Chocobo

Chocobos (チョコボ Chokobo) [ˈtʃoʊ.kəˌboʊ] are a recurring race of avian mounts from many of the Final Fantasy games, first appearing as early as Final Fantasy II. They are often used as transportation around the world, and they usually keep random encounters away and increase movement speed. Chocobos are used as replacements for real-world horses, which rarely appear in the series except as an enemy.

Chocobos serve nearly all the functions horses perform in our world. For example, they are used as cavalry, called Chocobo Knights. Several games in the series claim that chocobos have an odor that is mildly offensive. However, according to Final Fantasy XII, they can be rid of their musk by being fed Gysahl Greens regularly.

The chocobo has appeared in many different colors; though most chocobos are yellow, there are blue, green, brown, red, black, white and gold varieties as well. There have also been numerous minigames and events involving the avian species, including Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Ranches, Chocobo Hot and Cold and Chocobo Stables. They have been known to have different cries throughout the series. They cried "Cooc Cooc" in the earliest games, "Wark" in the mid-series games, and "Kweh" in the later games.

Though Chocobos are usually friendly, they are occasionally found as wild enemies no different to any other, such as in the Ivalice games.

Musical Theme
The Chocobo's first appearance in Final Fantasy II prompted the creation of its own music theme. Though it was first known as Chocobo's Theme, the title and genre of the theme differs with each game, though the basic rhythm is retained. The naming frequently states the musical style in which the theme is arranged, followed by the French/Spanish/Portuguese preposition de, meaning "of", and ending with "Chocobo".

Final Fantasy
Some of the statues in Castle Cornelia's throne room resemble chocobos in the GBA and the PSP releases.

Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II marks the first appearance of the chocobo, and it can only be found in the forest south of Kashuan Keep. It retreats to the forest immediately after being dismounted, and is therefore chiefly used as a quick escape to Bafsk from Kashuan and nearby areas.

Yoshitaka Amano's original artwork for the chocobo was wildly different from what would become the recurring design of the creature.

Final Fantasy III
The Fat Chocobo stores items when given Gysahl Greens. He can only be summoned in places that smell of chocobo.

Chocobos can be found in several chocobo forests and ridden around the world map and in several parts of Saronia. There is even a small side quest involving riding a chocobo around the Floating Continent.

A chocobo can also be summoned, learned from the Level 1 Summon Magic spell "Escape". Its three summoning actions are a failure and other two abilities:
 * Chocobo Dash: allows the party to escape battle.
 * Chocobo Kick: deals damage based on the difference in level between target and caster.

Final Fantasy IV


Chocobos can be found in Chocobo Forests situated throughout the world. They come in several varieties. The regular chocobos can be used to travel around the world normally. They run away when dismounted. White chocobos recover the MP of the entire party when they are approached. The black chocobo, found only in the forest north of Troia, is a flying chocobo; however, it can only land in forests.

Black chocobos do not run away after a dismount, however, when they are mounted for the second time, they always fly back to the forest near Troia. Finally, there is a Fat Chocobo who serves many roles. In order for the Fat Chocobo to appear, the party must use a Carrot, or in other versions, Gysahl Greens, at a place where it "Smells like Chocobos!". The chocobo also appears as a Summon for Rydia.

Final Fantasy V
Bartz Klauser owns Boco, arguably the most famous chocobo in the series. Boco is left behind at the Pirates' Hideout for most of the game, however, upon reaching the Third World, Boco rejoins Bartz, now married to a chocobo called Koko, and having had children with her. Bartz can then ride Boco around the world. Boco does not run away upon dismounting. There are several side quests involving Boco.

The black chocobo appears in this game as well, and plays a similar role to the black chocobo in Final Fantasy IV. It can only land in forests, however, it can also fly over mountains that are not capped in snow. Bartz and his friends ride a black chocobo after the Steamship is sucked under the water during an earthquake at Crescent. The black chocobo can be found again in Mirage Village in the Third World, and is necessary in order to reach the Phoenix Tower and the North Mountains.

