Rhotuka

"Rhotuka spinners, being pure energy, make very little noise when they fly. Even if the one Roodaka launched had, Nidhiki would never have heard it over the noise of his own thoughts. All he knew was the black pain when it struck, the world spinning in front of his eyes, the bizarre sensation of his muscles shifting, altering, becoming something alien."
— Narrator, Birth of a Dark Hunter

Rhotuka
Toa Vakama creating a Rhotuka
Ability
Users	Inhabitants of the Matoran universe
Expression	A spinning wheel of energy is created, with effects varying between individuals
Pronunciation	roe-TOO-kah

Rhotuka are wheels of energy with various powers.

Functionality

Toa Hordika Whenua charging an Earth Spinner with his Thumpers

Almost all beings of the Matoran universe have the ability to make Rhotuka, but cannot do so without the use of a Rhotuka launcher with which to fire them. Many Rahi and sentient beings of the Matoran universe possess natural launchers, but there are also artificial launchers that are used by various beings, such as Roodaka, the Toa Hagah, and various Dark Hunters.

The electromagnetic field that bonds Rhotuka together makes the spinners tangible, so they can be ridden if one should choose to do so, or physically parried. Being energy, they can also be reflected by mirrors. A Rhotuka's flight path can be controlled by the conscious thought of the one who launched it. If a spinner's power does not take effect, it eventually dissipates. Each creature with a Rhotuka launcher creates their own unique spinner power. All members of the same species of Rahi typically have the same Rhotuka power, though the attributes of more intelligent Rahi and sapient creatures will vary between individuals. Certain Rahi, such as Visorak and the Zivon, have access to multiple Rhotuka powers.

Using their mutated tools which were capable of charging objects with their elemental energy, the Toa Hordika were able to charge their Rhotuka spinners while holding it between their tools. Similarly, Roodaka is able to catch Rhotuka with her Catcher Claws to then add her own poison to them and hurl them back.

Rhotuka Powers

Toa Hordika

The Rhotuka of the Toa Hordika contained their Elemental Powers, allowing them to do almost anything a Toa could do with their powers. When combined, their elemental energies could form or dissolve Toa Seals.

• Vakama: Fire spinner - Contains Fire elemental power. (formerly)
• Nokama: Water spinner - Contains Water elemental power. (formerly)
• Matau: Air or wind spinner - Contains Air elemental power. (formerly)
• Onewa: Stone spinner - Contains Stone elemental power. (formerly)
• Whenua: Earth spinner - Contains Earth elemental power. (formerly)
• Nuju: Ice spinner - Contains Ice elemental power. (formerly)

Five of the Toa Hordika firing their Rhotuka

Toa Hagah

• Norik: Slow spinner - Physically slows down a target.
• Iruini: Heal spinner - Heals whoever it touches of physical wounds and ailments, including insanity caused by physical ailments, but not mutations. The time it takes to heal depends on the severity of the injury. Iruini could not use this power on himself.

Toa Hagah Bomonga, Gaaki, Kualus, and Pouks all possess Rhotuka launchers, but their powers are unknown.

Rahaga

• Norik: Snare spinner - Wraps the limbs of a target in ropes of energy. (formerly)
• Gaaki: Floater spinner - Attaches to an underwater target and forces it to the water's surface. (formerly)
• Iruini: Snag spinner - Attaches to a target and tangles its limbs in an energy net, bringing climbing targets down to the ground. (formerly)
• Pouks: Lasso or bolo spinner - Flies low to the ground and wraps the legs of a target in bonds of energy, knocking the legs out from under them. (formerly)
• Bomonga: Silent spinner - Flies in absolute silence and attaches to and temporarily paralyzes a target. (formerly)
• Kualus: Boomerang spinner - Attaches to an airborne target and then brings it back to Kualus. (formerly)

Dark Hunters

• Ancient: Causes loss of all physical coordination. (formerly; now deceased)
• Conjurer: Temporarily steals a target's powers and channels them into Conjurer.
• Firedracax: Absorbs thermal energy from the air and then redirects it at a target as a blast of heat and flame.
• Guardian: Contains powers tied to Stone and Earth.
• Savage: Paralyzes a target.
• Sentrakh: Makes a target temporarily dematerialize.
• Spinner: Causes a target to lose their balance. If combining his spinners, he can put an opponent into a coma, although this requires a greater amount of energy and incapacitates Spinner as well.
• The Shadowed One: Induces temporary madness in a target's mind.
• Vengeance: Able to turn from an intangible state to a solid one for a split second at a time, and cut through the hardest metal.
• Voporak: Makes a target's perception of time temporarily be a couple seconds behind, making it very difficult to fight.

