Before the Toa arrived, the Matoran—then called Tohunga—lived in harmony across the six elemental villages of Mata Nui, each nestled within a distinct biome, shaped by the forces of nature. Ta-Koro, nestled in the heart of a fiery volcano, was home to the hardworking Matoran who thrived amidst heat and flame. Ga-Koro, with its peaceful waters and lush surroundings, was a village built on boats, where Matoran adapted to life on the calm lakes. Le-Koro, perched high in the treetops, was a wind-swept village that embraced the air, with Matoran skilled in navigating the heights.

Onu-Koro lay deep beneath the surface, where Matoran mined the earth and crafted the intricate tunnels that connected their world. Po-Koro, set in the rocky desert, stood resilient against the harsh, sun-scorched land, while Ko-Koro, nestled in the icy mountains, was a village defined by its frost-covered beauty and the endurance required to thrive in the cold.

The Tohunga lived simple lives, guided by the wise Turaga and the core principles of Unity, Duty, and Destiny. Each day, they worked together to maintain their villages, building, crafting, and preserving their traditions. Their lives were filled with rituals, cooperation, and a deep respect for the land and each other. Though they were unaware of the larger destiny awaiting them, they held onto the belief that their efforts were part of something greater, a future that would soon be revealed.

Once Pewku the Ussal Crab was created, I thought designing the main character Matoran in the Tohunga style within the first polybag Matoran, dubbed the "McToran" with their McDonald's release, would pair well for making a small diorama with both of them. That idea quickly stemmed into creating matoran from each of the six regions within the Island of Mata Nui.

Yet, rather than solely changing the colors of each, what would a matoran look like from the jungles of Le-Koro versus the fiery caves of Ta-Koro, or the oceans of Ga-Koro? As in evolution, different creatures evolve with having different physical traits based on the environments they grew up in. The same logic was applied here.

Matoran from the high jungle tops have longer arms for vine swinging through the tree tops. These are much more agile characters, while those from the fiery caves of Ta-Koro are more accustomed to warmer climate. Depicting physical traits solely based on temperature is difficult, yet also being a warrior tribe, their builds were created with more muscular and bulkier arm designs. Those typically found within the icy climates are opposite, being known as the intellectual islanders, so no physical traits were altered seeing as their minds are their greater abilities. Each matoran shares their body design as a base, while those of the floating villages on the waves of Ga-Koro have added fins to their arms. Being a tribe on the water and very accustomed to swimming, this small trait adds to their agility. The Po-Matoran of the deserts in Po-Koro are opposite to this, without being near as agile and were designed with a stockier modification to the original torso design. Paired with a wider stance and lower head position, these rock kickers were one of the smaller individuals on the island. Similar to them, the miners of Onu-Koro are a people of the Earth, spending m uch of their time mining different resources for use on the Island. With one of their main traits being digging and beneath the island's surface, I chose to alter their design to be more akin to that of a mole with much larger claw hands and a lower positioned head, also inspired by the Toa Mata set, Onua (set #: 8532).

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