Top 10 Best Years of Lego Bionicle
You remember the feel of snapping those ball joints into place, the thrill of reading new lore printed on plastic packaging, and maybe even the smell of a freshly opened canister. The LEGO BIONICLE line didn't just throw out some random robot figures with cool masks and call it a day. It built a freaking saga. There were prophecies, betrayals, underground cities, and sentient biomechanical sea creatures. And you were absolutely there for all of it.Across more than a decade of releases (yeah, we're counting G2 too), BIONICLE gave you story arcs, character evolutions, and set designs that went from clunky charm to absurd complexity. Some years focused on mysticism and island legends. Others got real gritty, with war-torn wastelands and morally gray heroes. And with every new chapter came a new wave of sets to beg your parents for.
So what was peak BIONICLE? Which year gave you the biggest chills when the trailer dropped or had you checking BZPower like it was breaking news? That's what this list is here to figure out.
The stakes were high that year! The heroes were up against a pack of thugs led by a guy who was nearly indestructible, and both sides were looking for a powerful mask that could bend gods to its will. We got to meet and fight the mask's guardians while also getting an okay video game and some playsets made of Lego bricks. This year was plain exciting, and it deserves a somewhat decent spot on the list. 2006 was good, but the ones above it are better.
2006 was the year of change. It introduced a brand new style of build (the Inika/Piraka build), and the new piece count was surprisingly high. It introduced the most reliable type of ranged weapon so far, the Zamor sphere launcher, which never failed, unlike the Kanoka and Rhotuka. The light-up functions were fun as well!
This year brought a more serious tone to the franchise, kicking off the Ignition Trilogy, which was arguably the best era of Bionicle. The commercials were among the best of all Bionicle ads, with only the '07 ones being slightly better. Titan builds were revolutionized with the introduction of the new ball piece, which ended up being used in almost every titan set and custom MOC as soon as it was released. This piece also became the backbone of the character and creature building system, which was used by Hero Factory and Gen 2 Bionicle as well.
Also, the Piraka were the very first Bionicle canister villains to all have individual personalities. Along with the Inika sets, all of them managed to have a separate look and feel despite being clone sets. The Bionicle Heroes video game also launched this year, making it by far the best Bionicle video game so far.
This is only slightly better than 2001 for me. It does slightly better because, despite not having the awe and mystery of the first year, the stakes were higher than ever. The story was gripping, and the characters were wonderful. Not to mention some heart-wrenching sacrifices and just flat-out cool-looking sets. I love this, and it was the first year I truly became a Bionicle fan, which then later caused me to backtrack and look at the older years.
This year makes me hate lime green. The sets were pretty cool (I mean, who doesn't like an underwater theme?), but if they had lime green joints, they were bound to crack. We got creepy villains, okay Toa, and a bunch of big, tough guys that looked menacing despite being made of plastic pieces. Why so low? We hardly got much of a story until the latter half of the year, but it's better than what 2015 produced.
Approach any hardcore Bionicle fan and ask them what the best year of the run was. Chances are, they'll say 2001, 2002, or 2003. Truth be told, 2001 was a perfect year. There are way too many good things about it to list, but I'll try my best to summarize: six heroes, a mysterious island, dangerous animals, 36 masks to collect, comics, chapter books, an epic online game, and a ton of advertising. This year was taken very seriously at the time, and no other year received that kind of dedication.
While all three of the "Golden Years" were fantastic, 2001 stands out as the best year of the franchise. It set the tone with its atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, and the juxtaposition of technological beings in a primitive setting - of bright colors and dark themes. It felt like a mature story idea, targeted well at the right age group. While other years tried to do similar things, 2001 nailed the appeal, the story, the sets, and overall success.
Such an unforgettable year. Six elemental Toa warriors were pitted against bounty hunters, an army of robot police, and an evil giant with massive wings, claws, and teeth, all in a sprawling city filled with danger at every turn. And a movie that details some of it? Yes, please!
This year was likely planned to be the last year of the run, so it went out with a bang. Dangerous lizard men with destructive powers, a gold-armored man on a flying vehicle, and a formidable main villain made for an exciting year. We also received a mediocre movie to tie in with the sets, making the year feel complete.
This year was definitely the best as far as collectibles go.
Bat people in the sky and bug people in the swamp? And our only defense is air vehicles, guns, blades, jet packs, and little people who can ride on our backs? This was truly a great year! While the sets had their shortcomings, the story was enough to keep us hooked. This was the final battle before the final battle, and the hype was real. Sure, the overload of gray and silver was a little much, but the good sets and exciting storyline secure 2008's place as one of the best BIONICLE years.
Destructive machines, parasitic mask-faces, exo-suits, and twin T-Rexes - need I say more? The year was topped off with the 2001 heroes receiving shiny, new upgrades, so that's a plus.
While I personally wasn't old enough to know about or buy BIONICLE sets when they debuted in this year, I have since gone back and bought some of the sets online, as well as read some of the comics. In my opinion, 2002 was BIONICLE's best year, even surpassing 2001.
The Bohrok were not only awesome and dangerous villains, but they were also the best canister sets we ever received, featuring a great mix of functions. The Titans this year were amazing. Although there weren't as many of them compared to the previous year's Rahi, they were arguably better sets. And of course, who could forget the Toa Nuva? This year's Toa greatly improved upon what we received the previous year, boasting cool new armor, improved gear functions, and dual-feature weapons.
2001 may have started it all, but 2002 added so much more depth to the story and characters, as well as to the island of Mata Nui itself. The year also had a somewhat darker tone while still maintaining the colorful exterior that we know and love. I haven't yet read all the comics, but from what I have read, they are definitely worth your time, featuring an exciting story and amazing visuals.
Where 2001 had the Mata Nui online game, 2002 offered the Bohrok animations. While they were admittedly not quite as cool, they were still great for getting to know the story and seeing our favorite characters in action. I especially enjoyed the fact that the Matoran played a much larger role in the story, having to fend for themselves while the Toa were underground fighting the Bahrag.
In conclusion, I believe that 2002 should receive the love it deserves and be recognized as equal to, or dare I say, better than 2001. It truly is a great year with more to offer in terms of quality and quantity than some give it credit for.
This year had a horribly rushed story, mediocre-looking Toa, and a movie so short you'll need a mere hour of spare time to watch it, but it was awesome anyway. The mediocre sets were forgivable if you could just edit them, and the good ones were definitely memorable.
After being dormant from 2011-2014, Bionicle returned with awesome new sets and a god-awful story. The sets are nothing to sneeze at, but the story is the reason why 2015 ranks so low on the list. That, and 2001 makes this year look like a slow start.
Cool sets. Needs a better story. This has a lot of potential!
The sets are good, but the story lacks heart.
This could have been a whole new beginning for a big story in Bionicle by introducing us to a new world with new characters, not to mention the awesome, colorful, and easily breakable sets. But since the conclusion of the other story was very cliffhanging, nobody could turn away. Just because this year doesn't have the original characters and bad pieces doesn't mean it was bad. It was turned down due to fans demanding to see their beloved characters, which was also one of the few causes of Bionicle's rushed and poor ending.
This year was a horrible year for Bionicle, but it's here in case people think it's better than 2009, which it's not. 2010 was a disappointing year with a whopping six sets, all of them small, and an okay story to go with it. Bionicle's first run ended pretty well but left off with a ton of potential to keep going. What's done is done, and 2015 leaves us with a shred of hope.
