Barraki Comparisons

[Mr. Anon1]

Some time ago, I wrote a thread called "Piraka comparisons", where I tried to rank each of the Piraka in terms of 1on1 fights with one another. Here, I will do a similar thing with the Barraki. Once again, this may be controversial, so feel free to input your own ideas and opinions.Before I start, I'd like to note beforehand that the Barraki each control their own armies. Because of that, it can be difficult to really see who is the most powerful. Some of the Piraka, such as Kalmah, rely heavily on their armies. However, I will not be factoring that into this comparison, as there are many variables when comparing army strength (numbers, location, etc, not to mention the fact that we see so little of Takadox's army, making it difficult to compare). As a result, this will mainly focus on each of the Barraki's individual powers, abilities, and strengths.Let's first look at the tentative leader of the Barraki, Pridak. Pridak is a very skilled warlord, and he is known for his ruthlessness and aggressiveness, fitting well with the fact that he is a shark. Pridak's teeth and weapons are supposed to be some of the sharpest objects in the series. Furthermore, he has some of the best overall Bionicle.com stats. These factors indicate that in close combat, he would easily be able to beat any of the others. But this alone does not make him the best, as he lacks a strong long-range strategy. He has his squid launcher, but so does everyone else, so that cancels out (and actually is disadvantageous against Kalmah, as we will see). To counter this, he has heightened senses, but outside of that, he has no powers as far as I know. Despite this, the only Barraki that are seen even trying to oppose him are Ehlek and Takadox. Ehlek is actually able to hold his own against the shark briefly, but the fight is stopped. Takadox's conflict is not seen, but it is known that he was able to hypnotise Pridak. However, one could argue that at the time, Pridak was in a maddened state due to the Mask of Life. Mantax and Kalmah are portrayed as being outright afraid of him (the latter was badly injured at one point), and I don't think Caraper's armor and strength would be much good here. Takadox is very weak in close combat, so he is unlikely to be able to top the leader. This leaves Ehlek.Ehlek is an interesting being. He, along with Mantax, are the only Barraki that have actual offensive powers (Takadox's hypnotism is not inherantly offensive). This certainly allows him to make up for the fact that Pridak outdoes him in every stat. Ehlek could repeatedly zap Pridak into submission. That said, Pridak's heightened senses could allow him to detect Ehlek charging beforehand, allowing the shark to make the first move. Overall, I'm giving the matchup to Pridak, making him the best. Despite that, Ehlek could hold himself well against the other Barraki. Carapar was technically seen beating him, but he pretty much got Ehlek by surprise. Ehlek's shocks could counter Takadox's hypnosis and possibly Kalmah's squid. Against Mantax, though, things are a bit more sketchy.Mantax is the only Barraki to have more than one power, and the only one (other than perhaps Pridak) to have an instant-kill ability. In addition to his spikes, Mantax has the little-known ability to use electrical powers through his tentacles. At the very least, this might allow him to counter Ehlek's shocks. Their stats are similar, with Ehlek being a bit more agile and Mantax being tougher, but since Mantax is known to be good at hiding, he could probably get away with a sneak attack. Not to mention he can detect Ehlek's charges. Mantax has been seen beating Takadox in battle. Against Carapar and Kalmah, it is not as clear. Carapar is describes as being able to defeat Mantax. However, Mantax's spikes might be able to penetrate Carapar's armor, which would explain why Mantax lost - the Barraki might get into conflicts, but they would be hesitent to outright kill each other. Still, Mantax has his electric attacks. Kalmah's heightened senses allow him to spot Mantax's sneak attacks, but electric attacks might counter attempts to reach with tentacles. Overall, I'd put Mantax as number 2 and Ehlek as number 3.Kalmah is a different story. He starts out with one advantage against the others: he has control over their squid. This would automatically give him first strike in any battle, which would allow him to follow up with his tentacles. It would be difficult to sneak attack against him, as he has heightened senses. However, he only has two ways to outright win a battle: strangulation using tentacles, or draining life through squid. The second method is difficult, as Kalmah only has two squid available: his and his opponent's. His opponents will be used up during the first strike that is needed as a distraction. That leaves him only one more squid, and to make sure it completely drains his victim, he has to hold them in place using his tentacle. That makes both of his strategies reliant on him holding his opponent. Needless to say, this would not work against Pridak, who would just bite through. Ehlek and Mantax would zap, and Carapar might be too strong. Takadox is physically weak, so this might work against him. This does not put him in too good of a spot, despite his initial advantages.Carapar is just an "all brawn, no brains" guy. He is so weak minded that Takadox can successfully hypnotise him, losing him that matchup. He has been able to fight Mantax and Ehlek, but we don't know enough about the Mantax fight and the Ehlek fight had him make the first move, which normally would not be the case since Carapar is very slow and not skilled at sneaking. Still, he is able to quickly kill opponents by tearing them apart, so he could hold his own against Kalmah. Overall I'd say the two are tied in a matchup, and they compliment each other (that's why they work well as a team). But because Carapar loses the Takadox matchup, he goes below both Kalmah and Takadox.That leaves Takadox. Takadox's hypnosis has its advantages, but it is only seen working on two other Barraki. Carapar was always weak minded, and Pridak was in a maddened state. Without hypnosis, Takadox only has skill with daggers, which is not enough, as seen in his fight with Mantax. Despite his high mental capabilities, I do not think he is very good at one-on-one fighting.That puts are final list as follows:1. Pridak2. Mantax3. Ehlek4. Kalmah5. Takadox6. CaraparWhat are your opinions? Note that I am not saying that Takadox is the "worst" of the Barraki; I am comparing their skills against each other. Takadox, for example, is an amazing strategist and is good at manipulating others in the long run. However, he is not a fighter. Similarly, Kalmah has a very good army due to the squids, but that does not help him very much in a fight like this that does not compare armies.

