Chocobo (species)

The Chocobo (Japanese: チョコボ, Hepburn: Chokobo) is a species from the Final Fantasy series. The creature is generally a flightless bird, though certain highly specialized breeds in some titles retain the ability to fly. It bears a resemblance to casuariiformes and ratites, capable of being ridden and otherwise used by player characters during gameplay. Chocobos first appeared in Final Fantasy II and have been featured in nearly every subsequent Final Fantasy games. There is also a spin-off series starring chobocos, also named Chocobo.

Creation
The chocobo was created and designed by Koichi Ishii, a video game director who worked on various Final Fantasy titles. The chocobo appears remarkably similar to and was likely inspired by the prehistoric bird Gastornis. Hiromichi Tanaka has speculated that the chocobo concept may have come from Kyorochan, a character in television advertisements for Morinaga & Company's chocolate candy, which is also a bird with the call of "kweh". Morinaga has also released a tie-in product, Chocobo no Chocoball (チョコボのチョコボール, lit. "Chocobo's Chocoball"). Another likely inspiration was Hayao Miyazaki's Horseclaws, which appear in the manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and the anime film of the same name, which Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi once cited as an influence on his series. In turn, Miyazaki's Horseclaws were inspired by the extinct Gastornis species. This mythical creature is a "cousin" of the ostrich and is designed to have yellow feathers, but there are rare Chocobo breeds that are capable of giving birth to different-colored chicks.

Final Fantasy II
In their first appearance chocobos are colored white, as opposed to the later yellow, and can only be found in one small forest, completely incidental to the plot. Updated versions of the game for the WonderSwan Color, PlayStation and Game Boy Advance recolored the chocobo yellow.

Final Fantasy III
In Final Fantasy III', Chocobos play a somewhat larger role. In particular, a small minigame involves a Chocobo: players who ride one of the birds around the floating continent on which the first part of the game takes place are rewarded with a special item. The Summoner class is introduced, and its first summon is a Chocobo. Also appearing for the first time is the Fat Chocobo, who can be summoned with Gysahl Greens and acts as an item bank for player characters: excess potions, weapons, armor, and other materials can be stored within the bird's stomach. This was at a time when the series had limited inventory space. Gysahl Greens are named after a town in the game and go on to feature in subsequent titles, although occasionally incorrectly translated as "Gishal".

Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV introduces multiple colors of Chocobo. The standard yellow is captured in Chocobo forests and escapes when dismounted. The black Chocobo (which actually looks dark blue) can be caught in later forests, and is capable of flying between forested areas. The black chocobo is the only way to arrive at one plot-specific destination. Unlike the yellow chocobo, it waits for the rider to return after dismounting; when mounted again, it returns to its home forest. The white chocobo can be found wherever there are other chocobos, and though it cannot be ridden, it can restore MP. The Fat Chocobo also makes a return appearance.

The game has three Chocobo themes: Enter Fat Chocobo, Chocobo-chocobo and Samba de Chocobo.

Final Fantasy V
One of Final Fantasy V's supporting characters is a yellow chocobo named Boco (sometimes translated as Boko), a companion to the main character, Bartz. Later, Boco meets a female chocobo named Coco (Koko) and they have choco-babies. Black chocobos, as in Final Fantasy IV (also colored dark blue), can be captured in chocobo forests and flown. The Fat Chocobo appears as a summoned creature.

Final Fantasy V was the first installment where Chocobos play a significant role in the plot.

Bartz uses Boco to go from place-to-place at the beginning of the game and later leaves him with Faris's pirate group when he goes out to journey to save the world. Later on, the party went back to Faris's pirate hideout and realized that Boco broke his leg while following them (this event only occurs in World One sequence, depending on player's decision). The black chocobos are necessary at times both to get to certain locations and to reveal hidden secrets, and the character Krile is able to understand what chocobos are saying. She proves helpful to the party by interpreting what was "said" by Boco and his wife Coco.

Boco is a recurrent name one in many Final Fantasy-related game which has a chocobo as a main character.

Right at the end of Final Fantasy V, Bartz, Reina and Faris hop onto chocobos. They take off on them as the ending theme starts and can be seen riding them throughout the closing credits. Cara/Krile opts to ride on a dragon.

The game has two Chocobo themes: Mambo De Chocobo and Go Go Boco.

Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI features yellow Chocobos, which can be hired in some towns. They are not available all that often and do not play much of a role in the plot, although the player is required to ride one at least once. The character Setzer Gabbiani can also summon Chocobos to attack using his "Slot" skill. A pet Chocobo is offered in an auction, but is always claimed by a NPC at the request of his child for the show-stopping price of one million GP. This is the first game to use an "over the shoulder" point of view while riding a Chocobo (using the Super NES's Mode 7 effect), while previous ones used the standard overhead view.

