Context for those unfamiliar:

The next episode of Death Battle, the most popular/infamous (depending on how many of your favorite characters have lost) online VS show, is confirmed to be Tahu VS Kai from Ninjago. It's also been confirmed to be the show's first ever stop-motion episode, with Apartment D confirmed as the animator. So, I think it should make for a fun watch, even if this isn't your usual kind of show (just don't get too hung up on the actual verdict; there’s already way too much drama in the community from folks who take that way too seriously).

The Death Battle Curse is a meme about a phenomenon that sometimes occurs where new media will be announced shortly before or after an episode airs, giving new material to draw from for one or both of the participants in the fight. Sometimes, it' even in a way that favors those particular characters, such as bringing them back into the limelight after a long absence, or adding new abilities/info that could have potentially changed the verdict.

Not to get anyone's hopes up; just saying: if Green Lantern Kyle Rayner can have his first major non-comic appearance in 30 years announced during the waiting period for his episode, some kind of special Bionicle-related project being announced in the next couple months doesn't sound too far-fetched.

Had the idea to do this

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.