Provides a southern, tropical feel.
Description
Southern Tropical Outfits (南国, Nankoku?) are special equipment in Final Fantasy IX that are notably the worst equipment available, reducing the wearer's Defense, Evade, Magic Def, and Magic Eva to zero and making the wearer weak to elements. The full set of outfits includes the Aloha T-shirt, Straw Hat, Pearl Armlet, and Sandals. Equipping the gear does not show any difference in the characters' outfits during battle; the "tropical" nature is present only in the gear's name.
Once the player has a deep blue or golden Choco, they can examine the spot of foaming water directly between Mist Continent and Outer Continent on the world map by using a Dead Pepper. The treasure will be x7 Aloha T-shirt, x8 Straw Hat, x8 Pearl Armlet, and x8 Sandals, one set for each of the eight party members. To get the last Aloha T-shirt, the player must give a Kupo Nut to Moguta in Gizamaluke's Grotto after the player has the Invincible.
Each piece of the gear group can be sold, but the pieces are unique, and if sold, cannot be re-obtained. Straw Hat sells for 750 gil, Pearl Armlet sells for 490 gil, Aloha T-shirt sells for 9500 gil, and Sandals sell for 600 gil.
The equipment works mostly as an in-joke, but the gear can be sold for decent money in the shops. They could also be used to make the game more challenging, as Final Fantasy IX has no difficulty levels. Much of Final Fantasy IX was developed at the now-defunct Square USA branch in Honolulu, and thus is sprinkled with references to Hawaii.