Chocobo

Chocobo
An example of a chocobo, from Final Fantasy X.
Series	Final Fantasy
First appearance	Final Fantasy II

A chocobo (チョコボ, chokobo^?) is a fictional creature from the Final Fantasy video game series. The creature is a large and normally flightless galliforme/ratite bird capable of being ridden and otherwise used by player characters during gameplay. Chocobos first appeared in Final Fantasy II and have been featured in almost all subsequent Final Fantasy games, as well as making cameo appearances in numerous other games. A spin-off series featuring chocobos has also been created.

While most chocobos that appear in the games are yellow, certain rare breeds are of different colors and have special abilities, including being able to fly or use magic. Chocobos are also occasionally used as lightly armored war mounts, assisting their riders in battle with their beak and claws. A comic relief variant is the Fat Chocobo (or Chubby Chocobo) character; an extremely obese yellow or white chocobo that can eat the player's items for storage. The onomatopoeia for a chocobo's call is "kweh" (クエ, kue^?) (sometimes replaced with "wark" in English translations or more recently pronounced as "kway").

Creation and influence

The chocobo was created by Koichi Ishii, a video game director who worked on various Final Fantasy titles.^{[citation needed]} The idea for chocobos may have come from Kyorochan, a character in television advertisements for Morinaga & Company's chocolate candy, which is also a bird with the call of "kweh".^{[citation needed]} Morinaga has also released a tie-in product, Chocobo no Chocoball (チョコボのチョコボール^?, lit. "Chocobo's Chocoball"). Another possible inspiration for the chocobo is said to be Hayao Miyazaki's Horseclaws, which appear in the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.^[1]

Appearances

Final Fantasy series

Most chocobos dwell in forests (although those from Final Fantasy VII live in grasslands and snowfields). While timid in the wild and vicious if threatened, they tame rather easily and act as vehicles, as well as quick and effective cavalry. In this role they tend to be capable of crossing shallow water and are noted for their high speeds. Most often they can be caught in the wild and ridden without fear of random encounters, escaping after the player dismounts. A common food for chocobos, usually used to help tame the bird, are Gysahl Greens, named after a town in Final Fantasy III.^{[citation needed]}

Final Fantasy II was the first installment to have chocobos play a role in the plot. Boko (sometimes translated as Boco) went on to become a recurring chocobo name in later installments. In Final Fantasy XIII, the character Sazh Katzroy has a baby chocobo for a pet.^[2]

Within Final Fantasy XI, the raising and breeding of chocobos was a long-requested activity, and was enabled in the Summer 2006 update.^[3] Chocobo racing began in March 2007. Players were allowed to race player-raised chocobos against non-player characters. Winning racers earn "Chocobucks", which can be used to buy items that assist chocobo breeding.^[4]

Chocobos have appeared in all numbered installments except the first, in addition to the Final Fantasy Tactics series. Chocobos appear as a summon in Final Fantasy II, III, IV, V, VII, and VIII. Fat Chocobo appears in Final Fantasy II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, and IX. The chocobo Boko appears in Final Fantasy V and VIII, and Final Fantasy Tactics. Black Chocobos, which sometimes possess the ability to fly, are found in Final Fantasy II, IV, V, VII, XI, and XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics A2, and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest features several chocobo-shaped weather vanes in the town of Windia. In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles one can obtain the Chocobo Shield and the Chocobo Pocket items, and are included in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. In the animated sequel to Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, one of the main characters can summon pink, featherless chocobos. In addition. Final Fantasy Adventure featured a chocobo egg which hatched to aid the player. Chocobos are common in the anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited, and one named Chobi joins the cast in their adventure. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within^[5] and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children^[6] both have chocobo-related easter eggs.

Chocobo series

The Chocobo series is a spin-off series of games first developed by Square Co., and later by Square Enix, featuring a super deformed version of the Final Fantasy series mascot, the Chocobo, as the protagonist. These games include Mystery Dungeon installments and a variety of minigame collections, over a wide variety of video game consoles.

