Myoudouin Itsuki

Myoudouin Itsuki is the student council president at the Myoudou Academy Junior High School. She is the granddaughter of Myoudouin Gentarou, the president of Myoudou Academy. Because she looks and dresses like a male, she is often mistaken as one by new students, and even people who know about her situation state that sometimes they forget that she is a girl. The reason for her cross-dressing, is because she needs to take the place of her brother Satsuki, who is too sick to act as the heir of the family dojo. Her Heart Flower is the peony, symbolizing her rebirth as a person and her noble background. Itsuki's Cure ego is Cure Sunshine (キュアサンシャイン) and her catchphrase is "I will heal the the darkness in your heart with my light."

Desertrian
Later on, Itsuki visits Tsubomi and Erika's classroom, wanting Erika's fashion club list with a warning. Later, when the girls go to give Itsuki the list for the fashion club, they find her training with the other students at the family dojo. After when Itsuki takes a break to talk to Erika and Tsubomi, telling them she will allow the fashion club to remain, a student comes with tea for Itsuki and calls her "Lady", much to Tsubomi's surprise. Erika and Itsuki then proceeds to explain her that due to a certain situation, Itsuki has to dress and act as a male, which shatters Tsubomi's crush on her.

She later recieves a plush bunny from an admirer. She walks off and hides the doll behind a bronze statue, as she does not want anybody to see her feminine side. Cobraja, however, sees her with her wilted Heart Flower, and approaches her. He damages the doll and steals Itsuki's Heart Flower, creating a Desertrian out of bronze statue. The Desertrian turns people to stone with its eyes, but in the end starts admiring the female school uniform and Cure Marine's clothes, informing Cobraja, who thought she was a boy, that she is female, shocking him. When the Desert Messenger insults her gender, Itsuki's Desertrian kicks him away, and Cure Blossom appears, now understanding how Itsuki really feels about her situation. She then purifies Itsuki's Heart Flower and asks her to join the fashion club, as a way to feel more feminine. Itsuki says she will think about it, and walks off with some male friends of hers with the fixed bunny.

Acceptance of Martial Arts and Girl Things
Still thinking about Tsubomi's offer to join the fashion club, Itsuki walks past Fairy Drop, seeing a cute dress. Erika and Tsubomi talk to her shortly about joining the club, but she is unsure. They advice her to at least try to design something she would like to make, and having this in mind before training, she draws a dress and gives it to the fashion club the day afterward. The members of the club are impressed by her design, and asks her to follow them to the shop to find fabric for it. However, she is still in a dilemma whether to try do to girly things or to maintain an image as a boy, but Erika and Tsubomi encourage her to finish the dress the day afterward at her home. She tries it on, and Satsuki sees it and states that it lookes cute on her, though she is embarrased and states that she is just fooling around. After a boy named Hiroto is targeted by Kumojaki, she briefly admires Cure Blossom and Cure Marine, before realizing the more important matter at hand. As Itsuki fights Kumojaki, she realizes what judo really means: to protect others. Itsuki joins the fashion club afterward.

Becoming Cure Sunshine
When Kumojaki strikes and steals Mizushima Aya's Heart Flower during a storm, Itsuki orders the students to protect the curtain. She is present for watching Pretty Cure battle against a Desertrian. After the battle, Itsuki goes up to Potpourri (who is posing as a stuffed toy) and hugs him, saying that the plushie is cute. Unknown to her, Potpourri feels a warmth come into him because of the touch, making him think that she is the third Cure. She keeps playing a little with him before Tsubomi and Erika close up to them, telling that it is their doll. When Itsuki asks where they bought it, however, Erika says that she made it, convincing Itsuki who gives it back.

