Meta:Romance

Romance

Hewkii and Macku's plush dolls of each other

Various references to Romance have been made in BIONICLE media. According to market research performed by LEGO when BIONICLE was being produced, though, most 8-year-old boys (the target demographic for the BIONICLE toys and books) found romance disgusting, and their mothers were troubled by the implication that female characters would be relegated to exclusively romantic roles. For this reason, romance was featured in BIONICLE less frequently, and most references that were made are officially non-canon.

Romance Inside the Matoran Universe

In the Mata Nui Online Game (2001), Macku is known for frequently leaving her village to spy on Hewkii, implying that she has a crush on him. The implied romance between them is mutual, as each owns a small doll of the other which they keep in their hut.

In the fifth episode of the Mata Nui Online Animations, "Last Moment Save!" (2002), it is strongly implied that Macku attempts to kiss Hewkii, before they are interrupted by their friends. Additionally, Jaller is implied to have a romantic interest in Hahli in the series' seventh installment, "After the Storm." After the battle with the Bohrok ends in victory, Jaller decides not to leave immediately back home so that he can spend more time enjoying the celebration with Hahli. This implied infatuation is furthered in the film BIONICLE: Mask of Light, with Jaller and Hahli sharing flirtatious dialogue.

In the 2004 film BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui, Matau makes romantic overtures to Nokama at one point. In the 2005 book BIONICLE Adventures 8: Challenge of the Hordika, a group of Visorak Oohnorak imitate Nokama's voice while assaulting Matau inside a hangar. According to the narration, Matau wished at times that they could be more than friends, causing him to believe the deception and open the door.

The overarching plotline of 2005 strongly features romantic implications on Sidorak's part toward Roodaka. Their anticipated relationship is referred to as a marriage, and by becoming married to Sidorak, the King of the Visorak, Roodaka would have been promoted from their Viceroy to their Queen. At one point in the film BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows, Roodaka refers to the Toa Hordika, whom she anticipates they will soon capture, as being her engagement gift to Sidorak, mirroring the real-world practice of newlywed couples receiving gifts from their loved ones and each other.

However, all of these references are officially either non-canon or, in the context of the BIONICLE story, do not imply romantic feelings. The relationship between Hewkii and Macku, as well as the one between Jaller and Hahli, are afterward recontextualized as being close friendships. Similarly, Matau's implied crush on Nokama is non-canon in the film, while the status of the narration in the book remains unknown. Sidorak and Roodaka's planned marriage is reframed as being a political alliance, with Sidorak's only incentive to marry Roodaka being to gain influence on Roodaka's homeland.

Due to the fact that the Matoran Universe is an artificially constructed habitat designed for a specific purpose, there existed no necessity for the Great Beings to design its inhabitants to feel the emotion of romantic love or reproduce. This explains why, despite the implications of romance in 2005 and before, it is officially non-canon in the Matoran Universe.

Romance Outside the Matoran Universe

Kiina holding the Kanohi Ignika, containing the dormant consciousness of her love interest Mata Nui

When BIONICLE received a soft reboot in 2009, the possibility of romantic pairings became canonical. Whereas most of the Matoran Universe inhabitants were created by the Great Beings, the Agori, Glatorian, Skrall, and Bone Hunters reproduce biologically and experience romantic love.

During the Dreaming Plague, the lover of Sahmad, an unnamed female Iron Agori, was driven mad and later killed by the plague. 103,000 years later, Sahmad experienced a nightmare in which his old friends were vanishing into thin air. Rushing through his village to find her, he held her in his arms, only for her to vanish as well. He encountered a recreation of her again in an illusion placed upon him by the Sisters of the Skrall, in which she fired a Thornax Launcher at him, at which point the illusion fell apart and Sahmad realized it was not reality. Sahmad is the only named character in Generation 1 of BIONICLE to have canonically had a romantic relationship.

Kiina harbored romantic feelings towards Mata Nui. However, her affection was not reciprocated.