Various chocobo types appear throughout the Final Fantasy series, often differentiated by different colors.
Colors[]
Generally, if there is any difference in the abilities or disposition of a chocobo, it is based upon their color. Below are a list of traditional colors for chocobos, where they appear, and what that means in terms of their abilities, if anything.
Yellow chocobo[]
Yellow chocobos are the most common of all chocobo colors and can be found in every game where chocobos appear. They are the most easily tameable of all types, and are usually the only color available for rental by the player.
Blue chocobo[]
Blue chocobo are a weaker chocobo type than black chocobos. They are able to cross rivers and streams, but typically cannot fly. When they participate in battle they are generally magic casters. Blue chocobos sometimes have a darker variant that can cross oceans.
Green chocobo[]
Green chocobo is a weaker chocobo type. Their abilities are variable but in games where they participate in battle they act as healing and support characters.
Red chocobo[]
Red chocobo act as offensively powerful chocobos known for their devastating Choco Meteor.
In Final Fantasy XIV, a red chocobo named Red Comet from a Critical Engagement brought so much terror to players for its propensity to wipe entire groups of parties, it was the subject of internet memes and was even reported in several gaming news journal websites.
In Final Fantasy Tactics, the red chocobo is the highest tier of chocobo monsters.
Black chocobo[]
Black chocobos were one of the first varieties of chocobo to be seen, and are one of the most common. Though rarer than standard yellow chocobos, black chocobos are able to fly, though not with the same versatility as airships. They are common sights as enemies in games.
White chocobo[]
White chocobos are very rare, and are among the highest rank of chocobo breeds when they appear. Similarly to green chocobos, they support other characters when fought in battle, and out of battle in some games can restore the party's MP.
Gold chocobo[]
Gold chocobos are some of the rarest and most valued type of chocobo. In some games they can fly, supplanting black chocobos as the only breed to do this in later games. Acquiring a gold chocobo is often the result of a long and difficult sidequest. For games with chocobo racing, gold chocobos typically have the highest racing stats.
Brown chocobo[]
In Final Fantasy XII, brown chocobos can be found in Dalmasca Estersand and Salikawood, usually sleeping and docile.
Brown chocobos are also found in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, where they can use the Choco Guard ability to cast Regen and increase defense. They also appear as enemies in Final Fantasy Tactics S.
Silver chocobo[]
Debuting in Final Fantasy XIII-2, the Silver Chocobo is a defense-oriented Sentinel. While it's in the running for game's best Sentinel, it shines for being the earliest, and arguably best, racing chocobo. It learns the best racing abilities easily and its stats hit the max for the racing game with easy grinding for the point in the game it's found at. It seems to be a rare chocobo type.
Purple Chocobo[]
Purple chocobo in Chocobo Stallion.
In Final Fantasy XIII-2, Purple Chocobos are Synergists. Like many of the chocobos, it's one of the best monsters for its role. They are native to Bresha Ruins 100 AF and 300 AF.
In Chocobo Stallion, they appear as one of many colored racing chocobos.
Pink Chocobo[]
In Final Fantasy VII, a pink chocobo appears in the races. Pink chocobos also appear in Final Fantasy XIV.
Other types[]
Occasionally, different types of chocobos are not associated directly with a colour but temperament, size, or stage of growth.
Fat Chocobo[]
Chubby Chocobo from Final Fantasy VIII.
Fat Chocobo is a different type of chocobo, and never appears as a playable chocobo. Instead, he serves another role, by storing the player's items in the series' early games, appearing as a summon in Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VII (and Final Fantasy VII Remake), and Final Fantasy VIII, serving a storyline role by being the king of all chocobos in Final Fantasy IX, and as a mount in Final Fantasy XIV.
Baby chocobos[]
Chocobo chick from Final Fantasy XIII.
Baby chocobos, known as "chicobos" in Final Fantasy VIII, appear in certain games of the series. In Final Fantasy V Boco and Koko have children, and in Final Fantasy VIII the player can obtain a chicobo from a Chocobo Forest to play as in the Chocobo World minigame.
A baby chocobo named Bobby Corwen hatched from an egg in the Black Mage Village in Final Fantasy IX. The tiniest baby chocobo type appears in Final Fantasy XIII, with Sazh's chocobo chick being small enough to use his afro for a nest.
Pulse and Cocoon chocobos[]
Final Fantasy XIII has two types of chocobos: Pulse and Cocoon breeds. Chocobos roaming the Archylte Steppe in Gran Pulse live in the wild and are much larger than their domesticated Cocoon counterparts, as well as having a more vicious appearance. Cocoon chocobos can be found in Nautilus's petting zoo. Sazh's chocobo chick is a Cocoon chocobo.
Rambunctious chocobos[]
Rambunctious chocobos.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 presented a mutant breed of Gran Pulse chocobo, known as the rambunctious chocobo. It appeared in certain paradox-affected areas. They have red plumage with purple tail and fierce demeanor, and unlike normal chocobos, will continually eat from the player's supply of Gysahl Greens. Some rambunctious chocobos that aren't in fixed locations will actively avoid the player, and most will do so when dismounted regardless of whether or not the player has greens to feed them.
Destriers and Belah'dian jennets[]
In Final Fantasy XIV massive destriers and tiny Belah'dian jennets are breeds of chocobos that Roegadyn and Lalafell use, accounting for their discrepancies in size compared to most other breeds of chocobos.
Etymology[]
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!