Rika was born in 1926, in Hiroshima, to a middle-class family. Her father was a naval officer, and her mother a schoolteacher. Raised with strict discipline, she was an intelligent and strong-willed girl, excelling in academics and sports. She admired her older brother, a pilot in the Imperial Navy, who was killed in 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. His death cemented her fate—she volunteered for the newly formed kamikaze units, determined to "bring honor" to her family and nation.

However, beneath the surface, she never fully believed in the cause. Unlike some of her comrades who saw dying for the Emperor as glorious, she felt it was a waste. But she couldn’t say that. To refuse was to be labeled a coward—a disgrace. So, she put on the act of a loyal warrior, convincing even herself that death was the only path left.

Her final mission was a kamikaze attack on an American base. However, her aircraft was hit by anti-air fire, causing engine failure. She lost control, barely managing to crash-land on a remote island instead of directly striking the base. She should have died in the wreckage... but somehow, she survived.