Amarant Coral Amarant Coral ( known as Salamander Coral in the Japanese version ) , nicknamed The Flaming Amarant or Red , and also known as Scarlet Hair , is a playable character from " Final Fantasy IX " . He is introduced to the player as Red - headed Man before his name can be chosen . Although Amarant appears different from most human characters in the game , being much taller with blue - hued skin , the " Final Fantasy IX Ultimania " still lists his race as " human " . Profile . Appearance . Amarant appears in - game as a tall man with red dreadlocks , a red chinstrap beard and bluish skin . His outfit consists of a green vest and trousers , a red belt round his waist , red bands on his upper arms and green bands on his wrists , and brownish - red boots . He has salamander tattoos on his shoulders , but doesn ' t appear to have them when he enters Trance and his appearance changes . When in Trance , Amarant ' s clothes disappear ( save for a " " ) and his skin turns dark with purple highlights . He looks more like an ape than usual . His facial hair and dreadlocks also turn black . Personality . A rather arrogant man who fights with the honor of a warrior , Amarant also seems a little naive , confused at Zidane ' s actions throughout the game , and follows him to understand more . He is enigmatic and rarely opens up . Story . Very little is known about Amarant ' s past , though he was a guard in Treno for quite some time . One day , Zidane stole something from his post . Amarant tried to stop him , but Zidane successfully framed him as the culprit and Amarant became a wanted man . Amarant was intrigued by Zidane , and was confused by the thief ’ s attitude . Amarant is first seen as Queen Brahne ' s guest . Brahne hires him , as well as a woman named Lani , to steal Princess Garnet ' s pendant and kill Vivi . Amarant asks if he can kill Zidane as well , and Brahne says he can after he deals with her requests . He is next seen in Madain Sari , where Lani is holding Eiko hostage in return for Garnet ' s pendant . Amarant stops her , as he does not approve of hostage taking , calls Lani a ' scumbag ' and tells her to get lost . He then challenges Zidane to a fight and loses . He feels disgraced , and is confused by Zidane ' s mercy . The next day Amarant returns to the village , curious about what makes Zidane so powerful he starts following him around . Zidane eventually accepts his help in accompanying the party . They have plenty of disputes as they travel to the Iifa Tree and watch the battle between Kuja and Queen Brahne . Amarant accompanies Zidane down the roots of the tree to the shore , and returns to Alexandria with him . In Alexandria , Amarant meets up with Freya , and challenges her to a fight . The guards break them up , and Zidane takes the blame for the fight . He accompanies Zidane , Freya , and Vivi to the castle where they meet up with Eiko and request a meeting with Garnet , now a queen . Amarant returns to Treno , reflecting on the events that had happened in the city before . It is outside the auction house where Amarant formerly served as a guard that he tells Freya , whom he seems to have developed a respect for , all about his past and his meeting with Zidane , much to her amusement . However , Alexandria comes under attack by Kuja who has summoned Bahamut to attack the Kingdom . Zidane and Eiko have to round up Freya , Vivi , and Amarant and return to Alexandria on the " Hilda Garde II " with Regent Cid and Erin . On the way , Eiko receives a mysterious distress call and jumps from the airship , meeting with Garnet and explains about Holy Judgment . Amarant is among those who watch as the pair summons Alexander , killing Bahamut . Amarant accompanies Zidane and his friends to the tower where Garnet and Eiko are found . He leaves with Freya , Vivi , and Cid just in time to see the " Invincible " destroy Alexandria and witnesses Zidane save Garnet and Eiko . The party travels to Lindblum to recuperate , and Amarant accompanies Zidane wherever he goes for the rest of the journey . When they get to Ipsen ' s Castle in order to find a way to open the gate to Terra , Kuja ' s homeworld , Amarant decides to attempt to find the clue by himself and prove that working alone is better than teamwork . He beats Zidane to the clue , which turns out to be mirrors , dictating the location of four shrines . However , he falls into a trap on the way out , forcing Zidane to re - enter the castle to save him . Amarant decides to accept Zidane as an ally . He goes to the Fire Shrine with Freya to help break the seal on Terra . He accompanies Zidane to Terra and , along with the other party members , helps Zidane break from his daze when Garland almost manages to steal his soul . Kuja goes into Trance and destroys all of Terra , and Amarant then accompanies Zidane to Memoria , where Kuja and Necron are finally defeated . During the ending sequence , Amarant is seen walking along the Treno Gate , where he stumbles upon Lani , and the two head for Alexandria to see Tantalus play " I Want to be Your Canary " . Gameplay . Amarant wields claws in battle , and his special abilities are Throw and Flair . Throw allows him to throw weapons and throwable offensive items at enemies to deal heavy damage . Flair allows him to cast offensive or defensive abilities . In Trance , this becomes Elan , and hits all targets instead of one . Amarant is also fought as a boss before being recruited . Musical themes . " Amarant ' s Theme " is named for himself , and plays during scenes in which Amarant questions Zidane ' s ways . It is a piece with a moderate tempo and changes from softer to louder constantly throughout the piece . Other appearances . Amarant has made appearances in the following games in the " Final Fantasy " series : Etymology . There are several instances in which the game refers to Amarant ' s vivid hair color . It is likely his name would be spelled with the " h " on the end if the letter limitation for names were set at eight letters instead of seven . There are numerous mentions of the amaranth growing at the base of the tree of life in literature ( Aesop and Milton come to mind ) . It ' s possible that Amarant , who joins the party to venture to the Iifa Tree , might have been chosen as the name for the English translation for this reason . He is named Salamander in the Japanese version of the game . . Hence Amarant ' s moniker " Flaming Amarant " ( or " Flaming Salamander " ) . He is known as Scarlet Hair in the boss battle against him before he is named . The French translation of Amarant ' s name , " Tarask " , could be a reference to the , a dragon - like creature from French legend . His German name , Mahagon , could be a variation on the word mahogany ( " Mahagoni " in German ) , which is a reddish - brown hard wood .