Bill, also called Choco Bill or Chocobo Bill, is a minor recurring character in the Final Fantasy VII series. He has a minor role in Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Bill runs an eponymous chocobo ranch in the grasslands region outside Midgar with his grandchildren Billy and Chloe. He is a warm and lighthearted old man who is driven by profit, renting out chocobos for transportation, manual labor, and races.
Bill educates Cloud Strife's party about riding and breeding chocobos in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, helping speed up their pursuit of Sephiroth.
History[]
Early history[]
Bill was born in 1937.[1] He eventually inherited his family's business and their chocobo farm. Bill later had a son named Will. At some point, Bill passed the business down to his son and daughter-in-law Clara. However, they fell into financial problems and suffered an unfortunate fate, caused by Sam.[2][3][note 1] In the aftermath, a devastated Bill shifted focus to money making and raised his grandchildren Billy and Chloe.[2]
Original continuity[]
Bill advised Cloud Strife's party to rent chocobos to safely cross the marshlands during "Going After Sephiroth" in Final Fantasy VII, warning them about the dangers of Midgardsormr lurking in the area. When asked, he mentioned that Sephiroth had recently passed through the swamp and directed them to Billy in the stable. Bill also offered the party a place to stay for a price.[4]
Bill was troubled by the state of the world after Sephiroth summoned Meteor in "Turmoil". He suggested that Cloud and his friends raise chocobos for the sake of their own well-being. Bill desired to meet the Chocobo Sage, curious to learn about his advanced chocobo-raising skills. He also assured Cloud's party that chocobos were easy to care for, urged them to let the farm look after theirs, and offered an overview of chocobo breeding.[5]
Remake continuity[]
During the epilogue of Episode INTERmission in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Bill picked up Cloud's hitchhiking party outside Midgar. A bump in the road led to an apologetic Tifa Lockhart accidentally knocking into an amused Bill, who insisted she need not apologize. He eventually dropped them off near Kalm and headed back to his ranch.[6]
Bill encounters Cloud's party on the road.
Bill's truck broke down during "A New Journey Begins" in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. He encountered Cloud's party again as they headed toward the swamp, informed Cloud of a place to hunker down, and teased him about being young and in love with Tifa and Aerith Gainsborough. Bill directed them to an abandoned dock in the swamps, finished repairs on his truck, and returned to the ranch.[7]
When Cloud's party visited the ranch, Bill told them about chocobos. He warned them about the dangers of the swamp and Midgardsormr, suggesting they rent chocobos from his grandson Billy before he left to check on the ranch signs. Bill later suspiciously asked Cloud's party if they knew anything about the Shinra Electric Power Company closing off Kalm. He then wished them luck wrangling the runaway chocobo Piko and thanked them after doing so.[7]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Bill is an elderly man with an average build. He has tan skin, grayish-blue eyes, wild and somewhat spiky gray hair, thick sideburns, and a forked beard. In Final Fantasy VII, he wears a red bandana, black goggles, a brown vest over a white collared shirt, dark brown gloves, dark brown pants with a leg rolled up, high beige socks, and brown shoes. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Bill's outfit is mostly the same, but he wears rolled up dark blue jeans, dark brown boots, a black leather tool belt, and a whip on his hip.
Personality[]
Bill is friendly and cheerful with a sense of humor.[1] He cares for his grandchildren, shows concern for those passing through the marshes,[8] and is fond and knowledgeable about chocobos. The loss of his son and daughter-in-law shifted his focus to making money. He has the habit of giving kind advice and turning it into a business negotiation, always on the lookout for a quick way to make profit.[4][5][2]
Behind the scenes[]
Voice[]
Chocobo Bill is voiced by Michio Hazama in Japanese releases of the Final Fantasy VII remake project and Michael McConnohie in English releases.
Etymology[]
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ In Final Fantasy VII, Bill's son and daughter-in-law died to unknown causes.[2] In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, they were shipped off to the Shinra Electric Power Company by Don Corneo for their racked-up debt and made into test subjects.[3]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Ultimania, p. 43
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, p. 65
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "A Golden Key"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Final Fantasy VII script § "Going After Sephiroth"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Final Fantasy VII script § "Chocobo Farm optional dialogue"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Covert Ops"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "A New Journey Begins"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete, p. 32
References[]
- Video games
- Square Co., Ltd. (1997). Final Fantasy VII [Game]. Square Co., Ltd.. PlayStation.
- Square Enix (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation 4.
- Square Enix (2024). Final Fantasy VII Rebirth [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation 5.
- Bibliography
- Studio BentStuff (1997). Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete [Book]. ASCII Corporation. ISBN 978-4-8936-6678-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-8936-6678-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania [Book]. SE-Mook. ISBN 978-4-7575-6586-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-7575-6869-3.
- Square Enix (2024). Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Ultimania [Book]. SE-Mook. ISBN 4757591349.