Summary
- Gifting items in Hello Kitty Island Adventure boosts friendship XP determined by tags, hearts, and value.
- Select gifts based on character preferences like Fire, Music, and Metal to maximize friendship gains.
- Choose gifts strategically like Toasted Almonds or Toasty Pizza to build friendship with Retsuko efficiently.
Choosing the right gift for each character is crucial for strengthening friendships in Hello Kitty Island Adventure. The friendship XP gained from each gift is determined by a mix of gift tags, hearts, and the overall value of the gift. Each item can have up to four tags, each contributing between 0 and 2 points, as well as up to three hearts, with each heart adding one extra point to the gift’s total value. Players can give up to three gifts per day to any character, so it’s important to select gifts that align with a character’s preferences to maximize friendship XP.

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For Retsuko, gifts with the Fire, Music, and Metal tags are the best to build friendships with her faster. Advancing friendship levels with Retsuko unlocks two powerful abilities: Adrenaline and Hot Stuff. Adrenaline, unlocked at level 16, increases stamina recharge speed, while Hot Stuff, unlocked at level 19, grants the ability to swim in lava. She can be found around Mount Hothead and is a key character to befriend for progression in Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
10
Toasted Almond
A Good Starting Gift
- Tag(s): Fire
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 1
Toasted Almonds make for an excellent gift for Retsuko, particularly in the early stages of the game. As a simple and accessible starting gift, they provide great value for building a friendship with her. These almonds can be found daily around Mount Hothead, where 15 respawn each day, allowing players to easily collect them in bulk.
Not only are Toasted Almonds plentiful, but they are also highly versatile. They can be gifted to Retsuko in their natural form to boost friendship or saved for use in a variety of recipes later on, further enhancing their usefulness. This makes them a reliable and strategic gift choice for progressing with Retsuko.
9
Toasty Pizza
Easy To Craft And Doesn’t Require Machine Upgrades
- Tag(s): Pizza, Fire
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 3
- Recipe: Dough, Toasted Almond
Toasty Pizza is a solid gift choice for Retsuko, especially if the pizza oven upgrade hasn’t been unlocked yet. It’s a great option because the ingredients required to make it are easily accessible. Dough, which is Retsuko’s return gift, can be obtained with little effort, and the other ingredients for the pizza are also simple to gather.

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This makes Toasty Pizza an excellent, straightforward option for building a friendship with Retsuko early on in Hello Kitty Island Adventure. The combination of its ease of preparation and its effectiveness as a gift makes it a reliable way to boost Retsuko’s friendship without needing advanced upgrades.
8
Toasted Almond Coffee
A Good Option Once Rainbow Reef Is Unlocked
- Tag(s): Cozy Beverage, Fire
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 3
- Recipe: Candlenut, Toasted Almond
Toasted Almond Coffee is a great gift for Retsuko, especially once the Rainbow Reef Comedy Club is unlocked. The coffee is made at the Espresso Machine on the left-hand side of the club, and the ingredients are easily accessible. The key ingredient, Candlenut, is given by Hangyodon as his return gift, making it simple to collect.
While this gift requires unlocking the Comedy Club, it offers a unique and effective way to build friendships with Retsuko. With Candlenuts easy to find and the coffee recipe simple to prepare, Toasted Almond Coffee is a convenient and valuable gifting option.
7
Volcano Soundtrack
Costly Materials, But A Strong Gift Value
- Tag(s): Music, Volcano, Fire
- Hearts: 2
- Gift Value: 5
- Materials Required: 1 Mechanism, 5 Toasted Almond, 5 Obsidian Shards
The Volcano Soundtrack is a relatively easy item to craft, with materials that are simple to gather. Toasted Almonds and Obsidian Shards can be found as collectibles around Mount Hothead. Mechanisms can be made using three Gizmos, which are given as Chococat’s return gift.
Crafting plans for the Volcano Soundtrack are located in a Treasure Chest within Mount Hothead’s Lava Caves. With the necessary materials and crafting instructions easy to access, Volcano Soundtrack is a practical gift choice to help strengthen the friendship with Retsuko.
6
Surprising Soda
Requires Easy-To-Source Materials
- Tag(s): Soda, Fire, Joke
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 5
- Recipe: Fizzy Crystal, Toasted Almond, Spinip
As an easy-to-make gift, Surprising Soda requires only foragable materials, making it a greatly convenient option to gift three times per day to Retsuko. Fizzy Crystals are made using 6 Fizzy Ore, which can be collected daily from the minecart ride in the Crystal Caves in Gemstone Mountain. Spinip is found in Spooky Swamp, where 15 spawn daily.

