The chocobo has gone through multiple redesigns for each entry, with a notable contributing artist being Toshiyuki Itahana. In Final Fantasy III it was going to be part of a trio of mascot characters alongside the Moogle, but the third planned mascot was scrapped. The chocobo was created by designer and artist Koichi Ishii, inspired by childhood memories of raising a chick to adulthood. A recurring Chocobo also acts as protagonist of the Chocobo spin-off series.
Chocobos or chocobo-themed characters have played story roles in multiple titles, notably Final Fantasy V and the world of Final Fantasy XIII. A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in Final Fantasy II (1988), and have since featured in some capacity in nearly every Final Fantasy title, usually as a means of transport. The Chocobo ( Japanese: チョコボ, Hepburn: Chokobo) is a fictional species created for the Final Fantasy franchise by Square Enix (originally Square).
