Midorikawa Nao

Midorikawa Nao is one of the main Cures in Smile Pretty Cure!. She is a plucky girl with a strong sense of justice, and has no tolerance for wrongdoers. A great elder sister-type, she is popular even with the girls. While tough, she also has a girly side, as she loves cute things. Excellent at sports, she is part of the girls' soccer team. Her alter ego is Cure March (キュアマーチ).

Relationships
Hino Akane - Her counterpart in her Cure form.

Cure March
"Courage rinrin, a clear-cut match! Cure March!" 勇気リンリン直球勝負！キュアマーチ！ ''Yuuki rinrin chokkyu shoubu! Kyua Maachi!'' Cure March (キュアマーチ) is the Pretty Cure alter ego of Nao. Cure March has the power of Wind.

One of her basic attacks is March Shoot.

Appearance
Nao has dark green hair worn in a ponytail at the top of her head with a yellow bow and neat bangs. Her eyes are a darker shade of green. Nao typically wears a long sleeved light green button-down shirt with multiple pins decorating it, short gray-khaki shorts and black shoes with red laces. She wears her school uniform with a green tie and a pale green sleeveless pullover.

As Cure March, Nao's hair becomes bright green and much longer. The side of her bangs curl in towards her face, and her back hair is worn in a very long ponytail held with a yellow ribbon with an angel wing clip attached. Part of her hair is also worn in high twintails held up with yellow bands. She wears a white tiara with a green gem across her forehead. Her eyes become a brighter green. Her outfit is in shades of green, with a green bow with a golden medallion at her chest, and a single layer of feathery sleeves with small green beads. The bottom of her top is split into petals, and the back extends out in a single pale green frilly piece. Her skirt is green with a dark green hem and no frills along the bottom, and dark green tights beneath. She wears short white boots with green toetips and light green legwarmers with small dark green bows. Her white arm protectors are elbow length with the top part folded down to reveal light green inside, and dark green ribbons at both the wrists and elbows.

Etymology
Midorikawa (緑川) - 緑 means "green", while 川 means "river".

Nao (なお) - Nao has the meaning of "straight," as in "straight forward."

Cure March - Cure March's name could refer to the fact that the month of March marks the beginning of Spring in the northern hemisphere in meteorology. This relationship to Spring could explain her name and theme colour. There is also a general assumption that March is the windiest month of the year therefore establishing a link between her name and power over wind.

Trivia

 * In her introductory speech, Cure March says "rinrin", which has multiple meanings. Rinrin can mean "severe", which corresponds with Nao's personality. It can also mean "piercing and cold", which may be a reference to March's power over wind.
 * Cure March is the second full-fledged green canon Cure, the first being Cure Mint from Yes! Pretty Cure 5.
 * She is the first Cure who excels in sports and is not the leader next to Natsuki Rin from Yes! Pretty Cure 5.
 * Cure March is the first Cure to sport a ponytail and twintails simultaneously.
 * Nao is the third Cure to play soccer, following Natsuki Rin from Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and Hojo Hibiki from Suite Pretty Cure♪.
 * She is the only Cure from her team to have a tiara over her forehead instead of a crown on her head. This, plus her green hair, earned her several comparisions to Trip from Power Rangers Time Force (to the point that she was constantly called "the first Xybrian Cure in history"), despite the fact that their personalities are nothing alike.
 * Cure March is the second Cure to control wind after Cure Windy from Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star.
 * She has a same surname and hairstyle as Midorikawa Ryuuji, another soccer player, from Inazuma Eleven.