Title	Original release date(s)	Shipment or sales figure(s)
Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon Chokobo no Fushigi na Danjon (チョコボの不思議なダンジョン?, lit. "Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon") Dungeon crawler developed by Square for the PlayStation. Ported to the WonderSwan by TOSE.	JP December 23, 1997 JP March 4, 1999 (WonderSwan) JP August 25, 2010 (PlayStation Network)	1.14 million copies shipped worldwide (PlayStation)[7] (as of March 2003)
Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Chokobo no Fushigi na Danjon 2 (チョコボの不思議なダンジョン2?, lit. "Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2") Sequel to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon, for the PlayStation. Features second characters that can be controlled by AI or a second player. A WonderSwan Color was planned but not released.[8]	JP December 23, 1998 NA November 30, 1999 JP October 27, 2010 (PlayStation Network)	592,730 copies sold in Japan[9] (as of December 2004)
Chocobo World Odekake Chokobo RPG (おでかけチョコボRPG?, lit. "Let's Go Out Chocobo RPG") PocketStation mini-game released as part of Final Fantasy VIII.	Part of Final Fantasy VIII	–
Chocobo Racing Chokobo Rēshingu: Genkai e no Rōdo ~ (チョコボレーシング 〜幻界へのロード〜?, lit. "Chocobo Racing: Road to the Spirit World") Racing game developed by Square for the PlayStation.	JP March 18, 1999 NA August 10, 1999 EU October 11, 1999 JP February 9, 2009 (PlayStation Network)[10]	–
Chocobo Stallion Chokobo Sutarion (チョコボスタリオン?) Chocobo raising and racing simulation developed by ParityBit for the PlayStation.	JP December 22, 1999 JP September 23, 2008 (PlayStation Network)	–
Dice de Chocobo Daisu de Chokobo (ダイスDEチョコボ?) Board game developed by Denyusha Co. for the PlayStation.[11] Released only as part of Chocobo Collection.	JP Part of Chocobo Collection JP September 23, 2008 (PlayStation Network)	–
Chocobo Collection Chokobo Korekushon (チョコボコレクション?) Compilation of Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Stallion and Dice de Chocobo.	JP December 22, 1999	–
Hataraku Chocobo Hataraku Chokobo (はたらくチョコボ?, lit. "Wotking Chocobo") Life simulation game developed by Square for the WonderSwan Color.	JP September 20, 2000	8,930 copies sold[12] (as of September 24, 2000)
Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice Chokobo Rando (チョコボランド?) Remake of Dice de Chocobo for the Game Boy Advance. Rated 28 out of 40 by Famitsu magazine.[13]	JP December 13, 2002	–
Choco-Mate Mobile game.[14]	JP Sometime before 2003	–
Chocobo de Mobile Chokobo de Mobairu (チョコボdeモバイル?) Mobile application featuring sports mini-games.[15][16]	JP December 14, 2006	–
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales Chocobo to Mahō no Ehon (チョコボと魔法の絵本?, lit. "Chocobo and the Magical Picture Book") Adventure game developed by h.a.n.d. for the Nintendo DS.	JP December 14, 2006	170,000 copies sold in North America and Europe[17] (as of November 2007)
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon Chokobo no Fushigi na Danjon: Toki Wasure no Meikyū (チョコボの不思議なダンジョン 時忘れの迷宮?, lit. "Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: The Labyrinth of Forgotten Time") Role-playing game developed by h.a.n.d. for the Wii.	JP December 13, 2007[18] NA July 8, 2008[19] AUS July 30, 2008[20] EU November 7, 2008[21]	160,000 copies sold in Japan and North America[22] (as of September 2008)
Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon Toki Wasure no Meikyū DS+ Sido to Chokobo no Fushigi na Danjon Toki Wasure no Meikyū DS+ (シドとチョコボの不思議なダンジョン 時忘れの迷宮 DS+?, lit. "Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon: the Labyrinth of Forgotten Time DS+") Enhanced port of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Nintendo DS, starring Cid.	JP October 30, 2008[23]	46,000 copies sold[24] (as of November 16, 2008)
Chocobo to Mahō no Ehon: Majo to Shōjo to Gonin no Yūsha Chokobo to Mahō no Ehon: Majo to Shōjo to Gonin no Yūsha (チョコボと魔法の絵本 魔女と少女と5人の勇者?, lit. "Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes") Sequel to Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, for the Nintendo DS.	JP December 11, 2008[25]	–
Chocobo Panic iPad game	May 28, 2010	–
Chocobo's Crystal Tower Facebook game	October 25, 2010 (active)	–
Chocobo Racing 3D (tentative title) Sequel to Chocobo Racing, for the Nintendo 3DS.	TBA	–

Other appearances

Chocobos appear frequently in other Square and Square Enix games, notably in the Mana series. A chocobo serves as a mount in Seiken Densetsu (Final Fantasy Adventure), and is later changed into a 'Chocobot'. It was removed from the 2003 remake Sword of Mana 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. Wild black chocobos appear as monsters in Legend of Mana, while tame yellow chocobos can be hatched by the player from eggs to assist in battle. Chocobos also appear in Seiken Densetsu: Friends of Mana.