A chocobo can be used as a Level 1 Summon in this game as well. Occasionally, a Fat Chocobo will appear in the summon.

In the ending of the game, Bartz, Faris, and Lenna ride chocobos, while Krile rides a dragon.

Final Fantasy VI
Chocobos can be rented in various towns and stables located around the world. The stables are hidden in forests, making them the equivalent of Chocobo Forests in this game. They run away when dismounted. Setzer Gabbiani has a Slot called Chocobop (Chocobo Stampede in the GBA version) that summons chocobos into battle. Strago and Relm can also equip a piece of armor called the Chocobo Suit. Jidoor's Auction House also likes to auction a chocobo they claim can speak, although the player can never confirm nor deny this; an old man and his son always place the winning bid on this particular item.

Final Fantasy VII


in Final Fantasy VII, the player must equip the Chocobo Lure materia and encounter enemies nearby chocobo tracks in order for a chocobo to appear in battle. Chocobos can be caught by defeating all enemies except the chocobo itself. The chocobo will quickly run away from a battle unless fed a green to prevent it from running away. After acquiring the Highwind and buying stalls at the Chocobo Stables, the player can keep chocobos, and even transport one on the Junon Cargo Ship.

It is possible to breed chocobos to generate different colored ones. The different breeds of chocobo allow the player to travel across different terrain. There are yellow, green/blue, black and gold varieties of chocobo. There are four Materia Caves that can only be reached by certain varieties of chocobo. There are also chocobo races at the Gold Saucer. These are different colors from the normal chocobo, including pink and white. In addition, there is a Summon Materia that can be found early on in the game, which summons Choco/Mog. The summon can sometimes attack with Fat Chocobo.

Final Fantasy VIII


Chocobos are found primarily in Chocobo Forests and are captured to ride across the land and over shallow water. Final Fantasy VIII introduces the concept of juvenile chocobos; known as Chicobos. There are many sidequests involving chicobos, especially one chicobo named Boco that the player acquires as their own. There is also a chicobo and Fat Chocobo card used for the Triple Triad card game.

The minigame Chocobo World, which can be played on a PocketStation, a device sold exclusively in, or the PC version of the game, unlocks certain items in the game. Chocobo World features Boco as its primary protagonist and Koko as his love interest.

Final Fantasy IX
A single chocobo named Choco is able to be ridden by the party, and is found in Chocobo Forest in Final Fantasy IX. After meeting him once, he can be summoned from any location with a gysahl green at chocobo tracks. This game features a sidequest called Chocobo Hot and Cold, which involves Choco searching for buried treasure, such as Chocographs, which reveal the position of buried treasure. Choco can learn new abilities if the player finds specific treasures which permit entry into Chocobo's Dream World, where Fat Chocobo gives him a new ability upon each visit. As the player progresses in this sidequest, Chocobo's Lagoon, Chocobo's Air Garden and Chocobo's Paradise become accessible.

Two Black Mages also raise a Chocobo Egg in their hut in the Black Mage Village. When it hatches, they name it "Bobby Corwen", and they love him as if the bird was their own child. The name Bobby Corwin is an extension of the name Boco, using the first two letters of the first and last names.

There is also a chocobo in the underground laboratory in the village of Dali, which is used to power a machine producing Black Mages.

There is a concept art for Final Fantasy IX depicting a vehicle called a Chocobo Copter, operated by eight chocobos, however, it is never used in the finished game.

Tetra Master

 * Card 089
 * Location: Chocobo's Paradise

Final Fantasy X


Chocobos are widespread throughout Spira, used mainly for transportation. The Crusaders train chocobos for use as mounts for the Chocobo Knights, who ride atop chocobos when they fight Sin. Chocobos power ships, and also provide safe transportation along the Mi'ihen Highroad.

