Kikka Kobayashi
War orphan who became a White Base mascot during the One Year War before pursuing a career as a journalist.
Kikka Kobayashi was a war orphan from Side 7 who served as one of the White Base’s beloved mascots during the One Year War before pursuing a career as a journalist. Born Kikka Kitamoto, she was the youngest of three orphaned children who found refuge aboard the Federation assault carrier before being adopted by Hayato Kobayashi and Fraw Bow. She later became the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Pulitzer - Amuro Ray Beyond the Aurora, where she investigated the life and legacy of Amuro Ray.
Biography
Early life and the One Year War
Kikka was born in UC 0075 and lived on the space colony Side 7 with her parents. When Principality of Zeon forces attacked the colony on 18 September UC 0079, her parents were killed in the assault. At age four, Kikka found herself orphaned alongside eight-year-old Katz Howan and six-year-old Letz Cofan. The three children managed to board the Federation assault carrier White Base as it evacuated refugees from the doomed colony.
As the youngest of the trio, Kikka quickly became the most endearing of the ship’s mascots. Despite her tender age, she displayed a remarkable personality that swung between rambunctious glee and unexpected emotional outbursts. Her distinctive appearance, marked by permanent blush stickers on her cheeks, made her easily recognisable to the crew. Fraw Bow served as her primary caretaker, though the entire White Base crew looked after the three orphaned children.
The children became involved in several crucial incidents during their journey. During Ramba Ral’s desperate boarding attack on the White Base, they witnessed the brutal realities of war up close. More significantly, when Char Aznable infiltrated the Federation base at Jaburo and planted bombs throughout the facility, Kikka, Katz, and Letz discovered the hidden explosives and helped dispose of them.
Their heroic actions during the Jaburo incident proved so valuable that the Federation allowed them to remain aboard the White Base even when it left Earth to return to space for the final offensives at Solomon and A Baoa Qu. This decision kept the children at the heart of the conflict until its conclusion.
After the climactic Battle of A Baoa Qu, Kikka demonstrated her nascent Newtype abilities alongside her companions when they reached out psychically to help Amuro Ray locate the lifeboat carrying the White Base crew after the ship’s destruction. This moment marked her first manifestation of the special powers that would later influence her adult life.
Post-war adoption and education
Following the One Year War, Kikka, Katz, and Letz were adopted by Hayato Kobayashi and Fraw Bow, who had married to provide the children with a stable family home. The newly formed Kobayashi family settled in Shizuoka, where Hayato operated a mobile suit museum featuring Principality of Zeon mobile suits from the One Year War.
Unlike Katz, who was inspired to pursue military service, or Letz, who chose quiet civilian life, Kikka developed an interest in journalism and writing. Her experiences during the war had given her unique insights into the human cost of conflict, and she chose to pursue higher education in space to develop her skills as a writer and researcher.
Her academic pursuits took her away from the family home in Shizuoka, though she maintained close contact with her adoptive family. During her studies, she began to focus on documenting the experiences of One Year War veterans and the broader impact of the conflict on civilian populations.
Journalistic career
By UC 0094, following Amuro Ray’s supposed death during the Second Neo Zeon War, Kikka had developed into an accomplished journalist. She conceived the ambitious project of writing a comprehensive work about Amuro’s life and legacy, seeking to present a more human perspective on the legendary pilot who had become a symbol of Federation heroism.
To prepare for this project, Kikka returned to the Kobayashi home in Shizuoka during her Christmas break to gather information from Fraw and Letz. Fraw provided invaluable support by sharing her personal accounts of Amuro from before the war began, offering insights into his character and motivations that official military records could not capture.
During this visit, Fraw also gave Kikka a letter that Hayato had written before his death, detailing his personal experiences and recounting how Kikka and her companions had discovered the bombs at Jaburo. This letter provided crucial historical documentation of events that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Additionally, Fraw provided Kikka with the business card of Kai Shiden, another White Base veteran who had become a prominent journalist. When Kikka contacted Kai, he supplied her with a comprehensive list of White Base crew members, Karaba personnel, and Amuro’s allies both within and outside the Earth Federation. This network of contacts proved essential for her research.
The project represented Kikka’s effort to humanise Amuro Ray and present him as more than just a military hero. Her unique perspective as someone who had known him personally during the war, combined with her professional journalistic skills, positioned her to tell a story that official histories could not capture.
