Chocobo, the Yellow bird (Design by Satoshi Kamiya)

It all started when I couldn’t make up my mind as to which origami model I should fold this weekend…this ignorance made me ask my fiance to choose. Needless to say, he ended up choosing this particular model from none other than Satoshi Kamiya! So, I decided to give it a shot.

This is a high-intermediate model and from the book “Works of Satoshi Kamiya 1995-2003”, by the master himself – Satoshi Kamiya. Yes, I finally managed to fold something from his book and which didn’t end up as a crumpled ball of paper in the wastebasket.

I was going through the steps in the book quite earnestly to understand each of them and the folds to watch out for. I then came across 2 videos on youtube.com, which made it easier to follow / visualize the tricky steps. Let me remind you at this stage, that these videos on YouTube do not depict details all of the 80 steps in the book but demonstrate the main folds, only. So, you basically need the book in order to fold the intricate folds and to enhance the look of your very own Chocobo.

Now, this model is also known as the ‘Yellow bird’ and the book says that Kamiya’s inspiration for this model is actually the Chocobo from the Final Fantasy series (of video games).

Kind of paper to use & size:

I used a large origami paper, which was singe-side colored, square and 9” in size. The book has a recommended paper size of 15×15cms. You should also be aware that the final model is about 60% of the size of the paper used. If you are using a single side colored paper, then you need to start off with the white or blank side facing you.

How to fold Chocobo:

A YouTube contributor – Tadashimori – has put together videos on how to fold Satoshi Kamiya’s Yellow bird or Chocobo. This is a 2-part video and only shows the main steps or folds to complete the model. The steps, which are not shown, are the ones, which enhance the model, and even if you fold this model by just following these 2 videos, you will still be able to fold a cute little Chocobo. For the detailed steps, you would need to follow the book itself.

Folds to watch out for:
The part I found to be very tricky was the feet of the bird. There are open sinks to be incorporated along with numerous reverse folds. The paper used for this model also plays an important role. The thicker the paper you choose, the more difficult it is going to be to fold. The rest of the steps are reasonably easy to follow, knowing that Satoshi Kamiya has a penchant for over complex and intricate models.