Edited June 4, 2012 by Mr. Anon1

[Makuta Matata]

If it's a one on one fight, then Takadox should be near the bottom. But if he was battling more than one of them at once, I think he could win by hypnotizing one of them and turning them on one of the others. We know that he can easily get Carapar, but remember, he hypnotized the Toa Mahri, who seem pretty strong willed themselves. I think he could easily get Ehlek as well. Maybe Mantax and Kalmah. Somehow I think that all the Barraki together could take on Pridak. Even if it was a one on one battle, Takadox should be able to take down most of the Barraki without any trouble. Unless they can avoid his gaze. Which is why I'd put him at second or third. I'd say: 1. Pridak2. Takadox3. Mantax4. Ehlek5. Kalmah6. Pridak

[Mr. Anon1]

If it's a one on one fight, then Takadox should be near the bottom. But if he was battling more than one of them at once, I think he could win by hypnotizing one of them and turning them on one of the others. We know that he can easily get Carapar, but remember, he hypnotized the Toa Mahri, who seem pretty strong willed themselves. I think he could easily get Ehlek as well. Maybe Mantax and Kalmah. Somehow I think that all the Barraki together could take on Pridak. Even if it was a one on one battle, Takadox should be able to take down most of the Barraki without any trouble. Unless they can avoid his gaze. Which is why I'd put him at second or third.I'd say:1. Pridak2. Takadox3. Mantax4. Ehlek5. Kalmah6. Pridak

Wait where is Carapar on your list?Did Takadox really hypnotise the Mahri? If he did, I might have to reconsider his placement. I suppose a great deal would matter on his surroundings; if he was in a cave like his home, then he would be advantaged. But remember that if an opponent makes it past his gaze, then he will almost certainly lose. Still, if he's able to avoid direct combat for enough time, it wouldn't be too hard.You make a good point about him in a team fight, though. Carapar is really useful for sucking up damage with his armor. It's likely that multiply opponents would have to attack him at once, and then Takadox could pick them off one at a time.