The next day, Satsuki learns of a surgery that can cure his illness, which makes everyone in the family happy, though Itsuki notes that something is wrong with his older brother. Later, she takes a fruit basket over to the hospital to cheer up Satsuki, but he nervously rejects her attempts politely. Frustrated, Itsuki meets the girls again, not knowing that they had been stalking her the whole way because of Potpourri's claims that she is Pretty Cure. They reveal that they heard of the story from her mother, and she confesses her worry for Satsuki, making the girls forget to ask her of she has dreamt of the Tree of Hearts and Cure Moonlight.

The day afterward, Potpourri calls out to Itsuki before landing into her arms, scaring Itsuki when she realizes that what she thought was a doll talks. Potpourri reveals to Itsuki that she is the third Cure that can transform and fight to protect the Tree of Hearts. However, despite liking the Pretty Cure clothes, Itsuki rejects Potpourri's offer, stating that she doubts she can protect anyone. Right then, Tsubomi and Erika arrive with a bunch of sunflowers, and Potpourri hides inside Itsuki's shirt, making her look pregnant. When they open Satsuki's door, they see that the window is broken, the bed is empty, and the other half of a Heart Flower falls on the floor, revealing Satsuki. They see a wheelchair-Desertrian cause havoc outside the hospital, and Itsuki witnesses Tsubomi and Erika transform into Pretty Cure, revealing their identities. She soon understands that the Desertrian is Satsuki when it starts talking about its fear for surgeries, but even when she tries to wake him up, it only makes the monster hit her. Potpourri protects Itsuki, saying with tears that they both want to protect something, but feel useless alone. Sasorina, realizing that Potpourri is the third fairy they are looking for. She tries to take him, but Itsuki protects him, stating that she will become a person that protects people. This causes Potpourri's crest to shine, and they all realize that he was right in that Itsuki is the third Cure. The fairy summons the Shiny Perfume, and Itsuki transforms into Pretty Cure. She is stunned, but when Potpourri tells her to find a name, she sees the sun's shine and fights shortly with the Desertrian before claiming that her name is Cure Sunshine. She fights off the Desertrian using Gold Forte Burst, and together with Tsubomi and Erika go to the Tree of Hearts to see it. There, she reveals her dream about the tree and Cure Moonlight, and meet Dark Cure in person for the first time. She manages to defend herself before finding a strategy to occupy Dark Cure long enough for her and Potpourri to recreate the barrier around the tree, making it disappear. They are transported back to Kibougahana, and after the surgery, she is with her mother and grandfather to greet Satsuki, relieved that he made it okay.

Relationships
Myoudouin Satsuki - Satsuki is Itsuki's older brother and source of inspiration for her. It was thorugh Satsuki that she was able to become Cure Sunshine and also had a part in choosing her name.

Potpourri - Potpourri is Itsuki's mascot partner. Itsuki initally thought Potpourri was a toy and thought he was cute. They eventually bonded when they realized they both want to protect people, but feel they can't do it alone.

Cure Sunshine


"The flower bathing in the sun's light, Cure Sunshine!" 陽の光浴びる一輪の花、キュアサンシャイン！ Hi no hikari abiru ichirin no hana, Kyuasanshain! Cure Sunshine (キュアサンシャイン) is the Cure identity Itsuki gains when she has to protect her older brother when he becomes a Desertrian. She is very different from Cure Blossom and Cure Marine in the sense that her Heart Perfume is called the Shiny Perfume, she uses the Shiny Tambourine rather than the Flower Tacts and her attack is named Gold Forte Burst rather than the usual Pink, Blue and Dark Forte Wave. When facing the advanced Desertrian, Cure Blossom, Cure Marine and Cure Sunshine can also perform a group finisher called Shining Fortissimo.

Attacks
Except for purification attacks, Cure Sunshine can use defensive attacks on her own for fighting use:

Sunflower Aegis (サンフラワーイージス) - The sunflower-shaped shield generated by Cure Sunshine. Soon after an attack of an enemy hit right onto the shield, the attack goes towards where it was set.

Sunflower Protection (サンフラワープロテクション) - Cure Sunshine's secondary shield attack, which protects her from incoming attacks. Unlike Sunflower Aegis, the attack does not recoil back to the enemy.