They only appear in one color, yellow, and can be obtained by renting one from a chocobo stable, or from talking to a chocobo breeder in the Calm Lands and taking three training exercises, including a chocobo race. Chocobos are needed to gain Tidus's Celestial Weapon, the Caladbolg. The chocobo races at Remiem Temple allow the player to obtain the key item, the Cloudy Mirror, which is required to activate the Celestial Weapons.

Final Fantasy XI
In the online incarnation of Final Fantasy, chocobos are one of the faster forms of alternative transportation, as rental chocobos are two times faster than walking, while player-bred chocobos can run slower or faster based on how they were raised.

However, to ride a chocobo, the player originally had to rent one from a Chocobo Stable, and were only able to rent after obtaining a Chocobo License from a quest. Players are also able to take part in a Chocobo Hot and Cold activity at any time, where the player can use their chocobo mounts in search of buried treasure by using a gysahl green.

Square-Enix added Chocobo Raising and Breeding as a part of the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion. Players can raise their own chocobo to have different strengths and weaknesses, which can be put to use in chocobo riding or racing.

Final Fantasy XII
Chocobos are a common sight in Final Fantasy XII. The yellow chocobos are the tamed variety, and can be rented for transportation from Gurdy at most towns at ground level in Ivalice. Some chocobos appear in the background of various areas, including on top of the airship. The yellow chocobos allow players to ride them, provided that the player feeds them from their stock of Gysahl Greens.

There are also other colored chocobos that can be fought in the wilds of Ivalice; most notably in the color black. These come in red, black, brown, green and white varieties. There is also a rare variant of black chocobo, a powerful red variant, and even a white chocobo recognized as an Elite Mark.

Characters can ride a chocobo for a maximum of 180 seconds before it drops the character. Chocobos have the ability to access special paths that player characters cannot cross on their own. These special paths have chocobo tracks on the ground. Some story elements of the game require characters to use a chocobo, and in those situations, they are free of charge. Riding a chocobo allows the character to cross maps faster without being harassed by enemies.

The yellow chocobo, when ridden into Ozmone Plains, will appear in the bestiary once the party disembarks.

A chocobo's sprite is added to the Sky Pirate's Den after the party has walked over 50,000 steps, granting the player the title of Wayfarer.

Final Fantasy XIII


There are two varieties of chocobos in Final Fantasy XIII, one from Gran Pulse and one from Cocoon. The character Sazh Katzroy has a Cocoon Chocobo Chick that lives inside his afro and is capable of flight. He intends to give it to his son Dajh Katzroy as a gift.

Adult chocobos appear as a means of transportation on Gran Pulse. They are much larger than they are in previous games, with two long ear-like feather clusters on the sides of their heads. The chocobos from Cocoon are smaller due to domestication, and are more similar to chocobos from previous games.

Riding a chocobo will enable the player to avoid battles. However, the chocobo has a Morale meter represented by three feathers, and each time a monster touches the bird, one feather is lost. If all feathers are lost, the chocobo escapes, leaving the party to advance on foot, though the feathers regenerate over time. Should the party encounter an Oretoise, such as a Long Gui or Adamantoise, the chocobo will lose all of its morale and flee.

Final Fantasy XIV
Chocobos appear in the game. They are yellow with orange tufts of feathers on their head and tail.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
The chocobos return in much the same fashion as in Final Fantasy IV, though some new forests have appeared since the events of the original game.

Final Fantasy X-2
In Final Fantasy X-2, the use of chocobos on the Mi'ihen Highroad died down with the advent of hovers providing faster transportation, and the increase in number of chocobo-hunting fiends. They cannot be ridden until Chapter 5, and can only be ridden if the right conditions are met. If the player helped Clasko open the Chocobo Ranch in the Calm Lands, chocobos can be captured in battle, like in Final Fantasy VII. Chocobos will attack the Gullwings in battle; Berserker Dresspheres, once they gain their Counterattack ability, are ill advised for chocobo hunting. The player can defeat a chocobo, showing the chocobo dying but no reward is given.

The chocobos in this game are used by the party differently from how they are used in Final Fantasy X; they are used only to find hidden items. The player must first raise the chocobos from different levels, from level 1 to level 5. All chocobos have level limits, with 5 being very rare, and 2 being quite common. The higher the level, the less likely the chocobo will run away when foraging for items. Even if the player's avian is level 5, there is still a chance it may run away. Lastly, chocobos will also leave the player if their heart meter drops to 0. The only way to replenish hearts is to feed a chocobo Pahsana Greens. The player can only keep up to 14 chocobos in their ranch. As in the original game, chocobos only come in one color, yellow.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Serah has been shown riding a Chocobo like creature in recently revealed screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII-2. They appear sporting maroon red fur on their bodies with blue fur on their wings. These creatures appear in Bresha Ruins of the future utilizing the Historia Crux feature.

Final Fantasy Type-0
Chocobos in Type-0 have been seen in concept art for the game shown in CLOUD message, and have also been presented in the TGS 2010 trailer, shown running on the world map.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Chocobos appear only as weather vanes. Aside from this, townspeople consider chocobos to be mythical creatures.

Final Fantasy Adventure


A chocobo serves as a mount, but is later changed into a "Chocobot". It was removed from the 2003 remake Sword of Mana (Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu in Japan), in favor of the "Cannon Ball Travel", which originated in Secret of Mana; however, a chocobo can be seen in Sword of Mana by waiting for a certain period of time after the completion of the game.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Chocobo appears as a summon as well as an Icon. When summoned, it randomizes the Bravery points of both players and can be obtained as a Stage Bonus in the Distant Glory - Heroes Storyline. The artwork used for the summon is from Final Fantasy VIII. In addition, a chocobo's cry accompanied by visible 'footprints' appears at the start of Bartz's EX Burst. In a sense, it might be Boko cheering on Bartz as he performs his EX Burst.

Chocobos are also used as a visual representation of the game's Play Plan, which rewards players based on how many battles they fight. At the beginning of the game, players select from one of three categories - "Casual", which will reward them with the Chocobo Down accessory after 15 battles, which grants 20% more EXP and has a 30% chance of breaking; "Average", for a Chocobo Wing after 30 battles, which grants 50% more EXP with the same chance of breaking; and "Hardcore", for a Chocobo Feather after 60 battles, which grants double EXP and also has a 30% chance of breaking.

Two more Play Plans can be unlocked after completing all of the Destiny Odysseys - "Grind-lover", represented by a black chocobo, which rewards the player with more EXP and luck multiplier bonuses, but no treasures; and "Treasure Hunter", represented by a Fat Chocobo, which rewards the player with chocobo accessories every few battles, but has no bonuses.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Chocobos returns as both a summonstone and the Play Plan representation, with the same functions as it had in Dissidia. The summonstone can be purchased from certain Moogle Shops for 60 KP.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Chocobos are set to appear in the upcoming Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

Chocobo Series
Chocobo (often a specific member of the species with the proper name "Chocobo") is the primary protagonist of his very own spin-off games that delve into a variety of genres. Several of these games are limited to Japan-only release, although some have been released in Europe.


 * Chocobo Racing, a kart-racing game for the PlayStation.
 * Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2, dungeon-crawler games often marketed as beginner RPGs.
 * Chocobo Stallion, a game designed to mimic the look and feel of horse racing at a derby.
 * Dice De Chocobo, a video board game similar to Monopoly.
 * Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Nintendo DS, featuring card duels and mini games that must be completed to progress in the story.
 * Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii, which follows Chocobo's attempts to retrieve the people of Lostime's lost memories.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Chocobo appears as a summon on the Digital Mind Wave after obtaining the Chocobo Feather. Chocobo Stomp damages all enemies.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children


Chocobos do not appear in the movie themselves, but a decoration made out of wood can be seen in Cloud and Tifa's home on a table, next to a photograph.

