story, certain Rahi were domesticated by Matoran and used as beasts of burden, pets, and so on.

[Toa Zaz]

No idea. Sort of an example of Bionicle's occasionally thin plot.

[bonesiii]

Yeah, Rahi gone wrong situations tend to be more memorable than normal harmoniousish life, but are really rare, and much more common due to the Makuta's corruption than the GBs would have expected. The Toa also tended to be put into unusual situations entering Rahi territory that normally wouldn't happen.Keep in mind too that the GBs went to a lot of trouble to make the Matoran think they were living on islands on a sea under stars, not inside a giant robot. I think they realized sapience was at least a possibility, and all that, Rahi included, was a contingency against inhabitants using freewill with knowledge of the robot to ill gain, risking the mission.

Edited February 29, 2012 by bonesiii

[jimmybob83]

I know that Makuta were the primary Rahi makers, but they didn't start making Rahi for the heck of it. Everything I remember, and everything I see on the various wiki's, says that Mata Nui expressly gave them the task. Which means that the existence of various Rahi does, indeed, serve a definite purpose. The Makuta didn't just start breeding for the heck of it.Of course, as time went on, as it became clear that Mata Nui didn't care too much about the finer details of his innards, I can buy that the Brotherhood started taking some liberties with their creations, but that still doesn't explain their existence in the first place. And since I've never heard anything to suggest that predatory Rahi ONLY came into existence once the Makuta announced their evilness, one has to assume they serve some sort of purpose besides just being ferocious for ferociousness' sake.As for being part of the illusion that the Bionicle world looks and feels like a real planet... the residents of the universe had no idea any place else existed, so they couldn't have any preconceived notions that animals are supposed to exist. As such, they couldn't add much to the fake-realism.

[bonesiii]

That's probably just because the GBs didn't want to invent some radical fantasy as the illusion. There's a saying among writers that we "write what we know" (although half of us debate that lol). The point was to create an illusion. Since it didn't really matter what the illusion would be, they went with the sort they had experience with.I think a lot of the purposes are already suggested above; pack animals, etc. The rest is probably "balance of nature" kind of thinking, including predators.

Edited March 1, 2012 by bonesiii

[Rarity]

Maybe they were created to see how the Matoran would react to the beasts.

[bonesiii]

Maybe, but I doubt either the GBs or Mata Nui would sanction such a thing. They both wanted the universe kept up, and neither paid attention to how the Matoran behaved. The Makuta certainly might have later thought that way, though.

[Rarity]

Then all I can think of, is Mata Nui had the Makuta make the Rahi, so the Toa later could fight them and fulfill their destiny. :POr maybe they were made to aid the Toa in protecting the Matoran?

[Aanchir]

One of the 2008 magazines actually went to the effort of explaining this:

Originally, the Brotherhood of Makuta was a group of brilliant creators whose role was to bring Rahi beasts—animals, birds, fish, insects, etc.—into being. By adding viruses to vats of protodermis, they could control what kind of Rahi would be created and what it would do. Some were helpful to Matoran, like Ussal crabs. Others were nasty and frightening, intended to keep Matoran away from places that might be dangerous for them.

It should be considered that in most points in the history of the Matoran Universe, the Matoran were well-equipped to handle Rahi problems on their own. Kanoka existed partly for self-defense after all. Only occasional attackers, like the Tahtorak, were bad enough that a Toa or team of Toa was needed.It is true that a lot of Rahi on Metru Nui acted primarily as pests. Some of this could be evidence that the Makuta were indeed "mad scientists" in a sense, caring more about the experiment of creation than about its effect on society. Alternatively, some of these "pest Rahi" could have had important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran. Or they could be the equivalent of invasive species in real life-- species that, in their natural habitat, are a benefit to the ecosystem, but which begin to cause problems in a setting they are not accustomed to.One example of a pest Rahi is the Nui-Rama, which fed on liquid protodermis from chutes in search of impurities in it. While on Metru Nui this could cause chutes to collapse in the long term due to their magnetic field being pierced too many times, it could be argued that at one time the removal of these impurities was an essential function of the Nui-Rama, especially since the chute system throughout the Matoran Universe largely performs the role an organic being's circulatory or nervous system would fulfill, except on a larger scale.

[Makuta Matata]

I always thought that some of the more menacing ones were mistakes made by the Makuta who made them or mutations.

