Billy, also called Choco Billy and Chocobo Billy, is a minor recurring character in the Final Fantasy VII series. He has a minor role in Final Fantasy VII and an expanded role in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Billy works on his grandfather Bill's chocobo ranch and helps him run the business alongside his younger sister Chloe. He is an enthusiastic youth with a knack for business and a love for chocobos, whom is responsible for the caring and boarding of birds in the stables.
Billy sold chocobo lures, feeds, and rented out chocobos to Cloud Strife's party in Final Fantasy VII. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he teaches the party about chocobos, and is involved in a few odd jobs in the grasslands, the Gold Saucer, and Nibel.
History[]
Early history[]
Billy was born in 1991 to Will and Clara. After losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandfather Bill and cared for his younger sister Chloe. At some point, Bill taught Billy everything there is to know about chocobos and had him start working on the ranch, readying him to eventually take over the family business. As Billy grew older, he came to despise Sam, believing he killed his parents.[2][1]
Original continuity[]
When Cloud Strife's party visited the chocobo farm during "Going After Sephiroth" in Final Fantasy VII, Billy greeted them nicely, but called them old. He explained that the farm was out of rentable chocobos and suggested they venture out to catch one themselves. Billy informed them about chocobo behavior, including how to catch and tame them, their moods, and their diet. He convinced the party to buy a lure and encouraged them to buy greens from Chloe.[3]
After Sephiroth summoned Meteor in "Turmoil", Billy continued business on the farm, offering Cloud's party valuable advice on which greens to feed their chocobos, as well as insights into their traits, personalities, and breeding. Billy also assessed the quality of the party's chocobos, let them name their birds, and personally fed them.[4]
Remake continuity[]
Billy welcomed Cloud's party to Bill's ranch during "A New Journey Begins" in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, calling Cloud "pops". He was unable to rent them chocobos, but promised some if they retrieved the runaway chocobo, Piko. He tried to get a sale out of them, but reconsidered to avoid causing distress. Billy offered the party free riding lessons if they bought something from Chloe and explained how to find, catch, and equip chocobos. When Chloe mentioned Sam and asked if the party knew him from Midgar, Billy quickly shushed her, wary of business risks. After Piko's return, he checked its health and fed it before teaching Cloud's party how to ride chocobos.[5]
After Cloud's party gathered materials for the "Flowers from the Hill" odd job, Billy thanked Chloe for making him a flower crown to honor their parents. He was grateful and happy to see his sister smile again.[6]
Billy traveled with Piko to the Gold Saucer in "All That Glitters" to enter the chocobo races but was captured by Garth, Solemn Gus's chief lackey, and held at Corel Prison. He stayed around the stables with Esther and joined Cloud for race preparations, comparing desert and grassland chocobo care, lifestyle, and gear. After registering for the races, Billy had Cloud ride Piko, escorted him to the race, and aimed to win the Gold Cup. When Cloud won, Billy decided to stay at the Gold Saucer to enter Piko in more races. He mentioned having a "score to settle" and reassured a concerned Aerith Gainsborough that no one is ever alone with a chocobo companion. He believed Bill and Chloe would be overjoyed that Piko had finally won a race after so long.[7]
Billy sought out the Chocobo Sage and visited his manor in Nibel to train during "The Long Shadow of Shinra", determined to defeat Chocobo Sam in the Gold Cup, but was instead put to work cleaning the manor's pool. When Cloud's party arrived, he welcomed them, introduced them to the sage, and pleaded for their help. Billy was promised the truth about his father and Sam's relationship if Cloud won a race. Afterward, the sage recounted their shared history and love for chocobos, telling Billy that he needed time to heal and to put aside his negative feelings in order to win the Gold Cup. With renewed determination, Billy thanked the sage and Cloud before returning to the Gold Saucer to continue training for the race.[8]
Billy was eager to compete in the Gold Cup in "A Golden Key" and confronted Sam, who agreed to reveal the full truth about his parents if Cloud won the race. After Cloud's victory, Sam honored his promise, explaining Billy's parents' dream of wild chocobo conservation, their racked-up debt, and fates at the hands of Don Corneo and the Shinra Electric Power Company. Realizing he had misunderstood, Billy listened as Sam urged him to continue his parents' work, offering to fund it if he guessed a coin flip correctly. Billy refused, determined to earn the gil himself, prompting a satisfied Sam to compare him to his parents.[9]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Billy is a teenage boy with an average build. He has tan skin, freckles, grayish-blue eyes, medium-length red hair, and has a plaster across his nose. In Final Fantasy VII, Billy wore a brown hat with a yellow chocobo plume, a white t-shirt, a light brown neckerchief, brown gloves, green shorts, and brown shoes.
In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Billy wears a black hat with a teal band and a chocobo plume over a white bandana, a yellow-green neckerchief, a white collared shirt, and blue denim coveralls with various blue-green accents, and a chocobo patch in the center. He also wears a patched navy blue undershirt, gray rubber gloves, a red, yellow, and black wristband, and black rubber boots.
Personality[]
Billy is fond of chocobos.
Billy is an enthusiastic, sharp-minded, and savvy young entrepreneur, described by Barret Wallace as a "natural born businessman".[5] He takes after his grandfather's kindness, passion and knowledge for chocobos, and business. He cares deeply for his family, helping his grandfather with tasks around the ranch and elsewhere, as well as looking out for his little sister.[3][10][11][1]
Billy harbors a deep anger toward Sam, believing he was responsible for the death of his parents. To that end, he wants revenge, vowing to beat Sam in the Gold Cup chocobos race at the Gold Saucer. Upon eventually learning the truth from Sam, Billy's hatred for the man disappeared, ultimately feeling a renewed drive to carry on his parents' chocobo conservation business by working hard and making gil.[1][9]
Abilities[]
Billy is set to inherit the family business, having extensive knowledge of capturing, training, and handling chocobos.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Voice[]
Billy is voiced by Yūsuke Shiroi in Japanese releases and Paul Castro Jr. in English releases of the Final Fantasy VII remake project.
Etymology[]
His English name sounds similar to "Chocobo". The name "chocobo" derives from a Japanese brand of chocolate malt ball by Morinaga, ChocoBall (チョコボール, Chokobōru?). The mascot for this product is Kyoro-chan (キョロちゃん?), a bird who says "kweh".
食う / くう / kuu is a rough way to say "eat", whose volitional casual form is 食え / くえ / kue ("let's scoff 'em down!"), leading to Kweh!
Notes[]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Ultimania, p. 43
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, p. 65
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Final Fantasy VII script § "Going After Sephiroth"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII script § "After Meteor is Summoned"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "A New Journey Begins"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "Flowers from the Hill"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "All That Glitters"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "The Long Shadow of Shinra"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth script § "A Golden Key"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete, p. 33
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, p. 65
References[]
- Video games
Square Co., Ltd. (1997). Final Fantasy VII [Game]. Square Co., Ltd.. PlayStation. 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. Square Enix (2024). Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Ultimania [Book]. SE-Mook. ISBN 4757591349.