Chao

A Chao (pronounced IPA-tʃaʊ', or "chow", singular and plural form Chao) is an artificially intelligent, virtually generated lifeform from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Their role in the games are to be raised by the player in mini-games, similar to Tamagotchi. Chao are somewhat complex, responding to stimuli, they have moods, they require food, and they can be loving or fearful. The word chao is a pun on chaos, a word commonly used in the Sonic series.

Making their first appearance in Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast (both in the plot and in a Chao-raising aspect of the game), later in Sonic Adventure 2, and further enhanced in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Advance, Chao have recently come to be a large part of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Chao-raising and the main Sonic games tie together in a number of ways: items which you encounter in the main game can be used to raise your Chao, collected Rings can be used to buy things for them, and several unlockable features are related to Chao. During raising, Chao have statistics: Swimming, Flying, Running, Power, and Stamina, as well as a number of other things which aren't quite as obvious. These statistics can be raised through proper Chao raising, and will enable a Chao to do better in their competitions: Chao racing and Chao karate.

Chao have appeared in plenty of Sonic the Hedgehog games, including Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Pinball Party, Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog. Earlier forms of the technology behind them, A-life, were also in NiGHTS Into Dreams with the Nightopians.

Life cycle
Chao start life in an egg state. The eggs of a common Chao are white with a yellow splotch on the bottom and blue freckles. Eggs other than those acquired in visiting a Chao Garden for the first time or mating are colored differently and reflect how the Chao will look. For example, a Gold Egg is solid gold in color and will hatch a solid gold Chao. Ways of hatching them include snuggling the egg (the kindest way), throwing the egg (the Chao will obviously not like this), and of course, simply waiting for the egg to hatch on its own. When they hatch, they can be trained to have different attributes and emotional states. The Chao from Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Adventure DX can also favor "dark" and "hero" sides as well as the default "neutral" side which can lead to variations in visual evolution. Depending on the game, they take varying times to evolve. A Chao can also lose five minutes of its life by feeding it Heart Fruits, or gain ten minutes by eating Strong Fruits.

When evolving, they go into a cocoon state, which is white in the SA2 Dreamcast version of the game and blue for the GameCube version. When they come out of this cocoon, (they will be in there for approximately 1 minute) the Chao is an adult, and can mate, which is curious for their apparent gender neutrality. After about 15-20 hours of time spent with the Chao, it will either re-incarnate into an egg again if it is treated kindly (into a pink cocoon - it will remember the player and all, but all its stats will be at level one) or die if abused (grey cocoon).

Evolution
After one Chao year has passed (about 3-4 hours for GameCube versions, 1 hour for Dreamcast) Chao create a cocoon and evolve into a more mature form. It will mature into a form that features both its highest leveled stat (running, swimming, power, flying or stamina) and its alignment. During this evolution, a Chao raises one grade up in the level of its type, e.g. a swimming Chao who has a grade 'B' in swimming becomes an 'A'.

Alignment is determined by how the Chao was treated before its evolution, and the three alignments are Dark, Hero, and Neutral. There are three Hero characters (Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails) and three Dark characters (Shadow, Rouge, and Dr. Eggman) in Sonic Adventure 2. Petting, holding, or cuddling a Chao with a character makes the Chao favor the character's alignment. Attacking, throwing, or stepping on a Chao makes it favor the opposite alignment of the character. Every three times that a heart appears above a Chao's head and replaces the standard emotion, the Chao darkens or lightens a shade, a darker shade coinciding with becoming a Dark Chao, and vice versa. A Chao's physical appearance is the chief indicator in understanding the alignment of a Chao. Dark Chao have leathery wings and a devil's tail, and are colored black, brown, and red. Hero Chao have feathery wings, a split tail, and a small cowlick type object on its head. They are colored white, blue, and gold. Neutral chao are created by balancing contact by both Hero and Dark characters. They are able to look like a lot of different characters. In Sonic Adventure DX, due to only heroic characters being playable, the Chao instead become Hero or Dark depending on the fruits it is given.

After five to seven Chao years have passed, the Chao will either reincarnate or die. If the Chao has lived a happy life, it will be surrounded by a pink cocoon, and will be reborn as a Baby Chao. However, a Chao that has been ignored and abused during its lifetime will surround itself with a gray cocoon, that will leave nothing behind after vanishing.

Besides the normal evolutions, a special Chao called the Chaos Chao can be created. This can be done once the selected Chao has reincarnated two times. During that third life, if it is given one of each animal in the game, but given NO chaos drives, it will become a Chaos Chao. Besides looking different than a normal Chao, the Chaos Chao has an unending lifespan, except a death through character abuse. In Sonic Adventure 2, there's also the Hero Chaos Chao, also known as the "Angel Chao", (although it should probably be god chao because in the race select for the dark chao race when you highlight one of the first two races you should notice that the newborn hero chao are called baby angels and the adult non-hero chaos chao that are still adult hero chao but not chaos chao are called adult angels) and Dark Chaos Chao, also known as the "Devil Chao", along with the normal Neutral Chaos Chao (shaped like Chaos 0) from the original Sonic Adventure. Evolution works in the same manner, except you give them one animal from either the Hero or Dark characters respectively, and that no Chaos Drives must be given to them. Along with their apparent invincibility, Chaos Chao also lack the ability to reproduce.