[Hexann]

Well why do we have animals on our earth because each one is important same goes for the Bionicle world as well.

[Rarity]

One of the 2008 magazines actually went to the effort of explaining this:

Originally, the Brotherhood of Makuta was a group of brilliant creators whose role was to bring Rahi beasts—animals, birds, fish, insects, etc.—into being. By adding viruses to vats of protodermis, they could control what kind of Rahi would be created and what it would do. Some were helpful to Matoran, like Ussal crabs. Others were nasty and frightening, intended to keep Matoran away from places that might be dangerous for them.

It should be considered that in most points in the history of the Matoran Universe, the Matoran were well-equipped to handle Rahi problems on their own. Kanoka existed partly for self-defense after all. Only occasional attackers, like the Tahtorak, were bad enough that a Toa or team of Toa was needed.It is true that a lot of Rahi on Metru Nui acted primarily as pests. Some of this could be evidence that the Makuta were indeed "mad scientists" in a sense, caring more about the experiment of creation than about its effect on society. Alternatively, some of these "pest Rahi" could have had important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran. Or they could be the equivalent of invasive species in real life-- species that, in their natural habitat, are a benefit to the ecosystem, but which begin to cause problems in a setting they are not accustomed to.One example of a pest Rahi is the Nui-Rama, which fed on liquid protodermis from chutes in search of impurities in it. While on Metru Nui this could cause chutes to collapse in the long term due to their magnetic field being pierced too many times, it could be argued that at one time the removal of these impurities was an essential function of the Nui-Rama, especially since the chute system throughout the Matoran Universe largely performs the role an organic being's circulatory or nervous system would fulfill, except on a larger scale.

So, I guess we have an answer?

Well why do we have animals on our earth because each one is important same goes for the Bionicle world as well.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Circle]

Alternatively, some of these "pest Rahi" could have had important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran.

Well why do we have animals on our earth because each one is important same goes for the Bionicle world as well.

Considering what I quoted above, perhaps it's just because. I mean, not everything has a logical explaination. Why is matter constructed of molecules and atoms? Why do I have brown hair? Maybe there *is* no reason.Or, like Aanchir said, maybe they had a purpose which the Matoran simply aren't capable of understanding just like real-life god's "master plan".That's just my opinion though. Edited March 1, 2012 by Circle

[bonesiii]

I mean, not everything has a logical explaination. Why is matter constructed of molecules and atoms? Why do I have brown hair? Maybe there *is* no reason.

Pet peeve, but I hate it when people claim things "have no logical explanation." This is basically a misunderstanding of logic; everything has an explanation and logic can be used to find it. And we know a lot about why matter is made that way, reasons for brown hair etc. Of course, in a story one might not be established by writers, but even there IMO the possibility always exists to think of one. :)Anywhen, thanks for that answer, Aanchir. Isn't a definitive list but at least have some confirmed answers.

[jimmybob83]

The notion that scary Rahi are meant to keep curious Matoran away from some areas is an idea that's a step in the right direction, but just barely. It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers. So, there doesn't seem to be a large, pressing need for such a thing. Besides, if I want to keep kids off my lawn, I put up a fence and maybe get a dog. I don't get a grizzly. And, if we assume that Matoran are critical to Mata Nui's health, it would make sense that a genetically engineered, completely planned-and-blueprinted guard being would have the ability to stop an intruder without killing it and depriving Mata Nui of a Matoran worker. I agree that these Rahi, by all rights, should have "important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran", the point of the topic is trying to deduce what these are.

[Toa Lapaka]

If you ask me, it would seem like Mata Nui tried to emulate a planets eco system, possibly to help him understand more about Spherus Mangian society. That would explain why he made more species than that which he was originally provided with. It would also explain why he charged the Makuta with making animalistic rahi. Possibly a pinocchio complex...It would also explain why the GBs would play with the blade burrowers to make the Unity Duty Destiny symbole. Baisically to tell him to stop making random species and get back to work.Edit: Oh, and one more thing problem it could solve, why the Matoran gained sentiency, Mata Nui wanted a more realistic society.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Toa Lapaka

[bonesiii]

The notion that scary Rahi are meant to keep curious Matoran away from some areas is an idea that's a step in the right direction, but just barely. It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers.

Well that's probably part of the reason they have no trouble staying in line.