There is also a road sign, seen when Cloud goes to see Rufus, which indicates the presence of a Chocobo Farm.

Chocobos are also seen running across a dirt road in the cinematic CGI ending credits.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Chocobos do not appear in the game, but a female WRO soldier, who appeared in The Shera, comments that she has a chocobo named Boco.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings


Chocobos are a Rank I melee summon, and the fastest summon in the game. They have no special attacks, and their normal Beak attack only causes minor damage. Chocobos can also be encountered as enemies. Different colored chocobos have different skills, although the player can only summon the yellow type. Trickster is the most powerful chocobo in the game.

Final Fantasy Tactics


In Final Fantasy Tactics, chocobos appear in three different varieties: Normal (Yellow), Black, and Red. Each is slightly different in the types of abilities it can use in battle. If a chocobo is recruited by the heroes, a human character can ride the chocobo in battle for much quicker transportation and to fly over obstacles.

A notable chocobo, Boco, is an optional playable character.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
In this game, chocobos are used as a mount for the judges, and the Animist job can use the ability Chocobo Rush, which summons a group of chocobos to trample everything in a line. Aside from this, chocobos are only mentioned briefly in certain situations, such as certain areas and special missions (where you have to battle a Totema), where special judges are seen riding chocobos with red armor.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Chocobos appear as enemy monsters that can be weakened and mounted by the moogle job Chocobo Knight. There are six different color variations, each with its own abilities that can also be harnessed by the Chocobo Knight:


 * Yellow: Has no special unique abilities, simply the standard Choco Cure to heal surrounding units, Choco Beak to attack, and Choco Barrier to cast Shell and Protect on surrounding units.
 * Green: Can use Choco Esuna to remove negative status effects from surrounding units.
 * Brown: Can use Choco Guard to boost Defense, Magic Defense, and cast Regen on surrounding units.
 * Red: Can use Choco Meteor to do damage.
 * White: Can use Choco Recharge to restore MP to one unit. Also resistant to Holy damage.
 * Black: Can use Choco Flame to attack from a distance, also has a shorter movement stat in exchange for the ability to fly.

Fortress
Chocobos were set to appear in this canceled spinoff installment.

Crystal Defenders
Chocobos appear as a summon in Crystal Defenders W3, where a herd can be used to deal low-level damage to all enemies at the cost of two crystals.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
The Clavats' best shield in the game is called the Chocobo Shield. One of the items needed to craft it is a Yellow Feather. Additionally, an Artifact that can be found is called the Chocobo Pocket, which upgrades the user's number of command slots by one.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
The Selkies' best weapon in the game is called the Chocobow, a yellow bow with a chocobo head that fires arrows from its mouth. When it hits an enemy, small images of chocobos appear upon impact. The description for the weapon reads, "A bow modeled after fabled fantastical fowl creatures. It has a distinctive...scent". One of the items needed to craft this weapon is a Yellow Feather, described as "A large feather from some avian creature. Its color looks vaguely familiar...".

The scroll to make this weapon is called Lil' Yella Fella, whose description reads "Instruction booklet for a weapon. It has a cute yellow bird on the cover. For Selkies only". There is also a Creature Head and Creature Suit that, when equipped on a Yuke, make them appear as a chocobo.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
While previously only being mentioned in the Crystal Chronicles series, chocobos make their first appearance in The Crystal Bearers.

Chocobos can be found near cities and villages, and may be rented for free, for an unlimited time. However, the player loses the chocobo once they dismount it.

While riding the chocobo, a lit-up area will occasionally show up where the chocobo may dig at and obtain treasure. If Gysahl Greens are found, the chocobo's sprinting time is increased by seconds. Enemies will not attack the player while they are riding a chocobo, and will instead run away.