In Secret of Evermore, a Chocobo Egg is a rare item. In Kingdom Hearts, there is a Keyblade/keychain ("Metal Chocobo") and a Gummi Ship design that are both named and modeled after a chocobo; there is also a drawing of a chocobo in the cave on the Destiny Islands. In Parasite Eve, a banner depicting a chocobo hangs over the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History, while a chocobo skeleton can be found nearby. In Tobal 2, a chocobo is obtainable as a combatant. Web-based minigames starring Chocobos are also featured on Square Enix's member site.^[26]

Chocobs are found in the anime series Dog Days as the main form of transportation in the fantasy world of Flonyard. these giant birds are called chocobos in the series though there appears to be no relation to the chocobos in Final Fantasy or Square Enix.^[27]

Music

See also: Discography of the Chocobo series

The chocobo signature theme is an upbeat ditty that is present in one form or another in all Final Fantasy games since their introduction in Final Fantasy II, frequently as variants or remixes: for instance, the Final Fantasy VII chocobo races have a frantic version, while the futuristic Final Fantasy VIII has a more modern one. These songs are titled with the suffix "de Chocobo" and prefixed by the name of the style in which they are played. For example, "Techno de Chocobo" from Final Fantasy VI's PlayStation release features a dance remix, while "Cinco de Chocobo" from Final Fantasy VII features a jazz remix (in 5/4 time, cinco being Spanish and Portuguese for the number five). A newer version of the theme, titled "Swing de Chocobo", was created by Nobuo Uematsu for the concerts VOICES and Play!. It has been performed by a number of different orchestras between 2005 and today.

At the 2010 Distant worlds concert in Houston, Texas; Nobuo Uematsu responded to a question from the audience about what color chocobo he would like to own with "Black Chocobo... from Hell!"

Reception and legacy

Boko the Chocobo from Final Fantasy V was voted by Joystiq as the twentieth most desired character to be placed in the Final Fantasy fighting game Dissidia: Final Fantasy.^[28] Music composed for chocobo appearances in the Final Fantasy games was used in the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy concert tour.^[29] Chocobo merchandise has been released, including a rubber duck,^[30][31] a plush baby Chocobo,^[32] and coffee mugs.^[33] Square Enix designed a chocobo character costume for the release of Chocobo Tales.^[34]

The Chocobo was listed by IGN as one the most likely Square Enix characters that could appear in the Super Smash Bros. series, comparing them to the Slime from Dragon Quest and saying that "the Chocobo could be an excellent enemy for Yoshi".^[35]

