Chocobo (Final Fantasy VII)


 * For a generic list, see Chocobo.

Chocobos are a major form of transportation and entertainment in Final Fantasy VII. They can only be encountered in the wild in special areas on the World Map covered in Chocobo Tracks. Once captured, Chocobos can be stored in Chocobo Stables in the Chocobo Farm. The Stables cost 10,000 Gil and six can be bought at once. They also can be flown around the Planet inside the Airship Highwind There they can be breed with other Chocobos to create new breeds or be used in the Chocobo Races at Gold Saucer. Several locations and items can only be reached by using a Chocobo.

The Choco/Mog Summon featured either a normal of Fat Chocobo in its attack. The Materia needed to use that Summon is given by the Chocobo at the Chocobo Farm.

Unlike many games, the Chocobo's cry in Final Fantasy VII is "Wark" rather than "Kweh".

Chocobo Tracks
Around the world, there are Chocobo Tracks where wild Chocobos may appear in random battles. They only appear when the Chocobo Lure materia is equipped. The Materia can be bought at the Chocobo Farm. Along with the Chocobo are several enemies. The enemies must be beaten without scaring the Chocobo away in order to capture it. To do this, the Chocobo must be pacified with some Greens. If not eating, the Chocobo will get scared from the fighting, and run away. Attacking it will cause the Chocobo to attack the party with weak pecks or the Enemy Skill Chocobuckle and then run off. It is notable that the Chocobo cannot be defeated in battle. If all the enemies have been defeated, the Chocobo is captured. Capturing a Chocobo is almost essential for getting past the swamp where the Midgar Zolom lurks.

Below is a map of the Chocobo tracks that appear on the Planet:



Chocobo Racing
In the Gold Saucer resort, Chocobos are used in a racing sport in the Chocobo Square. The inmates from Corel Prison can only escape the jail once they have successfully come in first in a Chocobo Race. Cloud Strife wins his party's freedom this way after being captured there while hunting for Sephiroth. He is taught how to race by the Chocobo expert, Ester. Cloud is the default party member that takes part in the Chocobo Races. Tifa and Cid may also race when they lead the party within the Gold Saucer or are in the party and volunteer.

This is a mini-game that the player only has to win once. The Chocobos in the races have two stats, Stamina and Speed. Speed determines how fast they run, and Stamina determines how long they can run at top speed. On the left side of the screen is a red meter that shows how much Stamina the Chocobo has left. When the Chocobo runs out of Stamina, they will slow down to a crawl and are easily overtaken. To restore Stamina, hold down the shoulder buttons for an easy win.

While riding a Chocobo, two forms of control can be used: Manual and Automatic. Automatic gives complete control to the Chocobo, while Manual gives the player control. Holding makes the Chocobo speed up, holding  makes the Chocobo slow down. makes the Chocobo sprint quickly. The SELECT button allows the player to shift from Manual and Automatic control. When the race is won, a variation of the Victory Fanfare plays. Holding down R1 & R2 restores stamina. The easiest way to win a race is to hold L1, R1 and, and sprint near the end.



For winning a Chocobo Race, the player receives an item which can be traded in for GP, the currency of Gold Saucer. There are three Classes for the Chocobo Race: Class B, Class A, and Class S.  Each one is more competitive then the last, and require better and better Chocobo to win. To advance to the next Class, three races must be won. Rarely, a Jockey named Joe and his Black Chocobo, Teioh will enter the race. They are difficult to defeat because Teioh always has higher stats than the Chocobo the player is using.

Choco Billy at the Chocobo Farm can rate the strength of a captured Chocobo for the Races. His opinion shows just how good the Chocobo will be in a Chocobo Race. If he does not give a positive adjective in his rating ("Good", "Great", "Wonderful"), the Chocobo is usually not worth the effort of raising. Below is the strength of the caught Chocobo compared to the rating Choco Billy gives it:

By feeding the Chocobo Greens, its stats will be increased. Every time the stats are increased, the Final Fantasy VII version of the Victory Fanfare plays.

Chocobo Breeding
Chocobos come in various breeds and are either male or female. Male and female Chocobos can be breed together to make stronger Chocobo with better stats and sometimes new abilities. To breed a Chocobo, special items called Nuts must be found. The Racing Class and stats of the Chocobo being bred help decide what type of Chocobo will be born. The higher the Class, and the greater the stats, the more likely a strong Chocobo will be born. Special-colored Chocobos are needed to find the treasures inside the secret Materia Caves. There are four colors of Chocobos in Final Fantasy VII. To get the ultimate Chocobo, a long sidequest of racing and item finding must be undertaken. The Chocobo Sage gives hints on how to get through the sidequest in his home on the Northern Continent.

Yellow
All wild Chocobos are Yellow. They are the most common breed, and have no special abilities to speak of. Yellow Chocobo cannot travel through water, high mountains, or ocean. However, "Good", "Great" and "Wonderful" Chocobos are required to breed Chocobos of greater colors. The standard Chocobo that Cloud is given in Gold Saucer in his first Chocobo Race is Yellow.

Blue
Blue Chocobos also called River Chocobos, have the special ability to run over rivers and shallow water, but not deep ocean or mountains. They are born when a male Great Chocobo is bred with a female Good Chocobo with a Carob Nut. Like all Chocobos of a different color, they are naturally stronger and faster then the other Chocobos in the races. Blue Chocobos can also ride through the undersea and space sections of the race track without slowing down.

Green
Green Chocobos also known as Mountain Chocobos, can run over tall mountains and cliffs without problem but cannot enter water or ocean. They are born when a female Great Chocobo is bred with a male Good Chocobo with a Carob Nut. Like Blue Chocobos, they are stronger in the Races then normal Yellow, but are not immune to the slow-downs in the undersea and space sections of the track.

Black
Black Chocobos are born when Blue and Green Chocobos are bred together with a Carob Nut. The inherit all the abilities of their parents. They can travel over both shallow water and high mountains, but are limited by not being able to cross ocean. They have the freedom from being slowed-down in the undersea and space sections of the track.

Gold
Gold Chocobos are by far the best Chocobos in the entire game. They are unmatched in the Races, naturally coming with impressive stats. A Gold Chocobo can be born when a Black Chocobo is bred with a Wonderful Yellow Chocobo. Because they are descended from Green, Blue, and Black Chocobos, Gold Chocobos can travel anywhere they want around the World Map: over mountains, through water, and even in the deepest water. Thus they are a requirement to get the materia for the ultimate summon in Final Fantasy VII, Knights of the Round from Round Island.

Other Breeds
In the Chocobo Races, other breeds of Chocobos can be seen, including White, Pink, Red, and Purple. Though they are of a different color, they function generally the same as a Yellow Chocobo. There is no way to acquire these forms of Chocobos in Final Fantasy VII.

Musical Themes
There are five separate themes associated with Chocobos. Electric de Chocobo is a version of the Chocobo Theme that plays during random battles when Chocobos appear. Waltz de Chocobo plays during the little ballet dance the Chocobos in front of the Chocobo farm perform just before they give the Choco/Mog Materia. When the Chocobo is ridden on the World Map, Cinco de Chocobo plays. Finally, Racing Chocobos - Place Your Bets plays during the menu screen just before the Chocobo Race, while Fiddle de Chocobo plays during the actual race.