Black Belts simply don't suck. They don't necessarily need the Ribbon either, as I believe there aren't enough for all four party members anyway: Just make him the one that goes without if it's really that much of a problem. But yeah, you found a way round it, so that's cool.

DoS isn't so unforgiving: By the time I'm done, the Ribbon's his only equipment, as everything else does drop his stats somewhat, but he's still good at taking a smack.