Reproduction
After evolving, Chao gain the ability to reproduce. Chao have no gender and therefore can breed with any other adult Chao. Chao are in mating season when they sit down happily and are surrounded by a circle of flowers. While this happens once naturally, it can also be achieved by purchasing 'Heart Fruit' from the Black Market in Sonic Adventure 2 and giving it to an adult Chao). Placing another Chao inside the circle may result in breeding. Most Chao are compatible, a Hero Chao can breed with a Dark Chao, and vice versa. It is believed that, to at least some degree, statistics and other characteristics are inherited. As mentioned above, Chaos Chao cannot breed.

Chao Stats
By giving a Chao a small animal, it will acquire some of the animal's characteristics. Besides a physical change to the Chao, this will also modify the Chao's stats based on the type of animal given. There are five types of animals in Sonic Adventure and 7 in Sonic Adventure 2. They consist of Running (Green), Power (Red), Swimming (Yellow) and Flying (Purple). The fifth color, Blue, is a fairly even mixture of some or all of the other classes. The two additional types featured in Sonic Adventure 2 are Ghost (Black) and Imaginary (Gold), sometimes called Legendary. The Ghost and Imaginary animals give better than average stat increases and do not lower any stats.

In Sonic Adventure 2, Chaos Drives appear. Chaos Drives are items that pop out of machines created by the military organization G.U.N. when they are destroyed. These, like the small animals, also raise your Chao's stats. These are only in Sonic Adventure 2 and the GameCube adaptation. Like the small animals, the different colors each raise a certain stat. Yellow raises swim, purple raises fly, green raises run, and red raises power.

However, neither animals nor Chaos Drives can raise a Chao's stamina, only food can. Also, a certain fruit called the Chao Fruit raises all stats, including Stamina, when it is given to a Chao.

Sonic Adventure/DX

 * Station Square - This garden is the simplest, with a small water pool. This is also where one accesses the Chao races. It is found by entering the hotel and using the left elevator. In DX, a Black Market is added.
 * Mystic Ruins - This area is very large and complex, with stone relics and a small platform accessible by a wooden bridge, along with a waterfall. It is found by going behind Tails's laboratory and taking the mining cart in the cave. In DX, the water is slightly more shallow and the bridge has been removed.
 * Egg Carrier - An island surrounded by water. This one tends to have problems of animals leaving the game's boundaries and getting stuck. To find it, go inside the Egg Carrier and go to the door with the buttons in front. Step on the buttons in the "secret" password's order, which is "Eggman", and then go in the door and use the teleporter. In DX, the water is significantly more shallow.



Sonic Adventure 2/Battle

 * Chao Garden - A peaceful looking Garden where the Chao Races take place in a cave called the Chao Stadium. This one is unlocked as soon as you get a Chao Key and finish the level you found it on. In Battle, there is also Chao Karate in the cave.
 * Hero Garden - Another peaceful Garden. To get this raise a Chao into a Hero Chao. It has a small castle your Chao can fly from, a fountain (that your Chao uses to swim in), and a few broken pillars. The music in the Hero Garden is different from the Chao Garden, with the same rhythm, but added sound affects to make it echo and sound comforting. Sometimes described as "Chao Heaven". In Battle, bridge and river are missing, but the pool is bigger.
 * Dark Garden - Not as serene as the others, it has some graves and a steel fence on some of the walls. It also has a tree with a cage hanging from it, a pool of dark liquid, (perhaps blood) and a small island on the other side of the blood. The music presented in the Dark Garden is very demented and has no rhythm with the other two gardens. There is also a mountainous region outside of the actual Dark Garden, with a mountain shaped in the face of a bat or demonic creature. A Dark Chao is needed to get it. Sometimes described as "Chao Hell". In Battle, the cave is gone.

The Chao Gardens in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 have the ability to send Chao to an attached VMU (Visual Memory Unit), and play with the Chao away from the Dreamcast in a game called Chao Adventure. The Chao walks on a path and is given a task. If done correctly, you are rewarded with a fruit or seed which can be taken off of the VMU and back onto Sonic Adventure 2 for planting. Seeds can be planted by a Chao with a shovel and a watering can. The shovel can be won in races in Sonic Adventure 2. On Chao Adventure, you can also attach two VMUs to mate Chao, check the stats of your Chao, and name it. In Chao Adventure, the Chao doesn't age like it does in gardens.