Final Fantasy VI features only one Chocobo theme — Techno de Chocobo. True to its name, this is a trippy, upbeat one with a very "techno" and "electric" sound to it. A track called Milan de Chocobo is also available on the Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale album.

Final Fantasy VII
Chocobos are a significant part of Final Fantasy VII. They even appear on the Squaresoft logo. Instead of forests, they're found around chocobo tracks as parts of ordinary random encounters when a special lure Materia is equipped, and they're caught by defeating all enemies before they run away, without harming them. The first summon in the game is Choco/Mog, which calls a Chocobo with a moogle rider to smash into the enemies as a "Deathblow!" attack that does damage and sometimes inflicts Stop status. There's a small chance of a Fat Chocobo dropping on the enemies instead for somewhat increased damage.

A Chocobo ranch on the eastern continent rents stalls, and instead of having them escape on dismounting captured birds can be sent there to be housed and tamed. These Chocobos can be fetched and ridden at will, won't escape and can be carried in the airship. An extensive mini-game/side-quest is centered around tame Chocobos. First, Gold Saucer, a massive amusement park, hosts Chocobo races with occasionally valuable prizes. The player can bet on the races and take part if he owns a bird. Chocobos have individual statistics for these races. Second, the player can breed and raise Chocobos to not only produce superior racers, but to create special types that can traverse terrain otherwise inaccessible even by airship. A specific sequence of steps (provided in-game by a sage, albeit very gradually) results in Green (mountains), Blue (rivers), Black (both) and finally Gold (all previous and oceans) Chocobos. Each one allows passage to a cave that contains one of the rarest pieces of Materia. A golden Chocobo grants access to Knights of the Round, an excessively powerful summon. The flamboyant colors of competitors during the races have led some to conclude that there are other varieties, most pervasively one that can go underwater, but no such thing is obtainable.

In the North American and International versions the Gold Chocobo can also be gained by trading proof of victory over Ruby WEAPON in the town of Kalm. Unfortunately this Chocobo is far inferior in racing to those bred by the player, and Knights of the Round is of limited use to anyone already capable of defeating Ruby.

The game has several Chocobo themes. "Farm Boy" plays at the Chocobo Ranch, "Electric de Chocobo" in a battle featuring a Chocobo and "Cinco de Chocobo" while riding one. The birds at the ranch perform the "Waltz de Chocobo" before giving the player the Choco/Mog summon. "Place Your Bets" can be heard while betting on the races or entering them. Finally, "Fiddle de Chocobo" plays during the racing itself.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children does not feature Chocobos physically, but there is a Chocobo silhouette on a sign that reads "Chocobo House" at 0:56:04 (in the upper-left corner).

Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII also featured chocobos. The player and their party could obtain a chocobo by entering one of many round forests, known as Chocobo Forests, situated all over the world map. There would be a boy inside who would teach the player how to capture a Chocobo by using a Sonar and a Flute. He would also provide the player with Gysahl Greens to summon Boco in battle (see below). Once captured, the player can ride the chocobo. Travel by Chocobo is much faster than by foot or car, plus it also doubles the amounts of steps one takes to obtain SeeD money more frequently. However, Chocobos can only be ridden out of a Chocobo forest and to other areas connected by land or shallow seas. Chocobos in this game can never gain the capability to cross mountains, rivers, or deep oceans. Chocobos in this game are very different compared to the ones in Final Fantasy VII. They are much, much larger and have a smaller beak. They do not appear as agile as and lack the comical looks of those seen in Final Fantasy VII.

There are several forests that the player can visit. Each of these contains a mini-game in which the player can use the tools ChocoSonar and ChocoZiner to attempt to corral baby chocobos and eventually locate the choco-mother. These tasks often require exact precision, especially the more advanced forests and are the bane of players attempting to complete all challenges within the game. If the player completes all the forests, they can use their chocobo on the map to travel to the Chocobo Sanctuary. There, the player receives the Chicobo Card for use in Triple Triad after the six chocobos collected do a dance. Accessing this forest in disc four and gaining use of a chocobo here is key to regaining use of the Ragnarok airship on this disc.

