Chocobo Sam

Chocobo Sam is a minor supporting character in Final Fantasy VII Remake. He is the proprietor of Sam's Delivery Service based in the Wall Market district of Sector 6, which employs chocobo-drawn carriages coached by stablehands to transport goods and people throughout the slums of Midgar. He is also a member of the Trio—a group of high-profile figures who act as scouts for Don Corneo's nightly bridal auditions, recommending and endorsing candidates.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy VII Remake===
For years, Chocobo Sam has been recommending and endorsing candidates for Don Corneo's auditions. He owns chocobo stables and runs a delivery business with bird-drawn carriages, naming it Sam's Delivery. He recalls cheating death multiple times in the past, and seems to have a history with Madam M, after a previous "fall from grace".
===Remake continuity===
Chocobo Sam met with Tifa and confidently recommended her to Don Corneo, believing she possessed all the qualities he was looking for in a woman. Sometime later, she took one of his carriages to Wall Market and arrived at Corneo's mansion.
During "The Town That Never Sleeps", Sam overheard Cloud confront a stablehand and stormed outside wondering what all the noise was about. He asked for Cloud's story, not having seen him around before, and Aerith interjected and informed they were looking for someone. Sam said it's difficult to keep track of all his customers, but asked for her description. Cloud vaguely described her and Sam worked out that it was Tifa. Sam warned that they would not be seeing her for a long while, and when further questioned, refused to share more, including Corneo's whereabouts, and returned inside.
Cloud and Aerith returned to Sam and asked him to endorse Aerith for Corneo's audition. He said he'd be happy to put her in for the next audition, as Tifa already had it in the bag for the night's showing, and was concerned for his reputation. When Aerith pleaded to be put into the same audition as Tifa, Sam offered a coin toss, but used a double-sided coin, which Cloud quickly picked up on. He refused their eager request, but encouraged them to seek out the other Trio members before dismissing them.
Later that night, Sam attended the Corneo Cup tournament at the Corneo Colosseum and had his robot champions—Cutty and Sweepy—battle Cloud. He was impressed by Cloud's battle prowess and spoke with Madam M about him. She told Sam about the massage she'd given him, mentioning Sam "cheating death multiple times". He downplayed it by retorting that half the town had, while reminiscing of a time he'd spent in her massage parlor, and offered a bet. Madam M rebuked and scorned him for always relying on luck. After his robots were destroyed, Sam told Cloud and Aerith they "fixed his wagon", questioned if they knew the robots' expensiveness, and dismissed further conversation.
After the Corneo Cup concluded, Madam M sent Cloud to help Sam while she gave Aerith a makeover. Sam was curious why Cloud had left his lady friend behind to have a boy's night out in Wall Market. Cloud got offended, but Sam said he was kidding and that he knew it was Madam M's idea. He acknowledged Cloud's swordsmanship skills, but had his doubts regarding anything else. Sam told Cloud that there was nothing wrong with that, but also implored him to expand his horizons, seek new experiences, and gain a clearer understanding of the world so he could better protect Aerith. He offered a few solid gigs to Cloud and wished him a grand time. Cloud finished his mercenary work and returned to Sam who asked about his opinion and experience in Wall Market, receiving an unenthused response. He finally requested Cloud fight in a special match at the colosseum, praised and paid him for winning, told him he changed, and gave information on Tifa. 
Sam later attended Andrea's show at the Honeybee Inn and clapped approvingly for Cloud. Afterward, a dressed up Cloud in route to Corneo's mansion passed by Sam and Madam M sharing their opinions on "gussying up" with each other. A curious Sam asked Madam M for her reasons, not understanding the appeal to which she responded annoyed, and he questioned her attitude.
In "A Broken World", after the Sector 7 plate collapse, A stunned Sam greeted Cloud, referring to the collapse as "pretty crazy" and a "mess". Cloud asked if he was okay and Sam affirmed, though he stated his chocobos were scared "half to death" and that he needed to calm them down somehow because people were going to need their help.
