Final Fantasyhas become one of the biggest names in the gaming industry, and it’s no wonder, as the long-running franchise began all the way back in 1987 whenFinal Fantasyreleased for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan. The series has set a high standard when it comes to the RPG genre, and it has defined many RPG elements over the years.
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TheFinal Fantasygames feature many recurring components such as themes, crystals, characters, creatures,summonablebattle companions, and more. Many of these returning staples have become synonymous with the franchise, with several of the creatures going on to become fan-favorite mascots. One of these creatures is none other than the Chocobo, and, whether you’re aFinal Fantasyfan or not, there may be a thing or two you didn’t know about these beautiful flightless birds.
10First Appearance
Many players believe that Chocobos have been around since the very first title, but they actually didn’t appear until the release ofFinal Fantasy II. Chocobos quickly became a fan-favorite and have appeared in every title since in some way. They were even retrospectively added to the originalFinal Fantasywhen it was re-released for GameBoy Advance, as well as later releases of this particular title, appearing as statues in Cornelia’s castle.
Chocobos are generally used as mounts within the franchise, as well as featuring in mini-games where they are used to hunt, dig for treasure, or race against each other.
9Spin-off Titles
Chocobos became such fan-favorites that they went on to have several spin-off titles where they featured as protagonists. The most notablespin-offseries with a Chocobo at the helm are theChocobo Racing,Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales,and theChocobo’s Dungeongames.
There are many more Chocobo titles that released in Japan only, such asDice de Chocobo, which is similar in gameplay toMonopoly. Additionally,Chocobo Worldwas a PocketStation mini-game that worked in conjunction withFinal Fantasy VIIIthat eventually was released as part of the PC port of the game overseas.
8Original Design
Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano drew up the initial Chocobo concept art, and it was originally going to be a far cry from the yellow bird we know and love today. Early art shows a more prehistoric-looking bird that is completely featherless and far less adorable.
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Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, a four-part anime OVA that debuted in Japan in 1994, features a featherless Chocobo as a nod to Amano’s original artwork. The explanation in the anime is that Linaly hasn’t perfected her Chocobo summoning spell, and that’s why the birds appear featherless when she summons them.
7Bird Calls
Chocobo’s are known for their bird cry of “kweh,” but many players don’t know where this sound originated. The “Chocobo” name came from a Japanese chocolate treat called “ChocoBall,” and the mascot for this brand is a bird called Kyoro-Chan, who says “kweh.” Additionally, “kuu” is roughly translated as “eat,” with the volitional casual form being “kue,” translating to “let’s scoff ‘em down,” which led to “kweh.”
In someFinal Fantasytitles, Chocobos are known to say “wark” instead of “kweh,” and, inFinal Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, one of the characters explains that “wark” is the call of feral Chocobos, whereas “kweh” is the call of tamed ones.
6Inspiration
Though ChocoBall may have inspired the name and sound of the Chocobo, the visual design inspiration came from somewhere else. Chocobos were influenced by the design of the Horseclaw creatures fromHayao Miyazaki’s 1984 animated filmNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
It’s clear to see the resemblance between the cute Horseclaw creatures from the film and Chocobos. While Chocobos are generally yellow in color, as the series evolved, so to did the creatures’ color variations, which eventually grew to include black Chocobos which made them even more similar to the Horseclaws.
5Fat Chocobo
In many of theFinal Fantasygames and spin-offs, it is established theChocobosare ruled by the Fat Chocobo, also known as Big Chocobo, Chubby Chocobo, or sometimes The Godsbird. While it is commonplace that Chocobos easily understand the human language, Fat Chocobo is the only one able to converse with human speech.
Fat Chocobos are usually able to carry more items than other Chocobos, and this idea is also used inChocobo’s Mystery Dungeonin which the Fat Chocobo stores items for the player. There have also been a few titles where the Fat Chocobo features as a summon, most recently making an appearance in theFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.
4Guest Appearances
Chocobos have become such a well-known creature within the gaming world that they have also appeared in other game franchises. Players are able to obtain a Chocobo keyblade andGummi shipin theKingdom Heartsseries, Mii fighters forSuper Smash Brosare able to equip the Chocobo hat, and the rather horrifying Chocobo-camel hybrid appeared inAssassin’s Creed Origins.
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Other games that Chocobos have made an appearance in includeLegend of Mana,Dragon Quest, Yo-kai Watch 3,Tekken 7, and many more.
3Chocobo Funk
Though Chocobos are exquisitely beautiful creatures, many fans don’t realize that these birds actually emit a rather hideous and strong odor. This fact is alluded to a few times within the series, as the stench is often commented on by NPCs. Additionally, one of the Brain Blast quizzes fromFinal Fantasy XIII-2mentions that a Chocobo riding course had to be dropped from Academia’s teaching because parents complained that the smell was rubbing off on their children.
Final Fantasy XIIexplains that feeding Chocobos their favorite food of Gysahl Greens apparently helps to reduce the musky scent.
2Chocobo Colors
When the franchise ultimately decided to introduce other color variants of Chocobos, it made the yellow versions the most common breed. Other color Chocobos can have different traits such as being better swimmers or with some even being able to fly.
The rarest color variant is the Gold Chocobo, though it sometimes goes by other names depending on the title. It is said to be the most powerful of all the Chocobos; it has the highest stats, and can reportedly cross any terrain.
1The Most Famous Chocobo
The most famous Chocobo throughout the entire series has to be Boko, sometimes spelled as “Boco” instead, which shows how it is a reversal of the last two syllables of the word “Chocobo.” Boko first appeared inFinal Fantasy Vas Bartz’s companion. InFinal Fantasy VIII, Boko is the name of the Chocobo in theChocobo Worldadd-on game for the PocketStation, as well as being the default name for the Chocobo chick given to Squall in the Chocobo Forest.
InFinal Fantasy IX, theBlack Magesname their Chocobo Chick “Bobby Corwen,” which also alludes to Boko, with the first two letters of each name spelling out “Boco.” There are many other times that Chocobos are named Boko throughout theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