References

1. ^ Rogers, Tim (March 27, 2006). "In Defense of Final Fantasy XII". Next Generation. "Okay, so the Chocobos -- big, yellow riding birds -- were actually stolen from Hayao Miyazaki's movie 'Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind', and Hironobu Sakaguchi freely admitted that way back when."
2. ^ (in Japanese) V-Jump Magazine. January 2009. p. 24. 
3. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (2006-06-01). "It's Chocobo Breeding Time". IGN. http://pc.ign.com/articles/710/710971p1.html. Retrieved 2006-08-15. 
4. ^ Cordeira, Jim (2007-03-27). "Final Fantasy XI: Chocobo Racing to launch this week". Gaming Age. http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2007/3/27-44. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
5. ^ Hill, Doug (2001). "Interview with Final Fantasy Producer, Hironobu Sakaguchi". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2001/101401a.html. Retrieved 2009-01-16. 
6. ^ "Chocobo (Advent Children)". Final Fantasy Wiki. http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Chocobo_(Advent_Children). Retrieved 2010-12-31. 
7. ^ "February 2, 2004 - February 4, 2004". Square Enix. 2004-02-09. p. 27. http://www.square-enix.com/jp/ir/e/explanatory/download/0404-200402090000-01.pdf#page=27. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
8. ^ Yukiyoshi Ike Sato (December 1999). "Square WonderSwan games update". GameSpot.com. http://www.gamespot.com/news/2447101.html. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 
9. ^ "Sony PS1 Japanese Ranking". Japan-GameCharts.com. http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/ps1.php. Retrieved 2008-12-15. 
10. ^ "チョコボレーシング ～幻界へのロード～". PlayStation.com(Japan). Sony. 2009-02-09. http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/jp0082npjj00184_000000000000000001.html. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
11. ^ Denyusha staff (2005). "Denyusha Co.,Ltd". Denyusha Entertainment Software Company. http://www.denyu-sha.co.jp/english/product/consume_game.html. Retrieved February 3, 2007. 
12. ^ ソフトウェア/TOP30（0918〜0924）
13. ^ Freund, Josh (December 4, 2002). "GAF - News - New Famitsu scores". GamesAreFun.com. http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=2666. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
14. ^ Square Enix staff (2003-08-04). "Square Enix IR Roadshow Document" (PDF). Square Enix Japan. http://www.square-enix.com/jp/ir/e/explanatory/download/0404-200308040000-01.pdf. Retrieved 2006-07-06. 
15. ^ Square Enix staff (2006-12-16). "ケータイで「チョコボ」のミニゲームもりだくさん♪" (in Japanese). http://www.square-enix.co.jp/jf07/titles/chocobo_m/. Retrieved 2007-06-26. 
16. ^ Spencer (2007-01-08). "Chocobo de Mobile shows that chocobos can do anything". http://www.siliconera.com/2007/01/08/chocobo-de-mobile-shows-that-chocobos-can-do-anything/. Retrieved 2007-06-26. 
17. ^ "FY 2007 First-Half Period Results Briefing Session". Square Enix. 2007-11-19. http://www.square-enix.com/jp/ir/e/explanatory/download/20071119en_20.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
18. ^ IGN staff (2007-09-13). "Chocobo Hits Japan in December". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/820/820140p1.html. Retrieved 2007-10-01. 
19. ^ IGN Staff (2008-03-31). "Uncover Lost Memories with Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/863/863357p1.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
20. ^ Luke Van Leuveren (2008-04-06). "Updated Australian Release List - 7/4/08". PALGN. http://palgn.com.au/10995/updated-australian-release-list-7-4-08/. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
21. ^ GameSpy staff (2008-06-28). "FFF: Chocobo's Dungeon For PAL (Wii)". GameSpy. http://wii.gamespy.com/wii/chocobos-dungeon-toki-wasure-no-meikyuu/884863p1.html. 
22. ^ "Results Briefing Session: The First-Half of the Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2009". Square-Enix.com. http://www.square-enix.com/eng/pdf/news/20081107_02en.pdf#page7. Retrieved 2008-12-26. 
23. ^ Gamekyo.com (2008-07-26). "Square Enix Announces Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon Toki Wasure no Meikyū DS+ release date in Japan". http://www.gamekyo.com/news28401_chocobo-and-the-magic-storybook-more-pics.html. Retrieved 2008-07-26. 
24. ^ 【ゲームソフト販売本数ランキング TOP30】 集計期間：2008年11月10日〜11月16日 - ファミ通.com
25. ^ John Tanaka (2008-07-08). "Square Enix Announces New Chocobo Titles". IGN. http://ds.ign.com/articles/886/886958p1.html. Retrieved July 8, 2008. 
26. ^ Game Zone│Square Enix Members
27. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". student. Seven Arcs. http://www.dogdays.tv/index.html. Retrieved 28 July 2011. 
28. ^ Majed Athab (2008-03-28). "Top 20 Final Fantasy characters that should be in Dissidia". http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/28/top-20-final-fantasy-characters-that-should-be-in-dissidia/. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
29. ^ Brian Davis (2008-03-01). "Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, Chicago". Music4Games. Archived from the original on 2008-03-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080331134348/http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=205. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
30. ^ Michael McWhertor (2008-01-22). "Final Fantasy's Chocobo Goes Rubbery, Ducky". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/347724/final-fantasys-chocobo-goes-rubbery-ducky. Retrieved 2008-04-01. 
31. ^ SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS (2008-04-24). "NY Comic Con Event Diary: Day 2". Square Enix. http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/2008/04/ny-comic-con-event-diary-day-2.php. Retrieved 2008-05-18. 
32. ^ "PlayStation: The Official Magazine Holiday Gift Guide '08," PlayStation: The Official Magazine 13 (Holiday 2008): 37.
33. ^ McWhertor, Michael (2007-05-16). "Chocobo Coffee Mugs". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/261023/chocobo-coffee-mugs. Retrieved 2009-02-17. 
34. ^ Fahey, Mike (2006-12-14). "Chocobos In The Wild". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/221766/chocobos-in-the-wild. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
35. ^ Lucas M. Thomas (2011-11-09). "Smash It Up! - It's Hip to be Square". IGN. http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/834/834174p1.html. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 

External links

• Official Chocobo game series website for Japan (Japanese)