Rahi

Visorak using their Rhotuka

• Cable Crawler: Make targets lose their balance and often causes vertigo.
• Colony Drone: Contains energy that the Visorak feed on.
• Ice Vermin: Appear to have absorbed energy from the earthquakes caused by the Great Cataclysm. As a result, gained the ability to cause earthquakes of its own and make living creatures shake themselves apart.
• Kahgarak: If the spinner does not hit a target within a period of time, a portal is opened, allowing passage to and from the Zone of Darkness for the Kahgarak and anyone else, such as the Zivon. The portal remains open for up to 10 to 20 seconds. If the spinner hits a target, they and anyone they are in contact with are forcibly pulled into the Zone of Darkness. To an outsider, it appears as if the target has been swallowed by shadow and disappeared.
• Keetongu: The Whirling Shields absorb energy attacks that hit them. The energy is then channeled through his armor into his Rhotuka spinner, allowing him to send the energy back.
• Sea Spider: Puts a target into temporary stasis.
• Venom Flyer: Negates a target's ability to fly, regardless of whether it be by natural or mechanical means.
• Visorak: In addition to a power shared between all six standard breeds, each breed possesses a unique spinner power.
  • All Breeds: Stuns and paralyzes a target.
  • Vohtarak: Burn spinner - Makes a target feel such an intense burning pain that it cannot concentrate on anything but their suffering.
  • Boggarak: Causes an underwater target to swell and float to the surface, or a target on land to become dehydrated and turn to dust.
  • Keelerak: Acid spinner - Contain acidic venom that can eat through any substance.
  • Oohnorak: Temporarily numbs a target.
  • Roporak: Disrupter spinner - Disrupts the functions of living creatures, abruptly draining a target's energy.
  • Suukorak: Encases a target in a slowly shrinking electrical field. It is impossible to escape the field without getting shocked. The captive's only hope was if the field dissipated before making contact.
  • Mutant Coliseum Visorak: Explodes upon making contact.
• Zivon: Has four different Rhotuka powers, each assigned to a different Rhotuka launcher on its body.
  • Head: Temporarily blinds a target.
  • Right claw: Temporarily deafens a target.
  • Left claw: Temporarily makes a target unable to speak.
  • Back: Temporarily takes away sense of touch from target.

Chute Lurkers, Gate Guardians, Parakrekks, and Rock Raptors possess Rhotuka launchers, but their powers are unknown.

Others

A Rhotuka Spinner flying through the air

• Roodaka: Instantly and permanently mutates a target, both living or inanimate, as controlled by Roodaka. The mutations can only be undone by the Rhotuka.
• Sidorak: Obedience spinner - Causes a target to instantly demonstrate complete obedience to Sidorak.
• Umbra: Creates projections of hard light.
• Varian: Puts the target to sleep.
• All Frostelus: Varies per individual.
• Protocairn: Temporarily blocks the signals between the mind and the body in a target, causing an opponent to collapse.

The Hordika Dragons possess Rhotuka launchers, but their powers are unknown.

Set Information

Rhotuka function

The Rhotuka Spinners were the main action feature of the 2005 sets sets. Each Rahaga set contained a Rhotuka of a different color and displayed a code written in Matoran to be entered at the Kanoka Club. Each of the Toa Hordika and Visorak sets contained two silver Rhotuka, one of which also displayed a code. 8756 Sidorak and 8761 Roodaka both contained a silver Rhotuka with a code, while 8755 Keetongu contained a red Rhotuka with a code. The Toa Hagah sets, 8762 Toa Iruini and 8763 Toa Norik, contained two Rhotuka spinners each, one in their primary color and one metallic one with a code on the side. The special edition 10203 Voporak included all three spinners of the Keetongu, Roodaka, and Sidorak sets. A glow-in-the-dark Rhotuka also appeared together with silver Rhotuka in the playset 8759 Battle of Metru Nui. Several Rhotuka of the pervious sets were included in 6620 Ultimate Accessory Set.

Rhotuka were sold separately in in 8748 Rhotuka and contained five spinners. One was always silver and contained a code, and the other four were dual-colored. These were silver and any one of twelve possible colors (the primary colors of the Toa Hordika and the secondary colors of the Visorak). One of the marbled Rhotuka could later be found in 8625 Umbra in 2006, which came packaged with two dark green/silver Rhotuka spinners.

The promotional sets sold by the Belgian fast-food restaurant chain Quick, 7716 "QUICK Good Guy White", 7717 "QUICK Bad Guy Green", 7718 "QUICK Bad Guy Yellow" and 7719 "QUICK Good Guy Red", each included a silver Rhotuka without code.

Trivia

• Only beings from the Matoran universe can produce Rhotuka.
• Though Krahka, Vezok, and users of the Kanohi Faxon can copy the powers of other beings, they cannot copy Rhotuka powers.