Usami Ichika

Usami Ichika (宇佐美いちか) is one of the five main characters of KiraKira☆Pretty Cure A La Mode who is a second year middle school student who loves sweets. When she gets excited, she jumps around like a "rabbit". Ichika's alter ego is Cure Whip (キュアホイップ) and she is based off shortcakes and rabbits.

Her catchphrases are "Whip・Step・Juump!" (「ホイップ・ステップ・ジャーンプ！」) and "I have a bright idea!" (「キラっとひらめいた！」).

Appearance
Ichika has magenta colored eyes and long, wavy orange hair worn in twin-tails held by two strawberries. Her short bangs have a single loose strand. She wears a pink dress with two magenta buttons over a pale pink and dream colored long sleeved shirt with ruffled cuff. Her white sneakers have magenta bottom and pale pink strings, worn with hot pink ankle socks styled like strawberries.

Cure Whip's eyes remain magenta while her thickened hair turns bright pink and reaches her thigh with puffy, curling ends to match her forelocks. She gains large white rabbit ears and a headband with a shortcake on the left of her head. Her white puffy dress is accent by a dark pink adorned with a strawberry, while her sleeves are puffy with a frill trim. The skirt is in three layers, attached to a pink bodice with four white buttons. The top skirt is white and puffy, a pale cream layer with dark pink diamond patterns is the second, and a trim of ruffles. On the left hip rests a hot pink ruffled bow with the Sweets Pact. She has loose white gloves with a fluffy white pom-pom and a paw design to match her short pink boots with a white paw toe and a pom-pom sewn to the side of the ankle. She gains fluffy white earrings and a magenta choker.

Her Patisserie outfit includes pink boots with mint ribbons, a pink ribbon on her hat to match the stripes of her sleeve cuff, and a pink knot bow on the chest. While working her pigtails appear lower.

Personality
Ichika is a cheerful young girl who loves sweets. However, she isn't the best at cooking. She does have a lot of confidence when it comes to decorating sweets and making animal sweets though. When she is full of happiness or really excited, she hops around like a "rabbit".

Relationships

 * Usami Satomi: Satomi liked to bake strawberry shortcakes for Ichika when she was younger. When Ichika wondered why her cakes are so delicious, Satomi stated that she puts all her love for Ichika into it. Currently, Satomi is working away from home as a doctor.

Etymology
Usami (宇佐美): U (宇) means 'eaves', Sa (佐) means 'to help', and Mi (美) means 'beautiful'.

It could also be considered that Usami is meant to sound similar to Usagi (うさぎ), which means 'rabbit' or 'bunny'.

Ichika (いちか) has many different meanings however with this kanji '苺花', Ichika means 'strawberry flower', which probably has to do with her strawberry motif.

Cure Whip is short for whipped cream which goes on desserts like strawberry shortcake.

Preseason
When the Mahou Tsukai girls arrive at KIRAKIRA Patisserie, Ichika greets them and serves them with some delicious Mofurun cake. Later on, she appears as Cure Whip as the three Cures battle the Dokurokushe monster. After the battle, Ichika runs off.

Her first transformation into Cure Whip
Learning that her mother was coming home soon, Ichika decides to make her a strawberry shortcake as a present. She attempts to make it several times, but it could never rise properly. While she is working, a hungry Pekorin crashes into her face through the open window. The fairy eats up and enjoys the failed cakes, and as Ichika makes another one for her mother, Pekorin notices the Kirakiraru sparkling from it. Ichika then finishes baking the new shortcake and it successfully rises, but the celebration is short-lived after she learns that her mother would not be able to come home that day, which drains her of her motivation to complete the cake. As she laments, Gummy, who sensed the Kirakiraru coming home her house, arrives and steals it from the remaining shortcakes, turning them black and powering him up. Ichika and Pekorin then give chase, with the unfinished cake in tow. Pekorin strives to protect the cake Ichika put her feelings into, which in turn gives the girl confidence to finish it. Just then, they are surrounded by a bright light as she decorates the cake with a rabbit's face on it. Just then, the cake turns into an Animal Sweet and a Sweets Pact. With those, Ichika transforms into Cure Whip for the first time. After getting adjusted to her newfound powers, Whip uses her attack to turn Gummy back into his smaller form and to return the Kirakiraru to the blackened sweets.

Cure Whip


"With an energetic smile! Let's・La・Mix It All Up! Cure Whip! Is Complete!" 元気と笑顔を！レッツ・ラ・まぜまぜ！キュアホイップ！できあがり！ ''Genki to egao wo! Rettsu・Ra・Mazemaze! Kyua Hoippu! Dekiagari!''

Cure Whip (キュアホイップ) is the Pretty Cure alter ego of Ichika. She transforms using the phrase "Cure La Mode・Decoration!".

Songs
Ichika's voice actress, Miyama Karen, has participated in several image songs for the character she voices.
 * Add The Berry To My Big Love
 * Let's・La・Cookin'☆Showtime

Trivia

 * Ichika is the second pink Cure after Yumehara Nozomi whose surname doesn't start with the letters, M, H or A.
 * Cure Whip is the second Cure to represent smiles after Cure Happy from Smile Pretty Cure!.
 * Ichika's voice actress, Miyama Karen, shares her first name with Minazuki Karen from Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!.
 * Ichika mended the tradition that Yumehara Nozomi started which every lead Cure after her had their hair gathered in twin tails while in their civilian forms.
 * Ichika is the first Cure to make a cameo appearance in a different Pretty Cure series, not counting the All Stars or Dream Stars continuities, as she appeared in the last episode of Mahou Tsukai Pretty Cure!.
 * Ichika's birthday is on January 7th, making her Zodiac sign, Capricorn.

Gallery

 * Main Page: Usami Ichika/Image Gallery