However, that is not where Chocobos end in Final Fantasy VIII. If the player catches a Chocobo, a much smaller baby Chocobo (called a Chicobo) follows the player around. The Chicobo, named Boko, starred in his own minigame called Chocobo World, a game that could be downloaded from the Final Fantasy VIII disc onto the PocketStation game unit. The PC version of Final Fantasy VIII features a stand-alone Chocobo World program. Much like a Tamagotchi, players take care of Boko in Chocobo World, feeding him, resting him, and so on. As he grows, the player can collect special items, which can then be accessed from within Final Fantasy VIII. Boko can also be summoned in combat with Gysahl Greens, and his attacks are dependent on his progress in Chocobo World. The minigame also features a female Chocobo named Koko, who like Boko, is named after its Final Fantasy V counterpart Coco.

Final Fantasy VIII features two chocobo themes. Mods de Chocobo plays while riding a chocobo. This is a sort of upbeat rock theme with a female chorus sometimes singing "Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh" in tune with the music. The other, ODEKA de chocobo, is a synth tune that plays at the Winhill village chocobo crossing. In the final chocobo gathering at the Chocobo Sanctuary, the six chocobos dance to the "Waltz for the Moon" theme (similar to the chocobo dance "Waltz de Chocobo" in Final Fantasy VII), though this is not a theme dedicated to only chocobos.

Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX also features chocobos, but has only one ridable chocobo, named Choco. The player gains Choco by visiting Chocobo Forest and talking with the moogle there named Mene. Choco can be evolved to different colors (and thereby gained different forms of mobility) via the chocobo digging minigame, "Chocobo Hot & Cold", which allows the player to obtain Chocographs. Finding Chocographs is a mini-game that is played like egg hunting. The player has a few clues to work with, and the player will have to go around the world to find the prizes. The ultimate goals of the minigame and evolutions are to reach Ozma (one of the game's optional superbosses) and Chocobo's Paradise, as well as receive the more powerful weapons and rare treasures. Chocobo's Paradise is the home of the chocobos, ruled over by the fat chocobo.

The colors of Choco are as follows:
 * Yellow (Field Chocobo)= Standard running. No special ability.
 * Light Blue (Reef Chocobo)= Able to walk in shallow water, entering at bays/reefs.
 * Red (Mountain Chocobo)= Able to traverse mountains.
 * Dark Blue (Ocean Chocobo)= Able to walk in deep water (must still enter at bays/reefs.
 * Gold (Sky Chocobo)= Able to fly, launching and landing in forests. This, together with the black chocobos of FFIV and FFV are the only chocobos in the series to have the ability. As such, it should not be confused with FFVII's gold chocobo.

The abilities Choco learns are cumulative, so as he upgrades he retains the previously learned abilities.

In addition to Chocobo's Forest, there is also a Chocobo Lagoon and Chocobo's Air Garden. These locations allow the player to play advanced versions of the Chocobo Hot & Cold Game. In addition to finding Chocographs, this game allows the player to find various useful items and win points that can be traded in for even more items. With an entry fee of only 60 gil (30 at one point in the Lagoon), this game is an ultra-bargain as the treasure found by a good player should make up the entry fee many times over.

There are three chocobo themes in this game. Vamo' alla Flamenco plays during the scene where Zidane and Blank battle in the play early in the game, but also plays when the player is engaged in a Chocobo Hot & Cold game. Aloha de Chocobo plays in the Chocobo Forest, Lagoon and Air Garden during the time when the Hot & Cold game is not being played. Finally, Ukulele de Chocobo plays when the player is riding a chocobo.

Final Fantasy X
In Final Fantasy X, an Al Bhed named Rin owns a shop in Mi'ihen Highroad which harbors a chocobo stable. After battling the Chocobo Eater, the player is able to ride these chocobos as long as the player is within the perimeters of the Highroad. While riding a chocobo, there are no random encounters, and the player travels twice as fast. Chocobos grant entry to secret areas that only chocobos can access, with many items.

The next time the player is able to ride chocobos is at the Calm Lands, where most of the free-roaming chocobos reside. Here the player is able to train their Chocobo and play various mini-games, as well as race them under Remiem Temple for prizes. Chocobos are useful to obtain rare items and side-quests. This includes a couple of very valuable prizes — the Cloudy Mirror (which can be upgraded to the Celestial Mirror, vital for obtaining and upgrading the Celestial Weapons) and the Sigil for Tidus's Celestial weapon, as well as the weapon itself.

In Final Fantasy X, chocobos are also used for warfare and to power such vehicles as boats, though it is theorized that they might also power the airship using some form of fusion. There is an elite unit of the Crusaders known as the Chocobo Knights, who ride armored chocobos into battle. All but one of these chocobos were wiped out during Operation Mi'ihen. The last survivng chocobo was found by a character named Clasko, who decides to quit the Chocobo Knights and become a breeder, looking after the surviving chocobo. However, this is a player choice — the decision must be made whether to tell Clasko that he should become a breeder, or remain with the Knights. If he is told to become a breeder, they can obtain a special prize later. Clasko returns in a much more major role regarding chocobos in Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy X features only one chocobo theme — Brass de Chocobo.

Final Fantasy X-2
In Final Fantasy X-2, chocobos have become very scarce. They are no longer used on the Mi'ihen Highroad and have been replaced by hovercrafts, due to the increase in chocobo-eating fiends in the area and the faster speed of the hovercrafts. However, if the player meets certain conditions in the game, he/she can start a chocobo ranch with the help of Clasko, a chocobo breeder. He/she can also bring chocobos back to the Mi'ihen Highroad, although this is largely unconnected to Clasko.

In order to return chocobos to the Highroad, the player must complete the Mi'ihen Mystery sidequest and pin Chocobo Eater, Calli, Rikku, or Rin as the culprit. Pinning Prophet as the culprit will not allow the chocobos to return. He and his group were advocating their return, but they are forced to drop this if he is pinned as the culprit. Chocobos will also not return if the player does not properly solve the mystery, or simply does not attempt to solve it. Players can initiate events for this mission as early as Chapter 1 of the game, though the actual solving of the mystery does not happen until Chapter 4 and the results are not seen until Chapter 5, the final chapter. If the player pins Rin as the culprit, he/she can ride chocobos for free on the Highroad, while for all other outcomes that return chocobos to the Highroad, a token fee must be paid. However, pinning Rin as the culprit denies the player a valuable Episode Complete for this area and pinning anyone other than Rikku means the player loses out on the Ragnarok accessory. In any case, the player talks to the same attendant that also operates the hovers before he/she can ride one of the chocobos. Riding a chocobo makes travel along the Highroad much faster and also gives access to the Mi'hen Dungeon where valuable accessories may be found.

Players can also gain chocobos for the purpose of finding items throughout Spira by opening Clasko's chocobo ranch. In order to open the ranch, the player must simply find and talk to Clasko in Chapter 1 or 2 and invite him aboard the Celsius. After completing the Cuckoo for Chocobos mission in Chapter 2, the player can then invite him back aboard and he will want to jump ship and head for the Calm Lands. After completing a mission to clear the fiends out of the old monster arena, the ranch will open. Alternatively, Clasko will jump ship automatically in Chapter 3 if he's still on-board. If the player fails to find Clasko in either Chapter 1 or 2, they will lose the opportunity to open the ranch until their next New Game Plus. Clasko will give the player Gysahl Greens. The player must encounter a chocobo in battle and capture it using these, but it is not always a simple task. Brave Chocobos are capable of healing themselves, casting supportive magic, and even attacking the player's characters with Choco Kick, which does a moderate amount of damage to one character, and Choco Meteor, which does a major amount of damage to all characters (but will never kill them outright.) Chocobos will also sometimes simply run away, making the task even more difficult. After a chocobo has been captured, it is taken to the chocobo ranch where the player can raise it and send it off to other places in Spira in search of items. This mini side-quest resembles FFVII's Chocobo Breeding minigame.

The dedicated player will be rewarded for their patience with the true secret of Clasko's chocobo ranch. Once the player sends out three chocobos of Level 1, raises them to Level 2, sends them out again and so on, up till 5 and has 4 Level 5 choco-runners, he/she can exit the ranch and then enter again. Clasko will announce that the chocobos have found a hole leading to a secret dungeon. He's sure there's an Amazing Chocobo in there, but he's too scared to go in and find it. This is good for the player, as this dungeon is loaded with valuable accessories, including the AP Egg (triples AP gain for one of the girls) and another special dressphere upgrade. Once the player has fought the Anything Eater and then opened all five of the gates within the ranch, YRP find the Amazing Chocobo! Bright gold and capable of flying, Clasko convinces this chocobo to not run away and the player gains an Episode Complete for this segment of the game. The Amazing Chocobo is then available for two tasks — Explore Spira (and find more valuable items), or to support the player’s other chocobos. It can also go on Standby — though it hides its fatigue well, it sometimes needs to rest.

Additionally, while viewing the CommSphere in the Thunder Plains in chapter 4, the player can capture two wild chocobos with the help of Shinra's ChocoPorter. However, these chocobos do nothing besides walk around in the Celsius's cabin.

Like Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 has only one chocobo theme, called Chocobo Jam.