Sunshine Flash (サンシャインフラッシュ) - One of Cure Sunshine's attacks, similar to Cure Blossom's Blossom Shower and Cure Marine's Marine Shoot. She draws a circle of light with both hands and then releases the light at the target.

Shiny Dynamite (シャイニーダイナマイト): Like with Cure Marine's Marin Dynamite and Cure Blossom and Cure Marine's Pretty Cure Daibakuhatsu, Shiny Dynamite creates a large explosion. As it is only featured in Kaoruko's dream, it is unknown if she can use it in reality.

Super Cure Sunshine
Super Cure Sunshine (スーパーキュアサンシャイン) is the confirmed upgrade Cure Sunshine receives in Heartcatch Pretty Cure!: Hana no Miyako de Fashion Show... Desu ka!?. This form is obtained when the items called Heartcatch Mirage, Super Silhouette and Super Pretty Cure Seed is used.

Super Cure Sunshine has slightly longer skirt with sharper edges, and the ribbons on her chest and hair are enlarged and slightly differed. Her yellow color has also become shades lighter, and her gloves have now expanded to near her shoulders while her pigtails have grown to near her ankles. It is not confirmed what powers Super Cure Sunshine possesses.

Songs
As a Cure, Itsuki has an image song dedicated to her, though only one, compared to the rest of Pretty Cure's two songs. To make up for this, Heartcatch Pretty Cure! ending theme singress sings a character song about her.
 * Taiyou no Symphony
 * Himawari (character song by Kudou Mayu)
 * Kokoro no Hana (along with voice actresses of Hanasaki Tsubomi and Kurumi Erika)

Etymology
Myoudouin (明堂院):' Myou (明) translates to bright or light'', in reference to Itsuki's sunlight-based powers as Cure Sunshine. Dou (堂) comes from the prefix to building meaning magnificent, and in (院), meaning institution, temple; mansion; school, a reference to her connection to Myoudou Academy Junior High School Together, its meaning is roughly bright magnificent school.

'''Itsuki (いつき): A Japanese unisex name, it can have many different meanings depending on how it is written in kanji, however since Itsuki's name is written in hiragana, the meaning it is difficult to come up with an exact meaning for her name in particular. The most likely intended meaning is timber trees (樹), which would fit with the theme of Heartcatch Pretty Cure!.

Cure Sunshine: Itsuki's Cure alias is a name she chooses herself, after looking up and laying her eyes upon a sun. In-story, she chooses the name in inspiration for her brother, who used to cheer her up by using the sun.

Trivia

 * Itsuki named her stuffed bunny Usapyon. Usapyon is also the name of Momozono Love's childhood toy.
 * Cure Sunshine was long merely a rumor from leaked magazine scans, but was confirmed to be real. Merchandise of her started to be for sale in July, 2010, and the July 2010 issue of Nakayoshi confirms her first appearance in episode 23 on July 18, 2010.
 * It is speculated that Cure Sunshine's name comes from the fact that the sun keeps life in flowers, Cure Blossom's control field, which would fit with Cure Moonlight's name, in which the moon manipulates the sea, which Cure Marine has the power of. Because of this, many fans believed Cure Sunshine to be Cure Moonlight's partner in her generation. However, Cure Sunshine belongs to the newest generation of Pretty Cure, despite her name theme matching Cure Moonlight rather than Cure Blossom and Cure Marine.
 * Cure Sunshine is comparable to Cure Passion, as they both are considered different from their respective Pretty Cures, and have different attack devices and attacks. However, unlike Cure Passion, Cure Sunshine's design resembles that of the rest of Pretty Cure.
 * Cure Sunshine is the second Cure shown to decide her name by herself, instead of instinctly knowing it when transforming, the first being Cure Blossom.
 * Oddly, Itsuki's uniform is white while the normal uniform is grey. Even during the summer, Itsuki's stills wears the winter uniform