Boko is a chicobo (the term for a young chocobo used in Final Fantasy VIII) summoned using Gysahl Greens to battle. He is a pseudo-Guardian Force, but cannot be junctioned onto a party member like most others.
In the original versions, the player must level Boko up in the add-on game Chocobo World that was only available in Japan for the original PlayStation release, as it is played on a PocketStation. PC versions of Final Fantasy VIII[note 1] include the game. Chocobo World is not available in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, and Boko gets his powerful attacks in the normal game.
Characteristics[]
Boko is a young yellow chocobo with blue eyes, diminutive in size. He has a larger head and smaller wings in proportion to his body than the adult chocobos. A full sized chocobo stands at about 275 cm (9 foot) in height while a chicobo, depending on age, can be seen to be about 17 cm (6.7 inch) in height on up.
The player gets to name the chicobo when he is first offered to the party. His default name is Boko, but the player can change the name later with the Chocobo's Tag item, obtained from the Chocobo World minigame.
Obtained[]
A chocobo forest. Boko follows after the chocobo being ridden.
The first time the party goes to a chocobo forest and catches a chocobo, Chocoboy will offer them Boko, who will follow the mother chocobo when the player rides her on the world map. Boko can then be sent to Chocobo World to be leveled up. In Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, he stays in the main game as the Chocobo World add-on game is not available.
Squall and his friends can summon Boko into battle using Gysahl Greens. The player can get Gysahl Greens from ChocoBoy at the forests, or from the chicobo at the Chocobo Sanctuary after the quest is done.
Battle[]
ChocoFire.
- See the Summon sequence here.
When Boko is away in Chocobo World, he cannot be summoned. If the player uses a Gysahl Green in battle when Boko is away, they get a message Boko cannot be summoned and the character's turn is wasted. The player must first transfer him back to Final Fantasy VIII. Transferring Boko also brings forth the items he has collected in the other game.
Boko has four attacks, ChocoFire, ChocoFlare, ChocoMeteor, and ChocoBocle, each more powerful than the previous. In the original versions, to get the different attacks Boko must reach a certain level and trigger an event in Chocobo World, or the player must use a cheat device. In Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, he can use his powerful attacks in the main game, and which attack he uses depends on the average active party level (the three members in the current party), not just Squall's level though he is a mandatory party member.[1] Prior to the remastered version, Boko's level in Chocobo World was used in the damage formula.
Boko, when summoned, can call Chubby Chocobo to attack enemies as his ultimate attack ChocoBocle. ChocoBocle is one of the few attacks in Final Fantasy VIII that can break the damage limit.
| Attack | Power | Power Mod | Level Mod | Element | Player LVFinal Fantasy VIII Remastered only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChocoFire | 40 | 100 | 100 | Fire | 7–24 |
| ChocoFlare | 60 | 100 | 100 | N/A | 25–49 |
| ChocoMeteor | 80 | 100 | 100 | N/A | 50–74 |
| ChocoBocle | 100 | 100 | 100 | N/A | 75–100 |
Chocobo World[]
Boko in Chocobo World.
Boko in Chocobo World.
The minigame Chocobo World can be played on a PocketStation, a device that was sold exclusively in Japan. The minigame unlocks certain items in Final Fantasy VIII. The game is included in the PC version of Final Fantasy VIII. Chocobo World is not available for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, but its special features are now available in the game natively.
Boko, along with friends Cactuar and Moomba, must rescue their friend MiniMog (a moogle) from the evil Demon King in Scary Mountain. During his adventures Boko must fight other monsters and overcome many perils, as well as fighting the urge to watch his television set and go fishing.
From when he reaches level 20, Boko meets a female chicobo named Koko who kisses him each time they meet. After each kiss, his powers will increase allowing for a stronger attack when summoned by the player party. When Boko reaches level 100, Demon King will capture Koko and Boko must fight him for her freedom. If Boko is leveled up to level 100 in Chocobo World in the Steam version, the player earns the trophy Top Level Boko.
Triple Triad[]
Chicobo is a Level 8 GF Card in Triple Triad used for playing the minigame and for turning into Gysahl Greens with Quezacotl's Card Mod. Though all other GF cards are named after the GF's default name, Boko's card is simply called "Chicobo". The card is acquired after catching a chocobo in every forest and then visiting the Chocobo Sanctuary. The Chicobo card is required in the Queen of Cards sidequest to get the Chubby Chocobo card.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Artniks[]
Boko from Final Fantasy VIII appears.
Mobius Final Fantasy[]
The Choco Hatchling's ability card.
Boko appeared on the Chocobo Hatchling card. It was a life-aspected Support ability card for players to summon during the Final Fantasy VIII collaboration event. It allowed player characters to perform the Choco-Cheer (チョコチアー, Choko Chiā?) Support ability, which bestowed the Resist Water, Resist Earth, Resist Dark, and Quicken buffs on the user.
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game[]
Boko has a card in the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game.
Gallery[]
Etymology and allusion[]
In the English versions, the chicobo is named Boko, after the chocobo Bartz Klauser rode in Final Fantasy V, Boco. Boco comes from the last two syllables for the word "chocobo", "co" and "bo", which are put in reverse: "bo" and "co". 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!
In the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII, the bird is simply called "Chicobo" (or "little chocobo"). This is what he is called on the Chocobo World story screens even in English. The Triple Triad card for him also calls him just "Chicobo".
In Chocobo World Boko's girlfriend is Koko. This is what the female chocobo Bartz's chocobo Boco mated with in Final Fantasy V is called.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ The PC versions that include Chocobo World are the original release from 2000, and the 2013 Steam re-release.