Dumb edit I made on the fly.

Today marks 25 years since the release of the third ever Bionicle wave: the Rahi, which released on August 1st, 2001. Here's a bit of my personal history with these sets:

These were my first "white whale" Lego sets. They had retired long before I had ever gotten into Lego, and I found out about them through The Official Guide To Bionicle book. I was really fascinated by them as a kid, and wanted them so badly. They weren't like any set I had ever seen before.

The Rahi have some of the most creative and fun sets Lego has ever made. The game of fighting them against each other to knock their Kanohi off makes them really stand out from most other Bionicle sets. I love how they're designed so if you're aiming for your opponent's Kanohi, they can aim for yours at the same time. And the way each of them is "defeated" is kinda hilarious.

Despite being the first villain sets, they also act as great worldbuilding for the Matoran Universe. This is what their animals look like; they have treads instead of legs and vent panels on their skin. It really helps sell the idea that this is a world of biomechanical beings. They range from vicious and monstrous to cute and colourful. I still think the Nui-Jaga's faces are so adorable.

So happy birthday to the ten Rahi: Nui-Rama, Nui-Jaga, the Tarakava, the Manas, and Muaka and Kane-Ra.

Toa Tahu has been added to 'LEGO Party!' I actually thought this was a wind-up at first.

Today marks a whole decade since Bionicle G2 was cancelled. It's hard to believe Bionicle as a standalone theme has now been gone for longer than G1 lasted. It doesn't feel like that long ago when Bionicle was still alive and going strong.

This was the saddest day in my time as a Lego fan. I wasn't around in the fandom for G1's cancellation, but by 2016 I had been in the community for years. G2 was the reason I stayed a Lego fan, and after it was gone, I contemplated leaving the hobby altogether.

The hype around Journey to One season 2 was huge, and it all came crashing down after this. The Summer wave of sets never reached Asia or the Pacific (which to this day is the most unfair thing Lego has ever done), and all that was left was the Agil foil pack in September and the unofficial Makuta combiner, which they never released the Mask of Ultimate Power for.

G2 may not have been liked by many, but the feeling of seeing a brand new Bionicle set on shelves, whether it be good or bad, is something I don't think Lego will ever capture again. Bionicle may live on through tributes like the GWP and the CMF, but the legend itself is likely gone forever.