If you're looking for your newest big sister character obsession, look no further. Ichika Nakano is sure to welcome you over to her side, as well as the fans who worship her for her teasing attitude, maturity, and beautiful looks.
Despite Ichika ranking low on the list in the popularity poll in Japan and overseas, there's no doubt her following will try to prove you wrong by stating she's the best girl in Quintessential Quintuplets. For those who are still stuck on which one to choose for your best girl, here are 10 reasons why Ichika is the best quint. And be aware that there are spoilers in this article, so if you only watched/read the manga to a certain point, please turn back now.
10 SHE WAS THE FIRST TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN FUTARO
Although Itsuki is the first quint Futaro meets, Ichika is the first to approach him after seeing his stiff interaction with her in the cafeteria. Either out of interest in playing around with Futaro or her concern for Itsuki as the oldest quint, Ichika was the only one who spoke to him at the beginning of the anime and manga.
As the story progresses, it could be chalked up to Ichika seeing through Futaro's true intentions and protecting Itsuki from them, which was to get on her good side and have her accept him as her tutor after declining the offer.
9 SHE ENJOYS BEING ACTIVE
Who doesn't love a girl who enjoys exercise? Although she may appear to be a laze and a slob when Futaro went into her room the first time, Ichika enjoys being active. It's a wonder how she exercises at all between her schoolwork, outside work, and sleeping, but she enjoys going for a nice jog.
She goes jogging daily which only piles up the other mysteries this quint is holding, such as her love for hippos and dramas. It would probably make more sense for her to be the most active one besides Yotsuba because of how much she runs around to act and model.
8 SHE'S THE ELDEST QUINT
Despite them all being the same age and only seconds and/or minutes born apart, Ichika takes the lead of "big sister" seriously. Whenever the other quints have trouble, Ichika is the one they all come to depend on for advice. She even has the most supportive, caring and wise personality of them all which only makes her the one destined to be the leader amongst them.
After picking up the big sister role, Ichika has also always strived to look after every one of them as one normally would, although she would sometimes push herself too hard in the process.
7 SHE'S A MATH WIZ
Like the other quints, Ichika only excels at one subject with the rest being duds. During the midterms, she only passed math along with the others who passed in their respective well-known subjects. The reasons for her being good at math is left ambiguous, especially since it doesn't tie in for her dreams of being an actress and a model, but it is impressive how she's so knowledgeable about a subject many have difficulty getting to understand.
It may be because she's hinted to have good insight with human psychology that she excels in math, but we'll never know the answer.
6 SHE PUTS HER FEELINGS ON THE BACKBURNER
At first, it's hard to tell where Ichika stands with romance. We don't know what's past her smug smile or teasing and think nothing of it -- until as the story progresses she blushes more around Futaro and reacts differently to Miku's confession that she'll win the fight to win his heart. Even afterward, she simply smiled.
It becomes more noticeable until she can't deny herself that she loves him like the other quints. You begin to see how much she loves her sisters, as she refuses to go after Futaro so that the others can be happy, even pushing Miku to be more aggressive to gain his affections.
5 SHE'S STRIVING TO BECOME AN ACTRESS
It's first revealed in chapter 10 of the manga that Ichika is striving to be an actress, specifically a movie actress, and that's why she doesn't take school or her grades seriously. She believes she doesn't have time to waste and should go for her dreams instead of excelling in school, telling Futaro those exact words, before he rebuts them.
Because of his rebuttal, Ichika begins taking school more seriously but also juggles between homework and acting, unable to give up on one or the other. The ability to do your best at multiple things is a skill unique to Ichika, and although she slacks off at first, seeing her grow as a character makes it all worthwhile.
4 SHE'S WEAK TO ROMANCE
There's no doubt Ichika is a tease, but what makes her more interesting is that she's a tease who can't handle being teased herself. She's quite pure when you take a closer look at her character, but you wouldn't know because she hides it behind her words -- she is an actress, after all.
Past her smug expressions lie a girl with a pure heart who blushes whenever thinking about something even remotely romantic, such as when she was locked in a shed with Futaro. After saving her from falling, she was unable to look him in the eyes when he commented on how she's clumsier than she appears.
3 SHE CARES DEEPLY FOR HER SISTERS
Even before Futaro came into the picture and Ichika put her feelings on the back burner, she has always cared for the other quints deeply. Though all of the sisters are close, Miku and Ichika are perhaps the ones who understand each other the most. Miku even prefers to sleep with Ichika and have heart-to-heart talks throughout the night, showing how strong their bond is with another.
Ichika used to brush Yotsuba's teeth when they were little, she praises Nino's cooking skills and is the first she confesses to about her feelings for Futaro, and she can tell whenever Itsuki is feeling happy or sad about something.
2 SHE REALIZES THE ERROR OF HER WAYS
Although Ichika tried to hold back her feelings for Futaro by helping Miku get together with him instead, as the story progresses her emotions twist into something darker than they were before, bordering on yandere territory. As her desire for Futaro's love grows stronger, she uses dirty tactics such as dressing as Miku to cheat her way into his heart all while thinking she was justified to do it.
She almost sabotaged her sister's chances to truly confess before realizing the error of her ways and helping Miku properly confess her feelings for him. In the end, she gave up her own feelings, telling him they were all lies.
1 SHE ENJOYS TEASING FUTARO
To be honest, this is the reason why many fans fell in love with Ichika in the first place. Who could resist a character charming enough to tease the protagonist 24/7? The first time Futaro meets Ichika in the cafeteria in the 1st episode/chapter 1, she witnesses Itsuki reject him for a seat.
Before he can leave, she asks if he wants to sit with her -- and when he declines, she states that he must be aiming for Ituski's affections. Despite Futaro's denial, she gives him a hearty pat on the back, asks why he likes her, and tells him to come to "big sister Ichika" if he needs any help in his "quest" for Itsuki's love.