Later life
In UC 0096, during the events surrounding Mineva Zabi’s revelation about Laplace’s Box, Kikka was spotted alongside Letz watching the historic broadcast. Though only seen from behind in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, their presence suggested continued interest in major political developments affecting the Earth Sphere.
Her appearance at this moment indicated that she had successfully completed her journalistic project and continued to follow events that might impact the legacy of the One Year War and its veterans.
Personality and traits
Kikka possessed a vibrant and complex personality that distinguished her from her adoptive siblings. As a child aboard the White Base, she was noted for swinging between rambunctious glee and unexpected emotional outbursts, earning her a reputation as both endearing and occasionally challenging. Her distinctive permanent blush stickers became a visual symbol of her youthful innocence amid the harsh realities of war.
Despite her young age during the conflict, Kikka demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability. She quickly formed bonds with the White Base crew and showed courage during dangerous situations like the Jaburo bombing incident. Her ability to find joy and maintain childlike wonder even in wartime suggested a fundamentally optimistic nature.
As she matured, Kikka developed into a thoughtful and determined journalist. Her decision to write about Amuro Ray reflected both personal loyalty to a childhood hero and professional commitment to preserving important historical narratives. Her approach to journalism emphasised human stories over official accounts, showing her continued empathy and understanding of war’s personal impact.
Skills and abilities
Like her adoptive siblings, Kikka demonstrated latent Newtype abilities during the Battle of A Baoa Qu when she helped Amuro Ray locate the White Base crew’s lifeboat through psychic connection. These abilities likely contributed to her later success as a journalist, providing her with enhanced intuition and empathy when interviewing subjects.
Throughout her time aboard the White Base, Kikka proved remarkably observant for her age. Her discovery of the bombs at Jaburo, along with Katz and Letz, required both alertness and courage. These early experiences in detection and investigation may have influenced her later career choice.
As a journalist, Kikka demonstrated excellent research skills and the ability to build networks of contacts. Her successful gathering of information for her Amuro Ray project showed professional competence in interviewing, source verification, and historical documentation.
Relationships
Family
Kikka’s relationship with her adoptive family remained central to her identity throughout her life. Fraw Kobayashi served as both mother figure and valuable source for her journalistic work, providing personal insights that no other source could offer. Their continued closeness was evident in Kikka’s regular return visits to the family home in Shizuoka.
Her bond with Letz remained strong despite their different life paths. While he chose the stability of home life, she pursued education and career opportunities in space. Their reunion during her Christmas break showed continued mutual affection and respect for each other’s choices.
The memory of Katz, who died during the Gryps Conflict, likely influenced Kikka’s desire to document the stories of war participants before they were lost to time. His death served as a reminder of how quickly personal histories could be forgotten without proper preservation.
Amuro Ray
Amuro Ray served as both childhood hero and professional subject for Kikka. Her memories of him from the White Base provided personal foundation for her later journalistic investigation into his life and legacy. Unlike Katz, who idealized Amuro’s military accomplishments, Kikka sought to understand him as a complete human being.
Kai Shiden
Kai Shiden’s assistance with her Amuro Ray project demonstrated the continued bonds among White Base veterans. His willingness to provide contacts and information showed both professional respect for Kikka’s work and personal loyalty to the shared experiences of their wartime service.
Behind the scenes
Kikka Kobayashi was designed by character designer Yasuhiko Yoshikazu for the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. Her distinctive appearance with permanent blush stickers made her immediately recognisable and emphasised her role as the innocent child caught in war’s brutality.
In the Japanese version, Kikka was voiced by Yo Inoue in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. In the English dub, she was voiced by Rebecca Forstadt in the compilation films and Cathy Weseluck in the television broadcast version.
The character’s later development as the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam Pulitzer - Amuro Ray Beyond the Aurora expanded her role significantly, showing how the war orphans continued to be affected by their experiences decades later. This novel provided deeper exploration of her adult personality and professional achievements.
Appearances
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (mentioned)
- Mobile Suit Gundam I
- Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow
- Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (cameo)
- Mobile Suit Gundam Pulitzer - Amuro Ray Beyond the Aurora (protagonist)
External links
- Kikka Kobayashi on the Gundam Wiki
- Kikka Kitamoto on Behind the Voice Actors