Characters of Final Fantasy VIII - Creatures and Races

Creatures and Races

The world of Final Fantasy VIII is predominantly occupied by humans. Another prominent race is the "Shumi", a small tribe of creatures with yellow skin and large arms. The tribe lives in an underground village on the Trabian continent. The Shumi frown upon showing off their large hands; NORG, the owner of Balamb Garden, was exiled from the tribe for his ostentation. All Shumi undergo a biological metamorphosis at some point in their lives; a qualified Shumi will become an Elder while another may become a mute "Moomba". Moombas are covered in red fur, which the Shumi attribute to "the passionate ingenuity in their hearts". Additionally, Moombas have appeared in several Final Fantasy spin-offs, including Chocobo World and Chocobo Racing.

Chocobos—large galliform birds common throughout the Final Fantasy series—are featured in the game. In this title, Chocobos are generally undomesticated and can be found in various forests throughout the world. Each forest has a minigame where the player must corral baby Chocobos to locate the mother. If the player catches a bird, a baby Chocobo (a Chicobo) named Boko will follow the player around. Boko has his own game called Chocobo World that can be downloaded from the PlayStation disc onto a PocketStation game unit. Series composer Nobuo Uematsu created two Chocobo themes for Final Fantasy VIII: "Mods de Chocobo" and "Odeka de Chocobo".

Final Fantasy VIII also features an array of common real world creatures, such as cats and dogs. The game also includes numerous monsters, many of which have appeared earlier in the series. Popular recurring monsters include Adamantoise, Behemoth, Bomb, Cactuar, Iron Giant, Malboro, and Tonberry.