It would also explain why the GBs would play with the blade burrowers to make the Unity Duty Destiny symbole. Baisically to tell him to stop making random species and get back to work.

Lol, nice thinking.

[CroMagnonMan]

It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers.

Metru Nui had the Vahki, though, whose powers were specially geared towards making sure any dissidents were forced back to work. So it seems like it was at least a concern, whether or not that concern was strictly warranted (Dume seems like kind of a control freak, IMO), or whether they actually put that particular aspect of their function to use on a semi-regular basis (their introduction in 2004 certainly made it sound like they did... of course, that could be owed more to the many flaws in their programming than in anything inherently wrong among the Matoran population).

It would also explain why the GBs would play with the blade burrowers to make the Unity Duty Destiny symbole. Baisically to tell him to stop making random species and get back to work.

Brilliant!~QMark

[Aanchir]

The notion that scary Rahi are meant to keep curious Matoran away from some areas is an idea that's a step in the right direction, but just barely. It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers. So, there doesn't seem to be a large, pressing need for such a thing. Besides, if I want to keep kids off my lawn, I put up a fence and maybe get a dog. I don't get a grizzly. And, if we assume that Matoran are critical to Mata Nui's health, it would make sense that a genetically engineered, completely planned-and-blueprinted guard being would have the ability to stop an intruder without killing it and depriving Mata Nui of a Matoran worker.I agree that these Rahi, by all rights, should have "important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran", the point of the topic is trying to deduce what these are.

If most Matoran were in fact perfect little workers, then the workers' strike on Metru Nui in the beginning of 2006, or the Matoran Civil War much earlier in Metru Nui's history, would never have happened. Matoran have individuality, whether or not they were designed to have it, and neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta would have expected them to be completely uniform, obedient workers. There's always the possibility of an unintended fluke (the number of mutations that take place during the series should make that obvious), causing some Matoran to go somewhere he shouldn't, and thus safeguards have to be put into place.Meanwhile, neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta gave the Matoran a code of law to tell them where they should or shouldn't go, so no matter how obedient they are there's the possibility their work would take them close to places where they weren't intended to go. It's much like the human body. There are lots of chemicals in the human body that serve important purposes. That doesn't mean that you want those chemicals everywhere in the body, though, and without safeguards there'd be nothing stopping them from spreading to parts of the body where they don't belong. Thus, cell membranes have very selective filters on them, and the brain has the blood–brain barrier to keep out diseases or chemicals that could alter its activity.

[Dralcax]

To give 100 corrupted beings something to do.

[fishers64]

To give 100 corrupted beings something to do.

They weren't exactly corrupted when Mata Nui gave them that responsibility. Further, would you give the task of making beasts to an organization that you couldn't trust (or was corrupted)? After all, Rahi can cause serious damage to internal components (i.e. Matoran) if unchecked. The robot was supposed to be adaptable to change, including the Matoran (that's why they are biomechanical, machines don't adapt as well). Challenging beasts and putting them down would keep them sharp and on their toes. It would give the Toa some target practice in case a real threat came about, then they would have some experiance in combat.

[jimmybob83]

The notion that scary Rahi are meant to keep curious Matoran away from some areas is an idea that's a step in the right direction, but just barely. It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers. So, there doesn't seem to be a large, pressing need for such a thing. Besides, if I want to keep kids off my lawn, I put up a fence and maybe get a dog. I don't get a grizzly. And, if we assume that Matoran are critical to Mata Nui's health, it would make sense that a genetically engineered, completely planned-and-blueprinted guard being would have the ability to stop an intruder without killing it and depriving Mata Nui of a Matoran worker.I agree that these Rahi, by all rights, should have "important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran", the point of the topic is trying to deduce what these are.

If most Matoran were in fact perfect little workers, then the workers' strike on Metru Nui in the beginning of 2006, or the Matoran Civil War much earlier in Metru Nui's history, would never have happened. Matoran have individuality, whether or not they were designed to have it, and neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta would have expected them to be completely uniform, obedient workers. There's always the possibility of an unintended fluke (the number of mutations that take place during the series should make that obvious), causing some Matoran to go somewhere he shouldn't, and thus safeguards have to be put into place.Meanwhile, neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta gave the Matoran a code of law to tell them where they should or shouldn't go, so no matter how obedient they are there's the possibility their work would take them close to places where they weren't intended to go. It's much like the human body. There are lots of chemicals in the human body that serve important purposes. That doesn't mean that you want those chemicals everywhere in the body, though, and without safeguards there'd be nothing stopping them from spreading to parts of the body where they don't belong. Thus, cell membranes have very selective filters on them, and the brain has the blood–brain barrier to keep out diseases or chemicals that could alter its activity.

Well, I didn't so much say "it doesn't make sense that there are guards" as much as I said, "it doesn't make sense that there are guards that will eat you."Matoran aren't chemicals, they are workers. If I have a factory full of workers, and a room that I don't want them to get into, I get a big door. And maybe a guard, who won't shoot on sight. Very different than a giant tiger that will eagerly eat your face.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

I guess the simple answer is: Because Mata Nui wanted them to exist.

[bonesiii]

Well, I didn't so much say "it doesn't make sense that there are guards" as much as I said, "it doesn't make sense that there are guards that will eat you."Matoran aren't chemicals, they are workers. If I have a factory full of workers, and a room that I don't want them to get into, I get a big door. And maybe a guard, who won't shoot on sight. Very different than a giant tiger that will eagerly eat your face.

On the other hand, it's often been shown that, if I may attempt to quote Locke from LOST and probably end up paraphrasing, "no sense having rules if there's no consequences for breakin' em". It's easy to assume that putting deadly threats in a place means Matoran will be dying left and right, but in reality it tends to mean far less die because they all know that area is dangerous and intentionally avoid it.Also the GBs did not intend or know that the Matoran/etc. were sapient, so they probably just thought of it as more like chemicals. Though I would more compare it to many functions in our bodies where a certain type of cell will grow, but if it tries to grow beyond its limits it will undergo cell death. Skin cells for example are always dying and falling off of us as new ones are grown to replace them. We don't think of it as anywhere near the same as killing a sapient being. And other than unintended situations like on Mata Nui Island and Voya Nui/Mahri Nui they were still replaceable.You'd think the Makuta would realize quickly that sapience had been achieved, and come up with another solution, but then they did mostly fall to evil later, and probably were on their way there already. (And you'd think Mata Nui would correct it but we know he didn't care much about what went on as long as they kept him running properly, and that's understandable since we have the same attitude towards our cells.)Also gaining sapience and thus freewill can be a problem too; it can be even harder to convince people that dangerous areas really should be off-limits than to program "cells". Putting dangerous threats in an area may actually make things safer in the long run for people, as it simplifies the problem. Without Rahi, it's "there's a bazillion different kinds of places we shouldn't go, many for reasons not immediately dangerous so they don't seem like reasons not to go, but might mess up our universe and eventually kill us all". (The universe they're also being kept ignorant of the nature of.) With, it's "dangerous animals there; stay away."Makes sense to me. Although I suspect there is more to it re: other points above. Edited March 4, 2012 by bonesiii

[Aanchir]

The notion that scary Rahi are meant to keep curious Matoran away from some areas is an idea that's a step in the right direction, but just barely. It still doesn't do it for me, though, because the vast majority of Matoran seem to have no trouble staying in line and being perfect little workers. So, there doesn't seem to be a large, pressing need for such a thing. Besides, if I want to keep kids off my lawn, I put up a fence and maybe get a dog. I don't get a grizzly. And, if we assume that Matoran are critical to Mata Nui's health, it would make sense that a genetically engineered, completely planned-and-blueprinted guard being would have the ability to stop an intruder without killing it and depriving Mata Nui of a Matoran worker.I agree that these Rahi, by all rights, should have "important roles that simply weren't apparent to the Matoran", the point of the topic is trying to deduce what these are.

If most Matoran were in fact perfect little workers, then the workers' strike on Metru Nui in the beginning of 2006, or the Matoran Civil War much earlier in Metru Nui's history, would never have happened. Matoran have individuality, whether or not they were designed to have it, and neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta would have expected them to be completely uniform, obedient workers. There's always the possibility of an unintended fluke (the number of mutations that take place during the series should make that obvious), causing some Matoran to go somewhere he shouldn't, and thus safeguards have to be put into place.Meanwhile, neither the Great Beings nor the Brotherhood of Makuta gave the Matoran a code of law to tell them where they should or shouldn't go, so no matter how obedient they are there's the possibility their work would take them close to places where they weren't intended to go. It's much like the human body. There are lots of chemicals in the human body that serve important purposes. That doesn't mean that you want those chemicals everywhere in the body, though, and without safeguards there'd be nothing stopping them from spreading to parts of the body where they don't belong. Thus, cell membranes have very selective filters on them, and the brain has the blood–brain barrier to keep out diseases or chemicals that could alter its activity.

Well, I didn't so much say "it doesn't make sense that there are guards" as much as I said, "it doesn't make sense that there are guards that will eat you."Matoran aren't chemicals, they are workers. If I have a factory full of workers, and a room that I don't want them to get into, I get a big door. And maybe a guard, who won't shoot on sight. Very different than a giant tiger that will eagerly eat your face.

Perhaps you overestimate the mercy of the Great Beings or the Brotherhood of Makuta. If a Matoran is going someplace where they shouldn't go, then they could potentially be defective, in which case I doubt either group of creators would place too great a value on their individual lives. Not when there are many, many other workers to take their place.Also, think of them like guard dogs. The point of a guard dog is partly so that if someone tries to get somewhere you don't want them, it will attack and hurt them. But far more important than that is to scare them so that they won't come near in the first place. The more potent the threat, the stronger the deterrent to potential trespassers.Plus, to quote a certain website that compiles literary devices, "There Is No Kill Like Overkill". Seeing as both the Great Beings and the Brotherhood of Makuta are essentially "mad scientists" (with the Brotherhood the more "mad" of the two groups), I see no reason they would shy away from this principle. I could describe the thought process, but Professors Mittlemind and Mezzasalma demonstrate it far better than I could ever describe. Edited March 6, 2012 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Velyee]

I just think that the Rahi were inserted into the Bionicle Universe to serve one purpose - the Universe needed some wildlife. I mean throughout the old 2001-2004 era, it was made clear that "Rahi" was just the Matoran word for "beast" or "animal" or something.

[SolitaryHyena]

i would think, well my little knowlege of the entire bionicle universe, that they are just wild animals to just add more life to the bionicle universe, or world.

[fishers64]

Onu-Matoran were trapping Rahi to put in the archives. Part of MataNui's study of other planets would likely include animal life, and having interior samples would likely give him a standard for comparison. "This is a Muaka-like Rahi."

Edited March 9, 2012 by fishers64

[Jebraltar]

Maybe they were made to be used for food or as pets and transport.

[Pridak for Prez]

Because it would be pretty dull with just Matoran and Toa.Seriously though, I imagine that they were created to populate the universe and become a part of ecosystems like how regular animals are in ours. Things cannot function by themselves, other strands need to be placed to make the web. The idea that only matoran help Mata Nui function may just be a belief that Matoran hold, like how we humans think that the world can work just fine with just us. Matorans think themselves are better than rahi, so perhaps they do not hold the idea that rahi help Mata Nui function.

[Kagha]