Every Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party also has a Tiny Chao Garden of its own, which is a small simple garden with a small pool that is universal to every game. There is a shop where fruit and toys can be bought for the Rings that the player has collected during gameplay, and some minigames. The Chao can be transferrable between these games and Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle via a GameCube/GameBoy Advance link cable.

Also, Sonic Advance 3 has a Chao Garden, but it is not for raising Chao. Instead, it is an area where the hidden Chao that the player has found during gameplay are located. When all ten of the Chao in the zone are found, the player can look for keys that enable the Special Stage for that particular zone.

Treating
Chao are kept happy if they're petted, fed, and generally taken care of. If a Chao is treated well by a character, it will skip towards that character and will nuzzle next to it sometimes. It will also happily come to you when you whistle, and when held, will fidget with glee. This means that your Chao loves your character and in the case of the nuzzling, is asking for attention. The Chao will also jump up and down and giggle happily at your presence.

Conversely, Chao abuse is a somewhat strange form of Chao raising, in which one abuses their Chao. This can be done in a manner of ways, such as starving a Chao, leaving it in the water when it cannot swim, or simply inflict physical harm upon it. Chao abuse usually decreases the lifespan of the Chao, and the Chao dies when it comes time to reincarnate. Players generally abuse Chao either because they enjoy it, or to "help" a Chao change alignment by abusing it with a character of the opposite side. However, mistreatment is in no way necessary in order to change a Chao's alignment, as treating them kindly with a character of the desired alignment works just as well.

If a Chao is treated poorly by the character, it will usually stand and shiver in fear if the abusing character is close by, and when held, will try to squirm out of the character's hands. If the Chao has been particularly abused, it might run away screaming from the abuser, or even run up to them and attack them (this has no effect on the character).

Cameo appearances

 * In Sonic Adventure, a poster found outside Casinopolis advertises a film called "Chao in Space". This may be a reference to Lost in Space, and the poster resembles the posters for the movie 'Muppets from Space.
 * In Sonic Adventure 2, posters in the City Escape stage advertise "Chao in Space 2", featuring a Hero and a Dark Chao. The poster also mentions that it is "now on DVD".
 * Also in Sonic Adventure 2, a billboard with a Chao on it can be seen beside the road in the Kart Racing stages and mini-game. The billboard reads "Drive Safety!" instead of the correct "Drive Safely!"
 * A neutral Chao is a playable, secret character in Sonic Shuffle for the Dreamcast.
 * In Sonic Heroes, Chao appear in some Special Stages, where a Neutral Chao and a Dark Chao float in front of the characters in a hot air balloon. The Neutral one throws power orbs to help the characters, while the Dark one throws mines.
 * Also in Sonic Heroes, Team Chaotix are given several missions that consist of finding and rescuing Chao.
 * In Shadow the Hedgehog, dozens of Chao can be found frolicking in Doctor Eggman's Cryptic Castle base. They can be attacked, which makes them cry and slightly raises Shadow's "dark" meter.
 * In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog, a rusted Chao billboard can be seen being blown around by the tornado in Shadow's glider section of the "Crisis City" stage.
 * In Phantasy Star Universe there are rare monsters called "Jao" which looks like a more vicious version of a Chao. The Phantasy Star series was also created by Sonic Team.
 * In the game Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, a Chao appears as an Egg Animal for the first mission in the game.

Trivia

 * Through a secret mission in Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, another game created by Sonic Team, it is possible to receive a "Tails Chao". This chao resembles Tails to a great extent and cannot die or reproduce, much like a Chaos Chao.
 * On the Sonic Adventure 2 official soundtrack (Multi-Dimensional), there is an instrumental song with Chao singing (or rather making Chao noises) in the background.
 * A person by the nickname "Tyro" has created a VMU minigame for editing Chao (Dreamcast only). It allows you to change many aspects of your Chao including their stats, appearance, items, etc. Although it is a tad difficult to use on the VMU because either Internet access is required on that particular Dreamcast, or a free VMU Tool program which is able to be burned onto a CD with the editor files.
 * Ironically enough, the Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure states that the Chao Gardens were created in protected environments. However, it is possible to drown when playing as the character Tails in either water pool in the Egg Carrier or Mystic Ruins Chao Gardens. It is also possible to die by jumping off the cliff or throw a Chao off to make it disappear in the Mystic Ruins Garden. These glitches do not exist in the remake. If a character falls out of a garden by using other glitches in Sonic Adventure DX, he or she will appear in the middle of the garden without dying.
 * It is possible to move a Chao from a GameCube into a Game Boy Advance without a Sonic Advance game. This creates a temporary Tiny Chao Garden, and is useful for moving Chao between Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.
 * In Sonic Adventure DX, a monitor in the Station Square Chao Garden can bring up a hint menu. One of the hints is to watch the Chao's stamina bar, even though this stamina bar is from Sonic Adventure 2, and isn't in either version of Sonic Adventure.