[Makuta Matata]

If it's a one on one fight, then Takadox should be near the bottom. But if he was battling more than one of them at once, I think he could win by hypnotizing one of them and turning them on one of the others. We know that he can easily get Carapar, but remember, he hypnotized the Toa Mahri, who seem pretty strong willed themselves. I think he could easily get Ehlek as well. Maybe Mantax and Kalmah. Somehow I think that all the Barraki together could take on Pridak. Even if it was a one on one battle, Takadox should be able to take down most of the Barraki without any trouble. Unless they can avoid his gaze. Which is why I'd put him at second or third.I'd say:1. Pridak2. Takadox3. Mantax4. Ehlek5. Kalmah6. Pridak

Wait where is Carapar on your list?Did Takadox really hypnotise the Mahri? If he did, I might have to reconsider his placement. I suppose a great deal would matter on his surroundings; if he was in a cave like his home, then he would be advantaged. But remember that if an opponent makes it past his gaze, then he will almost certainly lose. Still, if he's able to avoid direct combat for enough time, it wouldn't be too hard.You make a good point about him in a team fight, though. Carapar is really useful for sucking up damage with his armor. It's likely that multiply opponents would have to attack him at once, and then Takadox could pick them off one at a time.

He did in one of the serials. And I meant to place Carapar at the bottom, but I somehow typed Pridak. Also, does Nocturn count?

[Unauthorized Autobiography]

IMO:PridakTakadoxCarapar (me! )EhlekMantaxKalmah.

[darkslizer]

Here is my list from best to worst. ( I am basing this completely on battle skills in case you're interested.)1. Pridak2. Mantax3. Ehlek4. Carapar5. Kalmah6. TakadoxPridak is the best fighter as well as one of the most "sharp" considering he has fin blades for weapons. Or they may be Takea Shark teeth or something, I was always a little fuzzy about that. You may be wondering why I put Mantax so far up on the list. I always figured he was the smartest of the Barraki, even though Takadox was the most scheming, if that's even a word. He even handled the Mask of Life, so I think that would have at least strengthened him a little. Plus, if the Barraki are all slugging it out, I'd think that Mantax would hurry under the sand and wait for another to step on his poisonous head spikes. Ehlek was my next one. I mean, he has big claws, electric spines, and a fragile temper. Carapar would have been higher on my list if Takadox's hypnotism hadn't made him so stupid. Kalmah relies on his armies too much, so I put him lower on the list. Takadox is the last because he would probably run away and wait for the rest of the Barraki to kill each other.

[Nabby's apprentice]

My list goes:1.) Pridak2.) Ehlek3.) Mantax4.) Kalmah5.) Carapar6.) Takadox Simply because I do take into account that the Barraki had caches of Cordak Blasters, so they didn't have to rely on squid. Ehlek is placed high because when you're in an all-out brawl, you can't focus on one guy and make sure to dodge that incredibly potent electricity, Takadox I feel would be quite sad in a physical confrontation of this calibre because his strength is his mind and predictions which aren't very helpful in the heat of battle, and the only reason Kalmah is higher than Carapar is his reach advantage. Mantax, the sneaky guy, is stealthy, making him #3, while Pridak is Pridak (Angry, brutal, strong, fast, electroperceptive, with extremely sharp blades and frightening teeth) and therefore my number 1 choice.

[darkslizer]

My list goes:1.) Pridak2.) Ehlek3.) Mantax4.) Kalmah5.) Carapar6.) TakadoxSimply because I do take into account that the Barraki had caches of Cordak Blasters, so they didn't have to rely on squid. Ehlek is placed high because when you're in an all-out brawl, you can't focus on one guy and make sure to dodge that incredibly potent electricity, Takadox I feel would be quite sad in a physical confrontation of this calibre because his strength is his mind and predictions which aren't very helpful in the heat of battle, and the only reason Kalmah is higher than Carapar is his reach advantage. Mantax, the sneaky guy, is stealthy, making him #3, while Pridak is Pridak (Angry, brutal, strong, fast, electroperceptive, with extremely sharp blades and frightening teeth) and therefore my number 1 choice.

I'm pretty sure the razor-sharp blades and needle-like teeth along with his anger, strength, and brutality is why everybody picked Pridak for #1.