Chocobo Playing Cards Review – Every Card Illustrated Except J/Q/K

Quick Verdict

Chocobo playing cards (CHOCOBO PLAYING CARDS チョコボトランプ) from Square Enix: I spotted it on the Square Enix site and hit buy lightly — the case alone was too cute. ¥1,980. Every number card carries its own chocobo illustration; even similar scenes differ in expression and pose, leaving nothing to complain about. The one real disappointment: J/Q/K all reuse the same art with only the color changed. Forgivable, because the rest of the deck is exactly the kind of trump I wanted. Paper stock with an intentionally wrinkled, vintage-feeling print texture. Good value for the price — I’ll store it carefully.

Is Every Card Really Illustrated Differently?

For A through 10, yes. Each number card has its own chocobo illustration, and even where scenes look similar, the expressions and poses differ — nothing feels copy-pasted. It’s the opposite of the Mushoku Tensei deck I reviewed before, where only J/Q/K got illustrations. This is the direction I wanted from a character trump.

What’s the Deal with J/Q/K?

They’re the weak spot. J, Q, and K all use the same illustration with only the color changed: the red suits (diamonds, hearts) share one color version, the black suits (spades, clubs) share another. The armored Jack, the crowned Queen and King are charming designs — it’s a shame the art wasn’t varied per suit. The rest of the deck is so good that this gets a pass.

Any Hidden Reuse?

If you look closely, yes. The chocobo on diamond 2 is the same illustration as the mini chocobo on heart 5, and a few others are resized versions of existing art. But you’d never notice without inspecting card by card — and compared to decks that just stamp pips on number cards, this is generous.

How Do the Cards Feel?

Paper stock, but the print has a wrinkled texture baked in — it gives the cards an intentionally old-fashioned feel. At a glance you could mistake it for water damage, which is funny, but it’s clearly a deliberate finish choice.

What About the Back and Box?

The card back is a dark reddish-brown diamond pattern with two small gold chocobo silhouettes. The box is white with a cute chocobo on a suit-pattern background — the thing that made me buy it in the first place. Age marking is multilingual: 15+ for Japan, 14+ elsewhere.

Facts and How to Check

• Product: CHOCOBO PLAYING CARDS チョコボトランプ.
• Planned and manufactured by Hobby Japan, released by Square Enix.
• MADE IN CHINA.
• Retail price: ¥1,980.
• JAN: 4988601391290.
• 52 cards confirmed (A–K × 4 suits); jokers not visible in submitted photos.
• Official JP: チョコボトランプ
• Search: チョコボトランプ