There is also the appearance of wild chocobos in Snowfield, outside of the Rivelgauge Monastery. These are purple in color and live outside of small caves where they raise their young. There are sometimes eggs of baby chocobos inside the nests. Wild chocobos will attack the player in an attempt to protect their young.

The Rivelgauge Monastery asks the player to bring any chocobo eggs that they find to the Monastery. There is also a scene in which Layle rides a wild chocobo while following Amidatelion after beating Blaze at the Rivelgauge Monastery, and Jegran uses a chocobo to shield himself when Blaze attempts to kill him.

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals
Linaly Klauser can summon chocobos. However, her summoning spell is not perfect and her chocobos appear as defeathered versions of the birds, with pink skin, similar in appearance to Yoshitaka Amano's original chocobo artwork from Final Fantasy II.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
A chocobo is visible on a suitcase carried by a man during the Phantoms' attack on New York, as well as on Aki's pajama shirt.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited


Chocobos are a common sight in Final Fantasy: Unlimited. A chocobo named Chobi is one of the main party members, while a herd of wild chocobos roam around Wonderland led by the Chocobo Sisters, Chocobaba and Chocoimo, two slightly oddball old women.

Kingdom Hearts
A Keyblade known as the Metal Chocobo has a keychain resembling a yellow chocobo.

A type of Gummi Ship, a flying vehicle used in the game, named "Chocobo" appears in the form of a chocobo. There is also a crossed-out drawing of a chocobo in the cave on Destiny Islands.

series
In , wild black chocobos are random monsters and cannot be captured, but it's possible to grab bird eggs from several locations. These eggs have a chance of hatching a tame yellow chocobo that would fight alongside the player. Moreover, if the player has a game save from Final Fantasy VIII on their memory card during the Monster Corral tutorial quest, the egg obtained during this quest will hatch a chocobo rather than a Rabite.

Also, In the town of Domina, the priest in the church states that "Miss Yuka [The innkeeper of Domina] seems to be a chocobo, but she insists she is a canary."

In Sword of Mana, the Game Boy Advance remake of Final Fantasy Adventure, the chocobo makes a cameo appearance in the ending.

Itadaki Street
There is a chocobo character in Itadaki Street. There is also a mini-game based on chocobo races.

World of Warcraft
In World of Warcraft, the Blood Elf race uses large land-bound birds known as Hawkstriders as their racial mount. While they have yet to come in the distinctive yellow color, this hasn't dissuaded a large portion of the player base from referring to them as chocobos.

Parasite Eve
In "Parasite Eve", there is a banner hanging above the entrance of the Natural History Museum, as seen from the New York map, that has a picture of a chocobo on it, and reads 'Chocobo' below the picture.

Further, the building model icon used for The Museum of Natural History on the 3D map of this same game, depicts a statue of a chocobo in front of the building.

Front Mission
In one of the early levels of Front Mission Alternative, a Chocobo runs through the background of a cut scene in a forest.

Dream of Mirror Online
In Dream of Mirror Online, players may receive a pet known as a "Kukobo" which has the same build as a chocobo, but has coloring an infamous enemy race in the game known as a Kuku. The player may ride the creature around as well as play with it to gain loyalty and use it in fighting.

Lunar 2
In lunar 2 when players arrive at the gypsy camp, talk to the women near the first cart next to the animal and she will call it a kukubo.

Grand Fantasia
In Grand Fantasia players can receive bird like mounts called sunbirds that closely resemble a chocobo or they appear as wild enemies in various areas these sunbirds has a variety of colors such as yellow, white, black and orange.

Trivia

 * Rules for using chocobos in  were published in the September 2004 issue of Dragon magazine. The rule set contained information on two different breeds of chocobo, yellow and black.
 * The name "Chocobo" is probably a reference to the Japanese chocolate malt ball, chokõbo.
 * In the PSP release Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, the generic male "Clifton" claims: "The feral chocobo calls with a boisterous "wark," not the domestic breed's mild 'kweh.'"