During "In Search of Hope", Sam's chocobos were spooked by the Sector 7 plate collapse and fled, forcing him to temporarily halt business. A stablehand hired Cloud's party to find the missing chocobos and feed them so they would return to Wall Market, in "Chocobo Search". Once the job was done, they returned to Sam who greeted them enthusiastically, happy that business could resume. He thanked them for their efforts and gifted them a Sam's Delivery lifetime pass, which allowed them to ride his carriages anytime free of charge. Sam explained that chocobos make for excellent companions, and that he has his birds to thank for providing a roof over his head. He understood Cloud doubted his words, but assured him they were genuine. Sam told Cloud he'd have to make up for lost time with his returned chocobos, that together they'd been through "thick and thin" but would persevere, yet he was unsure of where to start.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Chocobo Sam is a middle-aged man with an average build. He has fair skin, short dark brown hair, a thick beard, and dark blue eyes. His attire resembles that of a stereotypical cowboy, wearing a cowboy hat, a white button shirt, a reddish brown leather vest, a large brown belt with a golden chocobo buckle, frayed light blue jeans, and brown patterned cowboy boots with buckles. He also has an empty holster on his hip, as well as a leather whip.
===Personality===
Chocobo Sam is a stern and confident man with an overall mellow attitude. However, he has his moments where he becomes easily annoyed. A seeker of thrills and gambles, Sam enjoys the nightlife, and is a profligate gambler, addicted to the rush rather than the fortunes he may win, though he is also a trickster who uses a double-sided coin to ensure a coin toss goes his way. Sam is fond of chocobos, especially his own, and views them in high-esteem, believing they make for great pets, companions, and friends. He has a dry sense of humor, suggested by the sarcastic comments he made to Cloud upon meeting him, as well as the pleasure he takes in aggravating Madam M.
Sam has worked under Don Corneo for years, but his affinity to him is ambiguous. Responsible for choosing Corneo's bridal candidates, he knows Corneo's taste in women better than his own, and rejected endorsing Aerith to uphold his credibility. However, he otherwise made no attempt to stop Cloud and Aerith from opposing him and rescuing Tifa. He was initially dismissive toward Cloud, but after watching him triumph in the colosseum, he acquired a newfound respect for him, to the point of giving him life advice.
Sam judges women by their appearance and is not shy about sharing what he thinks of them to their faces, complimenting Tifa's overall appearance, while telling Aerith that she is "pretty enough". It is also implied that he has an attraction toward or a romantic past with Madam M.
==Gameplay==
Sam appears in Chapter 9, "The Town That Never Sleeps", and is talked to in "Chasing Tifa". He becomes an objective in the following quest "The Trio", and depending on choices throughout the chapter, may also set his own series of Odd Jobs beginning with "The Party Never Stops" and concluding with "A Dynamite Body".
Sam is later central to the "Chocobo Search" Odd Job in Chapter 14, "In Search of Hope". The player can talk to a stablehand who has heard of Cloud's exploits from Chocobo Sam. The stablehand asks the party to find three runaway chocobos for him. Completing the quest unlocks various fast-travel locations. Once all birds have been found, checking in with Chocobo Sam completes the quest, earning a lifetime pass for Sam's Delivery.
==Musical themes==
"Wall Market - Chocobo Sam", track 7 of disc 4 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack, is a variation of "Wall Market - The Town That Never Sleeps" that incorporates elements of the "Chocobo Theme" and plays near Sam's location in Wall Market.
==Behind the scenes==
Chocobo Sam was one of the three characters introduced as Don Corneo's henchmen, with the goal of portraying Corneo as a real-life mafia boss, who has power in the underworld with henchmen to do his dirty work. Sam appears designed after the chocobo carriage NPC from the original Final Fantasy VII; although he is not the one driving the carriage in Final Fantasy VII Remake, his employees all resemble him with the same type of attire and beard.
Among dialogue choices, the majority of players (57%) reported telling Chocobo Sam "She's in great shape." about Tifa, followed by "She's a great figher." (34%) and "She's great at handling the books." (9%). For Sam's coin toss, players were split, with a larger number of players reported answering "Heads." (39%), followed by "No deal." (35%) and "Tails." (26%); this was compared to the coin toss scene in Final Fantasy VI. The majority of players (60%) reported seeing Cloud's second dress, rewarded for completing Chocobo Sam's questline, compared to 35% who reported seeing his third dress for completing Madam M's questline.
===Voice===
Chocobo Sam is voiced by Masashi Sugawara in the Japanese version. He shares his voice actor with Leo Cristophe from Final Fantasy VI in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia. 
In the English version, he is voiced by Larry Davis.
==Citations==
ru:Чокобо Сэм
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth