Retro Specs
- For the similarly named headgear item produced by Enperry in Splatoon 3, see Retro Framers.
The Retro Specs are headgear in the Splatoon series.
In Splatoon, they are a 1-star item produced by Splash Mob and come with the primary ability Quick Respawn.
They can be purchased from Cooler Heads for 
500.
In Splatoon 2, they are a 1-star item produced by Splash Mob and come with the primary ability Quick Respawn.
They can be purchased from Headspace for 
500 or from SplatNet 2 Gear Shop for 1,250.
In Splatoon 3, they are a 0-star item produced by Splash Mob and come with the primary ability Quick Respawn.
They can be purchased from Naut Couture for 
500 or from SplatNet 3 Shop for 1,250.
Appearance
The Retro Specs are a pair of black, square-shaped glasses with thick rims. On the frames are small sections that change color to match the wearer's ink. While they appear to not have lenses, as they do not seem to reflect light in an obvious manner, they do have them.
Splatoon
Abilities
The Retro Specs come with Quick Respawn as the primary ability. As a 1-star item, the Retro Specs come with one additional slot for secondary abilities, which may be increased to a maximum of three slots with a Super Sea Snail or 30,000 cash for each slot. Since they are made by the Splash Mob gear brand, they have a higher chance of rolling Ink Saver (Main) and a lower chance of rolling Run Speed Up to fill their secondary ability slot.
Splatoon 2
Abilities
The Retro Specs come with Quick Respawn as the primary ability when purchased from a shop or ordered from Murch. When purchased from SplatNet 2, they come with any other primary ability normally available to Headgear. As a 1-star item, the Retro Specs come with one additional slot for secondary abilities, which may be increased to a maximum of three slots with a Super Sea Snail for each slot. Since they are made by the Splash Mob gear brand, they have a higher chance of rolling Ink Saver (Main) and a lower chance of rolling Run Speed Up to fill their secondary ability slot.
Splatoon 3
The Retro Specs returned in the Chill Season 2022 update on 1 December 2022.
Abilities
The Retro Specs come with Quick Respawn as the primary ability when purchased from a shop or ordered from Murch. When purchased from SplatNet 3, they come with any other primary ability normally available to Headgear. As a 0-star item, the Retro Specs come with one additional slot for secondary abilities. The star level may be increased with Super Sea Snails for 1 (first), 1 (second), 5 (third), 10 (fourth), or 20 (fifth) Super Sea Snails per star, or by purchasing additional copies of them from Naut Couture for 10,000 (first), 30,000 (second), 50,000 (third), 100,000 (fourth), or 200,000 (fifth) Cash per star. Increasing the star level to 1 or 2 stars will add a secondary ability slot per level, up to a maximum of three slots. Increasing the star level beyond 2 stars will increase the gear experience gained by a cumulative 3.333…% up to 10% additional experience at 5-star level. Since they are made by the Splash Mob gear brand, they have a higher chance of rolling Ink Saver (Main) and a lower chance of rolling Run Speed Up to fill their secondary ability slots.
Gallery
Splatoon
An Inkling girl wearing the Retro Specs
Another Inkling girl wearing the Retro Specs, holding an N-ZAP '85
Closeup of an Inkling boy wearing the Retro Specs
A Inkling boy wearing the Retro Specs and pushing an Octobrush, from the side
Official art of an Inkling wearing the Retro Specs, holding a Slosher
3D art of an Inkling boy wearing the Retro Specs, pushing a Splat Roller
The same Inkling with an Inkbrush
Art of an Inkling boy wearing the Retro Specs, also with a Splat Roller
Art of a team of Inklings - the second from the right is wearing the Retro Specs
The right Inkling is wearing the Retro Specs and holding a Kelp Splat Charger
Art of several Inklings - the leftmost one is wearing the Retro Specs
Splatoon 2
Front view
Side view
Splatoon 3
Worn by an Octoling on the Dapple Dualies Tableturf Battle card.
Trivia
- A UI icon for an older version of the item was discovered in the data files for Super Mario Maker. In this version, the connecting joints are blue.
- The Retro Specs are tied with the Black Trainers for cheapest purchasable gear with Quick Respawn in both Splatoon and Splatoon 2.
- In late July 2017, the Retro Specs accidentally appeared in SplatNet 2 with Stealth Jump as an ability, which is normally only allowed on Shoes.
- Specs from the Splatoon manga wears the Retro Specs, hence his name.
- The Retro Specs have a similar look to the Sennyu Specs, but as a 1-star item.
- The Retro Specs (and Sennyu Specs) appear to be based on the infamous Male S9 GI glasses - or, as they are more commonly known, the "Birth Control Glasses" (due to their unflattering appearance).
Etymology
The name Retro Specs may be a play on the word "retrospect".
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
クロブチ レトロ Kurobuchi Retoro |
Black-edge/rim Retro |
 Dutch |
Retrobril | Retro glasses |
 French |
Lunettes rétro | Retro glasses |
 German |
Retrobrille | Retro glasses |
 Italian |
Occhiali rétro | Retro glasses |
 Russian |
Ретро-очки Retro-ochki |
Retro glasses |
 Spanish (NOA) |
Gafas retro | Retro glasses |
 Spanish (NOE) |
Retrogafas | Retro glasses |
 Chinese (Simplified) |
复古黑框眼镜 fùgǔ hēi kuāng yǎnjìng (Mandarin) |
Retro Black Frame Glasses |
 Chinese (Traditional) |
復古黑框眼鏡 fùgǔhēikuāngyǎnjìng (Mandarin) |
Retro Black Frame Glasses |
 Korean |
레트로 검정 뿔테 안경 reteuro geomjeong ppulte angyeong |
Retro Black Horn-rimmed Glasses |
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