To be honest, my general guess is that Rahi in the Matoran Universe serve the same purpose as wildlife here on Earth -- to be active components in the biosphere and to maintain a web of cycles necessary to sustain life. Where plants in the MU could very well be processors of oxygenesque protodermis, then burrowing Rahi could aerate the soil for them in order to allow productivity; avian Rahi would be able to transfer seeds; detritivorous Rahi to recycle decayed protodermis; et cetera. The basic cop-out answer would be that if nutrients and the likes were created by the Great Beings to inhabit the MU (which is a reasonable idea to accept, given we have evidence of at least some organic life such as that on Voya and Mahri Nui occurring naturally in the MU) then it would be only logical to assume that larger life forms would be made to utilise, cycle, and process these nutrients. Microorganisms could very well get the same processes down over time but it would probably take a lot longer than having macroscopic creatures carry out these ecological functions. Furthermore, the MU was based off of Spherus Magna, and the Rahi were more than likely based off of animals on SM. I guess for the Great Beings, having this macroscopic fauna component could have just seemed like a basic trait of a functioning world and they didn't give it much thought. Also, if Rahi are necessary to maintain productive ecosystems and affect biomes in the MU, then without them, it's safe to assume that living conditions would plummet, and with bad living conditions Matoran wouldn't be able to proliferate, and with a scrawny and declining Matoran population Mata Nui would go ill and would rapidly become inoperable.I think it was said in the beginning of the 2001 arc that Rahi were generally characterised and even defined as being heinous beasts that were a terror to Matoran and a blight on the land, mindless servants of Makuta. Of course, this was later debunked as a universal trait of them and in the Metru Nui saga it was revealed that the term Rahi applied to all animals whatever their nature, docile, domesticated, large, small, mammalian, marsupial, reptilian -- whatever. So on Mata Nui, the fact that they were made out to be "dangerous animals" was probably just the Turaga casting them in that light so that the pretty much newborn Matoran (they had no memory and they were on a Makuta-dominated island, they had to be paranoid and even superstitious if they didn't want to die) take extra safety precautions and didn't get too cosy with the animalia on Mata Nui.The fact that dangerous beasts exist in the MU doesn't necessarily amount to a flaw in their creation as you suggest, the Great Beings probably wouldn't create things with a purely negative purpose. It was probably after the dozens of millennia of evolution and whatnot (assuming such a thing would take place significantly faster than Earthen methods) -- or if that doesn't exist in the MU, the sheer scale of time letting external factors drive them out of their niches and spur them to aim their physical abilities to wreak havoc on Matoran settlements. This would be non-malicious havoc, of course. They're animals; they wouldn't destroy out of spite. Maybe habitat loss caused by Matoran expansion?Also we have to take into consideration that a good deal of the Rahi were created by Makuta for strictly war purposes to be used by the League of Six Kingdoms. I think that's how the Takea was formed, not too sure.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Kagha

[The Swimming Beard]

I believe they were used by the matoran. They only became evil when makuta gave them infected masks.

[Tiakor]

One of the Brotherhood of Makuta's tasks was to make Rahi to help assist the Matoran in certain ways, such as the Ussal Crab for transportation and carrying of items. However, once the Makuta turned away from the will of Mata Nui, they began to make more dangerous Rahi for their own purposes.

[Dralcax]

Blade burrowers: Mustfixplanetmustfixplanetmustfixplanetmustfixplanetmustfix...Everything else: The Makuta kinda got carried away...

Edited May 6, 2012 by Chaos Dralcax

[Kopaka25]

I think that Rahi could also have another purpose: to make sure that the Matoran were able to defend themselves. If something (and indeed someone) threatened them, they would be able to defend themselves as they would have had practice at defending themselves against the Rahi.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Fallen Silence

[Ballom Nom Nom]

To be honest, my general guess is that Rahi in the Matoran Universe serve the same purpose as wildlife here on Earth -- to be active components in the biosphere and to maintain a web of cycles necessary to sustain life. Where plants in the MU could very well be processors of oxygenesque protodermis, then burrowing Rahi could aerate the soil for them in order to allow productivity; avian Rahi would be able to transfer seeds; detritivorous Rahi to recycle decayed protodermis; et cetera. The basic cop-out answer would be that if nutrients and the likes were created by the Great Beings to inhabit the MU (which is a reasonable idea to accept, given we have evidence of at least some organic life such as that on Voya and Mahri Nui occurring naturally in the MU) then it would be only logical to assume that larger life forms would be made to utilise, cycle, and process these nutrients. Microorganisms could very well get the same processes down over time but it would probably take a lot longer than having macroscopic creatures carry out these ecological functions. Furthermore, the MU was based off of Spherus Magna, and the Rahi were more than likely based off of animals on SM. I guess for the Great Beings, having this macroscopic fauna component could have just seemed like a basic trait of a functioning world and they didn't give it much thought. Also, if Rahi are necessary to maintain productive ecosystems and affect biomes in the MU, then without them, it's safe to assume that living conditions would plummet, and with bad living conditions Matoran wouldn't be able to proliferate, and with a scrawny and declining Matoran population Mata Nui would go ill and would rapidly become inoperable.

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm surprised no one's mentioned this earlier; it seems the clearest explanation for Rahi. If part of the experiment of the MU was to have a world inside it, then having a lot of life to sustain the ecosystems in it (including the beings who do the maintenance) is a pretty obvious step.~B~

[man774]

I kind of get the idea that the Makuta, at the beggining were kind of happy-go-lucky and reclusive. Misrex got bored, got curious, threw a bunch of random viruses into a tank, and accidently made the tahtorak. If I had the power to make random creatures, I would sit down all day making random monsters.