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However, crafting Surprising Soda does require the upgraded soda machine, which becomes available once players reach level 6 friendship with Pekkle. The Soda Machine itself is located in Gemstone Mountain, so players will need to unlock it before being able to make this recipe. Once the required upgrades are made, Surprising Soda becomes a straightforward and effective gift to boost friendship with Retsuko.
5
Regional Music Boxes
Expensive But Requires No Machine Upgrades
- Tag(s): Device, Music, Region-Specific Tag
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 6
- Materials Required: 1 Mechanism, 1 Ingot, 5 Regional Collectibles
Regional Music Boxes are a great gift choice for Retsuko, as they don’t require any machine upgrades. For the Volcano Music Box, 5 Obsidian Shards are needed, which can be collected from Mount Hothead. The Ingot required for crafting is a more costly material, made using 3 Iron. Iron can be found in both the Crystal Caves of Gemstone Mountain and around Mount Hothead, with up to 7 pieces available daily in each area.
The recipe for the Regional Music Box can be found in a treasure chest within Mount Hothead, which becomes easily accessible once the area is unlocked.
4
Toasted Marshmallow Cloud
An Easy And High Gift Value Option
- Tag(s): Cloud, Fire, Dreamy, Dessert
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 6
- Recipe: Candy Cloud, Swampmallow, Toasted Almond
Toasted Marshmallow Cloud is a rewarding gift for Retsuko, crafted using Swampmallow, which can be found daily around the edges of the water in Spooky Swamp, with up to 15 available each day. Candy Cloud is the return gift of Cinamoroll, which is also a relatively accessible ingredient. However, it can take some time to unlock the required machine for this recipe.
Toasted Marshmallow Cloud is made at the Candy Cloud Machine on Cloud Island, but to access the machine, players must have reached level 5 friendship with Kiki to unlock the upgrade. To reach Cloud Island, the “Stargazing” quest must be completed, which is triggered by Hello Kitty after finishing both the “A Challenging Rescue” and “Baker’s Assistant” quests.
3
Pineapple Lava Soda
The Superior Soda Gift Choice
- Tag(s): Soda, Tropical, Spice, Fire
- Hearts: 1
- Gift Value: 6
- Recipe: Fizzy Crystal, Pineapple, Magma Bloom
Pineapple Lava Soda is a significant upgrade from Surprising Soda, providing a much higher gift value. To craft this drink, players will need the upgraded Soda Machine, which can be accessed at level 6 friendship with Pekkle. The ingredients are easy to collect as 9 Pineapples are available daily in Seaside Resort, and 7 Magma Blooms can be found daily in Mount Hothead.
With these materials being both plentiful and simple to gather, Pineapple Lava Soda offers a more accessible and rewarding gift option, making it the ideal choice for those looking to make a bigger impact than with Surprising Soda.
2
Volcanic Guitar
Retsuko’s Only Three-Heart Gift
- Tag(s): Metal, Fire, Music
- Hearts: 3
- Gift Value: 7
- Materials Required: 2 Ingot, 2 Spark, 1 Mechanism
The Volcanic Guitar is a high-cost gift, but its impact makes it well worth the effort. To craft it, players will need Spark, which is made from 3 Light Stones—Kuromi’s return gift. Additionally, the recipe requires Ingot and Mechanism, both of which also need to be crafted. Although the recipe requires multiple crafting stages, as long as players have a good stock of materials, this gift remains a solid option for gifting Retsuko up to three times a day.

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The crafting plans for the Volcanic Guitar become available once players reach level 4 friendship with TOPHAT, so it’s essential to hit that milestone first. This item is Retsuko’s only 3-heart gift, making it an especially valuable option for significantly boosting her friendship.
1
Sounds Of Steel
Can Be Given By My Melody’s Grandpa While Visiting
- Tag(s): Metal, Music, Resilience
- Hearts: 2
- Gift Value: 8
- Materials Required: 1 Mechanism, 5 Ingot, 5 Shiny
Sounds of Steel has the highest gift value of all options, but it comes with a high crafting cost. The key ingredient, Shiny, can be found around Gemstone Mountain, with up to 50 available per day. However, crafting this item requires a significant amount of iron to make 5 ingots, making it less sustainable for daily gifting, as it needs to be crafted up to three times per day to have a significant impact on friendship.
The crafting plans for Sounds of Steel can be found in a Treasure Chest located in the Lava Caves. As an alternative to crafting, My Melody’s Grandpa may provide one per day during visits. Overall, this gift is costly to craft regularly. Despite its high value, players will need to gather a lot of resources to keep up with this option.
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