5 Final Fantasy games that make the most of their chocobos

One of the best additions to the Final Fantasy franchise has to be the chocobos. Tall, cute birds, typically colored yellow, serve various functions across the franchise.

Some are just cute friends. Others help the party travel the world. Occasionally, they even help in combat or lead to some of the best weapons in the game.

They have come in a wide assortment of colors and powers, found all over the planet. The chocobos first appeared in Final Fantasy II and made an early appearance in Final Fantasy Adventure (the first Mana game).

No matter what game they appear in, they are always a welcome sight and assist the party, whether a morale boost or a way to travel the globe.

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All chocobos are great in Final Fantasy, but some are more helpful

There were quite a few chocobos that almost made this list. Final Fantasy XIII’s Sazh carries around a chocobo chick in his hair, and it’s the one bright bit of joy in the game. Final Fantasy IV features quite a few types of chocobos, but they are only briefly useful and seldom in the late game other than to store items.

In this list, any Final Fantasy game is viable since there are quite a few chocobos in the non-mainline games that were quite useful. Simply being in the game as a mount is not enough to make the cut. It’s down to how useful they are to the story and/or the game’s mechanics.

Five best chocobos in Final Fantasy

• FFV
• FFT
• FFXIV
• FFIX
• FFVII

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5) Final Fantasy V

There are a few chocobos in Final Fantasy V, but the show's star has to be Boko. Boko is the main character's best friend. In the early game, he's Bartz and company's mount and shows up to save the day in a pinch a few times in the show.

Like in other games, there are no random encounters on Boko's back. There's a second chocobo that shows up later, inspired by FFIV. The Black Chocobo cannot land, except on Forest tiles, and will be an important bit of travel in the game.

This chocobo has one more restriction, in that it can't pass over high mountains. Boko is a friend, companion, and ally, making him more than just a generic mount that the party can travel on for a part of the game.

In the early game, he'll help Bartz in a dangerous moment, and it's frankly a pretty touching moment to see him wind up with a family of his own. Boko also helps the party get the powerful Mirage Vest later in the game.

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4) Final Fantasy Tactics

Boko is back in Final Fantasy Tactics! Well, sort of. In Chapter 2 of the game, a unique chocobo, Boco, appears on one map. The party can rescue it and recruit it to the party. In this world, they serve as ‌a form of transportation for many characters. For the party, however, they’re combatants!

There are enemy chocobos, but players can use the Orator’s Entice ability to recruit them or wait for Boco to churn out eggs. It’s one of the few bad things about having monsters in the party in FFT. Before long, the party screen will be stuffed with eggs and chocobos.

In this game, there are three types of chocobos that show up, and each has its own specific ability. The rank one chocobo is yellow and can use Choco Cure to heal in a cross-shape around itself. Rank 2 is black and has the highest physical and magic attack.

They use a ranged attack called Choco Pellets, which can be devastating. Black chocobos can also fly, so they are also quite mobile. Rank 3 is a red chocobo and uses the ferocious Choco Meteor attack. It does massive damage, and this chocobo has Ignore Elevation to get around the map quickly.

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3) Final Fantasy XIV

In Final Fantasy XIV, players unlock a chocobo to ride relatively early in the game - about level 30. For a time, it’s just a mount to use, but that will change before long. Another quest will come along, which trains a chocobo to enter the battle!

All players will need is a gyshal green so they can summon their allies to join them in combat. It can be a healer, DPS, a tank, or a blend of the three. Players can also feed it various foods that will change its color or improve certain stats.

It gains XP, has skills to unlock, and can be customized with a variety of bardings. This chocobo is helpful in all phases of the game, and even in the late game, it’s still useful when doing quests in the world.

It can’t enter dungeons or trials, but can join FATES with the player and aid them in any quest that involves combat. It’s a valuable ally and can make up for whatever lack the player has when fighting enemies in the world.

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2) Final Fantasy IX

Choco the Chocobo is a brilliant friend and capable mount in Final Fantasy IX. It first appeared near Lindblum and is thankfully more than just a mount. That is important, but players can also play the “Chocobo Hot and Cold” mini-game. Players will peck at the ground for treasure in this mini-game.

It’s easily the largest mini-game in FFIX, and Choco is integral. It helps the party uncover unknown places to explore and offers quite a few useful rewards. The mini-game takes place in chocobo forests, as well as on the overworld.

The chocographs players find also gives more power to Choco and changes his color. Thanks to Choco, some of the best items in the game are uncovered. Ultima Weapon, Maximillian, and the Invincible card are available through Choco.

Finding all the chocographs and hidden world map treasures also gives the player the Fat Chocobo Tetra Master card. It was a pleasant change of pace, where the chocobo both felt like a friend and was key to a particular aspect of the game.

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1) Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII, frankly, felt like a chocobo-breeding simulator. After leaving Midgar behind, players get to a chocobo ranch and can unlock two features.

The ability to catch and tame chocobos is unlocked here. In addition, the Choco-Mog summons can be found here! Early in the game, there are only normal chocobos, but through careful breeding, this can change.

Players will take part in the chocobo breeding mini-game to get a wide variety of feathery friends. Each one has a terrain it can travel easily.

The various chocobos

• Yellow chocobos: Standard chocobo
• Blue chocobo: Runs over shallow water and rivers
• Green chocobos: Runs over mountains and cliffs
• Black chocobos: Combines the powers of Blue and Green chocobos
• Gold chocobos: Can travel anywhere; the only method of getting Knights of the Round

It’s a system that can be frustrating but is incredibly rewarding. Chocobos are also a part of a racing mini-game at the Gold Saucer, where players increase the stats of the chocobo by feeding them and winning races.

Chocobos were such a massive part of FFVII and the only way to get the most powerful summon in the game, Knights of the Round. The game was the first to feature chocobos in such a significant way.

Chocobos are the best friends a Final Fantasy character could have and are a welcome sight no matter what game they’re in. Rydia can summon them, Tidus uses them to get his ultimate weapon, and no matter what, they are useful to travel on. They can often get to places even the most technological airship cannot reach.