Tamatoa

Background

Tamatoa is the secondary antagonist of Disney's 2016 animated feature film Moana. He is a villainous giant crab that covets all things shiny and valuable. In an effort to exude beauty and superiority, Tamatoa displays his collected treasures atop his golden shell.

This dropdown contains the synopsis of Tamatoa's story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!

Tamatoa is first seen during Gramma Tala's story concerning the mother island Te Fiti and her life-giving heart. According to Tala, many sought the heart for its power, and among these ancient entities was Tamatoa, though Maui was the only one capable of actually stealing the heart. In doing so, he was banished to a desolate island, while his fish hook was lost at sea in a battle for the heart against a wrathful lava demon. At some point, the fish hook would be found by Tamatoa, who added it to his collection of treasures. According to Tala, Te Kā and the "demons of the deep" still hunt for the heart long after its disappearance. Among the creatures depicted on Tala's tapa cloths is Tamatoa. Centuries later, Maui is freed from his exile by Moana, who needs Maui to return the heart of Te Fiti to its rightful place. Maui eventually agrees, but needs his fish hook in order to accomplish the mission. Both Moana and Maui sail to Lalotai, and the two soon find Tamatoa's lair. Moana is sent in as bait, covering herself in shiny objects to attract the crab. Tamatoa soon awakens, and examines the potential new prize, only to scoff in disgust upon realizing it's a human. To keep Tamatoa's attention away from Maui, Moana indirectly asks the crab to talk about his supposed greatness, which he gladly obliges to through the song "Shiny". Tamatoa explains that he was once a "drab little crab", unhappy with who he was, until he began covering himself in all things shiny. He further explains that his shell is also used practically, as the glimmering light attracts dozens of fish at a time—all of whom become Tamatoa's meal. Hungering for more, Tamatoa prepares to eat Moana, only to pause in fear when Maui reveals himself, fish hook in hand. Unfortunately, Maui is out of practice with the weapon, crippling his ability to shape-shift. Tamatoa sadistically sees this as an opportunity to eliminate his foe, and thusly attacks and abuses Maui throughout his lair. When Moana tries to intervene, Tamatoa traps her within a cage made from discarded bones. Tamatoa then darkens his lair so that his form becomes bioluminescent, giving him a glowing yet menacing appearance. He prepares to devour Maui, but Moana escapes her cell and creates a phony duplicate of Te Fiti's heart using a barnacle covered in luminescent algae. She calls to Tamatoa to show him the shiny prize in her possession, and the crab immediately discards Maui in favor of his coveted treasure. He chases after Moana, who drops the heart in a crevice on the ocean floor. While Tamatoa digs for it, Moana takes the fish hook and then makes her escape with Maui. It isn't long before Tamatoa realizes he's been tricked, and the enraged crustacean chases after the duo. They launch themselves onto a geyser heading to the surface, and the impact of the shooting water knocks Tamatoa onto his shell. Unable to move, he's left stranded on the ocean floor, asking if Moana at the very least enjoyed his song. Tamatoa is last seen after the credits, where he is still trapped and struggling to get off his shell, but to no avail. He sings a short, melancholy version of "Shiny" before asking the audience for assistance, and quips that if his name were "Sebastian" and he had "a cool Jamaican accent", the audience would feel happy to help.

Powers and Stats

Tier: At least 6-C, possibly 4-C

Name: Tamatoa

Origin: Moana

Sex: Male

Age: Older than 1000 years old

Classification: Giant coconut crab, Monster, Archenemy of Maui

Attack Potency: At least Island level, possibly Star level (While a none rusty Maui is seen as Tamatoa's superior [Proven by the fact Maui defeated him], he can still injure him)

Dimensionality: 3-D

Travel Speed: Superhuman (Via sheer size)

Combat Speed: Superhuman

Reaction Speed: Superhuman

Lifting Strength: At least Class E, possibly Stellar (Could overpower Maui)

Striking Strength: At least Island Class, possibly Star Class

Durability: At least Island level, possibly Star level

Stamina: Unknown

Range: Tens of meters via sheer size

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Genius Intelligence, Large Size (Type 1. His official description says he's 50 foot tall), Bioluminescence (Shown here), Natural Weaponry (Via claws), Camouflage (By using the hoard of gold upon his shell to look like an inanimate mountain of treasures and can also make his entire body black to match darkness), Non-Physical Interaction (Should scale to Moana who can physically interact with the spirit of her grandmother) Breaking the Fourth Wall (Spoke to the audience in the end credits), Immortality (Type 1, possibly 7 and 8. Tamatoa was around a thousand years prior to the story. If he were to die, he would possibly turn into a spirit like Moana's grandmother. He could reincarnate since it is heavily implied that the manta ray seen here is the reincarnation of Moana's grandmother)

Standard Equipment: None notable

Intelligence: At least Genius (Battled Maui prior to him losing his fishhook for a thousand years, and his sheer life experience should put him at this level)

Standard Tactics: Tamatoa goes for physical blows while rag dolling his opponent.

Weaknesses: If he is knocked onto his back, it is very difficult for him to get back up. Is incredibly vain and arrogant which makes him very easy to trick into talking about himself.

Note: It should be noted that the reincarnation cycle is not usable in combat due to it taking days. Also, while Tamatoa never displayed these powers himself, he still is a living being so it would make sense that same thing would happen to him if he died.

Battle Records

Notable Victories:

Notable Losses:

Inconclusive Matches:

Discussions (Link For Mobile Users):

Discussion threads involving Tamatoa