Chocobo

Chocobo artwork.

Chocobo are a fictional species in the Final Fantasy series. Some consider the species to be the mascot of the series, as they appear in almost every game in the series, debuting in Final Fantasy II for the Famicom. Chocobo have also stared in their own games, most notably being Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Nintendo DS. In the Final Fantasy series, the Chocobo are usually a source for transportation. While riding on them, no enemies will be able to attack you. Also, you are not able to bring Chocobo into dungeons or towns.

Final Fantasy II-VI

Final Fantasy II

Chocobos first appeared in Final Fantasy II for the Famicom. They didn't play a major role in the game, and were basically just for riding on top of to get to places quickly.

Final Fantasy III

In Final Fantasy III for the Famicom (and later the Nintendo DS), Chocobos once again retained their position as transportation. However, they could also be summoned by the player, where they would either perform Chocobo Dash or Chocobo Kick on the opposing forces. A Fat Chocobo in the game would store the players' items, and could be summoned only in places that smelled of the species.

Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy IV for the SNES featured various different types of Chocobo, each one possessing different abilities. The standard yellow Chocobo were able to be ridden, much like they were before, and would runaway after the player dismounted them. The black Chocobo would fly them to forests. White Chocobos would fill the magic points of the entire party. Finally, the Fat Chocobo would store items, much like he did in Final Fantasy III. Rydia can summon a Chocobo in battle which performs Chocobo Kick.

Final Fantasy V

In Final Fantasy V, also for the SNES, the game features a Chocobo with a name: Boco. The Chocobo appears throughout the entire title and will give the team rides. In the game Boco, oddly enough, marries another Chocobo and the two have children together. Upon getting off of Boco, he will, unlike other Chocobos, not run away. In the game his owner is Bartz Klauser, one of the game's playable characters. Boco isn't the only Chocobo to appear in the game - like in Final Fantasy IV there are various different colored Chocobo, and like in Final Fantasy III a Chocobo can be summoned.

Final Fantasy VI

In Final Fantasy VI, Chocobos didn't play nearly as big of a role as they did in the previous outing. They could be ridden as before, though instead of finding them in hidden forests the player could rent one from hidden stables that were scattered across the game's world. Chocobos could once again be summoned, this time by the player character Setzer Gabbiani. There were multiple other references made to the species within the game, such as armor being named after them.

Spin-offs

Chocobos as seen in Revenant Wings.

Chocobos have appeared throughout the Final Fantasy series and its many spin-offs. They have played a role, albeit minor, in all of the Ivalice Alliance video games, and have even starred in their own Chocobo series of titles that grace many Nintendo consoles and handhelds.

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the Game Boy Advance, the judges of the game would always ride Chocobos. Also in this game is a summon called Chocobo Rush that will have a herd of Chocobos ram into the opposing forces within the spaces selected. This summon can only be used by a character in the Animist job class. In Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift for the Nintendo DS, different Chocobos appeared as enemies. They appear frequently, and can be mounted by a character within the Chocobo Knight job class.

In Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, the Chocobo (along with the Tonberry) is a Rank I non-elemental Esper. They are very common throughout the game.

In the Chocobo series, a member of the species (named Chocobo) appears as a playable character. The series didn't start on a Nintendo console (rather it started on the PlayStation with Chocobo Racing), though some of the titles have appeared on the company's systems, including Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales and Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes for the Nintendo DS and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii.