Ichika Usami

**Ichika Usami** (宇佐美いちか *Usami Ichika*?) is one of the main characters of *KiraKira☆Pretty Cure Ala 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 *Kyua Hoippu*?) 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！ *"Hoippu・Suteppu・Jānpu!"*?) and **"I have a bright idea!"** (キラっとひらめいた！*"Kiratto Hirameita!"*?).

## Info

* Season:KiraKira Pretty Cure Ala Mode, Maho Girls Pretty Cure! (Cameo)
* Age:14
* Gender:Female
* Eyes Color:Magenta
* Hair Color:Orange (Ichika), Pink (Cure Whip)
* Homeland:Ichigozaka
* Relatives:Genichiro Usami (Father), Satomi Usami (Mother)
* First Appearance:Maho Girls Pretty Cure episode 50 (Cameos), Episode 1
* Alias:Cure Whip
* Theme Color:Pink (Main), White (Sub)
* Voice Actor:Karen Miyama

## History

### Pre Season

She greets Maho Girls Cures and serves them with some delicious Mofurun cake. Later on, she appears as Cure Whip as the three Cures battle the Dokuroxy's monster. After the battle, Ichika runs off.

### Becoming 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.

## Appearance

She 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. In the summer, she wears a short-sleeved pink top with puffy sleeves and two magenta buttons and a short light pink two-layered skirt along with white shoes with strawberries on them.

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

She 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".

## Relationhips

### Satomi Usami

Her mother, who give sweets for her when she come back home. She 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.

## Powers

She transforms into Cure Whip by using the phrase "Cure A La Mode・Decoration!". In this form, she can jump really high and possesses a stronger sense of hearing like a rabbit.

**Kirakira★Kirarun:**The main method of attack used by the Cures, which manifests in the form of magical batter within the Sweets Pact. As Cure Whip, Ichika has shown she has the ability to:

* Envelop her enemies with whip-like lashes of batter.
* Launch large pink energy blasts from her wand.
* Wrap her enemies in a colossal encasing of frosting, creating an implosion which depletes them of their power.
* Use the batter to manifest large sticky rope-like structures that keep the foe in place.
* **KirakiraKirarun★KiraKiraru:** a more powerful version of the original incantation, giving Whip the ability to summon a large snake-like structure of batter that coils around before launching itself at the foe, the impact from the tip sending them flying.
* **Sweets Wonderful** (スイー・ツー・ワンダフル・アラ・モード *Suī-Tsu-Wan-Dafuru*?) is the group attack Cure Whip performs with the other four Cures. To perform it, she must use the Candy Rod.
* **Whip Decoration** (ホイップデコレーション *Hoippu Dekorēshon*?) is the first solo sub attack that Cure Whip uses. She first performs it in episode 12. To use it, she must use the Candy Rod.
* **Animal Go Round** (アニマルゴーランド！ *Animaru Gō Rando*?) is her group attack with other Cures. Requires Kirakiraru Creamer and her Crystal Animal to perform it.
* **Fantastic Animale** (ファンタスティックアニマーレ *Fantasutikku Animare*?) is her group attack with other Cures. Requires Kirakiraru Creamer and her Crystal Animal in her Ala Mode Style to perform it.

## Etymology

**Usami** (宇佐美?): *U* (宇?) means 'eaves'[1], *Sa* (佐?) means 'to help', and *Mi* (美?) means 'beautiful' [2].

**Ichika** (いちか?) has many different meanings however with this kanji '苺花', Ichika means 'strawberry flower' [3], which probably has to do with her strawberry motif.

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

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

## Trivia

* She is the second pink Cure after Yumehara Nozomi whose surname doesn't start with the letters, M, H or A.
* She is the second Cure to represent smiles after Cure Happy from Smile Pretty Cure!.
* She mended the tradition that Nozomi Yumehara started which every lead Cure after her had their hair gathered in twin tails while in their civilian forms.
* She 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 Maho Girls Pretty Cure!.
* Her birthday is on January 7th,making her Zodiac sign, Capricorn.