Final Fantasy XI
In Final Fantasy XI, chocobos serve as a primary means of transportation and can be rented from several locations around the world. Upon reaching level 20, a player can do a quest to obtain a Chocobo License that is required for him or her to rent them. The rental fee at each location will vary based on how busy that location is and what level the player is at the time. In addition, Chocobos cannot be ridden into any cities, and the player automatically dismounts a Chocobo after a period of about 30 minutes unless the player is wearing gear that allows for more time. Mini time-based quests similar in nature to FFX's chocobo road game were added in a update which awards players with items for getting a chocobo to a stable in the fastest time in relation to other players.

Chocobo Raising (FFXI)
Chocobo raising was introduced in the game with the August 21, 2006 update. Players are able to own a Chocobo, feed it different foods and even taken them out on dates with other players chocobos which, if they are compatible will get them to breed a baby chocobo. The chocobo's stats are directly related to this feeding and breeding process.

A chocobo whistle, similar to the NPC Signal Pearl but worn around the neck, allows players to call their Chocobos to them in outdoor areas.

Final Fantasy XII
In Final Fantasy XII Chcobos have a more menacing appearance, including eagle-like eyes and a longer, sharper beak. The player is able to rent Chocobos to travel into the wilderness, provided with Gysahl Greens to force the Chocobo to sprint, but only for a short time. When the time is up, the mount returns to its stall and the player has to continue on foot. While on a Chocobo, the player is ignored by enemies. Coloured chocobos also make a return with black and white breeds.

The soundtrack of the game features two tracks of the Chocobo theme. One is a harmonious tune named "Chocobo FFXII Arrange Ver.1" on Disc 2, and the other a jovial albeit militaristic marching tune titled "Chocobo ~FFXII Version~" on Disc 3.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Domesticated Chocobos in Final Fantasy Tactics are used much like cavalry, as a means of faster transportation. Wild Chocobos are monsters that players would slay in battle, and are tough opponents early in the game. The yellow chocobos fought in the beginning can heal themselves and others, counterattack, and physically attack. Chocobos can be brought under one's control with the proper Job and Ability, most notably the mediator class. The other chocobo colors are black and red. Black Chocobos can fly, counterattack, and attack with a powerful long-range attack (choco ball). Red chocobos can jump up any height, attack physically, or attack with a very powerful, very long-range, plus a move impossible to avoid (choco meteor). If a Chocobo is on the player's team in a battle, a human character or a ghost-type monster (the latter most likely due to a glitch) can ride it for extra mobility, or to protect the Chocobo from harm. At a certain point there's a plot battle where Ramza can win a chocobo called "Boco", named after earlier chocobos in Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the GBA spin-off loosely based on the original Final Fantasy Tactics, Chocobos serve a relatively minor role. During engagements, the Judges ride on armored Chocobo mounts, allowing them to move great distances and at great speeds across the field. The Animist class, which only Moogles can obtain, has an ability called Chocobo Rush, which tramples the enemy with a stampede of Chocobos. Chocobos do not appear in battle as monsters for the player to defeat or control, as is the case in FFT. Chocobos are further mentioned in a few of the numerous dispatch missions, for which a player must send out a clan member to complete the mission. In an apparent nod to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, one of the early bars in the game is named The Prancing Chocobo.

Spin-offs
In the animated sequel to Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, one of the main characters can summon Chocobos. These Chocobos are much different from the normal Final Fantasy kind; they have no feathers and are pink.

In the anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited, there are many chocobos, but one that joins the cast named Chobi. Chobi later gains a 'power-up' where he gains the legendary Ciel-Chocobo armour, enabling him to fly.

A spin-off series, Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, also features chocobos - including, as the title suggests, a playable one as the main character. A sequel, Chocobo's Dungeon 2, also known as Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2 in Japan, was released both in and out of Japan. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon was never released outside Japan. The protagonist is a chocobo named Boco.

Another spin-off is Chocobo Racing, a game similar to the Mario Kart series. This is actually a spin-off of the Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon series, starring the same chocobo and other cameos from that series.

In Japan, two other games featuring chocobos were released. Chocobo Stallion (a chocobo breeding and racing game) and Dice de Chocobo (an interactive board game) were packaged along with Chocobo Racing and released by Squaresoft as Chocobo Collection in 2000. Hataraku Chocobo (WonderSwan), (which translates to Working Chocobo or Chocobo at Work), Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice (GBA), and Chocobo World (PocketStation) are other Japanese exclusives.

The film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. has a couple of visual references to Chocobos. 

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest features several weather vanes shaped after chocobo in the town of Windia.

In Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, the best shield obtainable for the Clavat race is called a Chocobo Shield and bears the face of one. An artifact called the Chocobo Pocket gives the player an extra command slot. The birds themselves don't appear.